Virtual Libraries

 
Due to the prevalence of the Internet in our every day lives, libraries have gone online to service the needs of their users.  Some virtual libraries have been established in addition to their original brick-and-mortar counterpart to provide their patrons with additional services and membership perks.  Other virtual libraries have been created in place of not having a building complex in their local community, however, this can be an obstacle for citizens who are unable to afford the Internet so they would be able to access the virtual libraries.

There are many reasons why virtual libraries are needed in this day and age of unlimited technology.  The storage capacity that a virtual library can hold is greater than that of a public building.  The 24/7 availability of the digital library is also a benefit for users who either work or attend school during the day and need to use the library during the hours where it might be closed.  There is also the benefit of features for advanced searching that would give them the most accurate information about the resources that they need.

Here is a link to the original virtual library database, the WWW Virtual Library:

http://vlib.org/

Here is an article discussing why libraries should warm up to the role of virtual libraries in the 21st Century


http://www.alia.org.au/publishing/alj/51.1/full.text/future.role.html