Let's get digital.

What could be better than the wealth of information found in a library at home on your computer? This has become a reality with digital libraries. Digital libraries offer online information and resources to its users to use at their convenience.

One thing that I find very confusing is what is the difference between a digital library and a library website? According to The DELOS Digital Library Reference Model a digital library is "an organization, which might be virtual, that comprehensively collects, manages and preserves for the long term rich digital content, and offers to its user communities specialized functionality on that content, of measurable quality and according to codified policies." Based on this definition, it seems that a library website is a representation of a physical entity whereas a digital library does not have to be. I think what was confusing me is that I thought of a digital library and a library website as two separate things, but a libraries website can be a digital library if it provides digital content for its users. For example, Springfield Township high schools virtual library represents a physical entity, but the World digital library does not.

I feel that the two most important aspects of a virtual library are content and usability. I recently completed a course on web design for usability. Because of this course I now judge websites based on how well they function for the user. Springfield Township high school has a great virtual library based on the content they offer. The site is very interactive, and the graphic that students can click on is fun, but there are some key usability issues with the website. The upper part of the website with the graphic is great, but anything that did not fit on the picture has been thrown on the bottom of the page. Links should be organized based on similarities and places under appropriate headings and labels. There are no headings for the links, just long lists under the picture, and these long lists seem to be in no particular order. Another usability problem with the virtual library site is that the picture takes up the whole page when it is first loaded so users do not see that they have to scroll down for more information. Users tend not to scroll, they will look at the information in the middle or left side of the page, but will rarely look on the right or bottom. The less that is put on a page, the more likely people are to notice it. A general rule for web usability is to stick information in places where users expect it. While the picture on the homepage is nice, it takes up all of the screen and does not leave room for the elements that people expect on a homepage. There is no room for a side menu to organize the links on the bottom of the page. There is also too much information on the page, especially at the bottom. Links should be grouped into lists of no more than five links with the option of viewing more if there are more that fall under that heading. While the picture is interesting it is a bit gratuitous. The best thing to consider with web usability is simplicity. Before adding a photo, video or multimedia to a website, you should first consider whether the element makes it easier for the user to use the website. In this case the picture is a fancy graphic that makes the site more interesting, but also more difficult to use. And it is so large that it does not leave room for other important resources that are just listed randomly at the bottom of the screen (Jakob Nielsen, Hoa Loranger). An example of a website that provides lots of useful content and adheres to usability principles is International Children's Digital Library. This digital library has interesting graphics that do not dominate the page. There is a side menu with well labelled headings, and not too many links underneath. The links are all related in the headings. There is not too much scrolling on the homepage, and it is clear that there is content that needs to be scrolled down to read. This virtual library homepage is fun without being cluttered, this means that the user is able to locate and use all of the resources the site has to offer.

International Children's digital library has great resources for children, but for more mature students a good virtual library is WWW virtual library. WWW virtual library aims to catalogue internet resources, group them into headings and make them available to users. It groups internet resources into broad headings which are then broken into subdivisions. Many universities are beginning to create digital libraries. One of these universities is the University of Lethbridge. Like most other digital libraries, the University of Lethbridge's Dspace provides open access to all types of digital resources.



This podcast is a review of University of Lethbridge's digital library. It was created a year ago, however, University of Lethbridge's digital library has remained similar.

There is a Digital Library Federation with 37 member libraries. The aim of the Digital Library Federation is to bring together experts to aid in digital library projects for member libraries. What I like most about the members digital library sites is that they are interesting to look, while still allowing the users to easily access the information they house. I think they are all great models for what a digital library can become. While most of the digital libraries are associated with universities, there is one public library that is a member. New York Public Library has a digital library with lots of great resources.

Though the main goal of digitization is to provide resources to users now, it can also be used as a preservation method to prolong the life of the resource. Many libraries and archives are digitizing materials to broaden their reach to more users. Many of the digitized materials are too fragile for users to handle, by digitizing them and placing them on a website, users are not able to view materials they otherwise would not have been able to see (Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn, and Diane Vogt-O’Connor). Another aspect of preservation that must be considered is preservation of the digital library itself. A digital library is not an object, therefore traditional preservation methods do not apply. Storage, software, and longevity must be taken into account when deciding how to preserve a digital library (Jean Marie Deken).

Digital libraries can be a great information source for classrooms. Many have great resources that both students and teachers can use. Digital libraries open teachers up to other resources from around the world. Sites like the World Digital Library provide primary sources from around the world. Teachers can use it to teach about new cultures, but it is also a good site to visit for personal interest (Ishizuka, Kathy).

Prioritizing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen, Hoa Loranger. Online access : http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/0321350316

Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn, and Diane Vogt-O’Connor. 2006. Digitizing Photographs. In Photographs: Archival Care and Management. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.

Preserving Digital Libraries: Determining "What?" Before Deciding "How?". Deken, Jean Marie. Science & Technology Libraries, 2004, Vol. 25 Issue 1/2, p227-241, 15p

World Digital Library. Ishizuka, Kathy. School Library Journal, May2009, Vol. 55 Issue 5, p12-12, 1/3p, 6 color