Borrow the book you want for free-- Garima Prasher

BANGALORE: Book lovers have another reason to rush to the popular Mahatma Gandhi Road-Brigade Road area.

For all you know, you may end up finding that book that you were dying to read all these days in a small cabinet, thanks to an innovative library that opened on Sunday. And don't worry, you needn't spend a paisa. All you are expected to be is a responsible reader.

The Little Free Library (LFL) located on Brigade Cross Road is perhaps the first-ever such endeavour in the country. The LFL, nothing but a small book case, will remain there for 24 hours and seven days a week.

LFL is an idea that prompts bibliophiles to put up small shelved structures outside their homes where people can take books and leave some too. LFL has the potential that involves more than reading: it can lead to a conversation, friendship and a sense of book lovers' community.

Stanley Ravi, LFL founder, wanted to provide a home to over 50 books lying with him, unused. "My wife was running a nursery school which was shut down some time back. When she started the school, I handpicked imported books from makeshift stalls in Hyderabad. I picked them thinking of my daughter. But after school was shut, these books were left just like that, with nobody to use them. I came across the idea of Little Free Library on the internet and found it as apt home for my books," says Ravi.

The library can be used by children, adults or the elderly. All that matters is sharing the joy of reading. The expectation is that those who pick one book for themselves will drop another book or two into the case. Call it a heaven for bibliophiles, the wonder cabinet flaunting 'Little Free library' is already drawing readers.

"On Day 1, we received a great response. The library has already attracted three to four readers after it was set up at 4.30pm. Although rain was a limiting factor, people picked up books. People are very inquisitive about it d they are loving the idea," said Arif Mistri, proprietor, LFL.

However, no one had dropped a book till late in the evening. Stanley plans to visit the library every now and then to see books appearing and disappearing from LFL.

"It will be a joy in itself to see books being picked up and left back inside the cabinet. But this is not the end of it. I aspire to see at least a crore of LFLs mushrooming across India. It is a wonderful concept that should reach rural areas ," says Stanley.

Want to own one? 

Give it a rustic look, make it from recycled materials , build a barn, a red British phone book library or give it a doll house structure, you can have a Little Free Library of your own at a place you desire. All you need to do is fill up an online form at littlefreelibrary.org and the wooden signboard will reach you in no time.

"I applied online and received the signboard, the licence for LFL, in matter of two weeks. Owners receive a sign that reads "Little Free Library" . They often have the phrase, "Take a Book. Leave a Book" , informed Stanley. The Little Free Library awaits you at shop number 1 and 2, Brigade Cross Raod, opposite Harry's Pub.

What is Little Free Library 

Little Free Library (LFL) believes the value of books are realized only if they are read and not hoarded. A non-profit community movement in the US and worldwide, LFL offers free books housed in small containers to members of the local community. It was founded in Hudson. The idea was conceived by Todd Bol as a tribute to his mom who was a book lover and teacher.

He mounted a wooden container designed to look like a school house on a post on his lawn. Bol shared his idea with his partner Rick Brooks who found many efficient ways to spread the word, and the idea spread rapidly.

Source: Wikipedia
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Borrow-the-book-you-want-for-free/articleshow/14977801.cms

Walk-in for Library Reference Service at Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad

Name of the Project : Library reference Service (02)

Qualification : M.Lib First Div. With Diploma in  Computers

How to Apply : Eligible candidates may apply in the prescribed application format and appear for interview at IICT Hyderabad along with all relevant documents.

Walk-in-interview : 17-07-2012 at 09:30AM

For Educational qualifications, How to Selection , Pay Scale, experience, How to Apply Jobs, Application Forms details visit : http://www.iictindia.org/Walkin12712.pdf

The Library of Forking Paths (The Hindu)

BUDHADITYA BHATTACHARYA

Floating library: Rang's books being displayed on the ghats of Varanasi.

Art books should be read by a wider audience, say the people behind the Rang collective

The memory of Sunil Janah is fresh in the halls of Ojas Art’s gallery, where an exhibition was held recently to celebrate the work of the legendary photographer. Seated in an alcove inside the gallery, overlooking a lawn, are the four members of Rang, a collective that helped organise this exhibition and is working towards creating “an open and a democratic space for the study and practice of visual arts.”

Comprising Chandan Gomes, Vicky Roy, Jyotsana Tripathi and Vinit Gupta, the centrepiece of the collective’s work is organising open library sessions where books and magazines on art and photography are displayed and read.

“It’s very difficult to access these books because they are often very expensive, and circulate only in elite circles,” Chandan says. The group has organised 16 open library sessions since January, which have been attended by distinguished art practitioners such as Ram Rahman, Vivan Sundaram, Sunil Gupta and Raghu Rai, among others, who have also donated to the library. “We want to create a reading room atmosphere which brings amateurs and professionals on the same platform as readers,” Jyotsana adds.

The open library functions as a travelling library as well, Vicky explains. In addition to its residence at 1AQ, Ojas Art near Qutub roundabout, the open library has been hosted by Varanasi, Lansdowne, Barefoot College in Tilonia and Jaipur as well. The group has also collaborated with organisations such as SAHMAT, Nazar Foundation and Youth Parliament for exhibitions, discussions and workshops.

Despite their collective work, however, Rang is ultimately a group of four different persons with different sensibilities. Vinit, formerly in the investment industry, is interested in ethnographic photography, while Jyotsana, an amateur photographer by confession, is primarily a writer. Chandan has been a freelancer since 2009, winning the India Habitat Centre Fellowship along the way, and Vicky, who has a grounding in documentary photography, has photographed the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan. “The interdisciplinary quality that results from our coming together is the point of Rang. A platform of like-minded people doesn’t help when you want a free flowing discussion,” Jyotsana explains.

The significance of Rang’s efforts lie beyond the 650 books in its library or the support it has received from photographers, artists and galleries. Chandan relates an anecdote, as much about Rang’s origin as its journey, that captures it best. “I read Dayanita Singh’s Myself Mona Ahmed over two years at different events and festivals. So I wrote her a moving letter explaining how there are many others like me who would like to read her and others but simply don’t have the means to. She understood, and donated all her books with which we started the library. At the same time another friend gifted me a copy of the same book which I handed over to a school teacher from a small town in Orissa who runs a community library there. When artists find out that their work is being viewed in circles that they never imagined would view them, something happens.”

More News at :http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3635253.ece?homepage=true

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library (Patna) to publish its Catalogue

PATNA: Tagore National Fellow Prof S P Verma on Sunday delivered a lecture on 'Persian, Turkish and Indian paintings in the Khuda Bakhsh Collection' under the Khuda Bakhsh Extension Lecture at the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library. Patna University VC Shambhu Nath Singh presided over the function.

Library director Imtiaz Ahmad spoke about the progress being made in connection with the compilation of a descriptive catalogue of Illustrated Manuscripts of the Khuda Bakhsh Collection. He expressed the hope that by next year this catalogue would be available in print.

Verma said the rare illustrated manuscripts at the library, which related to a period spanning more than half-a-millennium - from the 15th century to the 19th century - make this collection a centre of international repute. He cited in particular the four manuscripts of the library, identified among the Manuscripts Treasure of India by the National Mission of Manuscripts. These include two Arabic manuscripts, Kitab al-Hashaish and Kitab al-Tasreef and two Persian manuscripts, Diwan-e Hafiz and Tarikh-e Khandan-e Timuriyah. The last-mentioned has also been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2011, he said.

He displayed digital images of the paintings of different styles - Persian, Turkish and Indian - that are in the Khuda Bakhsh Collection and dwelt at length on the features of these paintings. He outlined the past antecedents going back to ancient India and the reinvigorating effect brought by the Central Asian and Iranian schools along with the new experiments that were imbibed from European paintings in the Mughal period. He also highlighted the distinct features of the Patna Qalam, the local style of painting that developed in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, and represented a fine blend of traditional Mughal and new European influences.

In his presidential speech, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh paid rich tribute to the founder of the library, Khuda Bakhsh Khan, and appreciated the work of cataloguing of illustrated manuscripts. He expressed the hope that this would enable a larger number of people across the world to get acquainted with the rarities of the library.

More News at : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Khuda-Bakhsh-library-to-publish-catalogue/articleshow/14968767.cms

The mobile Braille library (Delhi)

More than an hour after they started from the headquarters of Delhi Public Library (DPL) opposite the Old Delhi railway station, Devinder Kumar ( and team make their stop at the All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) at Rohini Sector 5, more than 30 kilometres from the city. Once their van has been positioned near the gate, Kumar goes in to tell students that the DPL’s mobile Braille Library is open for business.

This is the first trip of the mobile Braille Library to the AICB after the service reopened after summer vacations. “We make two to three stops a day, mostly at schools for one hour at each. We carry mostly fiction, as textbooks are available at respective school libraries,” Kumar says.

Arranged in shelves inside the yellow van, where Kumar and an attendant issue books, are about 1,500 books, mostly Hindi fiction and a few English volumes of Shakespeare and Dickens.

“Almost all of our clients issue Hindi fiction, so we stock mostly that,” says Romila Ahluwalia, the Braille library in-charge at DPL who had accompanied the Braille library van on Friday.

Sheila Yadav, attending a stenography course at the AICB, says, “I prefer fiction. Mostly Prem Chand and Shrilal Shukla. Mobile library is more convenient than going to Lodhi Road. The Metro runs only till Pragati Maidan and the rest of the journey is by bus.”

Prakash Chandra, another student, prefers general knowledge books. “The collection on the mobile library is good, but I wish they had more magazines,” he says.

Every Thursday the van heads to the Braille library at Lodhi Road to change its collection. The library is now working to add e-books, which can be issued in CDs or on pen drives, says the Braille library in-charge.

“The mobile library was begun in 1980 after it was noticed that very few students from outside Central Delhi visited Braille Library at Lodhi Road. But the service shut down in 2000 after the diesel vehicle had to be replaced. It was reopened in 2005 and now we add about five-six members everyday,” says Ahluwalia.

The books of the mobile library are bought from two Braille presses that currently function in Delhi — one at the AICB and another at the National Federation of the Blind — as well as institutions like the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) in Dehradun.

More News at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-mobile-braille-library/974564/0

Librarian & Asst. Librarian Vacancy at University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya

Post: Librarian & Asst. Librarian

Website: www.ustm.ac.in

Send Resume to:- ustm_erdf@rediffmail.com

Last Date: 25 July 2012

Courtesy: Apurba Jyoti Majumdar (https://www.facebook.com/apsjrf)

Source: Assam Tribune, 15 July 2012, Page No. 5

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/epaper.asp?id=jul1512/Page5

Librarian at K J Educational Institutes, Pune

Post-Librarian  

College-K J Educational Institutes, Pune 

Responsible for handling day to day functioning of library.

Additional Information:

For Trinity College of Engineering & Research, K J College of Engineering & Management Research, Purandar College of Engineering & Management Research.

Open: 2, SC: 1

Application is invited from the eligible candidate for the posts the academic years 2012-2013.

Educational qualification, age & pay scale will be as per the AICTE / University of Pune/ Govt. of  Maharashtra norms.

If reserved category candidate are not available then the candidate from other category will be considered for one academic years only.

Use separate application form for post applied.

Candidate from reserved category should send one copy of their application to Deputy Registrar  Reservation Cell, University of Pune, Pune-07.

Application along with attested photocopies of all the relevant certificates & complete Bio- data along with 2 passport size photographs should reach within 15 days from the date of publication of the advertisement.

Librarian Vacancy at ST Columbo Public School, Pitampura, Delhi

Post: School Librarian

Location: Pitampura, Delhi

Walk in On: 16 July 2012

Source: The Hindustan Times, 15 July 2012

Librarian Vacancy at CRPF Public School, Dwarka, New Delhi

Post: School Librarian

School: CRPF Public School

Deadline: 25 July 2012

Source: The Hindustan Times, 15 July 2012

12th International ISKO Conference at University of Mysore from 6th to 9th August 2012

           The 12th International ISKO Conference is being held in the University of Mysore from 6th to 9th August 2012. Eminent Scholars from over 20 countries are presenting their research papers in the Conference. There will be a pre-conference Tutorial on 6th August on ‘Categories for the Web’ that will be conducted by Dr. Kavi Mahesh (Professor of Computer Science @ PESIT, Bangalore and Knowledge Management Consultant to Infosys). The details of papers to be presented at the conference (and the detailed programme) are on the conference website (www.isibang.ac.in/~ISKO<http://www.isibang. ac.in/%7EISKO>). With a view to encourage doctoral and Masters’ degree Students in allied areas (M.sc. (LIS); M.Tech; MCA), the Organizing Committee has decided to offer admission to students (from SAARC Countries) at a nominal registration fee of Rs.2,000/ only. The fee will entitle students to attend the Workshop, the Technical sessions of the Conference, Invited lectures and also Lunch and Tea on all 4 days. However, the reduced registration fee will not entitle students to receive the Conference Volume. The students will have to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation. Those desirous of attending may send the registration fee by DD (Payable at Bangalore) for Rs.2,000/- drawn in favour of ISKO (India Chapter) along with a copy of their ID certifying that they are students. to:

ISKO (India Chapter)

c/o. Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science

702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560 010

Ph: 91-080-23305109 ; E-mail: srels@dataone. in ; srelsbangalore@ gmail.com

Assistant Librarian and Library Assistant at GITARATTAN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL, Delhi

Post- Assistant Librarian and Library Assistant

School-GITARATTAN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL

Address- Madhuban Chowk, Rohini, Delhi

mail your resume to vc.gibs2011@gmail.com

Source: Times of India, 15th July 2012, Pg No. 36

Post of Librarian at New Era Public School, New Delhi

Post- Librarian

School-New Era Public School

Address- H-17 Mayapuri Road, New Delhi

Contact No. 011-25494277/25494439

Source: Times of India, 15th July 2012, Pg No. 36

किताबें हैं, लाइब्रेरियन नहीं

पटना यूनिवर्सिटी के दरभंगा हाउस की लाइब्रेरी का हाल-बेहाल है. यहां की कोई लाइब्रेरी असिस्टेंट लाइब्रेरियन, तो कोई चपरासी की बदौलत चल रही है. रिटायर्ड होने के बाद से अब तक नहीं हुई है लाइब्रेरियन की नियुक्ति.

पटना : पटना यूनिवर्सिटी का दरभंगा हाउस. कहने को तो यहां एक दर्जन से अधिक पुस्तकालय है. यानी हर विभाग का अपना पुस्तकालय. लेकिन, इनकी स्थिति ‘हरि अनंत हरि’ कथा अनंता वाली है.

किसी लाइब्रेरी में लाइब्रेरियन नहीं हैं. कोई चपरासी के भरोसे चल रहा है, तो किसी लाइब्रेरी को यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा छह हजार मानदेय पर रखे गये एडहॉक के रूप में असिस्टेंट लाइब्रेरियन चला रहे हैं. इस व्यवस्था के चलते परेशानी स्टूडेंट्स को होती है. हिस्ट्री, पोलिटिकल साइंस, कॉमर्स, इकोनॉमिक्स समेत तकरीबन सभी पुस्तकालयों की हालत कमोबेस एक जैसी है.

हिस्ट्री विभाग सबसे बड़ा

हिस्ट्री विभाग की लाइब्रेरी सबसे बड़ी और समृद्ध है. लेकिन, इसकी हालत भी ठीक नहीं है. कभी यहां चार-चार लाइब्रेरियन होते थे, लेकिन आज एक भी लाइब्रेरियन नहीं है. फिलहाल एक चपरासी और यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा नियुक्त किये गये एक असिस्टेंट लाइब्रेरियन के भरोसे चल रही है यह लाइब्रेरी. असिस्टेंट लाइब्रेरियन राजकिशोर सिंह ने बताया कि इस लाइब्रेरी में करीब 65 हजार से अधिक किताबें हैं. इस बार कुछ नयी किताबें भी आयी हैं, लेकिन किताबें ठीक तरीके से रखने की जगह नहीं है. कम जगह में ज्यादा छात्रों के पढ़ने की सुविधा नहीं दी जा सकती है, इसलिए अधिकतर छात्र इच्छा रहते हुए भी लाइब्रेरी का फायदा नहीं उठा पाते.

कई लोगों की संवरी है किस्मत

हिस्ट्री विभाग की लाइब्रेरी का समृद्ध इतिहास रहा है. यहां पढ़ कर कई स्टूडेंट्स ने देश-दुनिया में अपना नाम रोशन किया है. इसमें राज्य के पहले मुख्यमंत्री श्री बाबू, आचार्य किशोर कुणाल, एसएस असगरी, प्रो. आरएस शर्मा, प्रो. केके दत्ता, आरसीपी सिन्हा, अशोक सिंह, विश्वरंजन, विजय कुमार समेत अन्य शामिल हैं.

कई सालों से नहीं हुई है बहाली

हिस्ट्री विभाग के प्रो. अमरेंद्र कुमार सिंह ने बताया कि पहले सभी विभागों की लाइब्रेरी में लाइब्रेरियन होते थे. लेकिन जैसे-जैसे वे रिटायर्ड होते गये, उनकी जगह बहाली नहीं होने से संख्या घटती गयी और आज स्थिति यह है कि किसी भी पुस्तकालय में लाइब्रेरियन नहीं है. डिपार्टमेंट ऑफ अप्लायड इकोनॉमिक्स के हेड चंद्रमा सिंह ने बताया कि अभी पब्लिक एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन विभाग में एक असिस्टेंट लाइब्रेरियन हैं, जो एक साथ दो-तीन लाइब्रेरी को देखते हैं. लेकिन

वह भी जल्दी ही रिटायर्ड होने वाले हैं.

दरभंगा हाउस के विभाग

दरभंगा हाउस में 20 से अधिक विषयों में पीजी की पढ़ाई होती है. इसमें अरबी, बंगाली, इंग्लिश, हिन्दी, मैथिली, पर्सियन, संस्कृत, उर्दू, राजनीति विज्ञान, इतिहास, पब्लिक एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन, कॉमर्स, इकोनॉमिक्स, वीमेंस स्टडी सर्किल आदि विषय शामिल हैं. सभी विषयों के लिये अलग-अलग लाइब्रेरी है.

Source: http://prabhatkhabar.com/node/182538

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

VACANCY FOR ASST LIBRARIAN AT SURYA TV- TRIVANDRUM

India’s largest television network power packed Twenty TV channels, Forty One FM Radio Stations, Two Daily Newspapers, one of the largest DTH service provider, one film division and Four Magazines in several Indian languages.

Currently we have the following vacancies with us :

Position : Asst Librarian
Location : Trivandrum
Experience : FRESHERS /EXPERIENCE OF LESS THAN 4yrs
Qualification : Degree/Diploma /PG in Library Information & Science

If interested kindly Send in your updated resume tosuryacareers@sunnetwork.in OR
Contact us at 0484-4467676 

158 Posts of Librarian in Andhra Pradesh

A.P. SOCIAL WELFARE RESIDENTIAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

SOCIETY; MASAB TANK, HYDERABAD.

APSWREIS NOTIFICATION Rc.No.G2/3850/2012, dated:09.07.2012.

Applications are invited On - line through APSWREIS Website www.swrs.ap.gov.in and http://swrtc.cgg.gov.in from  11.07.2012 to 25.07.2012 (11.07.2012 to 24.07.2012 for payment of fees) from eligible candidates for filling up of 158 vacant posts of Librarians on Contract basis in APSWR Institutions throughout the state. 

The break-up of 158 vacancies subject-wise & Zone-wise are as follows:-

  Zone-I        Zone-II          Zone-III        Zone-IV         Zone-V        Zone-VI          Total
 M  F  T       M   F   T        M   F   T      M  F   T         M   F   T       M   F   T        M    F    T
 5   9  14       2  18  20         0   22 22      4   26 30        10  23  33      10  29 39       31  127 158

Subject-wise and Zone-wise vacancies indicated above are tentative  and they may increase or decrease.  The candidates who are appointed on  contract basis against the above vacancies should work in the concerned Zone  only.  The candidates selected should enter into agreement with the Society. The  candidates who will be appointed against the above vacancies are liable to be terminated at any time without any notice. The selected teachers should have to teach from class V to Intermediate level as allotted. The tenure of appointment is from the date of joining to the last date of Academic year 2012-13.
Qualifications:

Librarian:
i) BA/B.Com/B.Sc., Degree of a recognized University.
ii) A 1st class degree in Library Sciences of a recognized University [B.Li.Sc.,]
For More Details, Pls visit: http://swrtc.cgg.gov.in/Documents/detailednotification.pdf

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and The JoUniversity Librarians Advisory Committee (JULAC) Conference on the 50th Anniversary of CUHK

In celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the University Library System at CUHK and The Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee (JULAC), a consortium that joins together in partnership the eight publically-funded Hong Kong institutions of higher learning, will hold a combined conference on 30th and 31st May 2013, entitled "Academic Librarian 3: The Yin-Yang of Future Consortial Collaboration and Competition".

The aims of the conference are: (1) to share frank information on the achievements and future challenges of academic library consortia in Asia and the world; (2) to provide a forum for discussion on expansion of reader services across campuses and national boundaries, by 1) combining resources and linking technologies to enhance staff performance and training as well as information storage access and delivery, and 2) leveraging funds through joint purchase of materials in addition to the adoption of best contracting and licensing practices.

http://www.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/conference/alyy2013/info/index.htm

RFID System for Library Management

RFID for library management consists of a tag (also called smart label) that has been programmed with the book details, a reader or an antenna that transmits radio waves, and a host computer for processing. As the reader transmits radio waves, the RFID tag comes in contact with electromagnetic waves and reads the activation signal sent by the reader. The data stored on the tag is decoded by the reader and transmitted to the computer for further processing (exchange of information with library database). The technology does not need any type of physical contact with the object to retrieve information from it; there is also no restriction on communication as posed by the line of sight.

Benefits of RFID System for Library Management:

For Patrons

1. The system allows auto check-in/ check-out facilities to the patrons. So it makes it easy and less time consuming to borrow and return a book.

2. The libraries where an RFID chute is installed on the external walls, patrons can return books without the help of library staff.

3. The system lets the users have a receipt of every transaction they initiate.

4. Faster re-shelving makes it quicker and more efficient for the users to locate items.

For Library Staff

1. RFID library management system makes it less cumbersome and more efficient for the staff to handle their regular tasks.

2. Saves a great deal of their time; this is in return, allows them to serve the users in a better way.

3. Prevents them from doing a work over and over again.Since its inception,, a wireless system for identification and tracking of books, has become a rage in the field of library automation. With more and more libraries turning to this system for retrieving electronically stored information, there has been a considerable change in the way a library functions.

Other Benefits

1. The System prevents any breach of security; hence the chances of books being stolen are reduced to a great extent.

2. Helps in an effective inter-library communication

3. Inventory in a RFID library is controlled in a much better manner.

4. There is uniformity of the format in which labeling is done for all the items in a library: books, magazines, brochures, CDs, and DVDs

5. Multiple items can be scanned at a time as against the manual scanning of a single item at a time.

Those looking for smart solutions for their libraries can opt for RFID based LMS. 

IFLA Communicator of the Year Award — 2012 Call for Nominations

DEADLINE: 14 August 2012

With the design and implementation of its new website in 2009, IFLA continues to follow modern communication trends and wants to stimulate new forms of news dissemination. Therefore the main professional communication channel for the Sections needs to shift from the traditional newsletters in print and PDF to the active use and maintenance of the Sections' web pages under the IFLA domain and the use of social media, such as blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other relevant platforms by the Sections.

To stimulate this process, IFLA established the IFLA Communicator of the Year Award as a follow-up to the IFLA Newsletter of the Year Award.

This award focuses on IFLA activities of any communicator of any IFLA group. It is important to note that the award is not to be perceived as a personal reward. The communicator awarded will have to be strongly affiliated with identifiable units of the organisational structure of IFLA and s/he will receive the award to highlight the achievements within the professional context.

The first Award was presented during the IFLA Congress in 2011 and was assigned to Sebastian Wilke and Dierk Eichel, convener and information coordinator of the IFLA New Professionals SIG.  

The Award intends to:

• Stimulate the change in communication
• Promote new forms of communication
• Stimulate regular renewal (innovation) of information & communication work of a particular professional unit
• Review the activities of a particular professional unit from one conference to another

Criteria for evaluation

• The use of social technology on webpages
• The implementation of social technology in the website pages
• The innovative way of conference or group profiling
• The extension of outreach to a large audience that the group is able to establish
• The use of multilingualism, inclusiveness and aesthetics/attractiveness.
• The activities awarded will have to be identified for the year (12 months) between the IFLA conferences.

Who can win?

The new Award will go to a person instead of groups. This means that it can be handed to persons in the following roles:

• Standing Committee Members
• Section Members
• Special Interest Group Members
• Those active in Core Activities
• Governing Board Members

IFLA Staff and Professional Committee Members may nominate individuals, but are excluded from being nominated themselves. Self nomination is not permitted.

The IFLA Communicator 2012 Award will be announced at the Closing Session at the IFLA Congress in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday 16 August 2012 by the Chair of the Selection Committee for the IFLA Communicator of the Year Award.

The prize consists of a scroll and a tangible award.

2012 nomination form [DOC]

Nominations may only be submitted by means of the nomination form.

Please send as an attachment to awards@ifla.org by Tuesday, 14 August 2012.

IFLA Headquarters
The Hague, 9 July 2012

IFLA International Leaders Programme: Associates announced

The selection committee for the IFLA International Leaders Programme is delighted to announce the Associates selected to participate from 2012-2014. The Programme is a two-year IFLA strategic Key Initiative designed to increase the cohort of leaders who can effectively represent the wider library sector in the international arena, and to develop leaders within IFLA.

The Associates represent every major library sector and geographic region, and bring a range of international experiences to the projects that Associates will be attached to during the Programme.

The Associates are:

Margaret Allen (Australia) 

CEO and State Librarian, State Library of Western Australia; and immediate past-President of the Australian Library and Information Association

Atarino Helieisar (Federated States of Micronesia) 

Chief Law Librarian, Supreme Court; and President of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (PIALA)

Sarah Kaddu (Uganda) 

Team Leader, World Digital Library project, National Library of Uganda; and Secretary General of the Uganda Library & Information Association (ULIA)

Jérémy Lachal (France) 

Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders (Bibliothèques Sans Frontières); and trainer on projects for International Francophone Association of Librarians and Documentalists (AIFBD)

Zola Maddison (USA) 

Program Coordinator, WebJunction; active member of the American Library Association’s International Relations Round Table, and past ALA Emerging Leader

Antonio Marquez Santos (Philippines) 

Director, National Library of the Philippines, and Executive Committee member of the Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL)

Victoria Okojie (Nigeria) 

Registrar/CEO, Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria; past-President Nigerian Library Association, and current Chair of the IFLA Africa section

Kgomotso Radijeng (Botswana) 

Resource Centre Coordinator, Botswana National Productivity Centre; convenor of the 2010 Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and South Africa Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL); President of the Botswana Library Association

Rosemary Shafack (Cameroon) 

University Librarian and Lecturer University of Buea; local trainer for the Building Strong Library Associations programme in Cameroon, and member of the IFLA Africa section

Irina Trushina (Russia) 

National Library of Russia, Head of Interlibrary Collaboration Department; past member of FAIFE working group on the Internet Manifesto, and Chair of Russian Library Association Round Table on Communication and Professional Ethics

Jorge Octavio Ruiz Vaca (México) 

Humanities Research Coordinator, National Autonomous University of México; and organiser of several major activities of the IFLA Latin America and Caribbean section

Dina Youssef (Egypt) 

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director, IFLA Center for Arabic Speaking Libraries (IFLA-CASL); and regional trainer for the Building Strong Library Associations programme

The list of projects that Associates will work on includes Open Access, Copyright Exceptions and Limitations, Models for Regional Collaboration, Libraries as Agents for Development, and Access to Digital Content.

The Associates will begin their participation in the programme at the IFLA Congress in Helsinki. During the Congress, the Leaders Programme Associates will participate in eight days of activities including: seminar and workshop sessions on issues with a global impact led by leaders in the sector and related fields; participation in specified business meetings; attendance at specified professional programme sessions; working within groups to prepare presentations or reports; and liaison with IFLA Governing Board members.