Key factors in the development of digital libraries

The library traditionally has performed a role within the information chain, where publishers and libraries act as clearing houses between authors and users. In this model various institutional parties perform specialized functions. Publishers are especially oriented towards authors, for whom they perform, in the case of science, a dissemination role, manage quality control, produce the ‘canonical archive’ (i.e. the global archive of scientific knowledge) and offer authors recognition through publication of their ideas and findings (Rowland 1997). Libraries are especially oriented towards the end user, for whom they provide selective filtering of information, storage of information resources, a variety of services (such as cataloguing and indexing, document delivery etc.) and support. The interrelationships between authors, publishers, libraries and users (including other parties as well, such as bookshops and subscription agents) have resulted in a highly efficient logistical system for the distribution of knowledge in printed form. This system now seems to be changing under the influence of the transformation from print to digital information. In this paper I shall examine the main issues underlying this transformation, and the impact of these on the future of libraries