Webliography: Digital Libraries

by

Christie Masinick

What is a Digital Library?

"Digital Libraries basically store materials in electronic format and manipulate large collections of those materials effectively."
(Digital Libraries Initiative)

Digital Libraries include "new forms of information institutions; operational information systems with all manner of digital content; new means of selecting, collecting, organizing, and distributing digital content; digital preservation and archiving; and theoretical models of information media, including document genres and electronic publishing" (JDLC2004).

 

University Links |Conferences | Organizations

 

    University Links

  • The Stanford Digital Library Project
    • Produced by Stanford University
    • This website details the Stanford Digital Library Project. Pages include brief project descriptions, people involved in the projects and available courses. The print is extremely small and difficult to read.

  • Center for the Study of Digital Libraries Homepage
    • Produced by Texas A&M University
    • This website explains the mission of the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries and their research focus on digital libraries and computing infrastructure projects. It also has links to course offerings in this area and to a searchable database of publications. Unfortunately, no information is provided on the homepage to indicate the focus of the center.

  • National Syncronization
    • Produced by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • The Digital Libraries Initiative is a collaboration of organizations with the goal of advancing the development of digital libraries through research and network development. The title of the page, "National Syncronization" does not encompass the overall focus of this website.

  • Center For Research and Development of Digital Libraries
    • Produced by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    • CRADLE (Center for Research and Development of Digital Libraries) is an organization dedicated to testing new developments and training digital librarians. The website houses research papers, links to digital repositories, and student resources. One drawback is that the amount of information initially retrieved is overwhelming in this tabled format.

  • Digital Libraries
    • by Professor Michael Lesk, Rutgers University
    • This page provides links to Lesk's research. Specific topics include US Digital Libraries and the organization of digital libraries. One drawback is the unclear role of the "factoids" found at the beginning of the webpage.

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    Conferences

  • Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2004
    • Produced by the Department of MIS, University of Arizona
    • This website houses all information regarding the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries from 2004. Subjects include registration, keynote speakers, program schedule, tutorials and workshops, panels, posters and demos, conference location, area attractions, sponsorship, program committee, organizing committee, awards, important dates, paper submission, and student volunteers. The conference has already taken place but the page serves as a historical record. Unfortunately, the page has not been updated since the conference to include the papers delivered at the conference.

  • ICADL(International Conference of Asian Digital Libraries) 2004
    • by Shanghai Jiao Tong University & Shanghai Library
    • This website provides information on the upcoming ICADL. The conference will cover many aspects of digital libraries which are detailed in the topics and tutorials section. It would have been convenient to have the topics stated on the homepage. Travel arrangements and recommendations are available through the service links on the website. The ICADL 2004 website is available in both English and Chinese.

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    Organizations

  • Russian Digital Libraries Journal
    • by the Institute of the Information Society - Russia
    • This Russian journal is available in English and Russian. It houses articles regarding the research of Russians into the digital library world. It is informative but unattractive.

  • Digital Library Federation Homepage
    • Powered by IS Productions
    • This website provides information on digital collections and networking these collections. The Digital Library Federation is a consortium of libraries exploring the digital world for their collections. The website is well-designed and the topic is immediately evident.

  • Biomedical Digital Libraries Homepage
    • by BioMed Central
    • The Biomedical Digital Libraries webpage is a peer-reviewed online journal which explores the world of digital libraries with the impact on the medical field as a primary focus. The format is excellent for an online journal but the About the Journal section on the left side is too small to be quickly identified.

  • Digital Libraries: Resources and Projects
    • Produced by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
    • This website is a list of collections, bibliography, periodicals, conferences, organizations and websites involving digital libraries. Links are provided for each resource. The information is valuable but the site is unattractive and difficult to navigate.

  • D-Lib Magazine
    • Produced by Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI)
    • The D-Lib Magazine website houses all content of current publication and back issues. The magazine is designed to distribute information about digital library research and development to the digital library community. This website reads like a magazine and provides an enjoyable introduction to the digital library world.

  • Interaction Design Centre
    • Produced by Middlesex University
    • This website details research being done by a part of the Interaction Design Centre called Research In Digital Libraries. The focus of this organizations research is on the usability of digital libraries. Possible application of digital libraries are listed with brief notes. Links on the left margin need to be more defined.

  • IEEE Technical Committee on Digital Libraries (TCDL)
    • Produced by IEEE-TCDL
    • This website is unique because it specifically encompasses research on digital libraries, digital archives and digital museums. A link to the Bulletin provides access to articles regarding this research. Upcoming and past conferences are listed under events but nothing is found on the page marked "Announcements." The page is quite simple and would be better with more design development and more content.

  • National Science Digital Library
    • Produced by the National Science Foundation
    • This website is "the Nation's online library of resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and research." The Digital Library provides fantastic portals to middle school math, science, and technology websites. Other portals are planned in the near future. The NSDL collections are cataloged online and searchable by subject. The "Of Interest" link highlights particular resources which may be appropriate at different times. This is a wonderful resource.

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