| A dissertation presented on new models for digital service by research libraries. This work describes a series of case studies exploring some of the most promising new models for library services in the 21st Century, especially those utilizing a technique termed metadata harvesting. The findings of the case studies concern the effectiveness of metadata harvesting as a strategy for creating new services, the utility for scholars of portals built on databases created by means of metadata harvesting, the benefits of Open Source software tool development for libraries, a model I term metadata gardening, sustainability options, opportunities for metadata enhancement, and the importance of collaboration between scholars and librarians in open access digital publishing. |
