Latvian Digital Library as a
Resource for Life-long Learning
Uldis Straujums
Lecturer, University of Latvia,
Information System Designer, National Library of Latvia
Baltic IT&T 2007, April 20, 2007
© LNB
Digital library
• digital library and virtual library have begun to be
used to refer to the vast collections of information to
which people gain access over the Internet, cable
television, or some other type of remote electronic
connection. www.eb.com
• A digital library is a library in which collections are
stored in digital formats (as opposed to print,
microform, or other media) and accessible by
computers. www.wikipedia.org
Library 2.0 - an interactive library
Library 2.0 (L2) is a transformation in the way library
services are delivered to library users. It provides
new tools to make the library space (both virtual and
physical) more interactive, collaborative and driven
by community needs. It encourages collaborative
two-way social interactions between library staff and
library customers. L2 requires user participation and
feedback in the development and maintenance of
library services. http://liswiki.org
Digital library – one of Library 2.0 manifestations
Goals and volume of the
Latvian Digital Library “Letonica”
• Ensuring the preservation of digital heritage (both digitized
and digitally born resources)
• Arrangement and description of reliable information for
quick and effective search
• Long-term accessibility of national digital resources within
the framework of legal rights of every individual
• Creation of information space in cooperation by archives,
libraries and museums for life-long learning for different
target groups
• Encouraging information consumers to become
information creators
• Reducing the digital divide in regions due to the content
formed on the base of national resources - Lightnet
• Realizing international innovative research in the field of
digitization
Target groups
• The society’s interests will dictate the content of the
digital library
• The most significant target groups will be pupils,
students, teachers, researchers needing in their
everyday’s life new information
• In the future these users will be able to participate in
content creation
• The digital library will improve the learning content and
process both in formal and informal education
Strategy of Latvian Digital Library
Pillars of the stategy:
• Previous achievements
• Experience
• Project of the LNB new building
Strategy
• Digitization of the most valuable part of
collections and bibliographical descriptions
• Creation of new metadata and conversion of
manual catalogs
• Creation of uniform information space in Internet,
joining parts of collections from archives, libraries
and museums
• Creation of Latvian Internet resource repository –
harvesting and archiving
Previous achievements
Free access on LNB site www.lnb.lv:
• 35 000 newspapers - 80 titles, about 200 000 pages;
• 3000 portraits;
• 737 posters;
• 552 exlibris;
• 357 postcards;
• 130 historical maps;
• 116 prints;
• 7 full scores;
• 2 e-books;
Digital Object Management System
• Technological platform:
– Servers
– Computers
– Software
– Networks
DOM tasks [1]
• Preservation and access
?
Year 2007
Year 2107
DOM tasks[2]
• Transfer
Internet
DOM tasks [3]
• Access management
Librarian
MonaLisa.tif
Unregistered
user
MonaLisa.jpg
Latvian DOM [1]
• Architecture developed:
– British Library’s experience taken into
account
– Specifics of Latvia
Latvian DOM [2]
Storage
Storage
subsystem
subsystem
Shared
services
subsystem
Signing
Administration subsystem
Access subsystem
Producers
Mailroom
Ingest subsystem
subsystem
DOM System
Users
DOM Implementation
• DOM platform till end of 2007:
–
–
–
–
Specifications (Sept. – Nov. 2006)
Tender procedure (Nov. – Dec. 2006)
Hardware purchase (Mar. – Apr. 2007)
System development (Okt. 2007)
Metadata requirements
• Metadata allows the user to find the digital
object independent of it’s type
• Metadata element set can be used by all
participating institutions for resource
description
Metadata solution
Two level structure:
• Requirements of Unified Latvian Information
System IVIS
• Requirements of international organizations
and projects (DLF, NISO, TEL)
Metadata structure
Object
Dublin Core metadata
Object type specific descriptive metadata
Administrative metadata
Structural metadata
Metadata content
Minimal level:
• The European Library TEL Object Application
profile v.1.5.
• Identifiers of Unified Latvian Information
System IVIS
User view (score)
Metadata creator view (score)
Digitization handbook
Handbook developed by Digital libraries competency center in 2007
Digital collection
“Jāzeps Vītols”
Digital collection
“Jāzeps Vītols”
Composition in handwriting and
digital format
Turnable digital pages
Score
“Pie tava augstā baltā loga”
DjVu file
Interactive digital collections
• LNB has started to coordinate the development of
interactive collections:
– “ My photos”
• Individual’s view on important events in Latvia
– “Lost Latvia”
• Memories about vanished natural memorials
and other objects in Latvia
• Resources from libraries, archives, museums
and private collections
Management structure of
project “Lost Latvia”
LNB
Rajona
bibliotēka
Pagasta
bibliotēka
Skolas
bibliotēka
Privātpersona
Pagasta
bibliotēka
Rajona
bibliotēka
Latvijas
Akadēmiskā
bibliotēka
Rajona
muzejs
Skolas
bibliotēka
Muzejs
Arhīvs
Research
Latvian Digital Library is the only one in Baltic region
working on:
• Interactivity, personalization
• Semantical ontology of digitization
• Innovative approach to OCR and indexing
• Semantical filters
• Natural language processing and analysis
• User knowledge base integration
Thank you!
[email protected]
http://www.lnb.lv
© LNB