How does it with the digital signage services of public libraries. Is this in the past 5 years visibly changed? What opportunities are there for the public library? What ideas and plans in the area of digital library? And what have been achieved? Or not?

This article is in two parts to the above questions on the basis of an electronic survey to which this time around 15 libraries participated. The first part deals with some form of digital service. Part Two describes, in particular, the internal organization.

Digital signage service

The term 'digital services' is supported by the libraries in different ways defined. These differences are not large. Stelliger were on the "status" of the digital signage service.

A general definition of the digital service: "… selecting, retrieving and provision of electronic information to users. Digital signage service has as a premise that electronic information and physical information as much as possible should be integrated.

In other words: digital service is not isolated product, but part of the total dienstverleningspakket. By the way, there Gelderland via the web on digital services discussed.

The public library Need, through Derk Jan Bovenmarsch, puts it as follows: "the digital service is no more and no less than an extension of the total service of the public library. The service is extended to those funds which added. Digital service is a means and not an end in itself ".

"For us it is the service to customers who are not physically present in the library via e-mail, website and so on," says Anja de Graaf public library Doetinchem. "Furthermore, the service via the digital information in the library: free availability of information from the Internet and CD-ROM and the ability to work with software and the Internet fee.

The public library Eindhoven defines the digital service as follows: "From basic forms of digital services such as the provision of a computerized list in the physical library, through the provision of databases, information CD-ROMs to a digital service via it including offering intranet , software service, digital signage software and digital signage network.

The offer in practice

how does one go from the digital service? The libraries were asked which parts of digital services in the publieksaanbod have. A long list of possibilities was them.

Website

Having and maintaining a website is the basis for many forms of digital services. It is in fact the access to knowledge in the library. This knowledge is often shown on the website - thinking of information óver the library, hyperlinks, the catalog, various databases and is consulted by the users themselves.