摘要：The diversity of the definitions and the diversity of the usage of the concept of digital library are studied in this paper. A content analysis of the concept digital library, based on 26 definitions published in the years 1995-2008 in both printed and digital sources, resulted in 30 elements. The elements were qualitatively applied to nine Finnish websites, five of which named themselves as digital libraries. The contribution of the study comes from two directions. The application of the 30 elements showed clear differences between actual digital libraries and websites not fulfilling the definitions. The study also revealed differences among the 30 elements concerning their power to describe a digital library. Most vital of them were the distributed network structure of the digital library, interactivity, services, the possibility to create information, external sources, content description and expertise of the staff. Updating frequency could be an additional element in the definitions. The term digital library, anyhow, still includes diversity both in its definition and application in the web.
