Digital Library Economics: An Academic Perspective

Citation

Azzolini, J. (2010), "Digital Library Economics: An Academic Perspective", The Electronic Library, Vol. 28 No. 6, pp. 891-892. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471011093561

The beneficiaries of 24/7 internet‐enabled global knowledge – students, researchers, educators, you, me – usually do not think twice about the administrative backstage where such valued resources are created and maintained. Given the taken‐for‐granted nature of essential systems, this is not surprising. What is remarkable is the lack of working business models applied by the institutional purchasers of these digital resources. Even the librarians responsible for their daily dispensation rarely grasp the real costs of discovery and curation. In a marketplace where small increments of time are faithfully monetized, the fact that large‐scale investments in information are not similarly quantified is a situation begging for careful analysis.

The contributors to Digital Library Economics: An Academic Perspective conduct an overdue analytical investigation into this matter. With insight and ethical bearing, they share professional consternation over the dearth of understanding of the economics behind digital knowledge, particularly that of scholarly resources in higher education. They also explore the probable causes behind it. The inherent structural differences between print and digital collections are a recurring theme that serves as a partial explanation. But equally relevant for comprehending the dearth is the untested nature of electronic pricing frameworks. The dramatically wide‐scale digitization of information has happened so fast that few have had time to confront the business end. Attention and efforts have been claimed by issues more amenable to the information professional's traditional skill set, like preservation, cataloging, and search.

A foreword by Dame Lynne Brindley, the Chief Executive of the British Library, gives the reader a short introduction to the challenges affecting hybrid libraries caught in Web 2.0 trends. The contemporary field is then explored through the expert assessments of practicing university librarians, publishing professionals, and Joint Information Systems Committee leaders. Each author covers a specific topic as it reveals the relative absence of (and need for) a standard business model. Subjects include research journals, e‐books, library management, document supply, copyright, and decision‐making as well as attempts at business case building in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Effectively complementing these sections are historical and state‐of‐the‐union overviews of the digital library and how technology, user expectations, and the socio‐cultural changes in higher education and scholarly production have led to inadequate pricing models. Especially eye‐opening is John Robinson's contribution, “Spinning the disks – lessons from the circus”, which underscores the inescapable capital requirements of physical infrastructure – and reminds us of the significance of electricity consumption in the overall economic picture. Simon Tanner's closing piece, “The economic future for digital libraries: a 2020 vision”, is also a standout, with his idea of information management evolving from the manipulation of containers, into that of content, and then of context.

I was very impressed by the author's consensus on the need for collaboration, resource pooling, and conscientious planning in meeting the ambiguity of a rapidly changing environment. They show a moral concern for the sustainability of knowledge projects and their users and, by extension, for the integrity of the public good. Digital Library Economics makes excellent use of case studies, surveys, and pilot programs to maintain a steady eye on trends and future possibilities. This is a highly practical book with a keen historical perspective and an impressive grasp of the multifaceted nature of digital knowledge.

Despite almost all the authors being from the UK academic milieu, geography and library type do not limit the applicability of their recommendations. Personal experiences and British industry facts and institutional studies make up the bulk of the references, but the overarching issues that count for all information professionals, regardless of location, are authoritatively distilled. After all, in a networked world of globally accessible repositories and services, expression in pounds, dollars, or euros is a negligible distinction. True relevance adheres to the big, binding ideas that inform the economic models. University librarians should add Digital Library Economics: An Academic Perspective to their essential reading shelves. Other librarians, say those working in law firms or government agencies, should overcome any reluctance they might have on seeing the book's subtitle and scrutinize its pages.