Demonstrating the use, value and impact of digital collections is of key importance to anyone involved in digitisation projects, especially in the current funding climate. This interesting and timely collection of papers emerged from an expert seminar held in 2010 and although it is predominantly UK-focused, it does include contributors from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. It is also worth noting that there is a strong emphasis on the use of digitised resources in the humanities.
The book is divided into three parts. The first deals with the transformations witnessed in the three domains of libraries, museums and archives as a result of the spread of digitisation practices. This is followed by a series of chapters looking at the current state of the value, use and impact of digital collections. Key among these is a comprehensive and clear review of the potential value and impact of digitised resources by Simon Tanner. In addition, there are also several good examples of how digital collections can be evaluated. Crucially, these chapters draw on a range of example case studies, and emphasise the importance of qualitative evaluation and user participation and feedback.
The final section of the collection looks to the future. This section feels slightly less coherent than the previous parts, combining chapters on emerging ICT research methods; creating a research data infrastructure; and sustainability of public funding for digitisation, specifically AHRC funding.
Overall, this is an excellent collection of authoritative, informed and well-written essays presenting an overall of the current trends in digitisation, and in particular the evaluation of the value and impact of collections. It would be valuable for academics, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in this field. As the introduction acknowledges, the book raises questions which had yet to be addressed, perhaps most importantly the need to understand and evaluate the use, and particularly the impact, of digital collections on a long-term basis, not simply as crude snapshots in response to immediate funding requirements.
