I was a fan of Karen Calhoun’s work even before we happened to both join OCLC on the same day in 2007. And although she subsequently left OCLC while I remained, we have kept in touch. One of the projects that Karen took on when she left OCLC was a book on digital libraries. But her book is unlike anything that has come before.
This is because it comes from the perspective of a practitioner. Most books on digital libraries have been written by academics and/or computer science researchers, and they tend to reflect that particular perspective. Long on information about research projects and short on the kind of on-the-ground information that is much more what a typical librarian would come into contact with. So that is why I am so excited that her book is now out and available for purchase.
If you aren’t yet sure you want it, the Table of Contents, Preface, Acknowledgements, Glossary, Index, and first chapter are freely available for your perusal. The acknowledgements reveal that she interviewed me in the course of writing the book, but that is really the only connection I have to it.
I would imagine that this will be required reading in library schools for many years to come.
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