Virtual Library And Digital Libraries: An Overview

Abstract

Most of the Libraries today, offer a wide range of on-line services to their users. And, now, the internet and web technologies are not the new things to any academician hence, it is the time for a Library to be virtual and digitalize and develop its on-line presence in order to further facilitate and enrich the educational processes. The Digital and virtual library plays an important role in promoting the use of information. The basic idea of digital library is to provide universal access to digitized information throughout the world. Digital libraries give solutions to main challenges to traditional libraries such as storage.Virtual Library is another kind of Digital Library which provides portal to information that is available electronically elsewhere. Virtual Libraries provide a new way of serving the new generation users of the libraries. Virtual and digital libraries are the new innovation of libraries of the future. This paper provides an overview of a Virtual and digital library System. It narrates purpose, features, functions, design and development of a Virtual and digital Library and Virtual Library Environment. Impact of ‘Virtual Library’ and digital libraries on ‘Lifelong Learning’ has also been emphasized.