The role of digital libraries in digital transformation
Literature review
Keywords:
Digital Libraries, Virtual Libraries, Electronic Libraries, Digital objects, Digital Transformation, Digitization, المكتبات الرقمية, المكتبات الافتراضية, المكتبات الإلكترونية, الكيانات الرقمية, التحول الرقمي, الرقمنةAbstract
Digital library collections and the electronic information services they provide are a fundamental pillar of the digital transformation of libraries, with the ultimate goal of bridging digital technology to create a digitally literate society. The current study, therefore, aims to monitor Arab and foreign literature on the topics of digital libraries and the gaps in knowledge related to the subject and to analyze the bibliographic and thematic characteristics of the existing body of literature. The study concluded with several findings, the most notable being that scholarly articles represent the most produced type of material on the topic, accounting for 72.5% of the total. It also showed that the most productive years for publication on the subject were between 2016 and 2024, with an average of five sources per year. The distribution of publications by language was relatively balanced, with 55% of the materials published in English and 45% in Arabic. Regarding the subject coverage, the study found that many works focused on topics such as digital libraries themselves, evaluation criteria for digital libraries, collaboration among institutions to develop digital libraries and exchange expertise, and the significant role of technology in the development of digital libraries.
