History and concept[edit]
As a digital library, the Digital Library of the Caribbean was established by a committee of librarians, scholars, and archivists at a meeting held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 17, 2004. The goal of dLOC is to build a cooperative digital library among partners within the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean, thus providing scholars, students, and citizens around the world with open online access to Caribbean cultural, historical and scientific materials, while also ensuring long term preservation of these materials. The Digital Library of the Caribbean draws on the many connections among the partner institutions and the University of Florida's role in collecting, enabling access to, and preserving materials published in the Caribbean under and prior to the Farmington Plan.[4]
Shamin Renwick of The University of the West Indies explains in detail why the dLOC is necessary.[5]
It will help fill gaps among individual institutions' collections, bringing together a more complete history of the area.
The dLOC will provide a key role in identifying new or perhaps even previously inaccessible topics. This is of particular importance to developing countries.
The region is prone to disasters and weather that is not hospitable to preservation of physical items.
The cost of transport is high in the area - discouraging physical visits to libraries among the islands.