This paper describes several incunabular assumptions that impose upon early digital libraries the limitations drawn from print,
and argues for a design strategy aimed at providing customization and personalization services that go beyond the limiting
models of print distribution, based on services and experiments developed for the Greco-Roman collections in the Perseus Digital
Library. Three features fundamentally characterize a successful digital library design: finer granularity of collection objects,
automated processes, and decentralized community contributions.
The U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Science Foundation provided primary support for this
work under the Digital Library Initiative, Phase 2. Support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services also contributed
substantially to this project.