Mary E. Brown, Ph.D., Professor
Information Science

Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515

Department of Information and Library Science
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

Welcome!

The term Digital Library still seems to be a bit of a paradox to many. Others are still wondering what is a digital library. In 1997, I wrote a brief literature review in the form of lectures to supplement a course (ILS 551) and a textbook (Practical Digital Libraries by Michael Lesk) that was then in-press. While the review is a bit dated, it still remains relevant as a first introduction. The material is offered here in the hopes that more disciplines across the university become involved in interdisciplinary and collaborative projects involving the digital preservation and distribution of society's cultures.

The literature review was funded in part by a CSU Curriculum-Related Grant.

What is a digital library?

What are the characteristics of a digital library?

Will libraries be replaced? How does the public view libraries?

Are there different types of digital libraries?

What can digital libraries add to traditional libraries?

What are some of the problems of searching in a digital library?

How do digital libraries improve user environments?

What are the problems in merging systems?

What are some of the more exciting developments?

What are the problems of collaboration in DLs?

What about copyright?

Can the user be the weak link in a Digital Library?

How can you get a sense of a DL collection?

What can we predict about future digital libraries?

How can we evaluate digital libraries?