DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Formation and Maintenance of Digital Libraries: A Critical Analysis Amanda Yetter Clarion University of Pennsylvania

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS Digital libraries are at the forefront of discussion in the library and academic setting for the future of libraries and are an ongoing source of resources for the future. When talking about

digital libraries, it is important to mention that the current state that many academic libraries are functioning at are deemed hybrid libraries that contain elements of a traditional library and also include digital aspects. The following consists of information from various articles on maintaining digital libraries in traditional and academic arenas. Janine Salwasser and Bonnie Avery (2010) talk about the issues surrounding opening a digital library at the Oregon State University (OSU) Library by launching the Oregon Explorer in June 2007. The Explorer helps in aiding the university in providing additional resources to students that may be difficult for the actual library to get a hold of within the library walls, by breaking down library walls, the OSU library is able to have the collection expand by the click of a mouse. There are some difficulties associated with starting a digital library and the OSU libraries faced similar issues in maintaining and establishing a digital library on their campus. Before working on developing the OSU libraries digital library, the individuals working on the project looked at other digital libraries the were already successful at providing information to their patrons. Looking at the sample digital libraries, OSU was able to see the commonalities between what worked for certain digital libraries and what they believed would work well in their academic digital library. Many of the samples, provided great examples of government documents, and OSU wanted to develop a way for patrons to access GIS data and mapping tools, decision-support tools, and user-submitted content that provided a context for learning about natural resources issues for specific places and topics (Salwasser and Avery, 2010). This infrastructure will be maintained by mixing software programming with Microsoft hypertext to

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS allow users and patrons to get the most out of their digital library experience. The authors then mention the building of a digital library prototype integrating information for the Willamette Basin. The purpose of the site is to provide information that

helps both policymakers and local citizens make better decisions about land and water use in the Willamette River Basin (Salwasser and Avery, 2010). Feature stories and geographical information in learn about sections and would include multimedia story within the digital library homepage. The success of the Willamette Basin Project led to other basin portals opening up information to the public in the same and similar framework used to developing the prototype. The Willamette Basin Project and other basin portals does not mean the there is an end to this digital library, but rather, it is just the beginning. The site was effective because it had the appropriate funding, contained mock-ups and creative briefs, including usability testing, tool development, launch and outreach, evaluation and maintenance. Without these important steps, the project would have failed, however the project set the Willamette Basin Project to be successful in all aspects and it will continue to function well into the future. With the success of the Willamette Basin Project, we will now look at the library as a space and what will ultimately happen to the space as digital libraries progress in the area of the academic library. Pei-chun Lin, Kuan-nien Chen, and Sung-Shan Chang dive into the library as a place as digital technology rises and the library begins to change. The library in an academic setting is the hub of educational involvement and socialization as the library now integrates such academic aid such as tutoring, study rooms, conference rooms, academic advisors and various other social spaces. The academic library also provides Internet access for students, printer and fax services, and in some instances coffee shops. Therefore, the academic library provides many more resources than just books and periodicals, but provides

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS students with the necessary tools needed to be successful in their academic career.

How long will the library building remain before the digital library takes over and knocks the building and walls down for the academic library? Many libraries are already getting rid of periodicals with the onset of online databases, E-Journals and E-books, so how much longer will the library as a physical place exist? This seems to be of some debate, but like the authors of this article, it seems that the library building will always remain in the academic library setting as it provides much more than books, but also a social outlet for students to work with one another effectively. Another avenue that the library is taking is the area of information literacy and teaching students how to search online effectively and efficiently. Libraries now are in a constant state of change and now the authors mention the term the hybrid library which includes the library adding artwork, noise management, and increased space for the changing technology and providing spaces in which users can talk to others and to materials (Lin, Chen, Chang, 2010). Books are never going to vanish from the shelves of libraries, but rather they will slowly change how libraries function in the future. To say that one day all of the books, periodicals and the like will be fully digitalized is a feet in itself and will take decades to implement. However, the face of the library is changing, as is the physical space. Digital libraries undoubtedly are the future of libraries as a whole in the academic, public, school and even in the area of special and medical libraries. As stated before, the physical library itself is changing but it is also constant in the area of being more than just a building holding books. In order to understand the digital library, it is imperative to take a deeper look into how a digital library is developed and how different people are used in the development and maintenance of these libraries. Alessio Malizia, Paolo Bottoni, and S. Levialdi talk about CRADLE (Cooperative-

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS Relational Approach to Digital Library Environments). CRADLE supports the basic functionalities of a DL through interfaces and service templates for managing, browsing, searching, and updating. These can be further specialized to deploy advanced functionalities as defined by designers through the entities of the proposed visual language (Malizia, Bottoni, Levialdi, 2010). A lot of what CRADLE does is difficult to understand at first because it deals with the complex formula found with programming. However, one thing remains constant, that CRADLE is not fully developed and is ever changing as the library as a place and the digital library continues to morph and change along with technology.

CRADLE encompasses the idea of the ever-changing formula needed for a digital library to run effectively through various web browsers and Internet search providers. By analyzing the way that novices search the Internet, the CRADLE formula allows users to have similar results in a digital library setting. With Google as an Internet search front-runner, CRADLE and other digital libraries have to focus on the searching strategies that they provide for users in order to make their digital libraries effective. So how must we, as librarians regard the digital library in regards to implications and maintenance? We must first be familiar with what the users want and their needs. It seems to be something that would be easy to understand, but after learning the ropes in library school, it can be difficult to remember searching before Boolean, and the stark difference between a basic and advanced search and even life before controlled vocabulary. Once we remember what our users know in the area of searching and strategies, it is important to recall how to inform users of the digital library and the various resources that the digital library can provide for patrons and users alike. So where do libraries as a place fit into the area of the digital library prototype? The

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS library as a place will continue to change and evolve as the digital library grows and develops

further. A digital library provides after hours resources for patrons and users and allows users to have quality information readily available away from the confines of the building. Digital libraries help provide information to others in various countries, connecting classmates in the online world, and allow in aiding in medical research and information being communicated by various doctors regardless of how far away they physically are from one another. A digital library connects users in a way that libraries could once only dream of. Breaking through the physical walls is only one way the digital libraries are here to say, but they provide a link to the library for patrons unlike any of its predecessors. Imagine having an application for the library readily available and being able to access information from across the street, pond, even country to your digital library of your choice. The digital library is the future of libraries, but will never make the book disappear or the library as a meeting place within the academic library setting. With CRADLE and the success of the OSU Willamette Basin Project, it is clear to see that the digital library is imperative in various settings and allowing users and patrons to access information. Libraries are a place to access information, and similarly the digital library has the same goal. Providing users with information from their homes, workplaces, and even in various countries. The opportunity to provide information to anyone, anywhere regardless of their location is monumental in the area of library information.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES CRITICAL ANALYSIS References

Lin, P., Chen, K, and Chang, S. (2010). Before there was a place called librarylibrary space as an invisible factor affecting students learning. Libri, 60, 339-351. doi: 10.1515/libr.2010.029 Malizia, A., Bottoni, P., and Levialdi, S. (2010). Generating collaborative systems for digital libraries: a model-driven approach. Information Technology and Libraries, 29, 171186. http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml? recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e1916ca00094d315a783ae0f4f853a8860ffdbf932416dd3f704579 47d2b47b2a&fmt=P Salwasser, J., and Avery, B. (2010) Developing the Oregon explorera natural resources digital library. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 119. http://www.istl.org/10winter/refereed4.html.