Running head: FINAL PAPER 1

Final Paper

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26-12-2022
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Final Paper

The Situation

For many decades, traditional libraries have used the same paradigm for sharing

information. This style is distinguished by concentrating on material collections like books,

periodicals, journals, manuscripts, and research papers. The unconventional method of

presenting these resources entails arranging them on several shelves at high levels rather than

one of the details. As a result, the search for information will be focused on the indexed

authors and subjects and the physical vicinity of relevant resources. Furthermore, the process

of borrowing materials from these libraries has undergone significant modifications that

significantly rely on human contact and the use of basic computer systems to record and

retain data regarding the flow of materials between the library and the borrower.

Additionally, security is the main problem faced by the system. Security gates or security

guards that use magnetic stripe cards are frequently used as security measures. Such

safeguards are readily undermined and may necessitate extra repetitive operations.

Furthermore, every student in this modern century is well aware of technology,

particularly those in higher education, because of electronic and social media. However,

some manual methods are still not being replaced by digital systems. A digital library (DL) is

a networked collection of other libraries that people may access from work or home, making

it more accessible. The network distributes information, making it available to everyone. A

DL has a primary webpage to which many individual libraries are linked. One can locate

information in places where one would normally have to go large distances to obtain the

stored information. It makes it easier to obtain unique content from a long distance. DL is

never shut off; it is always open. Materials are not stolen or misplaced, and information is

available where and when the user requires it. Libraries' roles have grown in importance,
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particularly in e-government, as government departments and organizations seek information

and access other federal services. Libraries have been the primary users of online information

generation and utilization. Library bibliographic networks were among the first governmental

online services offered in several towns and higher education institutions. Traditional manual

libraries are built on physical containers of information, and this information is accessible

both directly and physically (Fox, 2008).

The Problem

Creating "effective" digital libraries presents significant hurdles for current and future

technology. Because digital material is less stable, rapidly duplicated, and remotely

accessible by numerous users simultaneously, its integration into traditional collections will

be more difficult than prior new media (such as audio and videotapes). Resource discovery,

digital collection building, digital library management, copyright and licencing, and so on are

some of the special problems. The following are some problems:

Technological obsolescence

Due to fast technological obsolescence, digital storage mediums like hard disks, tapes,

and floppy disks have a relatively limited life–span. Computer hardware and software used

for storage and retrieval become outdated when newer technologies replace them.

Administrative

Long-term organisational, economic, and institutional commitments will be required

to develop and operate the Digital Library. Most libraries will have major problems managing

the technological infrastructure for "digital library" services, particularly as budgets continue

to decline and the costs of producing and keeping gatherings rise. Local administration of

digital collections is more difficult and costly than administering a comparable print

collection (Khan, 2021).

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Copyright

One of the impediments to creating large digital collections is the issue of copyright.

The owner's creative or intellectual work is protected by copyright. Future copyright and

licensing regimes and prohibitive prices for digitization and technological infrastructure

support will have a significant impact on digital collections and services. Copyright might

become an impassable barrier to the growth of digital collections. Indeed, copyright may

prohibit libraries from offering free access to the digital material they gather.

Lack of expertise

Many people perceive digital libraries to be a difficult field. It is necessary to

construct an infrastructure for the networked finding and retrieving of widely dispersed,

autonomously produced, and heterogeneous electronic information. Above all, this

infrastructure will need to be maintained by specialists who understand the demands and

applications of information.

Possible Solutions

The following are some possible solutions:

Expand services

DL is introduced to either supplement or enhance the range of pre-existing library

services. It is also developing new services to meet the needs of a new or changing market.

DL provides services that are attentive to the interests and needs of its communities. The DL

is maintaining an appropriate level of operating service. The key to providing individualized

services is effective authentication. There is enormous potential for digital library products

and services to expand their markets beyond the limitations of time and geography to realize

extra wider advantages (Krahmer, 2016).

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Promote collections

One common goal of DL is to encourage more general use of unique collections. The

collection is one of the library's rare and costly resources. It contains digital collections (e-

journals, e-books, e-databases) and digitized rare books, manuscripts, images, and delicate

material. The utility, uniqueness, and worth of a collection influence its digitization. Because

digitization is a time-consuming and costly process, it should be handled by a professional

aware of the collection's preservation and security requirements. With capabilities such as

searching, browsing, and cross-reference linking, the digital collection has more exposure and

worldwide accessibility.

E-governance

E-governance also aids in the management of many government and citizen-related

operations. It satisfies the requirements of the Right to Information Act. Digital libraries

provide greater access to government policies, plans, processes, laws, and regulations,

allowing the general public in the country to access critical information on their desktop.

Knowledge management

The digital library offers a broader scope for managing and accessing work practices,

internal information assets, and intellectual assets to promote people's creativity, knowledge

exchange, and organizational goals.

Archiving and preservation

It enables the archiving and preservation of educational, cultural, historical, heritage,

& special museums and documents/digital objects of biodiversity for the continued long-term

accessibility of the document contents through time and evolving technology and the

reproduction of a suitable original document copy (Riccard, 2010).

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Evaluation of Solution

Given that the digital library sector is still in its early stages, it appears weird to be

talking about improving digital libraries. Although this "digital library" perspective is

expected due to current library models, it retains an antiquated character. Costs, technology,

legal difficulties, and the management of "digital libraries" all work against realizing this old

paradigm goal. However, in this fast-paced context, the first digital libraries arising from

digitization efforts, or even virtual collections, are being upgraded as user expectations and

technological capabilities allow. In the middle of this excitement, it is beneficial to study

users' requirements and interests and then discover Knowledge Organization System that may

be utilized to improve the digital library. Digital librarians can exploit the network

environment to deliver more value to users by going beyond the original structure of the

digital library.

In addition, for some years, libraries worldwide have been tackling this difficult

combination of issues. The library must overcome its inhibitions and anticipate to improve

user community information services by effectively implementing digital technology - a

necessity of the hour - and keeping up with the world. In the not-too-distant future, the world

will have digital libraries that link all libraries to meet research and academic demands in a

timely manner. However, before digital libraries take over the country's library information

network, the nation's archives rules must be modified to address modern data copyright issues

and data corruption prevention. Technology has become an integral aspect of every academic

institution, and libraries are particularly influenced and impacted. Users can save time by

using digital libraries, which allow them to acquire the knowledge they need from anywhere,

at any time. As a result, it is critical to prepare carefully while creating any digital library.

Traditional libraries place a premium on meeting the expectations of their patrons, and digital

libraries do the same. Previously, people visited libraries; however, the time has come for
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libraries to reach out to the end-user. One of the primary goals of any academic institute's

digital library is the free flow of information. Users should be educated about librarians'

availability and accessibility of digital resources.

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References

Fox, R. (2008). Weaving the digital library web. OCLC Systems & Services: International

Digital Library Perspectives, 24(1), 8–17.

https://doi.org/10.1108/10650750810847198

Khan, R. (2021). Importance of Digital Library in Education. International Journal of

Research in Library Science, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.26761/ijrls.7.4.2021.1467

Krahmer, A. (2016). Digital newspaper preservation through collaboration. Digital Library

Perspectives, 32(2), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlp-09-2015-0015

Riccard, K. (2010). The Importance of Net Neutrality to Research Libraries in the Digital

Age. Research Library Issues, 273, 8–16. https://doi.org/10.29242/rli.273.2