The digital library curriculum was the result of a 2006 to 2009 project funded by the National Science Foundation through grants to Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina. Part of the curriculum verification was accomplished through a field test of curriculum modules that occurred in 2008 and early 2009, and is the focus of this paper.

An introduction to the project and an overview of previous efforts in digital library (DL) education are first provided, followed by a short description of each of the project phases followed. In phase one, a DL curriculum framework with ten core topics and 51 subtopics was developed. In phase two, curriculum modules for 13 of the subtopics were developed and reviewed. Phase three is the field testing of interest here, and is discussed further in the following sections.

Testing was performed by using an international group of DL instructors and their students. The test implementation methods (through instructor interviews and student questionnaires) are discussed and results presented. Finally, further work that has been done since the project’s conclusion is discussed.

The paper is well organized and presented with more than 50 references.

There may be some concern on the reader’s part about the 2006 to 2009 date on the project. However, curriculum models generally have a shelf life of over a decade, so it is definitely useful for demonstrating curriculum credibility to educators. It is recommended for curriculum development researchers in DL, as well as curricula in general.