Technical Services in Research Libraries – The Backdoor Discussions of Collection Development

This paper outlines challenges, considerations, informational needs, and technical assessments faced by developers of digital libraries representing cultural heritage collections. The University of Bergen Library’s Special Collections encompass four collections with differing material types and ways for disseminating content. In the effort to present a collective whole, the library has initiated the development of a unified digital solution. Due to the different nature of the collections and the existing technological stack used by the developing team, such a project presents various challenges and a series of pre-development considerations, including metadata structuring and accommodating diverse user needs. Drawing on discussions and work meetings of involved parties, the paper showcases ongoing efforts to determine the optimal approach for this in-house development. By highlighting the tasks and activities behind the development of new digital libraries presented to the public, this paper explores the complexities such as balancing ambitions and constraints, aligning processes and strategies, making technological choices, and leveraging developer expertise.