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Concepts

Ideas, terms, and mechanisms explained clearly.

Library desks with computer terminals, illustrating the digital access tools that define a modern digital library

Digital Library

A digital library is an organized collection of digital content and associated services that allows users to discover, access, and use information resources in electronic form. Unlike a conventional library building, a digital library has no physical shelving or circulation desk, but it still performs the core functions of a library: it selects materials, describes

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A digital library is an organized collection of digital content and services that provides access to information resources in electronic form.

Social media app icons displayed on a smartphone screen

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is marketing conducted through digital channels and devices, including search engines, social media platforms, email, and websites, rather than traditional print, television, or radio media. It allows marketers to reach audiences with far more precise targeting and measurable results than most traditional advertising formats permit. The first banner ad Digital marketing’s commercial era

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Marketing conducted through digital channels and devices, including search engines, social media, email, and websites, rather than traditional print or broadcast media.

A reader engaging with digital news content across multiple screens

Digital News Platforms

Digital news platforms refer to websites, mobile applications, and other online channels through which news organizations publish and distribute content directly to audiences, largely replacing or supplementing print and traditional broadcast distribution. These platforms allow for immediate publication, multimedia integration, and direct audience engagement tools such as comments and social sharing that print formats could

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The websites, apps, and online channels news organizations use to publish and distribute content.

A barcode scanner, illustrating the concept of a unique scannable identifier similar in purpose to a Digital Object Identifier

Digital Object Identifier

A Digital Object Identifier, commonly abbreviated DOI, is a permanent alphanumeric string assigned to a digital document, dataset, or other resource so that it can be reliably cited and located regardless of changes to its underlying web address. A DOI typically appears as a prefix identifying the registering organization followed by a suffix chosen by

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A Digital Object Identifier, or DOI, is a permanent alphanumeric string assigned to a digital document or dataset so it can be reliably located even if its web address changes.

Rows of servers in a data center, illustrating the infrastructure used for digital preservation of records

Digital Preservation

Keeping Digital Files Usable Over Time Digital preservation encompasses the practices and strategies used to ensure that digital records remain accessible and interpretable far into the future, addressing risks entirely different from those facing physical records. A digital file is only as useful as the ability of some future system to open and correctly interpret

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The set of practices and technologies used to ensure that digital records and files remain accessible and usable over the long term.

Close-up photo of a diode

Diode

A diode is an electronic component that allows electric current to flow easily in one direction while blocking or strongly resisting flow in the opposite direction. This one-way behavior makes diodes essential for converting alternating current to direct current, protecting circuits from reversed voltage, and performing countless signal-processing tasks, making them one of the most

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An electronic component that allows current to flow easily in one direction while blocking flow in the opposite direction.

Diplomats meeting at an embassy

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the practice of conducting negotiations and maintaining relations between states, international organizations, and other political actors through official representatives rather than through force. It is the primary instrument through which foreign policy gets carried out day to day, and most of the treaties, trade agreements, and alliances that structure international affairs are the

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The practice of conducting negotiations and maintaining relations between states through official representatives.

A lecturer teaching a structured, sequenced lesson to a classroom of students

Direct instruction

Direct instruction is a teaching approach in which a teacher explicitly explains and models a concept or skill in a structured, step-by-step sequence, followed by guided and then independent student practice, rather than having students discover the content primarily on their own. Explicit, teacher-led sequence A typical direct instruction lesson follows a predictable sequence: the

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A teaching approach where a teacher explicitly models a skill step by step, followed by guided and then independent practice.

A disaster relief center helping applicants verify assistance claims

Disaster Fraud Prevention

Common Disaster Fraud Schemes The chaos and urgent need following a major disaster create fertile conditions for several recurring fraud patterns. Fake charity scams solicit donations using names similar to legitimate relief organizations, collecting money that never reaches actual disaster victims. Contractor fraud, sometimes called storm chasing, involves unlicensed or dishonest workers who travel to

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Disaster fraud prevention covers the measures used to detect and stop scams, price gouging, and fraudulent aid claims that commonly emerge in the aftermath of major disasters.

Residents learning about emergency preparedness at a community event

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster preparedness refers to the full range of activities undertaken before a disaster occurs to ensure that individuals, organizations, and communities can respond effectively when one does happen. As one of the four traditional phases of emergency management, alongside mitigation, response, and recovery, preparedness bridges the gap between understanding a hazard and being ready to

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