Role of Libraries in Academics(Education Times Article)

Aaditi Isaac/TNN 

Stressing on the role that libraries and library-sources can play in fostering academic and research excellence in the Indian universities,a seminar was organised by the Information & Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET),an Inter-University Centre (IUC) under the University Grants Commission,India.Traditionally,libraries and library sources have been important but have been invisible globally.The role of libraries in a technology-driven world has changed.Technology has brought about a revolution in terms of sharing resources and we must make use of it for the benefit of students and faculty, says Jagdish Arora,director,Information and Library Network Centre,an autonomous inter-university centre of UGC.

In India,universities,which have funds,update their libraries through e-books,online journals,etc.What about universities which do not have funds The UGC infonet digital library consortium provides access to 7,500 journals in about 200 universities,which are funded by UGC.The universities that run all kinds of programmes,get access to all journals.We follow a model that allows us to get access to quality material that can be given out to the membercolleges.We have opened another gate for universities,not part of the forum.They can get their own subscriptions at the rate the other 200 universities pay and access quality material for five years.We are giving them access to the market,which they cannot afford, says Arora.

Talking about the challenges that are faced by Indian universities,Arora says that infrastructure is the biggest hurdle.We can give universities cables but how they use it,is up to them.Connectivity is something we have to work on harder. 

Paula Kaufman,dean of libraries and university librarian,University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign says that there is a need to look at a sustainable model for the growth of a library that will be beneficial to users.

The value of a library is different from one institution to the other.It is a challenge to get funds to upgrade the library and the resources within but unless we do that,we cannot measure the impact the library resources are creating for the users. 

The model that we follow,measures things such as growth of e-books,cost per-use,etc.This allows us to keep track of what resources are being used and what resources are needed and what arent.Use of resources in our university is not just restricted to students coming to the library physically and reading.With technology,students access material from outside the campus through the internet.This is a positive development because it has changed the way we offer library services, she says.

Source: Times of India, Education Times, 16th July 2012, Pg No. 37