ABSTRACT
The introduction to this book presents views of digital libraries from two communities, basic researchers and practitioners. Saracevic has contrasted the two by describing the research community as looking at a future vision of digital libraries while the practice community looks at “developmental and operational questions in real-life economic and institutional contexts, restrictions, and possibilities, concentrating on applications on the market end of the spectrum” [1]. Practitioners are building systems and services that must be effective and reliable, digital libraries that users can depend on for their information needs. Basic researchers focus more on theory and experimentation, with findings that feed into the development of working digital libraries. This book has been written by people who stand squarely within the practitioner group, conducting day-to-day management of their library’s functional areas while building and expanding its digital
components. These practitioners all realize that successful development does not take place in a vacuum-there is a need to remain aware of basic researchers’ work and, perhaps even more importantly, a need to collect input and feedback from people for whom digital libraries are being constructed. After all, if libraries do not meet their users’ needs, those users are likely to turn elsewhere, raising the question of whether libraries are necessary. Libraries that support their communities are the ones that will be supported by their communities. It is crucial for practitioners to evaluate what they do, especially amid ongoing digital library development.
