Digital information has occupied a central place in our lives today. Libraries are acquiring digital information
and providing access to users. Most of the information accessed today is digital, Internet playing
an important role in the process. Even analogue information is being converted to digital for ease of
access and use. Digitisation that was initiated as project in different institutions is now gaining ground.
Libraries are digitizing their collections to make their presence felt outside the physical environs of
the library. With all the benefits of digitized information, there are certain issues that invite discussion.
Preservation of digital information, the phenomena of digital divide are some of these that are being
discussed in professional circles. The present book is a compilation of articles on different aspects of
digital information. Contributors in the book are from different fields and diverse backgrounds. A blend
of young and old, the theoreticians and practitioners have contributed to the book.
The book, Developing Sustainable Digital Libraries: Socio-Technical Perspectives is spread over 17
chapters. The first chapter “Building Sustainable Digital Libraries,” by Dr. Tariq Ashraf and Ms. Puja
Anand sets the background for the theme. It dwells on the concept, development, issues and achievment
of digital libraries. It also discusses the role of DL in learning.
The second chapter by Dr. S.C. Jindal, “Digital Libraries and Scholarly Communication: Issues
and Perspectives,” examines various components of scholarly communication in the context of digital
technologies as being applied in libraries. It highlights the role of digital environment in research. The
Chapter provides both a historical and contemporary perspective of digital library movement and discusses
issues like sustainability and preservation. The author observes that research libraries have begun
to take on the provision, organization and preservation of digital information with the same long-term
commitment they have made for print materials.
Chapter 3 and 4 focus on the technological aspects of digitisation. Anyone interested in knowing the
details of the techniques and equipments for digitizing would find these two chapters of use. A student
learning digitization as well as a librarian interested in digitizing his/her library will find useful tips in
these two chapters.
Blogging as a tool to outreach users in academic libraries is the subject of chapter 5. It is an important
component of digital libraries, that allows for timely two-way communication of information,
bibliographic instruction, and news. It discusses the history and value of blogging. There are some case
studies of blogging that demonstrate its use in libraries.