Virtual Library vs Digital Library

[Sloan, Bernie]

Regina,

Last Spring I did an independent study on digital libraries
for the doctoral program at the University of Illinois
GSLIS. One part of my study involved defining the
digital library. One of the things I found was that, at
least at present, it's probably as important to define
what the digital library is NOT, as it is to define what
the digital library IS.

I would second Kati Sunner's suggestion to check the 
ARL web site for their definition of "digital library". (By the
way, there's a typo in the URL given in Kati's note. That
should be "berkeley" rather than "berkley").

I'd also recommend going beyond that. The ARL site notes
that "There are many definitions of a 'digital library'". The
site also recommends Karen Drabenstotts's "Analytical
Review of the Library of the Future" (published in 1994 by
the Council on Library Resources). Drabenstott found 14
separate definitions, published between 1987 and 1993.
The items listed in the ARL web site are those items that
Drabenstott found to be common to all or most of the 
definitions.

William Saffady (Library Technology Reports, Vol.31, No.3,
May-June 1995) found nearly 30 different definitions for
the digital library. Saffady notes "Broadly defined, a digital
library is a collection of computer-processible information,
or a repository for such information." Later in this same
document he notes that a digital library is "a library that
maintains all, or a substantial part, of its collection in
computer-processible form as an alternative, supplement,
or complement to the conventional printed and microform
materials that currently dominate library collections."

Gary Shimek and Mary Rieder have a paper on the Web
that provides another dozen or so definitions. Go to:

http://www.msoe.edu/library/virtlib.html

If you're interested in a few more references, let me know.

Bernie Sloan

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bernie Sloan
Senior Library Information Systems Consultant
University of Illinois Office for Planning & Budgeting
338 Henry Administration Building
506 S. Wright Street
Urbana, IL  61801
Phone:  217-333-4895
Fax:       217-333-6355
e-mail:    bernies at uillinois.edu


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