Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present one of the ways in which digital library technology is employed in providing twenty‐first century library and information services to a university community in a developing country, together with the challenges and prospects of such an application.

Design/methodology/approach
This work analyses documents using content analysis of documents in library archives, interviews with library stakeholders and assessment of the structures, facilities and technologies as deployed in the Digital Library housing the information that is necessary for academic work.

Findings
This work shows that a university's approach to a digital library is a function of environmental, ethno‐political and economic issues. Although the deployment struggled to accommodate the attributes of a digital library, including contents, users, functionality, policy, quality, technology and personnel, success is yet to be fully achieved, because there have been major challenges in terms of management, infrastructure, personnel and the provision of appropriate content. Even so, the effort has been worthwhile and is a stepping‐stone to future effective library services in the university.

Originality/value
This paper provides librarians with an insight into how developing countries understand and apply digital technology to library operations and services. It also provides other libraries and related institutions with an opportunity to learn from a concrete experience.