The new face of holdings

The current situation and the future of paper-based holdings must face up to the challenge posed by the internet. Providing access to the internet and offering various forms of mediation and services is one thing; inventing digital corpora and holdings is another. Bridging the gap between traditional paper-based holdings and the virtual digital world is a unique challenge. In the context of public libraries, this means planning tomorrow’s holdings, which will still be much in use. It means linking digital and paper-based resources, while inventing new ways of mediating their content. This calls for the development of new processes and forms of expertise in managing stock and access for users, whose need for information will in no way diminish. Above all, it means taking care to preserve memories and heritage, whether in the form of traditional, locally held paper-based resources or otherwise.
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