DIGITAL LIBRARIES ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

							DIGITAL LIBRARIES:
  ADVANTAGES &
 DISADVANTAGES




            By:
     Nicole Ravettina
      Alex Perlaki
       Jill Benna
     What is a Digital Library?

   An online source of books,
    magazines, and journals

   Accessible at anytime
    Why do digital libraries benefit
             research?
   Decreases search time                  QuickTime™ an d a
                                 TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
                                    are need ed to see this p icture .




   Narrows down search
   Availability – always open
   Provides more than just abstracts
    and citations
   Multiple research done at one time
   Choice of HMTL or PDF format
                Questia

   Full-text articles and books
   Created to provide an equal playing
    field for students everywhere
Advantages to Digital Libraries

    Less expensive than traditional
    libraries
    No physical boundaries
    Decrease preservation problems
   Make information more available
      Cost of Digital Libraries

   Avoid the need for expensive
    buildings
   Cost for user is shared with e-mail
    and word processing programs
   Staffed facilities & purchasing of
    books not required
             Infinite Space

   No limitations on the amount of
    space they take up
   Able to access information beyond
    physical walls of libraries
   Available all year round everyday,
    every hour
             Preservation
   Library materials are vulnerable to
    deterioration
   Books & documents copied onto the
    Internet and preserved forever


                          QuickTime™ an d a
                 TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
                    are need ed to see this picture .
                Access
   Give the user many opportunities to
    deposit and access information for
    education
   General browsing for creative
    discovery and self-guided, informal
    learning
   Advance both theory and practice
       Disadvantages to Digital
              Libraries

   Computer problems
   Author’s copyright
   Efficiency of research              Qui ckTi me™ and a
                             TIFF (Uncompresse d) d eco mpressor
                                are ne ede d to see thi s pi cture.


   Initial cost
   Environment
        Computer Problems
   Computer Viruses
   Speed of Access
              Initial Cost
   Expensive
   Costs as much as $30 to scan each
    book
    (Hafner, 2007)
   Costly process but benefit: books are
    there forever
         Author’s Copyright
   Criticism of digital libraries
    hampering with author’s copyright
   Find way to distribute information
    while simultaneously protecting the
    author’s copyright
   Project Gutenberg
              Environment
   Traditional Library vs. Digital Library
   Reading a book online
   Having a hard copy of the book