The world is witnessing a considerable transformation from print to electronic-based formats thanks to advanced computing technology. This has had a profound impact on the dissemination of nearly all previous formats of publication into digital formats on computer networks. Text, still and moving images, sound tracks, music, and almost all known formats can be stored and retrieved on computer magnetic disks. Over the last two decades, a number of special libraries and information centres in the Arab world have introduced electronic resources into their library services. Very few have implemented automated and integrated systems. Despite the importance of designing digital libraries, not merely for accessing or retrieving information but for the provision of electronic services, hardly any special library has started the design of digital library services.
The aim of this paper is to provide a general guideline for the design of a low-cost digital library that provides services that are most frequently required by various categories of special library users in developing countries. This paper also aims at illustrating strategies and method approaches that can be adopted for building such projects. Seeing the importance of designing an inexpensive digital library as a basic principle for the design, the utilisation of today's ICTs and freely available open source software is the right path for accomplishing such a goal. The paper intends to describe the phases and stages required for building such projects from scratch. It also aims at highlighting the barriers and obstacles facing Arabic content and such problems could be overcome.
Keywords
