Examining Digital Library in Education: A Systematic Literature Review

The current research is a systematic literature review examining the digital library research in education. Based on 17 selected publications based on the PRISMA protocol, the definition of digital library is not a static concept but has evolved from the technical functional perspective to the socio-pedagogical and innovative experiential perspective. In this conceptual evolution, there is a contradictory feature: the digital library is not only about technical features but also the capacity to provide equitable access to knowledge that can be afforded across different socio-economic landscapes. In terms of the evaluation in the digital library, researchers focus on the user experience perspective. The data show three evaluative domains, namely technical performance as a foundation for satisfaction, psychological and behavioural indicators and pedagogical and ethical value. This conceptual evaluation retains a contradictory pattern where the evaluation should not only result in a better system but also be able to maintain the performance to benefit users. Furthermore, the existing research in digital libraries focuses on three pillars, namely service performance and technical governance, user behavioural patterns, and data integrity and knowledge management. The contradictory pattern in this case is the existing research pushing toward immersive use of technology but retaining a question regarding the data integrity and authenticity.