Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact and role of libraries of the Institutes of Management in India in their research output. The study is based on the seven point performance evaluation parameter, whereby each individual library has been ranked on the basis of aggregate performance against each individual parameter. Some of the key parameters evaluated, include, preference of resource procurement namely, electronic or print, utilisation of library budget towards the procurement of print and electronic resources, average fund utilisation on resource procurement against each published research article and average fund utilisation on resource procurement against each faculty member. Research output against each faculty member and various other similar aspects have been evaluated.

The study is limited to the management institutes of India, but the findings can be generalised to assess omit it the overall trend across the management institutes in general and India in particular. The study is based on 2016 ranking list of Institutes of Management in India, compiled and released by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Govt. of India for the period 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

From the data analysis, it emerged that almost three-fourth of the library budget in the leading Management Institutes across India is being spent on the procurement of e-documents, mostly in the form of subscription of online journals. On average 1.18 research articles have been published by each faculty member during the period of study from each institute under study, with an average annual institutional research output of 19.63 research articles. In terms of resource allocation, on average Indian Rupees (INR) 0.986/million has been spent by each institutional library on the resource procurement against each published research article, and INR1.166/million has been spent on the resource procurement against each faculty member.

The study is an attempt to seek correlation between the money spend on the procurement of resources and its direct impact on the research output of that particular institution.

The study is original and first of its kind, undertaken in India.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the challenges and opportunities the new public procurement legislation has created for academic librarians as regards the acquisition of library materials in academic libraries (university/college libraries) in Malawi.

The study used a multi-method approach. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires. The questionnaires were sent online to the university/college libraries of seven major accredited public universities in Malawi. After an initial analysis of that data, qualitative data on patterns were obtained through a mailing listserve with all the possible 19 librarians. Responses were analysed and categorised using a thematic approach.

Academic libraries (university/college libraries) are involved in the internal procurement committees. Librarians are represented in internal procurement committees, though their representation differs from one institution to another. All the academic libraries (university/college libraries) either use the centralised or independent procurement methods. As a result, the public university libraries deal with agents as independents. Working as independents has negatively affected the libraries, as materials are procured at different prices and sometimes at higher prices, thereby ignoring the value for money.

In academic libraries, the library consortia have pulled resources towards a basket fund for wide access and cheaper licensing. However, for print library materials, a collaborative procurement process in which the academic libraries identify an agent capable of achieving a supplier list and then purchase directly from the preferred suppliers seems not to have been tried in the most developing countries.

The study suggests that academic libraries (university/college libraries) should emulate the library consortia approach when dealing with agents. The academic libraries should consider collaborative procurement models as a means of procuring library materials.

Since the enactment of the public procurement legislation in Malawi, no research has been documented on the challenges and opportunities the public procurement act and the acquisition of library materials. This research seeks to bridge the literature gap.

The present study aims to assess the resource procurement preferences among the leading academic libraries of the institutes of higher learning across India. The study analyses the amount and percentage of budget spent by the institutions under study during the period 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 on the procurement of print and electronic resources in their libraries. The study also discusses about concerns with regard to the subscription of e-resources and the reasons for weaning interest among the Indian academicians towards the print resources.

By and large, the scope of the study is limited to institutes of higher learning across India, but reflects a great deal of relevance to the global higher education practices. The study has been undertaken on the 20 leading institutes each from Universities, Institutes of Management and Institutes of Technology in India, based on the ranking list released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, on 4 April 2016.

The electronic documents are the dominant forms of present day library procurements in India, with the print struggling to retain its readership. The Institutes of Engineering and Technology and Management have almost similar procurement preferences, spending almost three-fourth of their library budgets on the procurement of e-documents. On average, the University libraries in India have spent 43.54 per cent of their budget on the procurement of print resources and 56.46 per cent of their budget on the procurement of electronic resources during the period of study. Similarly, on average, each Institute of Engineering and Technology has spent 24.04 per cent of their library budget on the procurement of print documents and 75.96 per cent towards the procurement of electronic resources, whereas 27.51 per cent of the library budget by the Institutes of Management in India is being spent on the procurement of print resources and 72.49 per cent towards the procurement of electronic resources.

The study is original and is first of its kind, undertaken on three different category of institutions, based on the national ranking of the country.

The automation of library acquisition is a balancing act which involves dealing with institutional procurement policies, administration, vendors, finance, books, internal audit, reporting and, above all, tracking. Few studies have dealt with the operational difficulties of the transition from manual to automated acquisition using Koha. The objective of this paper is to investigate the self-reliance of Koha in handling all stages of procurement, starting from suggestions to receiving an ordered title, and to discuss the constraints and difficulties faced during the process.

Based on internal documentation spanning a period of four years, the paper provides a first-hand account of the experience of the transition from manual to automated acquisition using Koha at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Library, Bangalore.

The study reveals that Koha is partially self-reliant in an academic setup where acquisition is dynamic in nature; however, customizations can be made to make Koha self-reliant to a certain extent.

The study is limited to the procurement of printed books using the acquisition module of Koha.

The paper provides an insight into the acquisition module of Koha and also explores how acquisition workflows and functions are interconnected and interdependent, which could help acquisition librarians to setup a basic framework and policies before transitioning from manual acquisition to Koha acquisition module.

Automated workflow cannot be tested in a short period of time. This case study is an output of observations of about four years, along with possible limitations, features and customization capabilities of Koha for acquiring printed books. This will help the librarian to better understand the Koha acquisition module workflow.

This study aims to seek the causative relationship between the library budget and research output with the ranking of 20 leading medial institutes in India. More so, the study also attempts to find out whether the libraries associated with academic and research institutes in general and medical institutes in particular have turned redundant or irrelevant, or have become more relevant in the changing times by embracing technology in its every new form.

The study is based on the secondary data retrieved from the official website of the Ministry of Education, Government of India and research output against each institution under study has been retrieved from Scopus. The study is limited to Indian medical institutions that participated in the 2019 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), conducted by the Ministry of Education, India each year. The findings of the study can be generalized to all the medical institutions of the country.

On average, INR 160.90m were spent by each medical institute on the procurement of library resources at an average of INR 0.104m on procurement of resources against each individual published research article. Of the total research articles published by medical institutes under study, 26.39% of research articles were published by researchers from AIIMS, New Delhi, alone.

Financial aid or funding is very vital for the survival, sustenance and excellence of research institutions, and this funding becomes more important when the investigation is aimed toward the furtherance of medical advances. Any medical advancement is hell-bent to influence the overall welfare and betterment of society at large, whereby the benefit of any investment made in medical science is bound to be reaped by one and all alike.

In India, a good number of studies have been undertaken on the NIRF data to dive deeper to assess the role and importance of libraries in the overall ranking of institutions like universities, management institutes, engineering and technology institutes, but no major study has been so far conducted covering leading medical institutes in India. The study is the original and first of its kind undertaken in India.

A library management system is a significant investment for libraries, but the procurement of a system is an infrequent activity with little opportunity for librarians to build on their experience. The procurement process is also difficult for potential system suppliers who must respond to specifications which are variable in content, format and quality. The HARMONISE project aimed to determine the feasibility of developing a model system specification which could be used to assist libraries in the procurement of library management systems. Specifications collected from libraries which had recently acquired a library management system were analysed. The results demonstrate that the functional requirements specified for each of the core modules had strong similarities both within and across library sectors. A survey of UK system suppliers was also undertaken to determine their views on the specification as a procurement tool. Suppliers expressed frustration with the tendency for specifications to be dominated by lists of functional requirements which were present in all library management systems on the market today. In conclusion, a model specification incorporating basic functions, which can be expected in all library management systems, should be developed.

An effective library management system is essential to the operation of services but the procurement of a system is an infrequent activity with little opportunity for librarians to build on or consolidate their experience. The common activity of specifying the operational requirements of a system can consequently be problematic. The procurement process is also difficult for potential system suppliers who must respond to specifications (or RfPs) which are very variable in terms of content, format and quality. A survey of UK library system suppliers was undertaken in January 2000 as part of the UK LIC‐funded HARMONISE Project to determine their views on the quality and usefulness of the specification in the procurement process. The suppliers indicated a number of problems inherent in specifications produced by libraries, such as a lack of clarity, poor structure, variable in technical understanding and with too great a focus on basic functionality which has been tried and tested. A model specification of system requirements for libraries is recommended.

This paper embodies research on the purchasing of electronic resources by public libraries. It sought to identify what works well and what is problematic with respect to the management of commercial products. Views were also sought on future development, and how procurement could best be managed. The main concerns identified were the lack of a national dimension and strategy, and of expertise in individual authorities and consortia, particularly with licences. Purchasers were felt to be reactive, not taking control of the procurement by specifying requirements. E‐resources were felt to be very expensive; there was not necessarily any price advantage as a result of consortial negotiations. It was also felt that hard‐copy and e‐resource procurement and strategy should not be separated. Licence terms and pricing models were felt to be confusing, and the interfaces provided inappropriate.

Procurement processes for automated library systems need examination to determine if libraries are choosing the best methods for getting the best return on their investment. Understanding the costs involved and how typical decisions in procurement procedures add to the costs of systems will allow libraries to judge if the process better serves the library than using the money in other ways. Alternative processes including standardized request‐for‐proposals, contracts and understanding how to utilize lawyers and consultants are suggested in an attempt to show that procurement processes could achieve the same goals using different methods while allowing libraries to use their money to purchase other goods and/or services. The benefits of the implementation of such processes are also reviewed.

Examines the information value chain and some of its concepts, first for printed information and second for electronic information. Discusses the procurement process and, in the light of the analysis made earlier in the paper, evaluates the various emerging models for procuring electronic information.