Citation
Lupone, G. (2000), "Digital Libraries: Potentials and Risks", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2000.23917aac.011
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited
Digital Libraries: Potentials and Risks
George Lupone
This seminar, presented by Barbara E. McMullen, Director of Academic Technology, Tufts University; Miriam J. Masullo, Research Staff Member, IBM Corporation; and Bonnie Postlethwaite, Director of University Library Technology Services, Tufts University, focused on the concept and vision of digital libraries by presenting theoretical constructs and drawing, mostly on the experience of Tufts University, but also on the experience of a few other universities.
McMullen tied the purpose of the digital library, indeed the purpose of all information technology, to the mission of the university. She and her colleagues strive through a collaborative effort to build and maintain a unified technological infrastructure in support of the university's goals. At Tufts, the digital library has been widely accepted because its formation involved a cross- section of the university faculty, students, computer specialists, and librarians in the planning and development process. In this fashion, a shared vision of the Tufts Smart Digital Library emerged.
McMullen considers herself and her colleagues as explorers who are creating new maps for higher education. "This is a framework for higher education," she quipped. "It's worth going slowly to get it right."
Postlethwaite's presentation contained the major substance of the session. She defined the Tufts Smart Digital Library (DL) as a "vehicle for managing knowledge/information in digital format that allows for interactive user interfaces and supports teaching, research, and lifelong learning." As did McMullen, Postlethwaite pointed out that Tufts has an expanded definition of its digital library compared to that of other universities. "The difference between the Tufts Smart Digital Library and other DLs is in the value of the intellectual capital of the Tufts faculty and students and how it is collected, stored, organized, managed, delivered, accessed, and combined with traditional library resources into new forms of knowledge." The digital library allows for interactive user interfaces to support teaching, research, and learning.
At present, the capital in Tufts Smart Digital Library resides in five projects:
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Perseus, for the study of the ancient world;
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Health Sciences Databases, consisting of curricular materials used by medical, veterinary medical, and dental students;
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Artifact, containing 80,000 images used in art history courses;
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Bolles Collection, primarily maps of London; and
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Crime and Punishment, consisting of courtroom scenarios and images used to examine certain prejudices in sentencing.
The audience expressed great interest in a chart that Postlethwaite presented comparing the five databases included in the Tufts Smart Digital Library. The chart demonstrated that the five databases shared little in common. Because they grew out of separate "digital capital" projects, each had separate characteristics, such as technical infrastructure, project governance, metadata standards, search engines, and indexes. In the future, the Tufts staff will try to provide a common technical infrastructure and apply metadata standards in order to reduce the fragmentation that makes support difficult and time-consuming.
Several current risks could jeopardize the future success of the Tufts Smart Digital Library. A safety net is necessary in case the systems shut down for maintenance or migration to another platform. Now that the use of the databases is woven into the curriculum, the digital library has become mission-critical. Funding is another risk. The databases were launched with venture capital and there have not been any ongoing funds identified to maintain them. The role and responsibilities of the various campus constituencies have not been clarified in relationship to the ongoing operation of the projects. Whereas the digital library is vital to classroom instruction, the faculty do not necessarily have the means to support the project, and the library and information technology staff do not necessarily have the resources or responsibility.
Musullo concluded by telling about the cultural, social, and philosophical aspects of digital libraries. She finds that digital libraries provide two tremendous new opportunities, namely preservation and access. Preservation is important because it captures culture. She pointed out that it is not usually possible to achieve both preservation and access at the same time, because of the legal problems of digitizing some materials. She expressed great concern about the inadequate access to technology on behalf of underprivileged populations, pointing out that about half of the schools in poor areas still lack access to the Internet. Without access to technology, the opportunities for underprivileged students will further diminish.
The concept of digital libraries will continue to evolve. While preservation and access are important concepts of the present, digital libraries are evolving into digital communities, uniting people with common interests in a new way.
The presenters had far more material than could be conveyed in the allotted 45-minute time frame. They graciously provided Web site addresses where a more in-depth Web version of their thoughts can be found:
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George Lupone is Associate Director, Cleveland State University Library, Cleveland, Ohio. g.lupone@csuohio.edu