Impact of Digital Technology on Library Collections and Resource Sharing

Citation

Chao, S.J. (2003), "Impact of Digital Technology on Library Collections and Resource Sharing", Collection Building, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 210-211. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950310501780

This volume opens with eight collected papers which were delivered at the March 2001 University of Oklahoma Libraries Annual Conference. The theme of the conference focused on the ways in which libraries might be affected by digital formats, how they might best use the electronic resources available to them, and how they might overcome some of the difficulties that digital resources present for libraries, information seekers and vendors. The papers selected for this volume include diverse points of view on the impact of digital resources on library collections.

Paula Kaufman’s paper, “What good old days are these? A dozen predictions for the digital age”, offers 12 predictions about information collections and delivery in research libraries. She believes that libraries will continue their central role in the twenty‐first century as the provider of information and digital resources to their users. Clifford Lynch’s article, “What do digital books mean for libraries?”, talks about the compelling trends of migration from books to e‐books, as well as libraries’ increasing roles and responsibilities in tracking, acquiring, preserving and furthering the adoption of the book as it moves to its digital form.

Philip Blackwell discusses the acquisition, preservation and distribution of digital resources from the vendor’s perspectives in his article, “Taming disruptive technologies, or how to remain relevant in the digital age”. He concludes that vendors must accommodate the demand for both print and digital formats to survive in the changing information environment. Karen Hunter, however, maintains that research libraries are increasingly choosing electronic journals rather than their printed formats. Her paper, “Going ‘electronic‐only’: early experiences and issues”, provides various points and exploratory ideas related to these decisions.

Dennis Dillon examines the library’s changing role and environment in the face of increasing availability and accessibility of digital resources. His paper, “Songs of the Dodo: information extinctions, innovation and ecosystem change”, explores the future role of the library in terms of providing services to scholars and students. Charles Cullen’s paper, “Special collections libraries in the digital age: a scholarly perspective”, talks about the digitization of research collections by libraries. He favors the cooperative approach for the conversion of these collections.

In Dilawar Grewal and Fred Heath’s paper, “The emerging digital library: new collaborative opportunities on the academic campus”, it is argued that today’s libraries have ample opportunities to utilize the new information formats and technologies in order to facilitate the academic research environment. They adopted the case study from the Texas A&M University Libraries as the point of departure for future development of digital library initiatives. Prudence Adler discusses the copyright issues and legal trends related to digital collections in her paper, “Copyright and intellectual property legislation and related activities: new challenges for libraries”.

The volume is thoroughly written, covering all of the important aspects of what is happening digitally, as well as providing observations on how to face the challenges and opportunities for libraries in the new environment. It is suitable for librarians, administrators, vendors of information products, or anyone concerned with the impact of digital resources on the academic and scholarly communities.