Search results

This chapter outlines current developments in Indian libraries, information services and cultural sector collectively highlighting recent trends and developments as India increasingly takes centre stage in the area of libraries and information literacy development. The chapter also provides a critical analysis of library and information science education in India and highlights the need for government strategies and policies related to public libraries. Some 17 federal states and union territories in the Republic of India have no public library legislation and therefore low literacy rates. India needs public awareness campaigns, civic engagement and community developments including the grass-roots empowerment of public libraries. Financial reforms, modernization and federal funding strategies for public libraries are also required to energize cultural organizations and national libraries. A recent major development is the establishment of a National Commission on Libraries following recommendations by the National Knowledge Commission. However, Indian public libraries do not cater sufficiently for the growing youth population or other strata's of Indian society. The growing Indian higher education sector also necessitates information policies for open access, digital preservation and repositories development.

To describe the development of the library management system, e‐Granthalaya, for public libraries in India. This is an initiative of the Indian government's National Informatics Centre (NIC). The paper outlines the challenges and the potential of a full‐scale deployment of this software at a national level.

The project is being implemented in various phases depending on the funds, infrastructure and willingness of the various state governments and library authorities. This case study provides an understanding of the challenges confronted by the NIC in the scale and scope of the deployment of e‐Granthalaya. The national effort towards a “single window access” is constructively undertaken with an infrastructure deployment phase followed by a services integration phase: both of these are undertaken in tandem with local conditions and technological developments.

The proposed end‐product is a web‐based online library service connecting public libraries in India and integrating library services in a “single window access”. The authors conclude that there is a need for greater orchestration of funding provision, acquisitions of systems, data entry of catalogues, hosting and so on.

The project will be useful as a model for the automation, networking and federating of resources for other groups of libraries in India.

The paper is a case study of design, development and implementation of the e‐Granthalaya software in India's public libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to study globally successful public library systems with reference to their infrastructure, physical space, services, collection, processes, finances and best practices and recommend models, structure and minimum standards for smart public libraries of the upcoming 100 smart cities of India.

An email with 14 questions was sent to 50 public library system across the world. A sample of n = 18 responses were received.

The finding suggests that all the libraries have a central library and a good network of branch libraries across respective cities with adequate staff and collection to cater to the needs of the public. The size of the central library varied from 8,000 m² (Cologne Public Library) – 86,000 m² (Boston public library) and average size of the branch library varied from 200 m2 (Aarhaus) – 1,582 m2 (Barcelona). Monthly average users varied from 96,000 (Moscow) – 1.5 million (Toronto).

The Indian public library system remains uneven throughout the country with varying levels of legislation, financing and quality of library services. Even a room with few books is considered as a library. The results of this study will help develop a quality public library system of global standard and ensure that libraries are transformed into knowledge hubs.

This study is a unique exploration in which different types of libraries are defined in terms of physical space, service, staff, collection based on a global model which ensures uniform growth and development of public library systems in upcoming smart cities of India.

Native peoples living within their cultures find themselves the focus of increased attention and are renewing their own ties in a cultural renaissance. Non‐Natives are becoming more intrigued with both scholarly and popular interpretations of some aspects of Native cultures. Those Native Americans living outside the culture are trying, in varying degrees, to recover old ways, thus attempting to reverse generations of assimilation. It is with the latter group that this article is concerned: the non affiliated Native Americans who are intellectually and/or spiritually as well as physically removed from traditional teachings. What kinds of assistance can libraries provide to Native Americans wishing to reclaim their cultural legacy?

The current situation of Indian public libraries has been viewed by some as follows: the public library system in India is condemned to remain peripheral to the actual information needs of the masses; that it is in a depressed state, and serves as little more than a warehouse of recreational reading materials, a majority of which are in regional languages. This paper suggests possible remedies on how to transform the situation, and details new technological developments which are already showing the potential to change public libraries in rural India for the better.

A descriptive account of the contemporary situation in India with regard to public libraries, digital technologies and development possibilities, using official statistics and the LIS literature.

The challenges that face public libraries in India are listed and a vision for their future based on the concept of “ICT for development” is sketched out.

It is difficult to get an overall view of this topic: authorized statistics on public libraries in India as a whole are not collected, because these libraries are the responsibility of a variety of agencies who, for various reasons, never disclose such information on a national scale.

The author details new technological developments, the practical outcome of which would in particular facilitate the establishment of digital library services in rural India.

This paper provides a useful overview of a library scenario on which aggregated statistical data is hard to find; and, from this summary of the present situation, goes on to suggest possible ways to transform the “digital divide” into “digital opportunities”.

You only realise the value of something when you haven't got it. That simple truth was brought home to me during my recent sojourn in India as a Unesco Consultant for the Pilot Public Library in Delhi.

Ethics is an inherent concept for any profession. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethical perspective of librarianship. The focus of the discussion is to identify whether it is ethics or law which should supercede in changing the legal and social environment, with special reference to India.

The state of a right to privacy in India is elaborated. The discussion is focused around library ethics and user privacy, which is a much less talked about matter in Indian librarianship than in the developed world.

Professional ethics should be given equal consideration while framing law and policies for non‐profit organizations like libraries. The issue of privacy has been given very little credence in terms of library rules and regulations in India. There is a need to create awareness among the masses on the issue of privacy and it should be considered as an important component while formulating guidelines for library policies.

The role of library associations is considered to be vital in creating awareness among the libraries and information centers. Library associations in India are urged to make similar efforts like American Library Association. Impact of information technology on privacy is explored as one of the emerging research areas.

This paper is the first of its kind to study how the libraries in India are dealing with the issue of privacy and highlight the need for the information professionals to protect their professional ethics.

The purpose of this paper is to report on recent performance measurement and impact evaluation progress made in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Moldova, Turkey and Vietnam as part of the last phase of the Global Libraries Initiative.

The country reports are presented as a series of case studies, in some cases supplementing those reported earlier in this journal.

Recent country-specific survey findings are reported and some conclusions are offered.

This paper demonstrates how the adoption of a common approach to library service evaluation across several countries can strengthen research practice at country level beyond the Global Libraries Initiative itself.

This paper shares Global Libraries IPA learning at country level with people in other countries who may be contemplating public library evaluation at regional, national or local levels or who are interested in performance measurement and impact evaluation.

The paper shows how focusing on the impact of public library services on users can enhance the understanding of community requirements and inform the development of more effective services to library users and communities.

These case studies reflect concentrated impact evaluation and performance measurement work at country level across a range of countries over more than 18 years.

The purpose of this paper is to find out about the collection development and management in the public libraries governed by the government or its agencies in Delhi and compare them with the international standards for public libraries.

In all, Delhi has three chains of public libraries namely Delhi Public Library (DPL), like Hardayal Municipal Public Library (HMPL) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) public libraries. The librarian/heads of selected branches were approached with a structured questionnaire aimed at collecting information on the collection development and managements in these libraries and selected branches. The data were then analysed and interpreted.

It was found that with the advent of ICT and its impact on the society, it is evident that the public libraries are not making the desired effort to reach out to the public and make it more appealing to the users. The main problem with the library remains to be the lack of membership. A few initiatives have been taken, but still there were not many digital services being provided by these public libraries in the present day digital environment.

The study was limited to the public libraries within the physical region of Delhi only.

The evaluation sheds light on the existing scenario of public libraries in Delhi and may contribute in their future development.

With the acceptance of the international standards as suggested in the study, the public libraries in Delhi would be better able to provide information resources and services to the masses. The better learned masses make the society more advanced. An information rich society would thus lead to an overall growth and development of the state.

There have been many studies in the past on DPL but none have intended to cover other public libraries chains like HMPL and NDMC public libraries which are governed by the government or its agencies and are established with aim of imparting information to the population of Delhi. Also, a similar the comparison with international standards was never done earlier.