Developing Sustainable Digital Libraries: Socio‐technical Perspectives

Citation

de Kock, M. (2011), "Developing Sustainable Digital Libraries: Socio‐technical Perspectives", Online Information Review, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 317-318. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521111128087

Digitisation is part and parcel of the activities of most libraries and of scholarly communication. Most of the information accessed is digital, with the Internet playing an important role in the whole process. The increasing prevalence of digital information systems and technologies compels libraries and other information services across the globe to update systems and provide users with a digital experience outside the confines of the structural library, while creating new areas of concern such as digital information preservation, and the unethical use of information.

Developing Sustainable Digital Libraries: Socio‐technical Perspectives presents a compilation of articles in 17 chapters written primarily by Indian scholars discussing the benefits and challenges of digital information, library digitisation and sustainability of digital collections. Two chapters (5 and 6) discuss blogging and other Web 2.0 tools as a component of digital libraries in reaching out to their users and bringing uncontrolled user‐generated content into digital collection items. Also, Chapter 10 presents a description of digital repositories in India plus a discourse on intellectual property rights issues in India.

Although the book covers various topics, most chapters do not really provide any new or in‐depth information. Often the content covered by the headings and subheadings of chapters does not contribute to existing knowledge and leaves the reader dissatisfied. Most of the chapters contain dialogue specifically directed to situations or system environments in India. The majority of figures in the book are unreadable.

This work may be helpful to the novice studying digital information systems and technologies, and in assisting some practitioners in their planning for implementation and building of such systems and applications, but those seeking for advanced insights will need to look elsewhere.