Creating a Virtual Library: A How-to-do-it Manual

Virtual libraries offer a single interface from which users can find out about (and even tour) the library, examine its catalogue, go to online databases, enter an interactive children’s room, find out about special collections or community services and explore the rest of the Web. This guide is for librarians who are planning, setting up and/or maintaining a virtual library. The manual should help even the smallest institution localize Web resources without costly equipment or telephone lines. The first section considers the Web as a new medium for providing library services and offers advice about rethinking Web design principles in a library context. The second section covers all stages of putting a virtual library online: needs analysis, planning, maintenance, and eventual enhancement and change. The final section lays out the principles for electronic collection development and shows how to build special collections ranging from children’s sites to multimedia collections. Librarians tackling difficult technical problems should also find strategies for ensuring that the special qualities of their physical library are translated into cyberspace.