According to ODLIS ("Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science") DL is:

"a library in which a significant proportion of the resources are available in machine-readable format (as opposed to print or microform), accessible by means of computers. The digital content may be locally held or accessed remotely via computer networks. In libraries, the process of digitization began with the catalog, moved to periodical indexes and abstracting services, then to periodicals and large reference works, and finally to book publishing."

I would not call the website a DL. Digital library must contain the database of resources (files), organisation system of data, internal search engine to retrieve them and software to present data or documents with set of metadata describing the document.

In "A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections" (http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/framework3.pdf) you can find some tips and remarks to evaluate if something is a digital library or not.

The term digital library is used very inflationary. BUT: from the genral point of view, it used in a way correct. @Anna mentioned an established definition for it, and as far such a site provides either real content or metainformation, it can name their service digitial library. The term gets much more confusing since a couple of researchers using "digital libraries for research data" for simple datasources that stores e.g. climate data (temperature developments over time, ...).

To conclude, the question in my mind is not where it is "allowed" to use the term DL, instead the question should be what should be claimed under DL in perspective of the understanding of most (non-scientific) people. Their is currently a massive gap... :-(

The question of the website from Iran seems to be whether it, and other online databases with metadata and links to digital resources constitute "libraries", not whether they are digital. What are your criteria for a library?

I'd go to Ranganathan's five laws, and say that if it connects "books" with users and vice versa (that is, it should have a fair catalogue that doesn't give search preference to some works above others), saves the time of the user, provides ACCESS to the full text (no paywalls from within the library if books are for use), and is a growing organism, i.e. the database is being updated, then yes by all means it's a library!

@ Aski: If any web resource which adheres to the five laws of Dr.S.R.Ranganathan, it can be called as a 'Digital Library'. I strongly support Rosemary Le Faive's comments.

Digital libraries have become essential tool chests to the increase learning in distance educational professionals. Online programs utilize these items by placing high merits on the distinction of how these items are mobilized in the 21st century.

Some of the basic criteria for these properties are:

1) Accessibility for students and faculty

2) Legitimate and legal (copyrighted) articles, books, sources, etc...

3) Media and sources comply with regulations and restrictions

Digital libraries are also essential to the businesses that comply with white papers and articles that utilize these tool chests. More businesses are also complying with regulation on these libraries. I believe that the term "digital libraries" will be better classified in near future based that many businesses will begin to decide on the best plan of action for their employees to see vital information.

I am the director of the library for the University of Minnesota Rochester - and we're digital. My physical collection tops out at about 100 volumes. My students all major in health sciences in one form or another (Rochester is the home of the Mayo Clinic) and do the majority of their research online.

I'm reading these articles with some amusement, as we've been here for six years now. No fanfare. Perhaps I should start blowing my own horn!

A Digital Library must belong / or form part of a traditional library; has its own collections, provide information services. Otherwise, it is a fake of a library, it is not going to last for more than some months - because of lack of library professionals, because of budget and because a digital library is more than an ocurrence of a group of technocrats that are far away from users eternal needs.

I would say this is not criteria of differentiation, but from the point of view of librarianship, the fundamentals that are the basis for understanding Digital Library: art collecting, organizing and preserving digital objects. Under this approach, the differences are mainly:

Not everything will be available to access totally based on digital networks;

The challenge is not unlike that which is faced by libraries;

However, the options and tools available for the process to access information go through changes, and new constants.

The Virtual (or Digital) Library can be provided by Electronic Library, but never the opposite.

The technological focus is primarily focused on information retrieval and human-computer interaction. In this way, Usability and Accessibility are useful to evaluate Digital Libraries.

I point out that the concept of Digital Library is polyphonic, and there is not yet an established concept to address all the areas that conceptualize Digital Library.

some references may help us to understand this theme better:

OPPENHEIM, C.; SMITHSON, D. What is the hybrid library? Journal of Information Science, London, v. 34, n. 1, p. 577-590, Aug. 2008.

CLEVELAND, Gary. Digital libraries: definitions, issues and challenges. Ottawa, Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications Core Programme of the IFLA, 1998. 8 p. (Occasional paper, Retrieved from:.

IFLA/Unesco. IFLA Manifesto for Digital Libraries. Paris, 2011. Retrieved from:

Gonçalves, M. A. (2004). Streams, Structures, Spaces, Scenarios, and Societies (5S): A Formal Digital Library Framework and Its Applications. Blackburg, VI: Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

There is no definition of Digital Library that can be used to asses whether an Information System is a Digital Library or not. Moreover, the term 'Digital Library' is used to refer to very heterogeneous systems.

In the following work you will find a "manifesto" developed by the Digital Library community.

Candela, L.; Castelli, D.; Ioannidis, Y.; Koutrika, G.; Pagano, P.; Ross, S.; Schek, H.-J.; Schuldt, H. & Thanos, C. Setting the Foundations of Digital Libraries The DELOS Manifesto D-Lib Magazine, 2007, 13

In the following work there is a detailed definition of Digital Library Reference Model and a checklist-based approach to determine whether or not a "system" conforms to such a model:

Candela, L.; Athanasopoulos, G.; Castelli, D.; El Raheb, K.; Innocenti, P.; Ioannidis, Y.; Katifori, A.; Nika, A.; Vullo, G. & Ross, S. The Digital Library Reference Model DL.org, 2011 http://goo.gl/v0rUk

Library and it's meaning are keywords. However you define a library is the essense of this question. The medium, whether it be print (hardcopy), digital, microfische, tapes, CD's, films, DVD's or any other, is just by-the-way.

Yes Definitely Library is not building, books, journal, and other thing.

Library is nothing but resource where we get our answer with new ideas.

Exactly What is Future of Library ?

Answer is quit simple online learning. because the world wide web we call it www is rape maximum knowledge so we need to learn from online i.e. e-learning.

Know a dates google, yahoo, bing are platform to search the thing and get it within seconds. that's a future of Library.

I have develop a Project on Library system in java language. the feature is this system can do multiple task simultaneously.

http://www.project-download.com/java-projects/java-major-projects/library-management-system-project-in-java-open-source/