Sujata Mandal ¹, V. K. J. Jeevan ²

Affiliations
1 Library and Information Centre, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Kolkata, IN
2 Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068, IN

Abstract

The Acquisition Section of Central Library, IIT Kharagpur conducts a mix of manual and computerized operation to perform the acquisition work. LibSys, a commercially available integrated library house keeping system, is being used to eliminate purchasing duplicate copies of books, generating order forms, processing bills and completing entries of bibliographic details for onward processing of books. Order files are maintained using reports provided by LibSys, but the accession and invoice registers are still maintained in handwritten forms. The Section collects requests for books from near about 500 faculty members attached to over 30 departments of the Institute. It then interacts and places orders for these books with around 40 suppliers who are local as well as outsiders, checks and accessions the procured books and transfers them to the Technical Processing Section for further processing such as classification, cataloguing, and indexing and processes the bills for payment. The current annual budget allocation is Rs. 1.5 Crores and around 3000 specialized (mostly international) books are added to the collection annually. On an average, the Section places orders for purchasing over 1600 titles, generates about 1000 orders and processes around 700 Bills. To examine how the library acquisition section meets the expectation of users and book suppliers, an evaluation of the Acquisition section is being attempted to. Apart from this, the Acquisition Section is also interested in assessing the performance of its different suppliers. Time required for ordering recommended non-duplicate titles, time taken for assigning accession numbers, time involved in processing bills are selected as vital parameters to judge the efficiency of acquisition operations. Similarly supply time and percentage of books supplied are treated as indicators to assess the performance of a book supplier. To complete the evaluation in a time bound manner, the time involved in scanning and analyzing the required data from the handwritten registers would have been major constraints and hence the study adopted data collected and available from the software package for this exercise. The results obtained out of evaluation using data collected from the LibSys package over a three year period from 2002 to 2005 are presented in this study in tabular format. The results of the study would help to assess the performance of a large acquisition system in an educational Institute of repute and its suppliers drawn from different corners of the country.

Keywords

Document Acquisition, Supplier Performance, Case Study.

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V. K. J. Jeevan ¹, P Padhi ²

Affiliations
1 Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068, IN
2 PG Department of Library and Information Science, Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, IN

Abstract

Studies on various aspects of libraries in premier institutions, such as, IITs, IIMs, and Central Universities are of continued interest to Library and Information Science researchers. The main motivation for such studies are the inherent advantages of taking these libraries as samples as they are obviously well organized, have better services and efficient infrastructure, made a mark for themselves, and they can be comprehensively studied with ease as they are few in number. As part of MHRD-SAI project, the Central Library of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur is involved with the development of a content personalization system to deliver specialized research information in a personalized mode to its faculty members. With related interests in science and technology addressed with the help of similar facilities of research and information, it entails the possibility of looking for parallels in these facilities and to extrapolate and replicate innovative services in one Institute to the others. To extrapolate the personalization prototype under development at IIT, Kharagpur to other IITs, it was decided to undertake a questionnaire survey and this paper presents the responses received to this survey about section of the questions dealing with collection, infrastructure, services, and staff of different IITs.

Keywords

IIT Libraries, Infrastructure, Resources, Library and Information Services.

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U. K. Gaur ¹, V. K. J. Jeevan ²

Affiliations
1 Rama Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Rama City, Mandhana, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, IN
2 Deputy Librarian, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068, IN

Abstract

The study presents the result of a questionnaire survey administered separately to the librarians and selected users in few engineering college libraries in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The survey addressed five broad areas: Services, Collection, Information Access, Library Staff and General Information about library. The questionnaire meant for the librarian covered aspects such as collection of library, services, building, budget, staff etc. The questionnaire for the users contained objective type questions to assess the user's satisfaction with the various services offered by library. Some information not forthcoming through questionnaire was also collected through interview method. The data collected is presented with the help of tables and discussions. The results generated by the study throw light on the present status of libraries of engineering colleges in the state of Rajasthan.

Keywords

Engineering Colleges, Libraries, Jaipur, Rajasthan

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V. K. J. Jeevan ¹

Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, IN

Abstract

Research publications over a three year period from 1994-95 to 1996-97 are analysed in this study to assess the various trends in publication patterns of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The data collected is summarised in 16 tables to highlight the significant journals, prominent publishers, and major countries of publication. Since the researchers choose journals either subscribed in the Institute or not subscribed, this aspect is also studied. Some estimate of the quality aspect of these papers is also assessed with the help of impact factor data for the journals.

Keywords

Research Papers, Publication Pattern, IIT, Kharagpur.

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V. K. J. Jeevan ¹

Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, IN

Abstract

Science and Technology (S&T) libraries, especially in the developing countries, are experiencing not only problems such as poor budgetary support, lack of infrastructure and staff in less numbers with less expertise but the new marketing trends of consortia based pricing and delivering electronic information in diverse channels also. When individual libraries found their inability to satisfy the information requirements of their clients, they started various collaborating arrangements with other libraries such as, inter library loan services, document delivery services, resource sharing, etc. In the resource sharing arrangements, policy matters were formulated more emphatically to decide what materials are to be subscribed at each site. Unsteady fluctuation of Rupee over major foreign currencies, two digit percentage increase in subscription cost, constant or meagerly changing library budget forcing a drastic cut in subscriptions, etc., all strained libraries to adopt extensive resource sharing arrangements for costly information sources such as journals. To have an actual feel of the journal acquisition trends in our libraries, the 1995 subscription data of IIT . Kharagpur is presented, along with some landmarks in resource sharing in the country. With the availability of substantial amount of primary information in electronic form and the affordability of computer and electronic gadgets in our libraries, an IT enabled technocentric framework for resource sharing might be worked out as a viable alternative. The essential hardware, software, databases, personnel skil1s, copyright implications, etc. are discussed. In contrast' to the earlier collaborative arrangements essentially attempted by libraries and librarians alone, the publisher and trade community has a major say in the consortia attempts as the emphasis will be to strike the best deals even if it requires sometimes to suffer some duplication. Some of the licensing models followed to deliver electronic infonnation access is discussed with relevant information from few major S&T publishers. Though there were attempts from different comers to form consortia, the MHRD consortia for al1 the institutes under it may be operational from 2003 to provide e-access to important sources such as IEL online, ScienceDirect, ABI/Inform, Web of Science, SciFinder Scholar, etc. Apart from arriving at consortia based subscription and access, the paper suggests to evolve options like framing a national policy. For scholarly information procuring and services, national S&T lending library, technocentric mode for resource sharing, twinning and subject based resource access network among institutions, article on demand (pay-per-view), and affordable national editions, to significantly expand and satisfactorily enhance information access in S&T libraries.

Keywords

Science and Technology Libraries, Resource Sharing, Consortia.

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V. K. J. Jeevan ¹, Kamna Trivedi ²

Affiliations
1 Deputy Librarian, Library and Documentation Division, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi - 110068, IN
2 Ex-Intern, Library and Documentation Division, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi - 110068, IN

Abstract

The Self Learning Materials (SLMs) of distance education attempt to provide learners with a learning environment containing textbooks and lecture notes. Apart from this, counselling sessions, media enabled solutions such as audio/ video channels and teleconferencing sessions are provided to learners. A small library of essential books for further reading mentioned in the SLMs are also maintained at the study centres to offer library facilities comparable to campus-based education. An accurate and efficient cost estimation and optimisation methodology is very important in library development as it would assist the management to estimate the costs involved. Cost analysis is perhaps not given the required consideration by libraries largely due to the fact that they are state-funded, and difficulties attached to assess the use made out of money spent. This study has been carried out to find out the optimum cost of supply of books prescribed for further reading in the SLMs of Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programme of the national open university, IGNOU to the libraries of its regional centres and of its study centres hosting the programme.

Keywords

: Cost Estimation, Further Reading Books, Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), Prescribed Books, Optimisation, Optimum Cost, Reading List.

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