Publication Date
January 2007
Abstract
Since the mid-1990s, libraries have been digitizing cultural-heritage resource materials for access purposes. The digital medium provides additional opportunities for innovative approaches to scholarship and the creation of new collections through the aggregation of geographically distributed materials of similar provenance or theme. According to Donald Waters, formerly head of the Digital Library Federation, “the promise of digital technology is for libraries to extend the reach of research and education, improve the quality of learning, and reshape scholarly communication.” Accordingly, the cultural-heritage community has widely embraced digitization.