Digital Libraries - Challenges and Influential Work
This article began to explain what a digital library is and how it works. The Federated Search Diagram was very helpful in the explanation. I also thought very relevant the idea that there is a huge difference between providing access to discrete sets of digital collections and providing actual digital library services. Some of the technologies that Pitt provides, such as "Ask a Librarian" and having Librarians man Instant messaging is a step in that direction.
This article also explained the importance that federally supported projects have played in the development of Digital libraries.
Dewey Meets Turing
I learned several things in the article, the most interesting to me was that the The Google search engine emerged from the funded work of the Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI) . It certainly has changed the world's approach to information.
This article goes on to describe how the DLI affected both scientist and librarians in some positive ways and that the wrench that was throw into the mix was actually the World Wide Web. Where the scientist readily absorbed the introduction of the WWW, Librarians had a harder time because the WWW blurred the definition of information provider and information user.
Both groups have regrouped and many see the introduction of the WWW now as an asset and less as a threat.
Institutional Repositories
The development of institutional repositories emerged in 2002. "A university-based institutional repository is a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members." I see this as what Pitt has done with Panapto, BlackBoard, PittPay, etc. Providing services digitally. Services that evolve along with the student and university, not simply a software program.
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I also thought it was insightful for the article to point out the difference between simply providing access to information and actual digital library services. I think this idea relates to why people should not rely on simple web search engines for finding good information. Libraries are still a valuable resource.
I also found it interesting that Google developed from DLI research. This article also reminded me that the WWW was not the beginning when the article mentioned that it was the wrench thrown into the works. It is so easy to let yourself think that the WWW started it all and everything came from that. Almost like it was the beginning of life as we know it. nteresting that librarians had some difficulty embracing it I think now we are seeing (and are part of) a new generation of librarians that are more tech saavy and can embrace the WWW.
It is interesting how librarians werent as quick to embrace the digital library as quickly as other professions were. Being known as service providers, it probably felt as if librarians were going to be made obsolete over a period of time. Knowing what the web can do for us in an information profession though has seemed to have made it easier to embrace.
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