subject: DLF Digital Library Federation DLF Steering Committee
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: November 30, 2001
Contact: Daniel Greenstein 202-939-4762
DLF Members Renew Support
Washington, D.C. The Steering Committee of the Digital Library Federation (DLF) voted unanimously to continue supporting the organization for five more years, citing the organization’s “significant positive impact on digital library development.” DLF Chairperson Nancy Eaton announced the decision following the DLF Steering Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 14.
The decision followed a five-year review of the organization, which had been mandated when the DLF was formed in 1995. In June 2001, the DLF Steering Committee approved the creation of a DLF Review Panel to evaluate the progress of the DLF in achieving its goals and to consider DLF’s future.
The Steering Committee survey found the DLF to be “uncommonly effective for a small, low-overhead organization.” It added that DLF “has enabled members to accomplish what could not have been done individually.”
With a membership of 28 institutions, DLF is understood to be a collaboratory focusing on digital library issues and projects of common concern. Frequently cited examples of success in this area are the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) metadata harvesting study, access to grant fund support for key projects, identification of best practices and models, work on metadata standards, outcomes research, digital preservation, DLF Forums, and digital preservation.
“Genuine collaboration and participation are what set DLF apart as an organization,” noted the assessment. “Shared expertise was often cited as a major factor in DLF achievement. Useful outcomes rather than cachet should remain DLF’s goal.”
The Digital Library Federation operates under the umbrella of the Council on Library and Information Resources, which acts on behalf of libraries, archives, and universities to develop and encourage collaborative strategies for preserving and providing access to scholarly resources.
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