Digital Library: Advantages and Challenges

The idea of easy, finger-tip access to information-what we conceptualize as digital libraries today-began with Vannenar Bush's Memex machine (Bush, 1945) and has continued to evolve with each advance in information technology. With the arrival of computers, the concept centered on large bibliographic databases, the now familiar online retrieval and public access systems that are part of any contemporary library.

Definition

A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible via computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information retrieval system.

Advantages

The advantages of digital libraries as a means of easily and rapidly accessing books, archives and images of various types are now widely recognized by commercial interests and public bodies alike.

No physical boundary: The user of a digital library need not to go to the library physically; people from all over the world can gain access to the same information, as long as an Internet connection is available.

Round the clock availability: A major advantage of digital libraries is that people can gain access 24/7 to the information.

Multiple accesses: The same resources can be used simultaneously by a number of institutions and patrons.

Information retrieval: The user is able to use any search term (word, phrase, title, name, subject) to search the entire collection. Digital libraries can provide very user-friendly interfaces, giving click able access to its resources.

Preservation and conservation: Digitized collections and born-digital objects pose much preservation and conservation concerns that analogue materials do not.

Space: Whereas traditional libraries are limited by storage space, digital libraries have the potential to store much more information; simply because digital information requires very little physical space to contain them and media storage technologies are more affordable than ever before.

Added value: Certain characteristics of objects, primarily the quality of images, may be improved. Digitization can enhance legibility and remove visible flaws such as stains and discoloration.

Easily accessible: Anybody can easily access the digital library.

Challenges

Challenge One: Develop improved technology for digitizing analog materials.

Challenge Two: Design search and retrieval tools that compensate for abbreviated or incomplete cataloging or descriptive information.

Challenge Three: Design tools that facilitate the enhancement of cataloging or descriptive information by incorporating the contributions of users.

Challenge Four: Establish protocols and standards to facilitate the assembly of distributed digital libraries.

Challenge Five: Address legal concerns associated with access, copying, and dissemination of physical and digital materials.

Challenge Six: Integrate access to both digital and physical materials.

Challenge Seven: Develop approaches that can present heterogeneous resources in a coherent way.

Challenge Eight:  Make the National Digital Library useful to different communities of users and for different purposes.

Challenge Nine: Provide more efficient and more flexible tools for transforming digital content to suit the needs of end-users.

Challenge Ten: Develop economic models for the support of the National Digital Library.

Though there are many challenges for digital library, information can be consulted, shared by multiple users simultaneously, updated quickly, and available 24/7 by the digital library.

REFERENCE: WIKIPEDIA


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