Introduction

      Digital libraries typically are large collections of objects stored and maintained in digital or electronic formats within complex computer systems that an end-user can access and manipulate. Digital objects can include text documents, databases, multimedia components such as still images, audio and video files and vast collections of machine-readable unorganized data from experimental or scientific observations (such as satellites, geological activity, network logs). The challenge to developers of digital libraries is to create and support a stable, sustainable and scalable technical environment within which digital collections can grow.

      A digital library includes five component parts: The host computer system — or server — where data is stored; system and application software that facilitates the organization, searching, display and maintenance of the digital objects; end-user desk top workstation where the digital collections are displayed and manipulated; the network that delivers digital objects from the host server to the end-user; and the creation and conversion of data.

      It is the interactions of these component parts which determine the success of a digital library implementation.