Understanding Digital Libraries, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia Information and Systems) [Paperback]

Michael Lesk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1558609245 | ISBN-13: 978-1558609242 | Edition: 2

This fully revised and updated second edition of Understanding Digital Libraries focuses on the challenges faced by both librarians and computer scientists in a field that has been dramatically altered by the growth of the Web.

At every turn, the goal is practical: to show you how things you might need to do are already being done, or how they can be done. The first part of the book is devoted to technology and examines issues such as varying media requirements, indexing and classification, networks and distribution, and presentation. The second part of the book is concerned with the human contexts in which digital libraries function. Here you'll find specific and useful information on usability, preservation, scientific applications, and thorny legal and economic questions.

. Useful for digital library projects in all kinds of settings, including commercial and community ventures, museums, research institutions, and schools.
. Covers the entire spectrum of media, including text, all kinds of images, audio, and video.
. Provides practical advice on achieving the best of what is possible while avoiding common pitfalls.
. Filled with case studies and references to valuable outside resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lesk is the senior and most knowledgeable author in the field. His dry humor and clear explanations, combined with his uncanny ability to uncover and address key ideas and problems, make this a "must read."
--Edward A. Fox, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science, Virginia Tech

"Michael Lesk does for digital libraries what David Macaulay does for every day objects: he lucidly depicts how things work. In the digital world the ways things work is necessarily always in flux. In this second edition, Michael Lesk has done a masterful job of making us feel more at home with this flux."
--Michèle Valerie Cloonan, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Library & Information Science, Simmons College

"Lesk's insights are distilled from a lifetime of pioneering activities in information retrieval, text processing and digital libraries, culminating in a most creative period at the National Science Foundation. He has written a book that brings these insights alive with well-chosen examples: facts and figures, tables and graphs. Digital libraries have not replaced books. This book illustrates why."
--William Y. Arms, Professor of Computer Science and Co-Director of Information Science, Cornell University

Book Description

The new edition of the leading introductory book on digital libraries.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 2 edition (December 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558609245
• ISBN-13: 978-1558609242
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable primer for digital libraries, May 31, 2007

By 

The Aardvark of Hate (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Digital Libraries, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia Information and Systems) (Paperback)

In Understanding Digital Libraries, Michael Lesk explains a new method of distribution and preservation in a dry, informative, even-handed and almost academic fashion. His book, while unlikely to capture the imagination of the average layperson, is a reasonably successful textbook, which might be of interest to students and professionals alike.

If I had to lobby a complaint against the book it would be that the book does not always delve deep enough into its topics. The book is an excellent primer, but I often felt that I had only a cursory idea of the subjects it explained rather than then a genuine understanding. For example after reading Understanding Digital Libraries' chapter on knowledge representation schemes, I have a basic of idea of XML's function in representing data on the web; however, I wouldn't be able to use it myself.

Of course, this deficiency in the book is merely a result of its purpose, not a fault in execution. As an introductory text, it is perfectly functional. However, for someone looking to work with digital libraries in the field it will almost certainly need to be supplemented by other books.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good as far as mandatory course books go, February 12, 2009

By 

T. Dreis "Im Li and Im Barry" (miwaukee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Understanding Digital Libraries, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia Information and Systems) (Paperback)

Arrived new, quick, and safe. The content isnt like reading your favorite novel but it wont instantly put you to sleep either. Current content as of 2007. Not techie at all.