Major issues in digital library development

The predominantly paper based erstwhile environment all these contents were put tosimilar types of use, and copyright restrictions were imposed based on the quantum ofpages copied etc. In the electronic and digital perspective, owners of information areresorting to punitive measures regarding the use and contents in digital form. Some ofthe constraints faced by our libraries to engage in serious digital initiatives are three fold- that of money, manpower and contents. Most of our libraries, particularly in the highereducation and research institutes solely depend on the information providers andpublishers in the developed world to satisfy their urge for vital contents that inspireindigenous research. Since contents are a major ingredient in digital librarydevelopment, the pragmatic and viable way out for libraries is to judiciously judge themas available in electronic forms in optical media or on Web and procure at least some ofthem for hosting locally. This paper presents some of the major issues involved in such acritical activity with some illustrative examples available like IEE/IEEE ElectronicLibrary, Indian Standards on CD-ROM, Science Direct, and Web access of IndianAcademy of Sciences journals. The justification for selecting external contents has alsobeen mentioned. A detailed checklist for evaluating contents is presented from variousangles, like authenticity of content, user interface, search and display capabilities,documentation and technical support, and Media dependent features.