The introduction of digital libraries drastically changed the world of librarianship, and some feel overwhelmed by the experience. The skill set digital librarians are required to have is broad and intersects with diverse subject areas within and without library science. This skill set includes collection development, cataloguing and metadata, archival management and preservation, digital technologies, computer science, web design and copyright law. The changes brought about by digital librarianship allow for exciting new careers. But where do prospective digital librarians start? What basic knowledge and skills do they require? This book intends to provide all the answers to these questions. In it, 21 contributors share their expertise and knowledge of digital librarianship. Jump-start your career also aims to be a mentor for prospective digital librarians.
The 12 chapters in the book are subdivided into two parts. The focus in part 1 is on education and career planning, whereas the contributors engage into more in-depth discussions of specific concepts and scenarios digital librarians will encounter in the workplace in part 2. In these chapters, the reader gets an overview of the basic technology competencies that every digital librarian should have; learns more about metadata; and the changing world of scholarly publishing. In Chapter 11, the focus shifts to digital projects in libraries which also necessitates collaboration with other institutions. Chapter 12 offers an introduction to digital preservation.
As a teacher of cataloguing, I found the chapters focusing on metadata extremely important. These chapters first clarify the concept metadata before they examine aspects such as the purpose of metadata, different metadata categories, metadata standards and schemas. Chapter 9 presents metadata in practice within three different contexts: a digital collection; a set of digital collections; and, lastly, the development of a digital collection that will be part of aggregated digital repositories.
Due to the broad field of digital librarianship, the book cannot possibly cover all related topics. However, it does cover the subjects that the contributors believe are essential to an understanding of digital librarianship. As such, the book provides readers with a foundation to move on to more complex and specialised topics in digital librarianship. The contributors also encourage readers to engage in continuous self-education and to remain abreast with new developments and trends in the field of digital librarianship.
Although the contributors did not assume readers to know much about librarianship, they do not talk down to a readership of experienced digital librarians. Rather, they aim at assisting prospective digital librarians in planning their careers as digital librarianship and getting a better understanding of best practices in digital librarianship.
I recommend this book to all persons interested in digital librarianship. This is irrespective of personal levels of expertise in this field. The volume includes a good index, a reference list which could assist in remaining current, a glossary and plenty of guidance.
