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The purpose of this paper is to discover and enumerate the elements of the digital library and measure how much an individual library was equipped with the characteristics of the digital library accordingly.

For this purpose several steps were taken. First, research on the characteristics and the representative services of the digital library were comprehensively reviewed. Second, examples of the library services that were being considered for the next generation digital library were investigated to compare with the conventional library services. Third, the elements of the conventional and the digital libraries initially extracted were examined by ten experts. These experts were composed of researchers and professors specializing in digital libraries, and career librarians who had worked in the digital library field for at least ten years. The elements were verified through discussions with them. Fourth, 19 university libraries, 16 public libraries, and 17 special libraries were selected in accordance with the verified elements of the conventional and the digital libraries to measure the digitization level of the libraries.

The following is a summary of the evaluation of the first eight evaluation items, which are covered in Part 1 of this study. The remaining five items will be covered in Part 2. First, the digitization level of the acquisition element and classification and cataloguing was significantly high. Second, book collections excluding “digital video,” reference service, library program service, and space service showed significantly conventional characteristics. Third, in the element of circulation services, the item of lending books offline and returning the books scored 92.64 and the item of lending-returning with use of smart devices and social media obtained significantly low scores. Also, the average in using the book return desk for the circulation service was 81.39, much higher than using the automatic book return machine, which scored 18.61, by a wide margin. Fourth, in the element of user services, the digital item of providing support for mobile services related to the library resources demonstrated higher scores than the conventional item, but other items showed more conventional characteristics. In particular, the item of duplication services for material scored 94.99, but other items such as support for publication/bookbinding services using digital publication tools and devices obtained significantly low scores.

This study is first study in the world to measure the level of digitization of the library. Therefore, hereafter, each library will be able to measure and determine its digital position based on these elements. Up to now, some research was performed in pursuit of extracting the elements of a library but it has relied solely on literature review. Comprehensive research had never been performed as in this study.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current digitization levels of Korean libraries by identifying key elements of library services and measuring them for conventional vs digital approaches and use.

The study utilized previous research related to digital libraries and consultations with experts to arrive at 13 evaluation elements and components within them to analyze. For the purpose of this study specialized libraries, college and university libraries, and public libraries were surveyed, and their responses analyzed to rate their current digitization levels vs more conventional approaches.

First, after determining the elements that characterized the conventional and digital libraries by analyzing different pieces of literature and consulting with experts, 92 factors were identified for each of the conventional and digital elements based on the axis which was composed of 13 items. Second, this study indicated that the libraries obtained one of the conventional or digital characteristics independent of the situation, rather than that the digital library was more effective than the conventional library. Third, in evaluating the chosen libraries used as the examples, it was observed that the libraries had more conventional characteristics among the elements of the digital and conventional libraries. Also, based on the axis used for comparison of 13 items, elements such as the next generation service, the SNS service, and the library program service were more conventional, but elements such as classification and cataloging, acquisition, and the organization were more digitized.

This study is the first study in the world to measure the level of digitization of the library. Therefore, hereafter, each library will be able to measure and determine its digital position based on these elements. Up to now, some research was performed in pursuit of extracting the elements of a library but it had relied solely on literature review. Comprehensive research had never been performed as in this study.

Throughout their history, libraries have played many important roles within the context of knowledge archival, information retrieval and knowledge dissemination. Today, libraries fulfil very many technical, social and educational roles. Indeed, for many people ‘the library’ provides the only source of educational resource after conventional formal education has ceased. This paper discusses the basic functions of library systems and the roles that they must undertake within modern societies. The potential of new technologies and media reform within library systems is then discussed and, depending upon the extent of uptake of these new technologies, four future types of library system are identified: polymedia, electronic, digital and virtual. Each of these types of library system is described, their distinguishing features identified and the implications of such systems then discussed.

Attempts to highlight the important areas involved in the organization of non‐print resources. Areas covered include arrangement by subject content and format. Highlights the advantages of conventional classification schemes such as Library of Congress (LC) and Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) in arranging non‐print resources by subject content. They facilitate an integrated approach and are not difficult to understand where they are already in use. Close classification is preferred in order to derive the full benefits of conventional schemes. Home‐made schemes are confusing since they are completely new schemes or adulterations of existing ones. Compares and contrasts the practice in two university libraries in Nigeria.

The broader context in the last twenty years awareness of the information and documentation problems of the social sciences has grown, but almost as if by stealth. During that period there have been significant developments for practice, organization and research in social science information, but knowledge of these has remained largely confined to small groups of specialists closely associated with them. In the main it has been library and information developments in science and technology that have captured the interest and attention of the majority of professionals and specialists as such: for example, the development of computer‐based citation indexes; the introduction of the computer database as a successor to the printed secondary journal; the development of online search facilities and associated software and retrieval techniques; the exploitation of telecommunications and computers to create new information technology, leading to alternative means of interpersonal communication, the possibilities of electronic journals and a vision of the paperless society. This situation is hardly surprising since science and technology provide the productive base for advanced societies.

The title of this paper rather implies that UAP is concerned specifically with grey literature, therefore I shall begin with some clarification of the UAP programme. While considerable effort has been put into publicizing the programme, I am confident that not all will be familiar with it and that some may not even know what the initials stand for, which is—Universal Availability of Publications. UAP is an objective and a programme developed by IFLA—the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions—which enjoys the full support of Unesco. The objective is the widest possible availability of published material (that is, recorded knowledge issued for public use) to intending users, wherever and whenever they need it, as an essential element in economic, scientific, technical, social, educational and personal development. To work towards this objective the programme aims to improve availability at all levels, from the local to the international, and at all stages, from the publication of new material to the retention of last copies, both by positive action and by the removal of barriers. It should be seen as a major element in a wider concept of Universal Access to Information. It concerns most of the activities of a conventional library, but only that part of the activities of a documentation centre or information service related to the collection and supply of publications. It may be noted though, that the distinction between traditional libraries and documentation centres is becoming increasingly indistinct, and that new publishing methods using machine‐readable processes are contributing to a gradual but accelerating erosion of distinctions between various kinds of supplier. Publishers will probably take on some of the roles of libraries and vice versa, with increasing contact and co‐operation between the sectors. This is an area to which I shall return later.

Recent developments in the USA have favoured decentralized networks rather than centralized resource libraries. US libraries have virtually no central planning or funding and the main drive towards progress is the initiative of individual libraries. This has created in the last ten years three major computer utilities — OCLC, RLG, WLN — and some twenty regional networks. OCLC is now in effect a commercial enterprise. Its shared cataloguing system can serve as an on‐line union catalogue; this has led to the development of an interlibrary loan subsystem which has increased the volume and changed the pattern of interlending. RLG and WLN have highly developed computer systems, but it is too early to assess their impact on inter/ending. These computer networks would be complemented, not duplicated by central resource libraries; with the National Periodicals Center effectively shelved, the Center for Research Libraries could take on a more dynamic role. Commercial vendors are often overlooked, but are an important element in document delivery systems. They are completely outside conventional library systems and might cream off the profitable end of the document supply market.

The purpose of this article is to present a subsection circulatory management (SCM) model of Library 2.0. The design idea of Library 2.0 system architecture is to be illustrated and a five‐tier model of service‐oriented architecture (SOA) is to be put forward and analyzed.

The SOA model conforms to the desires of Library 2.0. Libraries require integration of literature resources, knowledge services and operations management and together all these integrations must be based on the user service. The realization of the concept and technology of Library 2.0 is similar with the SOA model.

Current library management systems (LMS) remain at the era of Library 1.0, which focused on literature management. The new design principles are aiming to manage library resources much better. Library 2.0 must break through the current framework, and adopt a multilayer structure, user‐centered and service‐oriented system architecture to integrate the resources, the services and managements. Amongst other things, Library 2.0 should utilize the multilayer architecture based on the module mode, improve the flexibility and adaptability of modern management systems, both in system configuration and operational management.

The SOA model is applied in Library 2.0 for the first time and is divided into five tiers – hardware tier, system tier, data tier, operation management tier and knowledge service tier. According to the architecture, three application systems – LMS based on librarians, knowledge service system based on patrons, and knowledge search engine, are designed.

The electronic library is emerging as the library of the foreseeable future but its user aspect, particularly the usability, requires more research. This article describes the ELINOR (Electronic Library and Information Online Retrieval) developments at De Montfort University from the user's perspective. It firstly shows the main features of the ELINOR user interface which illustrates how a user can find a document in the Electronic Library and subsequently read the retrieved document on the screen. This is then followed by a discussion of the methodology and findings of a user study based on a random sample of eight ELINOR users conducted in the Autumn term of 1993. The user study included searching/reading/browsing tasks and a questionnaire. The former is a controlled experiment designed to gauge objectively the usability of ELINOR by comparing the use of the electronic books with that of printed books. The questionnaire shows the user's subjective reaction to ELINOR. Future work on the user study will expand the sample to include all the first‐ and second‐year students doing the Business Information Systems Course at the University's Milton Keynes campus.