Society expects the creators of works to be responsible for their content, and for those who make decisions about content to behave responsibility. However, the digital library will not thrive if legal liability for content is placed upon parties whose only function is storage and transmission. Therefore, the architecture establishes clear boundaries between the areas of responsibility of the various parties. Understanding of digital library concepts is hampered by terminology Terminology proves to be a barrier in describing a digital library. Some words have such strong social, professional, legal, or technical connotations that they obstruct discussion between people of varying backgrounds.
Simple words mean different things to different people.
Common English usage is not the same as professional usage, and the versions of English around the world have subtle variations of meaning. Certain words cause such misunderstandings that they are best expunged from any precise discussion of the digital library. Other words have to be used very carefully and their exact meaning made clear whenever they are used. The underlying architecture should be separate from the content stored in the library. A conventional research library stores more than books, and the digital library is the same.