ALCTS Metadata and Digital Library Development preconference

I attended the ALCTS Metadata and Digital Library Development preconference before the start of ALA Midwinter. The preconference lasted two days and included discussions and exercises on functional requirements for digital libraries, metadata assessment and analysis, metadata conversion (i.e. mapping), and metadata workflows. Those in attendance included electronic resource librarians, catalogers, metadata specialists, and a few folks in library systems. The creation and maintenance of digital libraries is a complex topic. Much depends on the local environment and the goals of the digital library. What purpose does it serve now and in the future? I found the discussions with colleagues in a variety of roles and position within libraries to be more valuable than the formal content. Many libraries are still tentatively stepping out into various digital projects. While K-State has completed numerous grant-funded digital projects with groups outside the libraries, library-wide projects have been more limited. As the libraries take a more active role in the creation and curation of digital content, the opportunities for improved tools and content exposure are vast.

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[rajkota]

Introduction – Digital Library Development

Libraries are rightly called the store house of valuable knowledge. It was invented in 5th century BC with both fiction and non fiction books and today there are millions of library all over the world. With rapid growing advancement in every field more and more documents are becoming available in printed forms and Libraries keep and preserve materials making availability of all the historical items.

Many Libraries in India have not yet catalogued all of their holdings and searching the physical format of over 100 years has become a difficult task. Due to the invent of new technologies, many providers are now providing customized digitization services to the libraries around the world.

Digital Library Advantage -
Digital libraries need not keep large and expensive stores of bulky and decaying paper. Libraries can shrink from large warehouses to small rooms and catalogs can be electronic, electronically updatable, and computer generatable, making them easier, faster, and cheaper to search, produce, and update. Libraries will not need to buy multiple copies to allow for book scuffing, book destruction, or to place one book in several categories.

Nor will they need binderies to bind journals or magazines into volumes, or to rebind old books. Nor will they need reshelvers. Also, the library can more easily refer readers to other books with similar subjects, tastes, or interests.
Libraries will not need to chemically treat their decaying books, microfilm them, or transcribe them to large-print, or audio. All transformations are easier with electronic books.