SOURCES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT DIGITAL
LIBRARIES
Not surprisingly,
the explosive growth of activities related to digital libraries is reflected
in a commensurate growth of information sources covering digital libraries.
New ones coming forth all the time; some older ones are constantly changing;
some have died already. Conferences devoted to digital libraries are proliferating.
In other words, a bewildering array of sources deals with digital libraries.
But they are essential to keep up with this rapidly growing and changing area.
Digital library activities are fragmented and unconnected which makes keeping
up even harder. Here are a sample of information sources that may help - they
record a variety of activities.
Journals
Ariadne http://www.ariadne.ac.uk
"Ariadne magazine is aimed at both librarians
and information science professionals in academic libraries, and also to interested
lay people in the UK Higher Education community. Its principal geographic
focus is the UK, but it is widely read in the US and worldwide. The magazine
has two main aims: It describes and evaluates sources and services available
on the Internet, and of potential use, to librarians and information professionals.
It reports to the library community at large on progress and developments
within the Electronic Libraries Programme, and of JISC-funded and other
information services, keeping the busy practitioner abreast of current relevant
developments."
Bibliotech Review http://www.biblio-tech.com
"Bibliotech Review provides automation
technical news and reviews to librarians, information scientists and other
professionals." Basically, covers news, analysis, and comments related to
products, software and hardware. Related to E-content Review (see below).
Computers in Libraries http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/ciltop.htm
"Monthly journal that provides complete
coverage of the news an issues in the rapidly evolving field of library information
technology." Some articles can be accessed free, but not all.
D-Lib Forum, including D-Lib Magazine http://www.dlib.org/
"Facilitating and supporting the community
developing the technology of the global digital library." A premier monthly
online journal about innovation and research in digital libraries. Also a
forum for researchers and developers of advanced digital libraries. Section
Ready Reference includes links to many related sites.
E-content Review http://www.ec-review.com/publish/index.cfm
"E-Content review is a new web publication
designed to contain all of the news about E-content including E-publishing,
content management software and systems, portals, E-books and related concepts."
Related to Bibliotech Review (see above).
First Monday http://www.firstmonday.dk
"A peer-reviewed journal on the Internet,
about the Internet." Articles more reports on projects, discussion of issues,
and presentations form conferences,
IFLA Journal http://www.ifla.org/V/iflaj/index.htm
Published six times a year by the International
Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, as their official journal.
Some articles on current issues; wealth of organizational and international
news.
Information Technology and Libraries http://www.lita.org/ital/index.htm
"Information Technology and Libraries
is a refereed journal published quarterly by the Library and Information Technology
Association, a division of the American Library Association." Periodically,
includes special issues, such as "User-Customizable Library Portals" (issue
December, 2000 at http://www.lita.org/ital/ital1904.html
)
International Journal on Digital Libraries (JODL)
http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/
"The International Journal on Digital
Libraries is a quarterly journal aimed at advancing the theory and practice
of acquisition, definition, organization, management, and dissemination of
digital information via global networking." Requires access through subscription.
Rutgers libraries subscribe to the journal. Scholarly articles. Published
by Springer.
The Journal of Digital Information (JoDI) http://jodi.ecs.soton.ac.uk/
"A peer-reviewed Web journal supported
by the British Computer Society and Oxford University Press about management,
preservation, and uses of information in digital environments; and covering
research, technical, design and practical issues; aimed at researchers, developers
and teachers, mainly but not only in technical disciplines, also technical
librarians and publishers. JoDI, is an electronic journal (with no paper equivalent
form) intended to serve the community of workers in this field. The journal
aims to be the primary electronic source for high quality articles and consequently
refereeing is rigorous. There is also scope for the online discussion of articles,
a process as vital to the community as the formal publication process itself."
Journal of Electronic Publishing (JEP)
http://www.press.umich.edu/jep
"Journal of Electronic Publishing is
scholarly publishing’s window on the electronic-publishing business. Founded
in 1995 by University of Michigan." Mostly scholarly articles, some provocative.
Knowledge and Information Systems: An International Journal
http://kais.mines.edu/~kais/WWW/main.shtml
"Knowledge and Information Systems (KAIS)
is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by Springer-Verlag. It provides
an international forum for researchers and professionals to share their knowledge
and report new advances on all topics related to knowledge systems and advanced
information systems. The journal focuses on knowledge systems and advanced
information systems, including their theoretical foundations, infrastructure
and enabling technologies." By subscription only. Rutgers libraries do not
subscribe.
Library Journal Digital http://libraryjournal.com/
Electronic offshoot of Library Journal.
Search for previous articles available. Regularly reviews digital software,
database and electronic resources.
Library Philosophy and Practice http://uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lp&p.htm
"An essential type of library science
research is applied research, in which the library is the laboratory. Library
Philosophy and Practice (LPP) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal that publishes
articles exploring the connection between library practice and the philosophy
and theory behind it." One or two issues a year. Published by University of
Idaho Library
National Digital Library Periodic Reports
http://lcweb.loc.gov/ndl/per.html
"A periodic report from the National
Digital Library Program Reports, published 12 times a year by The Library
of Congress." Last report from 1997, but Web site still alive.
RLG Diginews http://www.rlg.org/preserv/diginews
"A bi-monthly newsletter intended to:
Focus on issues of particular interest and value to managers of digital initiatives
with a preservation component or rationale. Provide filtered guidance and
pointers to relevant projects to improve our awareness of evolving practices
in image conversion and digital archiving." Published by Cornell University
for Research Libraries Group.
Journal of Digital Information http://jodi.ecs.soton.ac.uk/
"Publishing papers on the management,
presentation and uses of information in digital environments. A peer-reviewed
Web journal supported by the British Computer Society and Oxford University
Press."
Journal of Electronic Publishing http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/
Published by University of Michigan Press.
"Electronic publishing is changing the world we live in. It is changing what
publishers do. It is changing the way scientists, business people, and students
-- all of us -- work. In this environment of change and uncertainty, the publisher
faces many challenges: details such as Web design, server management, pricing
(and collecting the revenue!) as well as the big policy questions. The Journal
of Electronic Publishing is for the thoughtful forward-thinking publisher,
librarian, scholar, or author -- in fact, anyone in this new business -- facing
those challenges."
Nature. Discussion group on future e-access to the
primary literature http://www.nature.com/nature/debates/e-access/
New in 2001. A forum discussing many
issues the impact of the Web on the publishing of the results of original
research. Many prominent participants, including librarians, participate in
this forum organized by Nature, one of the preeminent scientific journals
in the world.
Conferences, workshops
DELOS - Networks of Excellence on Digital Libraries. Conferences.
Workshops. http://www.ercim.org/delos/
DELOS is a framework for digital
library research and projects supported by European Union. The site provides
links to European Conference on Digital Libraries (ECDL) series, and to numerous,
regularly organized workshops.
D-Lib Magazine. Meetings, Conferences, and Workshops.
http://www.dlib.org/groups.html
A most comprehensive " listing of upcoming
digital library meetings, workshops, and conferences, as well as other activities
associated with digital libraries research and technologies. Also listed are
past events with links to conference programs, proceedings, and other documents."
IFLA Digital Libraries. Conferences. http://www.ifla.org/II/diglib.htm#conferences
A not that comprehensive list of links
to conferences on digital libraries maintained by the International Federation
of Library Associations and Institutions. More retrospective than prospective.
Online Information 2001 (UK) http://www.online-information.co.uk/online/
Organized by Learned Information. Largest
online exhibit and conference, bigger than its counterpart organized by Information
Today in the US..
Social Aspects of Digital Libraries. 16-17
February 1996, Los Angeles, CA, US http://is.gseis.ucla.edu/research/dl/index.html
"This workshop brought together scholars,
researchers, and practitioners from the emerging community concerned with
social aspects of digital libraries. Our goals were to assess existing knowledge
that might inform research in this area and to propose a research agenda that
would pose new questions. " Contains a number of papers with ideas, issues
and problems that are by no means dated.
The First Joint Conference on Digital Libraries. ACM+IEEE.
2001 http://www.jcdl.org/
Organized by Special Interest Group on
Information Retrieval of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM SIGIR)
and The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society
(IEEE Computer Society).. The intended community for this conference includes
those interested in such aspects of digital libraries as infrastructure; institutions;
metadata; content; services; digital preservation; system design; implementation;
interface design; human-computer interaction; evaluation of performance; evaluation
of usability; collection development; intellectual property; privacy; electronic
publishing; document genres; multimedia; social, institutional, and policy
issues; user communities; and associated theoretical topics." Despite the
broad description this, and preceding conferences on deal mostly with highly
technical issues. The premier conference.
Associations & Organizations
Association for Library and Information Science Education
(ALISE) http://www.alise.org/
"The mission of ALISE is to promote excellence
in research, teaching, and service for library and information science education."
Not a rich site. But it has, among others, links to all accredited schools
of library and information science in North America.
American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST)
http://www.asis.org/
"Since 1937 ASIST has been the society
for information professionals leading the search for new and better theories,
techniques, and technologies to improve access to information." Digital libraries
are regularly discussed at annual conferences. Has a Special Interest Group
on Digital Libraries (SIG/DL).
Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group
on Information Retrieval (ACM SIGIR) http://www.acm.org/sigir/
"ACM SIGIR addresses issues ranging from
theory to user demands in the application of computers to the acquisition,
organization, storage, retrieval, and distribution of information." SIGIR
is a major sponsor and participant in digital library conferences. Links to
conferences from previous years.
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) http://www.cni.org/
"CNI is an organization dedicated to
supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology
for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual
productivity." CNI is a partnership between the Association of Research Libraries
and EDUCAUSE, with over 200 organizations as members. CNI is interested in
several areas critical to the present and future of digital libraries. Provides
links to numerous projects, conferences, and reports.
The Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI)
http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/
"The Corporation for National Research
Initiatives (CNRI) undertakes, fosters, and promotes research in the public
interest. The activities center around strategic development of network-based
information technologies. CNRI is a not-for-profit organization." Provides
links to activities and projects, many dealing with digital libraries and
related areas.
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)
http://www.clir.org/
"CLIR works to ensure the well-being
of the scholarly communication system upon which knowledge creation depends.
CLIR's agenda embraces the entire range of information resources and services,
from traditional library and archival materials to emerging digital formats,
and the entire network of organizations that gather, catalog, store, preserve,
distribute, and provide access to information." Supports numerous projects,
activities, and reports on critical issues. It is the administrative home
for Digital Library Federation (below).
Digital Library Federation (DLF) http://www.clir.org/diglib/dlfhomepage.htm
"The Digital Library Federation (DLF)
is a consortium of libraries and related agencies that are pioneering in the
use of electronic-information technologies to extend their collections and
services." Through its membership addresses numerous issues, from preservation
to metadata in digital libraries to best practices.
International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC)
http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/
"The Coalition [is] an informal, self-organized
group comprising (as of September 2000) nearly 150 library consortia from
around the world. The Coalition serves primarily higher education institutions
by facilitating discussion among consortia on issues of common interest. At
times during the year, ICOLC may conduct meetings dedicated to keeping participating
consortia informed about new electronic information resources, pricing practices
of electronic providers and vendors, and other issues of importance to directors
and governing boards of consortia." Includes links to library and related
consortia throughout the world.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions:
Digital Libraries http://www.ifla.org/II/diglib.htm
IFLA has assembled a large collection
of online resources from various parts of the world regarding digital libraries,
grouping them under several sub-topics including: resources and projects,
cataloging and indexing, electronic journal and text archives, and metadata.
Valuable for its global perspective.
Internet Free-Press http://www.free-press.com/
"Sponsored by MCB University Press, IFP
is the online resource for electronic publishing, whatever your requirements.
Whether you already publish your own e-journal, are considering doing so,
or would simply like to find out more about electronic publishing, Internet
Free-Press can provide the support you need. By creating a community of publishers,
academics, editors and authors, IFP encourages a sharing of ideas, experiences
and expertise so that we can all learn with and from one another."
Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)
http://www.lita.org/
LITA is the division of the American
Library Association most directly concerned with digital library issues, and
its web site approaches the topic from a perspective that places the emphasis
on library services in relation to digital technology. LITA publishes freely
accessed journals and other publications. It features "Top technology trends"
as regularly identified by experts: for 2001 the top trends are at http://www.lita.org/committe/toptech/mw2001.htm
with many useful links.
Public Library of Science http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org/
An open letter advocacy group has been
formed to promote and to help coordinate the initiative which says: "We support
the establishment of international online public libraries of science that
contain the complete text of all published scientific articles in searchable
and interlinked formats." A reaction to high prices of scientific journals
and advocacy of free access to scientific information.
Research Libraries Group (RLG) http://www.rlg.org/digital/index.html
"RLG is a not-for-profit membership corporation
of over 160 universities, national libraries, archives, historical societies,
and other institutions with remarkable collections for research and learning."
This site describes a number of projects and programs RLG is undertaking,
among others in the area of digital libraries. Provides links to a large
number of library resources.
