| Currently, the term "digital library" means everything and nothing. If in fact digital libraries are not just one type, but in fact represent "a range of forms," (Marcum in Greenstein and Thorin, 2002, p. v) how do we talk about the sizes, shapes, and dimensions of digital libraries?; This research provides a comprehensive description of 76 ARL digital library units and projects at this point in time; identifies preliminary constructs for identifying and distinguishing types of digital libraries; examines factors associated with the presence of the digital library unit; expands upon previous studies by examining a larger sample and using statistical methods to identify factors associated with the dedicated digital library unit; and it contributes to an understanding of the concept of size in digital libraries. Further, it identifies the linkage between terms used and digital library attributes and explores how digital libraries cluster on the dimensions of: presence of a digital library unit, funding, host library characteristics, mission, personnel, products, technologies, and terminology.; Methods used in this research included content analysis, semi-structured phone interviews, and exploratory quantitative data analysis techniques. The population was defined as the 123 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries; from this population a random sample of 76 cases were selected. Member library websites were analyzed for data corresponding to key categories, and 29 semi-structured phone interviews took place with self-selected key personnel to fill in data missing from the website analysis and to further explore the history, future goals, and organization of the digital library unit. Qualitative data were analyzed using the constant comparative method; quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, factor analysis, correlation matrixes, and regression analysis. |
