2 - 08 Creating access from archives and libraries

Digital library

A digital library is a collection of organized digital objects,¹ that serves a defined community of users, that has the copyright present and managed and that has preservation and conservation mechanisms. A more exhaustive definition proposed in the specialized bibliography establishes that "digital library is a system of technical treatment, access and transfer of digital information, it is structured through a collection of digital documents, on which interactive value-added services are offered to the user final ".² (Wikipedia).

Reasoning and objectives

According to Torralba Espinosa:

... the advancement of technology and the expansion of the Internet have influenced all areas of life, from the cultural, to the social, political and economic. With them, concepts such as space, time and distance take on a new meaning (Castells, 2011). The end of distances allows for a growing interconnection that is described as globalization. This has produced an unprecedented change, which represents a revolution comparable to the industrial revolution. The concept of globalization is used to refer mainly to two processes: economic and cultural1. At the cultural level, information and communication technologies have increased and facilitated this process of globalization. New technologies multiply the capacity for large-scale diffusion of all cultural products worldwide, allow the management of large volumes of information and advances in communications connect any point on the planet in real time. This offers us numerous opportunities for anyone to have access to information and knowledge regardless of where they are.

and in relation to archives and libraries it follows:

In this new paradigm, libraries have been one of the entities that adapted the fastest, with comprehensive document management systems that use standard formats that allow the exchange of records with any library and automated catalogs accessible through the Internet, always aiming to facilitate access to documents. It is in this context that the library has numerous possibilities to offer to society, including access to complete digital documents through repositories, the so-called digital libraries, new services of physical libraries in the context of the information society. However, it should be noted that despite the fact that ICTs have opened a huge number of communication channels that cross national borders, there are still notable differences both between countries and within the same country, it is the so-called digital divide2. Access is open and information and knowledge is available to anyone who wants to use it or feel identified with what exists on the network, but not everyone is in the right place to be able to carry it out.

This is how he introduces his thesis in which he explains the process of creating a digital repository in the Public Library in the example of Cabra.

Descargar tésis aquí.

IFLA / UNESCO Manifesto

According to UNESCO, digital libraries are the gateway to cultural and scientific heritage. They try to solve the informational gap through access to and dissemination of digital content, although for this the existing digital gap must first be resolved. Digital libraries seek to eliminate geographical and social borders, in addition to promoting learning and understanding of the richness and diversity of the world.

We can read in the Baratz Community Blog what are the 7 objectives of digital libraries.