Highlighting that “despite the extensive developments over the last ten years, there is remarkably little published on the economic and financial management of digital libraries, their operations, collections and services” (p. 11), Baker and Evans aim to address this gap by attempting to provide a manual for all those involved – or expecting to be involved – in the development and management of digital libraries. It embraces four chapters accompanied by 14 contemporary case studies.
Chapter 1, Digital Economics: Introduction and Overview, with a theoretical base and a review of related literature, offers an overview of digital library economics, describing the main areas (i.e. sustainability, models, business plan, resource allocation and cost-effective decision-making) to be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters. Chapter 2, Sustainability, revolves around the fundamental issue in digital library management and development, namely, “sustainability”, its definition, basics and criteria, followed by four complementary case studies including the JSTOR platform, Project MUSE, the project of the University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and project A Cyberinfrastructure for Scholars. Regardless of contributing to the good management of business issues needed for digital libraries, these cases attempt to help ensure long-term sustainability, keep getting better the current condition and improve the research process for scholars through focusing on some critical success factors positively affecting the realization of sustainability in the context of managing digital libraries. To delineate a broader picture of digital library economic management, Chapter 3, Models and Tools, examines different models including business (economic/financial), funding, costing, pricing and charging supported by ten case studies focusing on the topics discussed in the first two chapters. These cases generally cover all main issues concerning digital library economics such as cost-benefit, cost-savings, cost-reduction, long-term sustainability, cooperation and balance between stakeholders, the return on investment, cost recovery, improving content and access of aggregators based on balanced costing and pricing models (e.g. Patron-driven lease), digital economics and cost-effective decision-making. Finally, Chapter 4, The Universal Library: Realizing Panizzi’s Dream, is an overview and analysis of the case studies discussed in the book, with an emphasis on collaboration and partnership as one of the key elements of digital libraries success as well as sustainability.
Structurally, this easy-to-read and well-written work suffers only from the lack of compilation of all references in a single bibliography which could help readers find related works in one attempt. In terms of content, the chapters and cases studies theoretically and practically examine important digital library elements and their applications in line with economic management: the handbook concentrates on the “how to” of managing digital collections and services of all types with regard to their financing and financial management (p. 11). Generally, this guide which helps digital libraries live with a realistic horizon fills one of the main gaps in the digital library literature from an economic perspective. In addition to digital library practitioners and managers, it can be valuable and useful for Library and Information Science students and professors.
