Digital Information Space Research Articles

Building personal digital libraries from network sources

Our work is focused on personal digital libraries and personal information spaces. In this context, a personal digital library (PDL) is a collection of multimedia objects (text, graphics and audio), created by an individual and/or drawn from resources elsewhere on the Internet. The benefits of this approach include a reduction in user disorientation and an increased likelihood that the user will find relevant material since the structure of the information space is defined and customized entirely by the user. This is achieved through metadata and cataloging facilities which allow for the creation and maintenance of the personal digital library.