Introduction to Digital Libraries

Abstract

Producing a paperback capable of reaching pre-course reading lists is an unashamedly worthy pursuit. All parties concerned benefit. The publisher benefits from the ferocious demand, the academic bookseller rubs it's proverbial hands with glee as it experiences sales not dissimilar to that of a Harry Potter buying frenzy, and the author secures further academic kudos. More importantly, the student has in his or her possession the sure foundation of scholarly success: a handbook, of sorts, capable of shepherding them safely through those darkest corridors of university education and on to academic fruition. For those students studying information and library science, and in particular digital librarianship, such texts have been few and far between. The Electronic Library by Jennifer Rowley is arguably the only book to have challenged this anomaly with any degree of success and it remains a principal staple of many reading lists. However, neither current nor comprehensive, the passing of time has rendered the utility of Rowley's book to nominal proportions. The Chowdhury duo attempt to redress this student grievance and deliver Introduction to Digital Libraries, the remit of which is to provide 'a holistic view of the new digital library scene' and offer a comprehensive discussion of the current digital library design, development and management issues.