Creating a Virtual Library

Citation

Shelton, M. (2001), "Creating a Virtual Library", Collection Building, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 36-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/cb.2001.20.1.36.2

Frederick Stielow and a number of the staff at the Mid‐Hudson Library System have drawn on their experience to put together an exceptional how‐to manual. It is one of the newest entries in the How‐to‐Do‐It Manuals for Libraries series, and possibly one of the best. When it comes to a manual of this kind, it is important to cover all issues, explain both the why and the how, and pull information from many sources so that it can be used in an ordered and controlled manner. Because this book performs these roles and more, it is a valuable tool for anyone at any stage in developing a digital “face” to a library.

Since the book focuses on the library, it attempts to address library‐related issues along with the technical considerations of such a project. Each chapter is set up with two sides: the first is that of theory and background in which the author talks about the broader nature of the topic and identifies some of the important implications and concerns. The second part of each chapter provides notes from what the Mid‐Hudson Library System experienced when it created a virtual library. The problems encountered, how they were addressed, and how matters were tailored to the local situation are all discussed. Each chapter takes the reader through the development process, with the first part of the book focusing on managing the project and developing policies. The rest of the book looks at how to build the virtual library, mount it on the Web, and maintain it.

In any major project there are policies and procedures to be considered. There are management and technical problems to work out. This is a book that can help address many of the problems and issues that a person working on a virtual library project might encounter. It is written in a way that makes it useable by both the beginner and the veteran of such projects.