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Digital publishing is still in its infancy, but it is useful to relate what might be called the prologue to the history of digital publishing in French in Quebec. This article presents the actors who have contributed, and continue to contribute, to the transition from print to digital culture in Quebec. It offers a panoramic view of this transition in the various publishing genres from newspapers and magazines, to journals, books, theses, dictionaries, bibliographical databases, and legal texts. A typology of the actors working in these different genres emerges, comprising publisher, aggregator (general or specialist), distributor, production technician, retailer, and librarian. The builders of Quebec's digital publishing milieu are acknowledged through brief descriptions of their projects and enterprises. Many of them have displayed a notable capacity to engage in the development of new models for the production and diffusion of culture and research. The quality of their products, services, and expertise has been recognized several times over through international partnerships and co-operative ventures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first decade of digital publishing and the digitization of collections, many definitions marked the evolution of information systems and publishing designated as «digital libraries» or «cyberinfrastructures». Although precise measurement is difficult to establish due to the many methods for evaluating collections, a broad picture is given of the state of digitization activities in Quebec. This is followed by a review of the concepts of «libraries and digital heritage». Finally, current issues will be presented, as well as the responsibilities and challenges facing library communities and Quebec society in general with respect to the construction of a network of digital libraries in Quebec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]