Recent developments in ICT, especially the web, have led to the creation of a growing number of digital library projects in the UK, USA and elsewhere. This new phenomenon is designed to bring a paradigm shift in the ways we create, access and use information. The design and development of digital libraries depend on computer, communication and other technical skills, and the dream of successful digital libraries leading to a global digital environment can only be fulfilled when sufficient practitioners have the skills to design, build and manage them.

This book presents a holistic view of the new digital library scene. Supported by a wealth of international examples, it is an essential guide to good digital practice and techniques. The authors have experience both in teaching courses on digital libraries and in actively researching them, and the text is based on evidence provided by models of major digital library research projects around the globe. Key topics include:

digital libraries: definition and characteristics

features of some digital libraries

digital library design

digital library research

collection management

digitization

information organization

information access and user interface

information retrieval in digital libraries

digital archiving and preservation

digital library services

social, economic and legal issues

digital library evaluation

digital libraries and the information profession

trends in digital library research and development.

Readership