Introduction to digital libraries - definitions, examples, concepts and trends (2016 version)

Lecture for the course “The Library” at Leiden University, 3-11-2016
Olaf Janssen, National Library of the Netherlands
olaf.janssen@kb.nl - @ookgezellig - slideshare.net/OlafJanssenNL
Introduction to digital libraries
Definitions, examples, concepts and trends

Lecture for the course “The Library” at Leiden University, 3-11-2016
Olaf Janssen, National Library of the Netherlands
olaf.janssen@kb.nl - @ookgezellig - slideshare.net/OlafJanssenNL
Introduction to digital libraries
Definitions, examples, concepts and trends
± 45 min ± 45 min

Hi,
I’m Olaf Janssen
I’m the Wikipedia (& open data) Coordinator
of the KB
Wikimedia coordinator???
I initiate and coordinate collaboration between
the (staff, collections, data, knowledge, networks of the) KB
and
Wikimedia projects (such as Wikipedia)
olaf.janssen@kb.nl
@ookgezellig
slideshare.net/OlafJanssenNL
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/Koninklijke_Bibliotheek_en_Nationaal_Archief

This slidedeck is optimised
for

What I hope you’ll get out of this lecture
1. Basic understanding of what a digital library is
2. Understanding of some basic concepts and trends
over time in digital libraries
3. Understanding how these trends relate to “2.0”

How does my talk fit in the overall course?
In my talk:
digital
In my talk:
front-end/UX of
digital libraries
In my talk:
Online/web
At the end of
my talk
In my talk:
Online/web

I’ll start with
a bit of
history

http://www.iupui.edu/~g115/assets/mod03/earth_history.jpg

http://www.iupui.edu/~g115/assets/mod03/earth_history.jpg
Not all of history,
only
human history

http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistory/templates/images/earlyhumans/humanancestorsmainpic.jpg

http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistory/templates/images/earlyhumans/humanancestorsmainpic.jpg
Not all of human
history, only
internet history

http://joaobordalo.com/files/topInternetHistory.png
Not all of internet
history, only
history of
websites

http://joaobordalo.com/files/topInternetHistory.png
Not all of internet
history, only
history of the web

http://www.everyjoe.com/2007/09/05/technology/pc-magazines-top-
100-classic-web-sites/
http://www.everyjoe.com/2007/09/05/technology/pc-magazines-top-100-classic-web-sites/chunk.id=ss1-5-6

Context
Historic development of the web : Rise of Web2.0

You read this article in preparation
http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
Web2.0 key concepts
Tim O’Reilly (2005)
What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns
and Business Models for the Next Generation of
Software

1. The long tail
2. Data is the next Intel Inside
3. Users add value
4. Network effects by default
5. Some rights reserved
6. The perpetual beta
7. Software above the level of a single device
8. Cooperate, don't control
Slide taken from http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/michael-edson-let-us-go-boldly-into-the-future
Tim O’Reilly (2005)
What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns
and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software

Not history of all the web,
only the web in library
context
 digital libraries (DLs)

First things first
What is a
digital library

(there is no unique definition..)

- aa
“a library in which collections are stored in
electronic media formats […] and accessible via
computers.
The electronic content may be stored locally, or
accessed remotely via computer networks.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_library

“[..] at Stanford University, some discussion was held as to
what did we mean by the term "digital library“”. [..]
it would be valuable [..] to document a common
understanding of the term, but agreed that […] we could
not and would not aim for a general consensus.
http://www.dlib.org/metrics/public/papers/dig-lib-scope.html

The term "Digital Library" has a variety of potential
meanings,
ranging from a digitized collection of material that
one might find in a traditional library
through to the collection of all digital information along
with the services that make that information
useful to all possible users.

The term "Digital Library" has a variety of potential
meanings,
ranging from a digitized collection of material that
one might find in a traditional library
through to the collection of all digital information along
with the services that make that information
useful to all possible users.
[..] the following definition was proposed: The Digital
Library is:
– The collection of services
– And the collection of information objects
– That support users in dealing with information objects
– And the organization and presentation of those
objects
– Accessable directly or indirectly via electronic/digital
means

The Digital Library Reference Model (2011)
(273 pages!)

“…a potentially virtual organisation, that comprehensively collects,
manages and preserves for the long depth of time rich digital
content, and offers to its targeted user communities [..] according to
comprehensive codified policies."
Source: The Digital Library Reference Model

- aa
“Digital libraries are organised collections of digital
content made available to the public.“
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV:l24226i

And there are many
more definitions…*
* Such as https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~i385d/readings/Borgman-1999-What_Are_Digital_Libraries.pdf

Let’s summarize the
red key phrases
we’ve just seen...

too
textual,
vague,
abstract
Is
?
No worries, let’s look at
11 real life examples of digital libraries
to improve our understanding

too
textual,
vague,
abstract
Is
?
E-lev-en?!!??
Yes, sorry…. I really need some critical mass here,
each example will become a ‘datapoint’ for making
some trend plots later on
(I will them brief, you can study them in more detail later…)

too
textual,
vague,
abstract
Is
?
E-lev-en?!!??
Yes, sorry…. I really need some critical mass here,
each example will become a ‘datapoint’ for making
some trend plots later on
(I’ll keep them brief, you can study them in more detail later…)

4 cultural heritage domains
1. Library: publications
Books, magazines, newspapers

2. Archive: primary documents
(unique & unpublished)
Public records, government docs,
legal administrations
4. Audio-visual: recordings
Films, audio, TV, radio, speeches,
plays
Books, magazines, newspapers
3. Museum: artefacts
Paintings, drawings, sculpture,
instruments, flora, fauna

3. Museum: artefacts
Paintings, drawings, sculpture,
instruments, flora, fauna
2. Archive: primary documents
(unique & unpublished)
Public records, government docs,
legal administrations
4. Audio-visual: recordings
Films, audio, TV, radio, speeches,
plays
Books, magazines, newspapersGLAMs
Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums
=
cultural heritage sector

I’m going to score each of the 11 DL-examples
on 5 criteria
1.Content/UX: What’s in it? (metadata, full-text, visuals, audio etc.)
2.Content domain: Library, archive, museum, AV ?
3.Run by: Public, private, community-run ?
4.Content partners: Which type of partners are providing content?
5.User involvement: To which extent is the public involved in
building the DL?

• Focus on raw metadata
• No full-texts
• No visuals

1. KB Catalogue
opc4.kb.nl
Web version of old card catalogue
• Content/UX: Raw metadata (no full-texts, no visuals)
• Content domain: library (books, newspapers, magazines)
• Run by: commercial company (OCLC, USA)
• Content partners: Institutional (KB)
• User involvement: none; 1-directional institutional
broadcasting; “See what KB has” (Web1.0)

2. LibraryThing
Librarything.com

• Focus on metadata, with user ratings & tags
• No full-texts
• Tiny visuals (book covers from Amazon)
Rating & tags

Members add metadata
(110M books so far)

Members add book reviews
(2.9M so far)

2. LibraryThing
Librarything.comSocial Web2.0 library catalogue
• Content/UX: Raw metadata-oriented (no full-texts, poor
visuals)
• Content domain: library (books)
• Run by: commercial company (40% Amazon)
• Content partners: user community (Web2.0)
• User involvement: very strong: “Contribute & share your
metadata, ratings, tags, covers, reviews” (Web2.0)

2. LibraryThing
Librarything.comSocial Web2.0 library catalogue
• Content/UX: Raw metadata-oriented (no full-texts, poor
visuals)
• Run by: commercial company (40% Amazon)
• User involvement: very strong: “Contribute & share your
metadata, ratings, tags, covers, reviews” (Web2.0)
Further reading
• http://carl-acrl.org/ig/carlitn/9.07.2007/LTFL.pdf
• http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2534&context=atg
• http://www.librarything.com/zeitgeist

Focus on visuals (scans),
not metadata

Focus on OCR (and scan),
not metadata

The OCR of a
newspaper article
Metadata for
result filtering

Joint effort
Multiple institutional content partners
http://www.delpher.nl/nl/platform/pages/helpitems?nid=382

The OCR of a
newspaper article
Full-text historic Dutch publications
• Content/UX: Full-text: scans & OCR, with metadata-
based searching & filtering
• Content domain: library (publications)
• Run by: non-commercial institution (KB)
• Content partners: Institutional (libraries, archives,
newspaper publishers etc.)
• User involvement: none; “See what full-text publications
we have” (Web1.0)
Further reading (historic newspapers only, precursor of Delpher)
• http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january08/klijn/01klijn.html
• www.ifla.org/files/assets/newspapers/documents/newsletter-no19.pdf (p7)

4. Digital Library for Dutch Literature
dbnl.org

Downloads
• PDF
• OCR
• Scans
• ePub

… with metadata for
searching & filtering

4. Digital Library for Dutch Literature
dbnl.orgFull-text Dutch literature database
• Content/UX: Full-text: OCR, PDF, scans, ePub
with metadata for search
• Content domain: library (literature, publications)
• Run by: non-commercial institution (KB, since 2015)
• Content partners: none (own collection)
• User involvement: none; “See what we DBNL have”
(Web1.0)
Further reading
• van Stipriaan, Rene. "Future proofing Dutch literature-Rene van Stipriaan
answers questions about the Digital Library for Dutch Literature, how it was
started and why users like it." Research Information 41 (2009): 13.

5. Google Books
books.google.com

Joint effort
1. Many big libraries (incl.
KB) as content partners

Joint effort
2. Partner Program:
authors & publishers

5. Google Books
books.google.com
’The world's most comprehensive index
of full-text books’
• Content/UX: Full-texts: e-books & e-magazines
• Run by: commercial company (Google)
• Content partners:
* Many institutional - big libraries worldwide
(eg. KB, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard), and publishers
* Individual authors
• User involvement: weak, users can contribute book reviews
(“Web1.1”)
Further reading
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Books_Library_Project
• http://liber.library.uu.nl/index.php/lq/article/download/URN%3ANBN%3ANL%3AUI%3A10
-1-113624/8371
• http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbreader.asp?ArticleID=16307

6. Project Gutenberg
gutenberg.org
Over 53,000 free ebooks

Free public domain e-books
• Content/UX: Full-text e-books
• Run by: not-for-profit company (foundation, PGLAF)
• Content partners: Institutional (publishers)
• User involvement: some; users can contribute own books
(self.gutenberg.org) (“Web1.5”)
Further reading
• http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:About
• Marie Lebert, Project Gutenberg (1971-2008) - gutenberg.org/ebooks/27045
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gutenberg

Content maintained by community of
2.8M people

Access ’90s – websites are T.F.O.’s
7. Wikisource
wikisource.orgSocial open full-text library & archive
• Content/UX: Rights-free full-texts (novels, non-fiction works, letters, speeches,
constitutional and historical documents, laws etc.)
• Content domains: library & archive
• Run by: User-community, supported by not-for-profit organisation
(Wikimedia Foundation)
• User involvement: very strong: “Contribute, improve, share & re-
use texts” (Web2.0)

Access ’90s – websites are T.F.O.’s
7. Wikisource
wikisource.orgSocial open full-text library & archive
• Content/UX: Rights-free full-texts (novels, non-fiction works, letters, speeches,
constitutional and historical documents, laws etc.)
• Content domains: library & archive
• Run by: User-community, supported by not-for-profit organisation
(Wikimedia Foundation)
• User involvement: very strong: “Contribute, improve, share & re-
use texts” (Web2.0)
Further reading
• https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Community_portal

8.Memory of the Netherlands
Geheugenvannederland.nl

Focus on non-hi-res image,
but metadata still manifest
 “visual catalogue”

Joint effort
• Hosted by KB
• 84 content partners (GLAMs)

Memory of the
Netherlands
Dutch cultural heritage media database
• Content/UX: “Visual catalogue” : low/mid-res images, sounds,
videos, with manifest metadata
• Content domains: museum, archive, library, AV
• Run by: non-commercial institution (KB)
• Content partners: Institutional - 84 Dutch GLAMs
• User involvement: none; “See what we GLAMs have” (Web1.0)
Further reading
• http://www.archimuse.com/publishing/ichim03/073C.pdf

9. Europeana Collections
europeana.eu

1,477 results for ‘Einstein’

Metadata with low/mid-res
image
 “visual catalogue”

Joint effort
1,000s content providers
(GLAMs) from Europe
http://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/explore/sources.html

9. Europeana
europeana.euEuropean cultural heritage aggregator
• Content/UX: “Visual catalogue”: metadata + low/mid-res
images (sounds, videos, texts)
• Content domains: museum, archive, library, AV
• Run by: non-commercial organisation (Europeana Foundation)
• Content partners: Institutional – 1,000s of European GLAMs
• User involvement: none; “See what we have” (Web1.0)
Further reading
• pro.europeana.eu
• https://liber.library.uu.nl/index.php/lq/article/download/URN%3ANBN%3ANL%3AUI
%3A10-1-113558/8239 (background reading from 2009)

10. Flickr The Commons
flickr.com/commons

Joint effort
10s content providers
worldwide

Focus on visual,
page doesn’t feel “metadata-y”
Source of image

Web2.0
“Wisdom of the crowd”
Crowd-curation
Folksonomy

10. Flickr The Commons
flickr.com/commons
Web2.0
“Wisdom of the crowd”
Crowd-curation
Folksonomy
Crowd-curated open photo archive
• Content/UX: Rights-free rich visuals: mid/hi-res images,
metadata secondary
• Content domain: library, archive, museum
• Run by: commercial company (Yahoo)
• Content partners: Institutional - 10s GLAMs worldwide
• User involvement: some; users can contribute comments, tags
etc., but no photos (“Web1.5”)
Further reading
• http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_report_final.pdf
• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/technology/internet/19link.html?_r=1&partner=permalink
&exprod=permalink
• Vaughan, J. (2010). Insights into the Commons on Flickr. portal: Libraries and the Academy,
10(2), 185-214. http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/lib_articles/123 + PDF

11. Rijksmuseum
rijksmuseum.nl
573,000 rights-free
ultra hi-res images

Focus on hi-res images
Metadata “almost invisible”

573,000 rights free
images re-usable for
everbody, everywhere

Rijksstudio
Pinterest meets RM-
collection
11.a Rijksstudio
rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio

Crowd-curation
discovering cross-collection
themes

RM created and user created Rijksstudios
are treated equal

Crowd-curation:
discovering cross-
collection themes
11. Rijksstudio
rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudioFree hi-res artworks photo database
• Content/UX: Rights-free ultra hi-res images,
metadata “under the hood”
• Content domain: museum
• Run by: non-commercial institution (Rijksmuseum)
• Content partners: none, own RM collection
• User involvement: some, via Rijksstudio: users can create
Pinterest-like boards, incl. user-curation (“Web1.5”)
Further reading
• http://mw2013.museumsandtheweb.com/paper/rijksstudio-make-your-own-
masterpiece/

OK, so far for the 11 DL-examples….
I did not choose them randomly…
Let’s use their properties as input
for some plots…

1. Content/Presentation/UX
What does the DL look & feel like?

Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Raw metadata in your face

Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual

Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
(hi-res) Images in your face
Metadata “under the hood”
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”

KB Catalogue
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Visually oriented

Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Visually oriented
KB Catalogue

Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Visually oriented
KB Catalogue
Flickr The Commons

“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
KB Catalogue Flickr
The Commons

Flickr
The Commons
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum/studio

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Europeana
Collections

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Europeana
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Europeana
Collections
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature

KB Catalogue Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons

Dutch Literature
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Memory of the
Netherlands

Dutch Literature
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Memory of the
Netherlands Delpher

Dutch Literature
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
Netherlands
Rijksmuseum
/studio
“Dressed up
catalogues”
Mix of metadata
and visual
“all about
full-texts”
Metadata-oriented
Classic catalogues
No images
Google books
Project
Gutenberg
Wikisource
Visually oriented
Flickr
The Commons
Delpher

2. Domain of content
Which CH-domain(s) contribute to the DL?

Archives
documents
Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts

Archives
documents
Cross-domain
Content from libraries,
museums and archives
Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts

Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts
Archives
documents
Cross-domain
Rijksmuseum
/studio

KB Catalogue
LibraryThing
Google books
Digital
Library for
Dutch
Literature
Project
Gutenberg
Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts
Archives
documents
Cross-domain
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Delpher

KB Catalogue
LibraryThing
Google books
Digital
Library for
Dutch
Literature
Project
Gutenberg
Wikisource
Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts
Archives
documents
Cross-domain
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Delpher

KB Catalogue
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
Netherlands
Flickr
The Commons
Google books
Digital
Library for
Dutch
Literature
Project
Gutenberg
Wikisource
Libraries
publications
Museums
artefacts
Archives
documents
Cross-domain
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Delpher

3. Geo scope
What’s the geographical scope of the DL content?

InternationalNational
Dutch
3. Geo scope
What’s the geographical scope of the DL content?
Continental
European
Local/regional

Memory of the
Netherlands
Rijksstudio
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
InternationalLocal/regional National
Dutch
Continental
European
Delpher

Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
Netherlands
Rijksstudio
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Dutch
Continental
European
Delpher

LibraryThingEuropeana
Collections
Flickr
The Commons
Google books
Project
Gutenberg
Wikisource
Dutch
Continental
European
Memory of the
Netherlands
Rijksstudio
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Delpher

4. Collaboration between
content partners
Who provides content & value for our DL?

Institutional content
“We do it ourself, we
show off our own content”
(no partner content,
no user generated content)
content partners

content partners
Partner content
“We add value by collaboration,
we need & show content from
our institutional partners”

User content
“We are nothing without
contributions from our users”
content partners
Partner content
Web2.0: “Users add value”

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
User content
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Partner content

KB Catalogue Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
NetherlandsRijksmuseum
/studio
User content
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Partner content
Delpher

KB Catalogue
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
Netherlands
Wikisource
Rijksmuseum
/studio
User content
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Partner content
Delpher

KB Catalogue
LibraryThing
Europeana
Collections
Memory of the
Netherlands
Wikisource
Flickr
The Commons
Rijksmuseum
/studio
User content
Project Gutenberg
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Google books
Partner content
Delpher

5. Control
Who decides how the DL develops?

Institution(s)
in control
and (very) nervous about
user contributions
5. Control
Who decides how the DL develops?
User-controlled
The community is in control,
no need for institutions
Web2.0: “Radical trust”
Users can contribute, we trust them,
but institution/company keeps control

KB Catalogue
Europeana
Collections
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Memory of the
Netherlands
Delpher
User-controlled
Institution(s)
in control
user contributions

KB Catalogue
Wikisource
Europeana
Collections
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Memory of the
Netherlands
User-controlled
Institution(s)
in control
user contributions
Delpher

KB Catalogue
Wikisource
Europeana
Collections
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Memory of the
Netherlands
Flickr
The Commons
LibraryThing
User-controlled
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Institution(s)
in control
user contributions
Project Gutenberg
Google books
Delpher

6. Openness
Can users retain, reuse, revise, remix, redistribute the DL content?

Web2.0:
“Some rights reserved”
Closed ©
You can only use our
content for personal use
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
you like with our content,
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Part of content is public
domain, other part is ©
Creative Commons
You can remix and share under
certain conditions
6. Openness

Web2.0:
“Some rights reserved”
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions
Further reading
• “The 5 Rs” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_content
• Creative Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons_license
• Open culture - http://www.ciac.ca/en/open-culture-definition-en
6. Openness

KB Catalogue
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions

KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions

Flickr
The Commons
Europeana
Collections
(metadata)
Project
Gutenberg
KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions

Flickr
The Commons
Memory of the
Netherlands
Project
Gutenberg
KB Catalogue
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Google books
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions
Delpher
Europeana
Collections
(metadata)

Flickr
The Commons
Memory of the
Netherlands
Wikisource
(CC-BY-SA)
Project
Gutenberg
KB Catalogue
Rijksmuseum
/studio
Closed ©
or non-commercial
research purposes
Fully open
You can do anything
no conditions apply
Part closed,
part open
Creative Commons
certain conditions
Google books
Delpher
Digital Library for
Dutch Literature
Europeana
Collections
(metadata)

These plots represent some
trends in DL-development
Past  Present
1.0  2.0
“Not”  “Hot”

CONCEPT PAST PRESENT
Content –
Presentation - UX
Metadata in your face
- “Raw” library catalogue
- No / low-res images
Objects in your face
- Full-texts & OCR
- Hi-res images
- Metadata “under the hood”
Collaboration
between institutions
Single institution
Institutions do it themselves, no
partners
Multiple institutions, networks
Institutions realize they stand stronger
with partners in networks
Collaboration
between domains
Single domain
Institutions collaborate within own
domain
Single & cross-domain
Institutions also collaborate outside own
domains, are aware of added value cross-
domain approach can bring
Geo-scope of DL Local
Scope is local (regional, national),
unaware of bigger world
‘Global village’
Local initiatives & services are aware of
the bigger world, and their roles within it
User contribution Institutions add content & value
- 1-directional institutional broadcasting
- Users are passive consumers
Users also add content & value
- Users are creators
- Harnassing collective intellligence,
crowd-curation, folksonomy
Control Institution(s) in control
The wishes of our users are scary and
complex, we know what’s best for them
User voice heard
Our users are our co-developers, they
give us valuable input how we should
develop our DL. P2P communication
Openness of
content
(reuse, revise, remix,
redistribute)
Closed
- You can use our content yourself, but
you can’t build upon it
- © , All rights reserved
Open
- We propagate sharing & remixing our
content, as far as legitimate rightholders
are not harmed
- Creative Commons
1.01.01.0
2.02.02.0

OK, now we have at least
some understanding of
basic concepts and trends
in DLs…

In terms of
we’ve just looked at…

Let’s now look at
3 less directly visible
ingredients of DLs

What I’m trying to say here:
Digital libraries don’t just run by themselves.
It takes
organisation, management & strategy
to build them, keep ‘m running and make ‘m
grow….

Let’s take a look at (only)
two trends
in these fields…

Trend 1. Content & brand distribution
↓ Less “Come to daddy”
↑ More “Dressing up as pandas”

http://communist812.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/come-to-daddy-2.jpg
Many GLAMs still expect people to visit
their little, geeky, not-so-sexy DL-sites, to there
consume their DL-content, services &
brand

Many GLAMs still expect people to visit
their little, geeky, not-so-sexy DL-sites, to there
consume their DL-content, services &
brand
They have to make an awful lot of
noise (=institutional marketing) to
draw people into their little boutiques
On the modern web
(nearly all) DL-sites are niche market
“boutiques” with relatively local or
specialized audiences
… but honestly, often
they’re just too small
for that..

We (ie. GLAMs) expect people to take the
trouble to leave their trusted online
hang-outs to visit our little, geeky, not-so-sexy
DL-site, to consume our DL-content &
brand
We have to make an awful lot of noise
(=institutional marketing) to try to
make people like our little, geeky, not-so-sexy
DL-site & brand
http://www.collaboration-incontext.com/2006/12/enterprise_20_t.html
Web2.0:
“The long tail”

At the same time, GLAMs know the big,
cool, popular platforms & communities
normal people use in their daily lives
Mass markets
“Department stores”
with global audiences
(head of long tail)

Because they realize most normal people
won’t take the trouble to come to their little,
geeky, not-so-sexy DL-site,
Most people go to
department stores
instead of boutiques

geeky, not-so-sexy DL-site, they have to find a …

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336070/Why-Chinese-
scientists-dressing-Panda-suits-fool-bear-cubs.html
geeky, not-so-sexy DL-site, they have to find a …
Cunning trick!
They “dress up as pandas” to seamlessly
fit into the existing platforms, communities
and workflows, so they can
more easily distribute their niche DL-
content, services & brand to global
audiences
They set up in-store
boutiques!

Some dressing up styles of GLAMs

1. Search engine optimisation
(dressing up to be liked by Google)
• Collaboration with Wikipedia
(dressing up to be liked by curious people)
• Social content sharing (Flickr, Pinterest..)
(dressing up to be visually liked)
• Ego networks (Facebook, Twitter ..)
(dressing up to be seen & gossiped about)
• Offering APIs
(dressing up to be liked by businesses & developers)
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/118/2/4/google_in_a_dress_by_wingsade-d63g1ce.png
Further reading
• What is SEO? - http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo
• What’s the problem? - http://jpwilkin.blogspot.nl/2011/01/our-hidden-digital-libraries-july-27.html
• SEO and metadata - http://eprints.rclis.org/13518/1/AD_Google.doc.pdf
• Best paractices - http://www.libsuccess.org/Search_Engine_Optimization_%28SEO%29

2. Collaboration with Wikipedia
• Social content sharing (Flickr, Pinterest..)
• Offering APIs
http://partnersinexcellenceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/curious.jpg

Research on the use of Wikipedia in the
Netherlands 2015
https://nl.wikimedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Rapportage_Motivaction_Lezers.pdf

Netherlands 2015
“Which source do you use most for finding factual information?”
• 62% Google
• 30% Wikipedia
• ??% books & libraries

Netherlands 2015
“Which source do you use most for finding factual information?”
• 62% Google
• 30% Wikipedia
• 1% books & libraries

Onderzoek onder lezers Wikipedia 2015
“80% of Dutch people use Wikipedia”

(Digital) libraries can reach big audiences
by exposing their materials on Wikipedia
 KB manuscripts case study

Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts
manuscripts.kb.nl
This site contains
11.141 images,
including...

Acèh Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Aragonés Ænglisc ‫العربية‬ ‫ܐܪܡܝܐ‬ ‫مصرى‬ অসমীয
Asturianu Aymar aru Azərbaycanca Башҡортса Boarisch Žemaitėška Беларуска
Беларуская (тарашкевіца) Български भोजपुरी Bamanankan ব়াাংল়া བོད་ཡིག Brezhone
Bosanski Буряад Català Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄ Cebuano Chamoru ᏣᎳᎩ ‫کوردی‬ Češtin
Словѣньскъ Чӑвашла Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Zazaki ް‫ސ‬ ަ‫ބ‬ި‫ހ‬ެ‫ވ‬ ި‫ދ‬ Ελληνικά Emiliàn
rumagnòl English Esperanto Español Eesti Euskara ‫فارسی‬ Suomi Võro Føroyskt França
Arpetan Nordfriisk Furlan Frysk Gaeilge 贛語 Gàidhlig Galego ‫گيلکی‬ Avañe'ẽ ગુજરાત
Gaelg 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî ‫עברית‬ हिन्दी Fiji Hindi Hrvatski Kreyòl ayisyen Magyar Հայերե
Interlingua Bahasa Indonesia Interlingue Iñupiak Ilokano Ido Íslenska Italiano 日本語
Lojban Basa Jawa ქართული Kongo Қазақша Kalaallisut ភាសាខ្មែរ ಕನ್ನಡ 한국어 Перем
Коми Къарачай-малкъар Ripoarisch Kurdî Коми Kernowek Кыргызча Latina Ladin
Lëtzebuergesch Лезги Limburgs Lumbaart Lingála ລາວ Lietuvių Latgaļu Latviešu Bas
Banyumasan Malagasy Олык марий Baso Minangkabau Македонски മലയാള
Монгол मराठी Bahasa Melayu ‫رونی‬ ِ‫ز‬ Nāhuatl Napulitano Plattdüütsch Nederland
Nedersaksies नेपाली नेपाल भाषा Norsk nynorsk Norsk bokmål Novial Nouormand Occita
ଓଡ଼ିଆ Ирон ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Papiamentu Picard Deitsch Norfuk / Pitkern Polski Piemontèis ‫پنجابی‬ ‫ښتو‬
Português Runa Simi Rumantsch Romani Română Armãneashce Русский Русиньскы
संस्कृ तम ् Саха тыла Sardu Sicilianu Scots Sámegiella Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватск
සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Gagana Samoa Shqip Српски / srpsk
Sranantongo Sesotho Seeltersk Basa Sunda Svenska Kiswahili Ślůnski தமிழ்
తెలుగుТоҷикӣ ไทย Türkmençe Tagalog Tok Pisin Türkçe Татарча/tatarça Українська ‫ردو‬
Oʻzbekcha Vèneto Vepsän kel’ Tiếng Việt Volapük Walon Winaray Wolof 吴语 IsiXhos
Wikipedia covers 292 languages
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia/Versions

Wikipedia in German
This images is used
on many
Wikipedias

This baker image is not the only image from KB that is used on
Wikipedia.
In total KB offers 11.5K images for Wikipedia
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Koninklijke_Bibliotheek

Using Wikipedia, these images are seen all over the world
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CountryWorldMap_LangaugeVersionsWikipediaContainingKBImages_30092013.png#file
This maps shows the countries (red) in which Wikipedia articles containing images related
to the National library of the Netherlands (KB) have been consulted (dd 30-9-2013)

Some statistics on the KB manuscripts (*)
As said, this site contains
11.141 images
*http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/Koninklijke_Bibliotheek_en_Nationaal_Archief/Resultaten/KPIs/KPI8/CasestudyKBManuscripten#Impact_Wikipe
dia_:_casestudy_KB-manuscripten (in Dutch)
On this KB-site, these 11.141 images are
requested 11K times per month (1 req per img)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Manuscripts_from_Koninklijke_Bibliotheek
Of these 11.141 images,
(only) 163 are used in
Wikipedia articles
On Wikipedia, these 163 images are requested
779K times per month (4777 req per img)
Some statistics on the KB manuscripts (*)
x 4777
BANG!!

3. Social content sharing (Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr...)
• Offering APIs
Some dressing up styles of GLAMS
http://tweakers.net/ext/f/ABh9LXs58VV9cBY3VnMBvbLf/full.jpg

http://www.pinterest.com/britishlibrary

https://www.instagram.com/nypl/

3. Social content sharing (Flickr, Pinterest..)
4. Ego networks (Facebook, Twitter ..)
(dressing up to be seen, gossiped and liked)
• Offering APIs
Some dressing up styles of GLAMS
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGneNjF84zM/TZTAzh8wd6I/AAAAAAAAGCc/jWh3C5gk6LI/s1600/gossip1.jpg

Screenshot of my Twitter feed dd 02-11-2016
“seamlessly fit into people’s
exisiting workflows”

Mouth-to-mouth gossip
about Delpher.nl

Trend 2. Digital library funding

Less Public
More Private & social
- Public-private partnerships
- Sponsoring
- Crowdfunding

Less Public
More Private & social
1. Public-private partnerships
2. Sponsoring
3. Crowdfunding

1. Public-private
partnerships
http://kb.nl/en/news/news-archive-2010/koninklijke-bibliotheek-and-google-
sign-book-digitisation-agreement
http://kb.nl/en/news/news-archive-2011/digitisation-by-proquest-of-early-
printed-books-in-kb-collection

Astrid Verheusen,The Library - Digitisation, 30 October 2014, slide 26
Beer card: http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2012/5/11/4/7/d/47d64100-7dc7-012f-8f22-005056960006.jpg
1. Public-private
partnerships

Astrid Verheusen,The Library - Digitisation, 30 October 2014, slide 26
Beer card: http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2012/5/11/4/7/d/47d64100-7dc7-012f-8f22-005056960006.jpg
1. Public-private
partnerships
Deals with Google
and Proquest are
worth 63M€

2. (Corporate) Sponsoring
Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum Annual Report 2012, p 98

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/sponsors.html

http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54147#.Uo4SGZyrF8E

3. Crowdfunding
“Cooperation of normal people who pool their money
together to support efforts initiated by others”
https://blog.flattr.net/2012/04/project
-gutenberg-taps-into-crowdfunding//
https://flattr.com/thing/509045

http://blog.flattr.net/2012/04/project-
gutenberg-taps-into-crowdfunding/
https://flattr.com/thing/509045
https://flattr.com/thing/449169/Internet-Archive-Blogs
kickstarter.com/projects/1692978335/library-for-all-a-digital-library-for-the-developi

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/vatican-library-making-4000-ancient-manuscripts-available-online-free-photos-1470911#

OK, that was about it…
.. but please let me do
update the trends table
for you!

CONCEPT PAST PRESENT
Geo-scope of DL Local
Scope is local (regional, national),
unaware of bigger world
‘Global village’
Local initiatives & services are aware of
the bigger world, and their roles within it
User contribution Institutions add content & value
- 1-directional institutional broadcasting
- Users are passive consumers
Users also add content & value
- Users are creators
- Harnassing collective intellligence,
crowd-curation, folksonomy
Control Institution(s) in control
The wishes of our users are scary and
complex, we know what’s best for them
User voice heard
Our users are our co-developers, they
give us valuable input how we should
develop our DL. P2P communication
Openness of
content
(reuse, revise, remix,
redistribute)
Closed
- You can use our content yourself, but
you can’t build upon it
- © , All rights reserved
Open
- We propagate sharing & remixing our
content, as far as legitimate rightholders
are not harmed
- Creative Commons
Content
distribution
Come to daddy
- People need to visit our website
- Only niche-markets are reached
Dressing up as pandas
- DL-content/services/brand embedded in
user’s daily workflows
- Niche and global audiences are reached
Funding of DLs - Public - Mix of public, public-private, (corporate)
sponsors, crowdfunding
1.01.01.01.0
2.02.02.02.0

THANKS!
olaf.janssen@kb.nl
@ookgezellig

Introduction to digital libraries - definitions, examples, concepts and trends (2016 version)

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