Digital library studies: The subject and definition

Abstract

The author demonstrates that the problems of library process automation have been put forward in 1970s. He refers to the book by Gerard Salton (1927–1995) (well-known author and designer of SMART – System for the Mechanical Analysis and Retrieval of Text): «Dynamic information and library processing» (1973). In his monograph, Salton reviewed the libraries and predicted their future as electronic institutions; he also proposed the model of efficient library collection circulation and discussed the issues of collection quality, file organization and storage, technology of computer-aided classification, etc. He concluded the monograph with the paragraph on the collection growth and document removal. In fact, it was one of the first and significant works in electronic collection studies. Russian e-librarianship dates back to 2001 when the first edition of textbook by Andrey I. Zemskov and Ya. L. Shrayberg was published. The priority of theoretical conceptualization of electronic processes was given to IT professionals. They were enthusiastic about new technologies but rather depreciative about the time-honored provisions of general and applied library science. They have been thinking that they are to design the library of special kind and, correspondingly, that the library science of special kind bears no relation to traditional library studies. Empirically they have adopted the approach of their predecessors of the dawn of civilization. They have been interpreting the subject of electronic library studies etymologically – as the book depository (i.e. the system of two elements: e-documents and facilities). The e-library, however, has got the same structure as any other library, and the structure of library science is also the same; it comprises the rovisions related to the whole e-library and each of its four elements of its primary contour, i.e. library collection, user/reader contingent, facilities and resources, and library staff. Each of the provisions is specified in the article.