International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries

Subhajit Panda ¹

Affiliations
1 Assistant Librarian, University Library, Chandigarh University, Punjab, IN

Abstract

Technostress is the feeling of anxiety or mental pressure caused by working with multiple and rapidly changing computer systems, and mediating between these systems and the demands of the organisation, users, and personal life. This study investigated the nature and extent of technostress, the factors causing technostress, and the effect of it on professional and social lives among the library professionals in India. The study further explored the coping strategies to deal with technostress and gives a proposal for using the positive technology approach for technostress prevention and management. The study was carried through an online survey, with a structured questionnaire designed on a Google Forms. A total of 500 respondents were selected for the study over four designated domains, viz. library assistants, assistant librarians, deputy librarians, and librarians or university librarians. Ten preferred causes and coping strategies, and eight identified physiological and psychological symptoms they are subjected to for this study. The findings of the study may be used to develop strategies and policies which may facilitate librarians to avoid, adapt to, or mitigate technostress.

Keywords

Technostress, Technophobia, Techno-Insecurity, Techno-Overload, Techno-Invasion, Techno-Complexity, Techno-Uncertainty, Library Professionals, Physiological Symptoms, Psychological Symptoms, Positive Technology, Coping Strategy.

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Subhajit Panda ¹, Rupak Chakravarty ²

Affiliations
1 Assistant Librarian, Central Library, Chandigarh University, Punjab., IN
2 Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh., IN

Abstract

Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations, reads “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has taken the initiative, IFLA/FAIFE (Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression), to defend and promote the basic human rights defined in Article 19 of the UN’s UDHR. While such movements and initiatives are focused towards the citizens of the world, WIPO’s Marrakesh VIP Treaty (MVT) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) cater to the requirements and rights of the persons with vision aberrations and other such bodily deficiencies, which deprives them from accessing information and knowledge, building a steeper and deeper knowledge divide. The present paper examines the relevant articles as mentioned in the MVT, encompassing the ‘Accessible Format Copies’ (AFC) for the visually disadvantaged. The paper also investigates the provision in the Indian Copyright Act. Various tools as technological interventions have also been discussed, including the Web browser screen readers. A brief discussion on the current status and its implications of WCAG have been also given for greater understanding in context with the theme of the paper.

Keywords

Marrakesh VIP Treaty (MVT); Indian Copyright Law; Screen Reader; Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); Accessible Format Copy (AFC); Alternate Format Material (AFM); Accessible Books Consortium (ABC); Book Famine

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