Showing Google the Way
RSSDigitizing books is nothing new. Just ask the International Children's Digital Library
By Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 02/01/2005
Librarians, educators, and information-age pundits are still abuzz following Google's recent announcement that it will digitize the library holdings of five leading research institutions, including the New York Public Library and Stanford University. The search giant's plan will result in unprecedented access to a massive new online collection. One observer with particular insight, Allison Druin of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, is thrilled with "the Google thing," as she calls it. "It [means] we're going to move forward on a larger scale digitizing large quantities of information," she says.
Indeed, the effort to create and disseminate a digital collection has been Druin's own mission for the past two years. As director of the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL), Druin and her colleagues have been quietly blazing a trail in the brave new world of digitized books.
To date, ICDL (www.icdlbooks.org) has attracted close to a million visitors, and users from more than 200 countries visit its site daily. There, they can access the full text of some 600 children's books in 30 languages. ICDL's eventual goal is to create an online collection of more than 10,000 books that is used freely by children, teachers, librarians, parents, and scholars throughout the world.
While ICDL's dream may seem like small potatoes next to Google's, Druin sees many similarities between the two organizations. "In many ways, they're in the same position we were a couple of years ago," she says. "Many of the lessons we have learned about internationalization of languages and digital rights, Google shares theses challenges."
ICDL says they quickly learned the importance of creating a user-friendly search mechanism. After site users complained that the collection was difficult to access and search, especially for young children, ICDL refined its search interface. Now its site offers both simple and advanced search tools that can accommodate children, who are looking for, let's say, "all orange books that make me happy," says Druin. In the coming months ICDL will make its site even more accessible by enabling users to personalize a "My Library" interface with previews of books that will appear in a language of their choice (currently previews are available only in English).
Besides providing books online, ICDL is also an ongoing research project. One study funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services is tracking eight-year-olds in four countries—Germany, Honduras, New Zealand, and the United States—to learn how children respond to digital materials across cultures. Such a study would be impossible without an online collection, says Ann Weeks, ICDL's director of collection development.
While digital library projects beyond ICDL have virtually ignored children's books, Druin expects that will change, given the widespread interest in Google's plan. As for digitized books spelling the end of libraries, Druin scoffs. "Digital libraries bring children closer to books, in all forms. Kids get very excited about getting multiple forms of media, and they've come to expect it," she explains. "Our digital library gives [libraries around the world] access to many more materials, and greater exposure to all libraries."
