CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Information and communication technology (ICT) could change individuals'
lifestyle in the short time form advent. One of areas that accepted large amount
of changes is education. ICT's role in learning cycle is so important. In old form
of education, people should study and write consistently and approximately the
total flow of education is unilateral. By applying ICT in education, in addition
to basic skills, individuals need ICT usage skills too. Learning based on new
information technologies, with fundamental changes in the traditional education
concepts, could solve lots of flaws and shortcomings of educational systems
and made essential transformation in education. Using virtual world in learning
achieved new and appropriate methods. Reasons of ICT usability in education
are better, easier, and faster learning. In this manner there is no obligation to
face to face and physical attending classes and is expected learning to become
possible out of physical places in a way that learners can share and use
information limitlessly. This evolution makes changes in role of instructors and
librarians.
The Digital Revolution has affected nearly every aspect of library and museum
services, from the automation of internal recordkeeping systems to the
digitization of physical collections, and from the acquisition of new “born-
digital” works of art or library publications to the use of technology to present
collections and engage audiences.
Digital technology enables the full range of holdings in our museums, libraries,
and archives, audio, video, print, photographs, artworks, artifacts, and other
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resources to be cataloged, organized, combined in new ways, and made
accessible to audiences in new ways.
Digital technology connects more people to the resources and services that only
museums and libraries can provide (IMLS, 2005).
The field of digital library (DL) has been for many years an avenue of extensive
research and practical implementations. Despite the wide-ranging
developments, the term “digital library” remains ambiguous and varies between
different communities. Part of the ambiguity originates from the shared
perceptions related to the concepts “digital” and “library”, but this has not
spared the specialists who, approaching the problem from different
backgrounds, bring their own conceptualization of a digital library.
1.2 Scope of the Study
DLs is a vast topic and can be found within universities as well as in companies
to educate and train their staff. It can also be found separately providing paid or
free services. Nevertheless, this paper will focus on the importance of DLs.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Digital Library (DL) has the potential to enhance and support the researchers,
scholars in learning and teaching. The main objectives of this study are as
follows:
1. To provide, ensuring freedom and equal access to information for all
members of the community, to educate and enlighten them.
2. To provide literacy and disseminate useful daily information to the
people and encourage lifelong learning through its reading materials and
resources.
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3. To select, evaluate and acquire library materials in varied formats to meet
and respond to the need of our diverse community.
4. To provide materials and resources that entertain and inspire as well as
services offering space for people and information to come together, and
programs that would create library awareness and consciousness.
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CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.0 Introduction
Generally libraries, both traditional and digital one have three roles in
education: place for sharing reach information, maintaining ideas, and give
awareness to bring together individual with learning aims. Primary purpose of
each library is supporting, facilitating, and expanding formal education in
mother organization. Next step is to supporting informal education. Resources
in libraries are collected to support learning. Digital libraries provide immediate
access to a wide range of sources not exist physically, in a comparison with
traditional libraries that are limited to place and time. Digital libraries without
physical obstacles can provide resources via an internet connection each
moment from each place. Because of these advantages, in digital libraries
learning is independent process. Digital libraries provide appropriate
opportunities for learners, because of including up-to-date information.
Collecting multimedia resources made it possible to remote learning. Digital
libraries by storing and feasible retrieve of educational resources from computer
networks provided worth aid to electronic and networked learning. Without
existence of organized and retained electronic resources by digital libraries,
accessibility to up-to-date eLearning resources is impossible.
The idea of easy, finger-tip access to information, is what we conceptualize as
digital libraries today, began with Vannenar Bush’s Memex machine (Bush,
1945) and has continued to evolve with each advance in information
technology. With the arrival of computers, the concept centered on large
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bibliographic databases, the now familiar online retrieval and public access
systems that are part of any contemporary library. When computers were
connected into large networks forming the Internet, the concept evolved again,
and research turned to creating libraries of digital information that could be
accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world.
Phrases like “virtual library,” “electronic library,” “library without walls” and,
most recently, “digital library,” all have been used interchangeably to describe
this broad concept.
2.1 Different Libraries Generation
Form structural view point, libraries developed in five steps:
1. Traditional libraries: in this kind of libraries most resources are printed
materials. Most of library services like as cataloguing, classification, and
reference servicing to client are manually and down by librarians.
2. Automated libraries: resources did not change or differ from first generation
but library services were down by automated and Computational machines.
3. Electronic libraries: in this generation electronic resources are added in
addition to printed materials. But voluminous part of library services was
down electronically.
4. Digital libraries: Distinctive feature of this generation is that several
resources and services are provided quickly for users.
5. Virtual libraries: this modern generation can be illustrated with term of
"libraries without walls". This means that all resources, services, and access
to library are provided through web.
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Figure 1: Sequences from Traditional Library to Virtual Library
2.2 Digital Libraries
Shiri .A. cites an operational definition about digital library explained by
Digital Library Federation. Digital library is known an “organizations that
provide the resources, including the specialized staff, to select, structure, offer
intellectual access to, interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure
the persistence over time of collections of digital works so that they are readily
available for use by a defined community or set of communities” A. Shiri
(2003). He highlighted three points in this definition as components of
"theoretical framework underlying digital libraries,
1. People;
2. Information resources; and
3. Technology”.
In order to exploit the extent of DLs, we have used a number of definitions
found in scholar articles and institutional dictionaries.
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“A digital library is an online system that stores media assets, and provides
services for retrieving and presenting this content to humans or other online
systems”.
A “digital library” is fundamentally a resource that reconstructs the
intellectual substance and services of a traditional library in digital form.
Google, the most successful commercial internet search engine, entered a
keyword “digital library” in the internet, and then Wikipedia and various other
sources define “digital library” as a “library in which collections are stored in
digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible
by computers”.
Digital Library is an informal collection of information, stored in digital
formats and accessible over a network, together with associated services.
The digital library is the collection of services and the collection of
information objects that support users in dealing with information objects
available directly or indirectly via electronic/digital means (Leiner, 1998).
A managed collection of information, with associated services, where the
information is stored in digital formats and accessible over a network (Arms,
2000).
Information content and services are changing with the passage of time.
The global network internet has brought forth new dimension to libraries of
modern digital world. In order to keep pace with the cyberspace librarians are to
be furnished libraries with latest version of sophisticated technology. In this
new library digital networking and communication infrastructure provides a
global platform over which the people and organization devise strategies,
interact, communicate, collaborate and search for information. This platform
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includes, a vast array of digitalizable products that is databases, news and
information, books, magazines, TV and radio programming, movies, electronic
games, musical CDs and software which are delivered over the digital
infrastructure anytime, anywhere in the world.
2.3 Characteristics of Digital Library
Digital library has certain characteristics, which make them different
from traditional library. It has expansive and accurate system of searching with
large volumes of text, image and audio-video resources. Digital libraries do not
need physical space to build collection and it can be accessed from anywhere,
any time.
The user can get his/ her information on his own computer screen by
using the Internet. Actually it is a network of multimedia system, which
provides fingertip access. Some of the features pointed out in the definitions of
digital library may be listed as follows:
1. A library that served a defined community or set of communities.
2. A conglomerate of multiple entities.
3. Library that incorporate learning and access.
4. Library that provide fast and efficient access, with multiple access
modes.
5. A library with a collection which are large and persist over time, well
organized and managed, contain many formats and contain objects which
may be otherwise unobtainable.
2.4 Difference between Digital and Traditional Libraries
The most major differences between digital and traditional form of libraries are:
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1. Being local versus being global: Being out of place limits is one of
general feature of internet. With the advent of networked communication
and possibility of resource retrieve through network, active domains of
libraries changed to be globalized both in collection and services.
2. Just-in-case vs. Just-in-time: Usually collection development is
continuous process to achieve library's prophecy aim. If library could not
provide needed resources, it will not be able to meet users' requisition
instantly. In the other words, trend to develop collection in non-electronic
libraries tends to be "when needed". But because of resource recall
possibility from remote access, Future tendency of collection
development will be directed to be "just in time ". This orientation
emphasizes on immediate and satisfying response to users queries.
Although both of "when needed " and " just in time" trends are equally
important, but according to collection development policy for libraries
must be decided to manage and balance between them.
4. Ownership versus accessibility: Traditional libraries maintain physical
materials, but today's large amount of information is electronically and
transformed to digital Objects that can be stored in networked computers.
Maybe it seems that to meet urgent needs of users, accessibility is more
important than ownership, but it is not true. Ownership and accessibility
are complementary of each other. If a library just notice to accessibility
and forgets ownership, it will remain only as a network. In this manner
resources will be exclusive to publishers and the library will change to be
"lifeless and ghostly" system with some old and out of date resources.
Also reading electronic resources are without enough qualification and
enjoyable sense of reading printed resources for some of readers,
especially in fields of literature and history. Including printed and digital
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resources in a same time, library could serve to clients with different
Interests.
3. Separation versus Coordination: Digital libraries' users do not need to
have physical attending in library to earn information. Most of the time,
library provides valid information access more than merely circulation of
materials. In addition to collecting data, the library by organizing
resources in networks, directly or indirectly make collection accessible
for users. It can be said, it is vital for libraries to collect and organize
digital works virtually through networked communication. It caused for
example cataloguing and document delivery services come closer to
expanding collection more than before. Therefore gaps have been
reduced between technical services and public services to user and at the
end it is not out of mind to integrate each other
6. Acceleration of Information circulations: In networks, everyone how is
author is publisher too. Information circulates in the moment of time.
Creating and sharing information become more faster than preceding.
This high speed of information circulation has challenges for libraries.
Because of that they must have new strategically planning view to
collection via internet.
2.5 The Roles of digital library
The role of a Digital Library is essentially to collect, manage, preserve and
make accessible digital objects.
i. The conventional roles of a library are recognized as knowledge archival,
safeguarding and maintaining the culture, knowledge dissemination,
knowledge sharing, information retrieval, education, and social building
contacts. Neal (1997) Opined that digital library is a library in which
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most of the information is available in electronic form, allowing users to
access many of the library's services remotely via the internet, move
hard-copy content to digital format to help improve access
ii. Digital library offer better opportunity for users to deposit as well as use
information. Thus, students and teachers can simply be publishers as well
as readers in digital libraries systems. Marchionini and Maurer, (1995).
Covi and Cragin (2004) emphasized that students and faculties require
and prefer access to electronic sources delivery systems and to networked
information. This is a clear sign that in order to meet the information
needs of the academic community, academic libraries must provide
online information services.
iii. Digital library can disseminate information across a network and the
users can retrieve information in the same ways.
iv. Digital library are global virtual libraries i.e. the library of thousands of
networked electronic libraries.
v. Digital library need preserve print historical documents/information
materials for the foreseeable future.
At their full potential digital libraries will enable any citizen to access a
considerable proportion of all human knowledge from any location. From an
access vantage the Internet provides a preview of the possibilities. The
following are some other function of digital library:
1. To provide friendly interface to users.
2. To avail network facilities.
3. To support library functions.
4. To enhance advanced search, access and retrieval of information.
5. To improve the library operations.
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6. To enable one to perform searches that is not practical manually.
7. To protect owners of information.
8. To preserve unique collection through digitization.
2.6 Importance of Library to the Society
1. A heightened amount of choice: Digital libraries give access to multiple
contents with a potentially infinite number of resources and selections at
hand. The main limit for traditional libraries is represented by physical
space: books consume a lot of it and people often have to walk round in
search of a particular material. Thanks to Internet and cloud storage, digital
libraries overcome this limitation, expanding students’ horizons in learning.
They can access an enormous amount of knowledge and share contents with
others, facilitating the expansion of education.
2. Building a heritage for the next generation: Online libraries help the
scientific society since they act as a reservoir for the storage of important
research data, information and findings. For a very long time, the physical
records of scientific studies and researches had to live with a critical issue:
they were destroyed or lost. But today, thanks to digital libraries, the online
copies of studies and researches can be protected and collected to create a
virtual heritage of information for the coming generations.
3. Instant access to educational content: As long as an Internet connection is
available, digital libraries are accessible anywhere and at any moment using
a simple technological device, such as a PC, a tablet or even a smartphone.
This means students can consult online books, images, videos and all the
other educational contents without having to wait and go to the nearest
physical library. They can do it in a formal environment, for example at
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school, or they can relax at their homes getting an instant access to the
information they need.
4. Fighting against deterioration: The digital storage of books and, above all,
audios, solve the problem of deterioration. In traditional libraries, audio
cassette tapes and vinyl records are shared among a lot of students posing
the problem to stand a large number of playing. Fragile photographs or
ancient documents have to resist several handovers and consultations, with
the risk of being subjected to breakages or other damages. Thanks to the
digitizing of materials, it is possible to access contents how many times a
student needs, using formats (mp3, digital images, online textbooks, etc.)
which are definitely much safer to use.
5. An easier information retrieval: Over the years, digital libraries have
developed a range of search features – such as boolean and proximity
operators, truncation, etc. that facilitate the access to information and data
collections, allowing students to perform sophisticated searches for a variety
of queries. Thanks to intuitive search engine technologies – for example,
ranking or automatic term expansion – even novice users can start using
digital libraries accomplishing their searches independently. And the most
encouraging thing is that, as the digital collections grow larger, the level of
sophistication of these searching features increases exponentially.
2.7 Challenges of Digital Library in Nigeria
In this digital era, librarians are facing many challenges to redefine their role
and also to redesign the provision of information services. The digital library
involves a huge investment for digitalization of their existing collection and
acquisition of digital resources. Pomerantz and Marchionini, (2007) considered
the following as the challenges being faced by libraries as well as librarians.
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i. Intellectual property rights challenges.
ii. Technological challenges.
iii. Challenges related to knowledge and resource management.
iv. Service oriented challenges.
v. Challenges related to preservation.
vi. Challenges related to inadequate finance and infrastructure.
vii. Lack of expertise.
viii. Security challenges.
2.8 Advantages of digital library
Traditional libraries are limited by storage space; digital libraries have the
potential to store much more information, simply because digital information
requires very little physical space to contain it. As such, the cost of maintaining
a digital library is much lower than that of a traditional library. A traditional
library must spend large sums of money paying for staff, book maintenance,
rent, and additional books. Digital libraries do away with these fees.
Chore and Salwe (2010) also give the advantages of digital library as:
1. Preserve the valuable documents, rare and special collections of libraries,
archives and museums.
2. Protected information source.
3. Facility for the downloading and printing.
4. Provide faster access to the holding of libraries worldwide through
automated better catalogues.
5. Help to locate both physical and digitized versions of scholarly articles
and books through single interface.
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6. Search optimization, simultaneous searches of the Internet make possible,
preparing commercial databases and library collections.
7. The user can peruse them instant.
8. Cross references to other documents.
9. Making short the chain from author to user.
10.Save preparation/ conservation cost, space and money.
11.Digital technology affords multiple, simultaneous user from a single
original which are not possible for materials stored in any other forms.
12.Full text search.
2.9 Disadvantages of digital library
New technology has brought many advantages for digital library, but
simultaneously it also has certain disadvantage as:
1. Costly affair.
2. Technology obsolescence (Hardware & Software).
3. Storage media relate.
4. Dominance of data creators and publishers.
5. Trained manpower.
6. User education and training.
7. Security against hacking & sabotage.
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CHAPTER THREE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 SUMMARY
All conventional libraries basic functions focus on collection, organization and
dissemination of information resources. Traditionally a “library is a place in
which books, manuscripts, musical scores, or other literary and artistic materials
are kept for use but not for sale”. In effect, it is an institution oriented towards
collections and custody, where people may make use of the facilities. Whereas
a digital library is an assemblage of digital computing, storage and
communications machinery together with the content and software needed to
reproduce, emulate and extend the services provided by conventional libraries.
In other words, a digital library is a computer-based system for acquiring,
storing, organizing, searching and distributing digital materials for end user
access. It is not just a collection of material in electronic form; it includes a
browser interface and perhaps a virtual space and society. It requires less space
and the data can be made available through communication networks to anyone
anywhere, while facilitating searches with speed. The digital is not a single
entity and as such is linked to the resources of many such collections.
3.2 CONCLUSION
The arrival and proliferation of electronic resources and digital libraries have
already influenced and changed the ways academics and scholars use print
resources and traditional libraries.
Innovative information knowledge collection, storage, process, transfer
methodologies made possible by digital libraries will promote scientific
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research and development, facilitate distant-learning environment, and bring
significant influence on the national economy.
Libraries around the world have been working on this daunting set of
challenges for several years now. They have created many digital library
initiatives and projects, and have formed various national schemes for jointly
exploring key issues. With several years’ accumulated experience, the initial
enthusiasm surrounding the development of the digital library has been replaced
by sober second thought. Also, digitalization presents opportunities for long-
term preservation of bodies of knowledge, if not of the original carriers of that
knowledge.
3.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
Having considered the important of digital libraries and their economic impact
on libraries and its users, the following are recommended.
1. Specific legislation and financial support from national, state and local
governments is required to bridge the digital divide and to ensure
sustainable access. Any long-term strategy must aim to bridge the
digital divide and to strengthen the development of education, literacy,
culture - and most of all - to provide access to information.
2. All tiers of government should encourage libraries to collaborate with other
cultural and scientific heritage institutions to provide rich and diverse digital
resources that support education and research, tourism and the creative
industries.
3. Consultation with rights owners and other stakeholders is essential.
Designers and implementers of digital libraries should consult fully with
indigenous communities.
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