Lisa Spiro
Director, Digital Media Center
Rice University
Geneva Henry
Executive Director, Center for Digital Scholarship
Rice University
With funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), the presenters conducted preliminary research into the feasibility of creating a university library offering primarily digital collections. While other studies have focused on specific facets (i.e., socio-cultural, technical, policy, or economic feasibility), this research takes a broader view that incorporates all of these perspectives in analyzing the potential of genuinely digital library environments replacing print-dominated libraries. The findings result from a survey of relevant literature and a select number of interviews with the directors of libraries founded since 2000 and experts on e-books, scholarly communication, and the future of libraries. Though the study is preliminary, the integrated perspective in which the findings are presented will be of interest to those seeking a better understanding of the challenges involved with implementing a primarily-digital academic library.
