Foundations and Organization

"The concept of a 'digital library' is not merely equivalent to a digitized collection with information management tools. It is rather an environment to bring together collections, services and people in support of the full life cycle of creation, dissemination, use, and preservation of data, information and knowledge.

"Work on digital libraries aims to help with generating, sharing and using knowledge. It aims to improve practices of communities so they are more effective, efficient, productive and maximize the benefits of collaboration. It seeks to extend the content and utility of digital libraries to aid existing communities and to facilitate the emergence of new communities of discourse, research, and learning."

(Report of the Santa Fe Planning Workshop on Distributed Knowledge Work Environments: Digital Libraries (1997), http://www.si.umich.edu/SantaFe/)

The University of Kansas has been acquiring and producing digital library resources for some time. These resources are now approaching a critical mass in number and a level of interest that highlight the need for a more coordinated approach to building an environment for creation of and access to these resources by the entire University community.

The overarching goal of the KU Digital Library Initiatives (KU-DLI) is to create a comprehensive networked information environment that provides a seamless, rich set of tools and resources for the University community. This requires attention to the systems, which organize and make digital collections available, as well as the human, economic, and policy structures, which support access to digital resources. The strategy for building the KU digital library is both a 'top down' and a 'bottom-up' approach - the program is creating a framework for digital information collections on campus as well as providing content and access tools through a series of targeted projects.

To assist in defining this environment and in identifying potential projects, the Digital Library Executive Group (DLEG) serves in a coordination role with the Director of the DLI. In addition, a Digital Library Advisory Group (DLAG) acts in an advisory capacity to the DLEG. Under the guidance of the DLEG and the DLI Director, a number of initial steps have laid the foundation for the KU-DLI including the development of Mission, Vision, and Principles statements; the completion of the Technical Infrastructure Task Force report which outlines the architecture and standards to be implemented within the digital library; and the appointment of several Working Groups which have developed more detailed implementation plans based on the Task Force report.

With the recent acquisition of the ENCompass digital library system, the KU-DLI will be moving ahead with a variety of projects designed to provide new resource organization and access methods and assistance in content creation and management.