Digital Libraries: A Frontier for LIS Education
Suzie L. Allard · Journal of Education for Library and Information Science · 2002
This paper condenses a large body of established research findings and technical writings to provide an introduction to the digital library (DL) concept, and what it offers library and information science educators. The evolution of the definition of a DL is discussed. The author presents the results of a study that attempts to reduce conceptual ambiguity by identifying four representative models of DLs that are currently found online. The history of DL development is noted including the dynamic nature of sponsored research as the focus shifts from technology-oriented questions to more humancentered issues. Two important technological foundations for the future, metadata and metalanguages, are surveyed in terms of their relevancy to descriptive cataloging, and information retrieval. The digital library's relationship with LIS is explored, including the concepts of serving the needs of human information seekers, and extending the information related services regularly provided by libraries. Finally, the importance of library and information science (LIS) education incorporating DL material in the curriculum is discussed, both from a historical perspective and with a strategic plan for the future.