This article, Collaboration to Build a Meaningful Connection Between Library Content and the Researcher, was recently published in the New Review of Information Networking, Volume 17, Issue 1, 2012. (Subscription is required for full text access.)
From part of the abstract:
Nineteen European research libraries from across Europe are participating by adding first-class digital content, including 5.1 million pages, videos, books, theses, and articles, via Europeana Libraries to Europeana.
It is widely accepted that ease of access and, particularly, the one-stop shop approach, are favored by researchers as a clean and efficient way to access digital content. As well as ease of access, quality-assured content is of equal importance. Europeana Libraries addresses this issue directly by taking content from Europe’s research libraries, where confidence can be placed in the metadata and the quality of the imaging. The development of full-text indexing as part of Europeana Libraries is of great importance as it will deliver a first-class tool for researchers, enabling them to undertake both deep textual analysis and types of research that are simply not possible in a paper environment.
In an environment where digitized and born digital content is growing at an accelerated pace, Europeana Libraries shows how previously disparate institutions can work together to seize the opportunities this presents and help libraries and researchers exploit the benefits of digital cultural heritage.