datafile.page.titleprefix WHAT ARE DIGITAL LIBRARIES? COMPETING VISIONS
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Date
1988-10-23
Authors
Christine L Borgman
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of California
Abstract
Research and practice in digital libraries (DL) has exploded worldwide in the 1990s. Substantial
research funding has become available, libraries are actively involved in DL projects, and
conferences, journals, and online news lists proliferate. This article explores reasons for these
developments and the influence of key players, while speculating on future directions. We find
that the term Òdigital libraryÓ is used in two distinct senses. Many Rresearchers view digital
libraries as content collected on behalf of user communities, while practicing librarians typically
view digital libraries as institutions or services. Tensions exist between these communities over
the scope and concept of the term Òlibrary.Ó Research-oriented definitions serve to build a
community of researchers and to focus attention on problems to be addressed; these definitions
have expanded considerably in scope throughout the 1990s. Library community definitions are
more recent, and serve to focus attention on practical challenges to be addressed in the
transformation of research libraries and universities. Future trends point toward the need for
extensive research in digital libraries and for the transformation of libraries as institutions. The
present ambiguity of terminology is hindering the advance of research and practice in digital
libraries and in our ability to communicate the scope and significance of our work.
Description
Keywords
igital libraries, definition, terminology, digital libraries initiatives, information infrastructure, research funding, international, community development, libraries, services, institutions, universities, social aspects