Information and
Communication Technology has revolutionized the concept of
libraries. Each and every library is slowly getting digitized. A
'e-library' comprises digital collections, services and
infrastructure to support lifelong learning, research, scholarly
communication as well as preservation and conservation of our
recorded knowledge. It is also a process of democratization of
information. This article will discuss the factors that will
necessitate the traditional libraries to get digitized, as well
as the definition, advantages and disadvantages of digital
libraries, the requirement for building a digital library etc.
We are in the age of
a networked society where information technology in addition to
its use in all spheres of human activity has been used
extensively to record, store, and disseminate the information in
the digital form. Information technology has almost converted
the world into a global village. The revolution in the
information technology sector is influencing medical
information. Libraries are also changing to meet the demand put
on them. The new generation whose demand for information is
never met is always demanding that traditional libraries should
be developed as a well equipped and interconnected as
e-libraries.