ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses definitions of digital libraries and presents Mann’s approach to building its digital collection within the context of Cornell University Library.
• Definitions based on ownership, control, or challenges. • Selection criteria must go beyond content to metadata quality, commitment to access
and preservation, and services. • Changes in scholarly publishing have brought wide variations in pricing and delivery
options. • Libraries and the scientific research community have initiated attempts to gain more
control in the scholarly publishing arena. • Cornell provides digital access through its Library Gateway, which manages user
authentication and authorization behind the scenes. • The Library Gateway grew out of the Mann Library Gateway, created in 1991 to
provide user-friendly access to digital resources, and it continues to evolve. • Licensing can be very complex, especially when licenses include large, geographically
dispersed communities. • Preservation and archiving receive high priority, not only for “born-digital” resources
but also for digitized historical collections. • Other issues of concern in building digital collections include staffing, funding, and
technological infrastructure.
