GLOSSARY
African Digital Library
The African Digital Library (ADL) is an online library, containing full-text eBooks. These eBooks are available free of charge to residents of Africa in the spirit of the African Renaissance. The online Library is available via the Internet.
Digital Collections
This is an electronic Internet based collection of information that is normally found in hard copy, but converted to a computer compatible format.
Digital books seemed somewhat slow to gain popularity, possible because of the quality of many computer screens and the relatively short 'life' of the Internet. This seemingly slow start to the use of eBooks should be seen in the context of the hundreds, if not thousands of years it took to move from the verbal to the written - initially on rock, clay tablets, animal skins, papyrus scrolls and finally, to modern paper.
E-Books
A Book available fully electronically via a web-site on the Internet.
e-Book readers have been developed for devices such as Palm Tops and PC's, including the notebook PC. While reading on a computer screen remains fairly controversial, buying every book one wants to read is becoming too costly for many readers.
E-Journals
An article or complete journal available fully electronically via a web-site on the Internet. It could be available free or as part of a paid for service. This trend is older and more established than the trend of providing e-book content via the Internet.
NetLibrary
Founded in August 1998, netLibrary is located in Boulder, Colorado. As the world's premier provider of electronic books (eBooks), netLibrary helps academic, public, corporate and special libraries create a richer, more productive learning environment for their patrons. By combining the time-honored traditions of the library system with electronic publishing, netLibrary offers an easy-to-use information and retrieval system for accessing the full text of reference, scholarly, and professional books. netLibrary is a division of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, a nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing and preservation service to libraries worldwide.
OCLC
Online Computer Library Center, Inc (OCLC) OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization serving 41 000 libraries in 82 countries and territories around the world.
Publicly accessible eBook Collection
An extra collection of e-Books that are available apart from the ADL collection.
Technikon SA eBook Collection
All those e-Book titles currently owned by the African Digital Library
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