Preface--Digital Collections Inventory

Council on Library Resources
Commission on Preservation and Access

Digital Collections Inventory Report

Preface

The digital age creates new delivery and access alternatives for libraries, as well as new preservation challenges. In turn the expectations of library users are changing. As people discover information resources online at their computer workstations, they also want access to the contents of libraries in that same online environment.

Digital conversion projects help provide the content for an online digital library; in some cases, projects conducted according to sound preservation guidelines also serve to reformat deteriorating paper-based resources. The Council on Library Resources and the Commission on Preservation and Access undertook this project to learn more about the types of digital conversion efforts underway (or completed) in libraries and archives. The idea was to take a first cut at sketching the nature and extent of efforts to make traditional, retrospective collections available in digital form, rather than to produce a comprehensive inventory.

While there is much talk of virtual libraries, it is not easy to discern how much progress is really being made from exploratory projects to new modes of access. Furthermore, creating online collections involves more than conversion of resources from paper or film to digital format. For example, it is helpful to know what subjects and media have been converted in order to focus on complementary materials or fill in major gaps in the digital canon. Quality issues that affect the preservation of and long-term access to digitized resources, as well as efficacy of their use, also can be best addressed when institutions share information and project results.

This preliminary investigation, and its appendices, exemplify the paradoxical nature of the transition to a digital world. The findings argue strongly that the online tools now at our disposal--particularly the World Wide Web - can do a much better job than this printed report of providing information and multi-dimensional access to these kinds of resources. This report is intended to move us closer to that goal.

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