Digital Libraries: Their Challenges and Issues in the Perspectives of Developing Countries like India

Abstract

The advancement of computer and communication technologies has resulted in the development of digital libraries. It is generally true that digital libraries are capable of providing the desired information instantaneously, but it poses some serious problems to the professional libraries and librarians, especially in third world countries like India where finance is a big constraint for implementation of digital libraries in every corner of the country. This chapter aims not only to discuss the general overview of digital libraries, with a brief historical background of digital libraries, but also to discuss the issues related to and future prospects of digital libraries in India. Further, the challenges that the digital libraries are facing in India with regards to quality problem, interoperability, intellectual property rights, privacy and security, human use, preservation problem, services, integration, and the role of librarianship in the digital era, have also been discussed