1. Shriram Pandey
Asst. Professor & In-Charge
MLS University, Udaipur
(CPDL-1/Block-1/Unit-1)

2. Lesson Plan
 How do you define digital library?
 What are some of the early visualizations of digital
libraries
 Paradigm Shift: Library to Social Semantic Digital
Library
 What are the key benefits and limitations of digital
library

3. Understanding Digital Library(1)
 May be understand by two perspective
 Digital library as “Collection” of resources
 Digital library as “Institutions”
 Digital library as “Collection” of resources
 "A digital library is an organized and focused collection of digital
objects, including text, images, video and audio, along with
methods for access and retrieval, and for selection, creation,
organization, maintenance and sharing of the collection."
 Focus on ‘digital collection’ ..DL comprise several qualities of
traditional libraries such as focused collection , selection,
organization , maintenance, sharing and service.

4. Understanding Digital Library(2)
 Digital library as “Institutions”
 "Digital libraries are organizations that provide the resources,
including the specialized staff, to select, structure, offer
intellectual access to, interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity
of, and ensure the persistence over time of collections of digital
works so that they are readily and economically available for use
by a defined community or set of communities"
 Stress here on the digital library as a dynamic, growing
organism as well as delivery of services in cost effective way.

5. Properties of a Digital Library
 May be understand by two views-Narrow and Broader
Narrow View Broader View
Based on traditional library Based on internet and www
Objects are information resources Objects can be anything
Objects are selected on the basis of quality No quality control
Objects are fixed(do not change) Objects are fluid(can change at any time)
Objects are permanent(do not disappear) Objects are transient(can disappear at any
time)
Access of the objects is limited to specific
classes of users
Access to everything by everyone
Human specialists (such as librarian) can
be found
There are no librarians
Use of DL is free for specific user groups Use of the DL may requires payment

6. Evolution of Digital Libraries
 Historical
 ‘Memex’ by Vanneavar Bush(1945) in his article ‘As we may
think’-a device offering the scientist to gather, find and
retrieve information.
 ‘Xanadu’ by Ted Nelson(1963)-Ted Nelson was the first to coin
the term ‘Hypertext’ while working on this project.
 J. C. R. Licklider(1965)-In his book ‘Libraries of the future’
described the research and development needed to build a
truly usable digital library.
 Paradigm Shift: Library to Social Semantic Digital Library

7. Old days of hard-copy books
 Library:
 Archive (storage space)
 Bibliographic cards (metadata)
 Librarian (interface)
 Pros:
 Someone to talk to, to understand us, to explain, help in
searching
 Cons:
 Based on physical location
 Libraries are not connected – we have to visit every place

8. Yesterday of digital books
 Digital library
 Database and archive (storage)
 Digital bibliographic descriptions (metadata)
 Full-text search (interface)
 Pros:
 Content accessible online
 Federations of libraries – visit less places
 Cons:
 Lonely user - no one to talk to, we need to find the right keywords,
what if we do not know them (“man without an ear” paintings
example)
 Still many problems with interconnecting (different) libraries

9. Today of interconnected content
 Semantic Digital Libraries
 Database and archive (storage)
 Semantic bibliographic description (interconnected metadata)
 Search and browsing on ontologies (interface)
 Pros:
 Search and browsing based on semantics can help in substituting
the librarian
 It is easier to interconnect heterogeneous libraries (RDF as common
denominator)
 Cons:
 Semantics created from legacy formats – still hard to capture by
most of average users

10. Tomorrow of social media
 Social Semantic Digital Libraries
 Database and archive (storage)
 Bibliographic descriptions with annotations provided by
users (metadata)
 Collaborative search and browsing (interface)
 Pros:
 Users contribute to the classification process
 Users can understand community driven annotations
 Users enhance digital content using blogs, wikis on the side
 Cons:
 Not everyone is convinced

11. Benefits of DLs
 DL brings the library to the user
 DL brings information to the user, at work or at home.
 With DL on the desk top, user never need to visit library
building.
 Improved access-searching and browsing
 Support multiple searching and browsing options which is
not possible in paper-based material.
 Information can be shared more easily
 By intergrading using social software or through network
 Easier to keep information current
 Information can be updated continuously much more easy.

12. Benefits of DLs
 Information is always available
 Not limited by time and geography(3 A’s-Any time, any
where, any format)
 Wider Access
 Meet simultaneous access requests for the same resource
by many users.
 Improved preservation
 It is easier to copy and distribute digital information
without fear of maintaining one physical object
permanently.

13. Limitations of DLs
 Technological obsolescence
 Hardware: The major risk is hardware obsolescence on which
DL work. Solutions: Updation at regular interval
 Software: A more serious problem is software obsolescence
on which DL built. Solution: Software must compliance with
standards like Dublin core, RDF
 Cost of content refreshing
 Digital preservation is an ongoing operation requires
considerable recurring expense.
 Rights management
 It is very easy to copy, replicate and distribute digital
information. Copyright in digital environment is a major
issue.

14. VMOU, KOTA
CPDL-1/Block-1/Unit-1