Excellent People–Oriented Strategies For Digital Libraries

Abstract

Digital libraries are gradually gaining popularity across the globe. In some parts of the world, especially in the developed countries, it is already pervasive. But in most Asian countries and in other less developed parts of the world, it is still quite a new phenomenon. Some interesting questions can be raised today, such as, have digital libraries made librarians less important? Has the digital library technology rendered librarians useless? Do librarians still need to be as "human" in a digital setting as they were in the traditional "physical" setting? Are values and attributes, such as friendliness, courtesy, and amicability still important for them to be competent and excellent library service providers? How does one provide excellent library services through digital library technologies? What are the expectations of digital library patrons? How do we encourage visitors to come back again and again to digital library websites? How do we make library patrons satisfied in this digital era? How do we overcome obstacles in implementing a digital library project and making it successful? What are the specific skills librarians need to possess so that digital libraries do not create apathy in patrons? What makes digital libraries more effective than physical or traditional libraries? What specific skills should librarians in non–English speaking countries possess in order to make their digital library services efficient and effective? These questions and other related issues are addressed in this article. Recommendations and suggestions are put forward which are expected to help the librarians in this digital era.