By 1984 Paper Libraries

Would Disappear, Except

at Museums

(Arthur Samuel, 1964)

We yet to have any…

Dr. Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri, DLIS, University of CalcuttaEmail- sabujkchaudhuri@gmail.com

Changing Face of Libraries: Human Memory to Computer Memory

Human Memory Manuscript

Printed BooksLIBRARY

eContenteLIBRARY

Networked AccessDIGITAL LIBRARY

HYBRID LIBRARYInteractivityVIRTUAL LIBRARY

Evolution of Technologies

Alexandrian Principle & Conflict

“It is Librarian’s Duty to Increase

the Stock of His Library”Library Should be->

“Bigger. And with Provision for

Further Expansion.”

Finally Farewell to AlexandrianPrinciple...Search begun to Increasethe Stock of the Library withoutIncreasing the Physical Space

Information Explosion

Early Technodreamers

H. G. Wells (1936) World Brain

Contd...

Vannevar Bush (1945) Memex

J.C.R. Licklider (1960)

Digital Content or eContent

Born Digital

Made Digital

Benefits of eContent

eContent

Ease of Reproduction

Why Digital Information Matters

• Access Is by Copying

• Cost-effective and Speed of Digital Reproduction

• Content Liberated from Medium

• It is plastic, easily searched , indexed, cross-indexed

and can be sent as packets through network

Development of Affordable Technologies

Digital Technology Web Technology

Evolution of eContent Storage

Evolution of Processor & Processing SpeedMoor’s Law : Computer Processing Power Doubles in every 18 Months Computer Processor

Evolution of Network

PSTN to ISDN Wireless Generations

Natural Language Processing

Text Formatting and Scanning

Document Conversion & OCR

DL Standards & Controlled Vocabulary

Indexing & Database Technology

Search Technique & Information Retrieval

Digital Library-an Organized Collection of Digital Contents

• A focused collection of digitalobjects including text, video, andaudio along with methods foraccess and retrieval, and forselection, organization, andmaintenance of the collection(Prof. Ian H. Witten).

• Digital objects also include 3Dobjects, simulations, dynamicvisualisations and virtual reality.

Benefits of Digital Library • easy, fast, and convenient access

• effective storage and organization of massive amountscontents

• greatly improved searching and browsing capabilities

• Interoperability enabling the cross-searching

• direct, instant delivery of information and data to multipleusers at the same time

• transformative improvements in support for R & D andeducation globally

• significant cost savings over organization of contents

Mercury and CORE: early DL Projects

DL Architecture

Few Undeniable Facts

• Traditional or Conventional Library is still existing

• Printed Book/Journals are still there

• A2k (Access to Knowledge) is a myth

Uncertainties and Skepticism• Knowledge is caged• Qualitative A2K is a distant dream Strong Copyright regime Strict enforcement by DRM (Digital Rights Management)• Open Access movement has limited success• Authenticity of Digital content• Security of Digital content• Lack of Universal Standard for interoperability

• Digital Preservation ???• Technological Obsolescence ??? File, formats & software Hardware & media

Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

Dilemma: Traditional or Digital or Both ?

Societal Determinants

• Many Threads Are Intertwined: Technology, Law, Economics, Psychology and Sociology, socio-cultural priority and Public Policy

Societal Determination for Accessing to Knowledge

Social Progress Aspiration