Digital Libraries and Their Challenges

THISARTICLE DERIVES FROM A REVIEW OF KEY CHALLENGES confronted by libraries that are actively investing in online collections and services. Conducted in the first instance to help refine the programmatic goals of the Digital Library Federation (DLF), it took account of the digital library developments, successes, needs, and challenges perceived by professionals working at the DLF’s twenty-four member libraries.’ Methodologically, the review relied on two research tracks. The first involved desk-based research into the strategic documentation and technical reports that inform members’ work in this area. The second involved extensive discussions convened at some twenty-seven sites2 After a brief summary of some key findings related to the digital library-definitions of the digital library are possibly premature and will underrepresent the extent to which its activities are shaped by local institutional, legal, and business imperatives-this article reviews five key challenges offering some thoughts about how each may be confronted in the future.