This page provides information about how the DLF operates, what it provides, its initiatives, and its member-partners and allies. From here you may also find out about the DLF membership policy, its organization and mission statement, its Bylaws, and its founding charter (1995) and original definition of a digital library (1998). You may also read the report of the DLF's 6-year review: Evaluation of the Digital Library Federation, 1995-2001. Summary report.

DLF Operations

The DLF operates through a professional director with a small staff and a Board of Trustees on which each member institution is represented. Drawing on its members and others in the scholarly, library, and computing communities, the DLF brings together experts needed for each DLF initiative, and awards Distinguished Fellowships for special projects. The Council on Library and Information Resources houses the staff, provides administrative support, and collaborates on publications. Funding comes from members and grants.

DLF Services

To help member libraries (and allied institutions) advance this work, the DLF provides -

• leadership and support for new research, standards development, and project start-ups
• twice-a-year forums for guiding the DLF, reporting developments, and sharing experiences of members in developing and managing electronic resources
• an e-mail listserv for exchanging information, announcing initiatives, identifying resources, and stimulating discussion
• this Web site for providing public access to information about activities, resources, developments, and the DLF itself
• DLF publications including printed publications, working papers, reports, forum proceedings, and other digital library information resources

DLF Initiatives

DLF initiatives change with needs; as some projects come to fruition or find new support, the DLF invests in others, staying flexible as a catalyst for experiment and change. For example, the DLF has promoted work on the following:

• Digital library structures, standards, preservation, and use
• Archives for electronic journals
• Online collections for use in teaching
• Internet services that expand access to resources of use to scholars
• Assessments of the future roles of libraries.

DLF Strategic Members

DLF Allied Members

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