Sponsored by USC Libraries, this proposed mixed-methods research surveys digital library operations and their strategic value at selected Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA)[1] institutions in Canada and the United States. The study will employ both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews and website analysis, to understand the operation, business model, resource allocation, organizational structure, collection development, digital preservation, and promotion of digital libraries and their content at participating libraries. The study will further investigate the perceived challenges and opportunities among participants. This study may enhance access to scholarly content and preservation of cultural heritage materials. It may also strengthen the relationship among PRRLA member libraries and identify collaborative and resource-sharing opportunities.

The project sets out to answer the following research questions:

• What is the DL operation and structure at these libraries, based on the 5S framework of Digital Library[1] (Fox, Gonçalves, and Shen, 2012)[2]?

• What are the opportunities, strategic value, as well as barriers and challenges of DL perceived by the leaders of these libraries?

• How can PRRLA best advance its mission of facilitating collaborations, generating synergies, and promoting innovations in the realm of DL?

The principal investigator is Dr. Win Shih, Director of Integrated Library Systems at University of Southern California Libraries, supported by Lori Patel, Research Assistant. The target date for completing this project is the end of June 2021.

Please direct any comments, questions, suggestions to winyuans@usc.edu and loripate@usc.edu.

[1] The Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA) was formed in 1997 by 13 academic libraries with a focus on fostering a “cooperative venture among academic libraries located around the Pacific Rim to improve access to scholarly research materials.” (PRRLA, 2020. https://pr-rla.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/prrla-background-info-revised-jan2020.pdf).

[2] The 5S framework of Digital Libraries offers a theoretical foundation for understanding the DL universe and the dynamic interaction between its contents and users. The framework’s five complementary dimensions consist of Streams (the type of multimedia content a DL supports), Structure (how the DL content is organized), Spaces (how DL content is presented), Scenarios (the operations and services provided by DL), and Societies (the user community and relationship of DL). Combined together, the 5S components present a top-level view of the complex operations of DL, its interdisciplinary nature, as well as its intellectual activities with its user community.