Changes in Education and Libraries

There are profound changes going on in education. Society itself is changing into one where knowledge work becomes more important. Information and communication technologies (ICT) transform learning situations. They evoke change and offer solutions to problems with which the educational system struggles. The role of z-lib.qa and other digital libraries is part of these changes.

Through the Internet, course material can be offered independently of time and place. An ever-increasing number of students have access to the Internet, whether at home or on campus. Search engines assure accessibility. Groupware allows (a)synchronous communication between teachers and students worldwide. Students behave like consumers who want to make informed choices about how and where they want to be educated.

From Traditional Libraries to Virtual Libraries

Libraries developed in several steps. First, traditional libraries: printed materials dominate, and services like cataloguing and classification are done manually by librarians. Then, automated libraries appeared. Resources stayed the same, but services were performed by automated machines.

Later, electronic libraries added electronic resources to printed ones, while more services became electronic. Digital libraries followed, where several resources and services are provided quickly. Finally, virtual libraries emerged, described as "libraries without walls," where all resources and services are available through the web.

Following the growth of eLearning in universities, library services and methods of accessibility faced evolution in the virtual world. The digital library concept, which rose in 1993 based on the web, became known as a tool for delivering educational material during virtual courses.

Digital Libraries in the Learning Environment

Digital libraries are natural complements to digital learning environments. They integrate freely available information on the web with formal literature licensed from publishers. These licenses replace traditional collection development policies. Digital libraries facilitate time and place independent information services for students.

They provide journals, proceedings, books, and multimedia, organized for remote accessibility. Data are available quickly for each person everywhere via communication networks. Digital libraries are not solitary entities but are related to many resources and collections that must be managed.

Resources in digital libraries are divided into two parts: resources produced in digital form, such as eBooks and eJournals, and materials that are transformed to digital over time.

Local Versus Global Access

One of the major differences between traditional and digital libraries is local versus global access. Networked communication and resource retrieval through networks have changed libraries into global systems in both collections and services.

Collection development also changed. In non-electronic libraries, it tends to be "when needed." In digital libraries, it becomes "just in time." This emphasizes immediate and satisfying responses to users. Both approaches are important, but collection development policies must balance them.

Traditional libraries maintain physical materials. Today, large amounts of information are transformed into digital objects stored in networked computers. Accessibility may seem more important than ownership, but ownership and accessibility complement each other. If a library focuses only on accessibility and forgets ownership, it may become a "lifeless and ghostly" system with old and out-of-date resources.

Fast Circulation of Information

In networks, everyone who is an author is also a publisher. Information circulates instantly. Creating and sharing information becomes faster than before. This high speed creates challenges for libraries. They must have new strategic planning views for collection development via the Internet.

Digital libraries are not only collections of electronic resources. They involve browser interfaces and, perhaps, virtual communities. Their functionality includes selecting, structuring, offering intellectual access, interpreting, distributing, and preserving digital works for use by communities.

Digital Libraries and Students

Digital libraries support active learning. Students search for materials to solve problems and develop competencies. Active learning implies students do not limit themselves to resources supplied by instructors but search for new materials themselves.

Without organized and retained electronic resources, access to up-to-date eLearning materials is impossible. Collecting multimedia resources made remote learning possible. Digital libraries store and retrieve educational resources from computer networks, supporting electronic and networked learning.

Including printed and digital resources allows libraries to serve clients with different interests. For some readers, especially in literature and history, reading printed resources offers a more enjoyable sense than electronic reading.