POLICY

Digital library policy includes several areas:

• International cooperation. Many antiquities, national libraries and much television content are government-owned. Will governments share their materials with others? Can the world's nations cooperate to build a worldwide digital library?
• Government vs. private funding. How will digital libraries be funded?
• National priorities. Are digital libraries national priorities to be regarded as fundamental infrastructure such as roads, or must they compete with other projects for funds?
• Allocation of resources. Which works will be digitized first? Should priority be given to items that are decaying? How are budgets to be divided between software/hardware and research/development?
• Librarianship. How will educational programs for digital librarians develop?
• Copyright laws and conventions. Are the laws of various countries conducive to digital exchange of information? Can content holders prevent the use of materials in a digital age?