Neeraj Dubey
Library is Heart of any academic institution as well as soul of any learning and research institution, which is pivot of teaching-learning process. In a global era of information world, we have witnessed the establishment of automation industries and library information networks and services worldwide through use of ICT. The use of ICT (Information Technology) tools facilitates a vast flow of information to end user via information services. The ICT make lots of changes in every field also in Library information Services, such as book acquisition, cataloguing Serial-control, Web-Opac, CAS and SDI etc., and change the traditional library into the e-Library or Information centre.
Library automation:
The Phenomena of mechanization of traditional library activities, such as acquisition, serial control, cataloguing, circulation control etc., called Library Automation. “Library automation refers to use of computers, associated peripheral media such as magnetic tapes, disks, optical media etc. and utilization of computer based products and services in the performance of all type of library functions and operation. Computers are capable of introducing a great degree of automation in operation, function since they are electronic, programmable and are control over the processes being performed”. Library automation is the general term for Information communication technologies that are used to replace manual system in the library. For more than three decades of its existence, the college operated manually driven routine services of acquisitions, information processing, classification, storage, retrieval and circulation. However, in the last five years, the college library started preparing for automation and e-library service to conform to the world prevailing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) demand.
The various factors that directly or indirectly affect the progress of library automation such as management issues, resources available with the libraries, level of skill of staff, availability of suitable software, geographic location area. Attitude and initiative on the part of the management has played major role in library automation in University & college libraries. An institution without a library is like a body without a soul. A library may be as smart as its readers. If the readers are smart and well aware they may force the authorities to work towards library automation. If the readers are knowledgeable about the development being taking place in the information technology, they have influenced the use of computers in library to a great extent. This is truer about faculty as they are the people who participate in decision making process. The good examples are the libraries of IITs and other higher engineering educational institutions. While planning & implementing the e-Library or library automation within the institutions, the management has to face lots of problems which need to be discussed as under:-
Lack of proper planning:- Planning of library automation will involve proper feasibility study of the project to avoid waste of time, money, energy and to ensure the success of the project. A proper planning for library automation must include following points:-
i) Objective of library.
ii) Library finance and budget.
iii) System analysis.
iv) Identification of main area of Library Automation.
v) Hardware & Software requirement for library automation: commercial or open source S/w.
vi) Skilled professionals
Lack of fund/economical resources :-
The most crucial hurdle for a library in pursuit of automation is to obtain the necessary funds. The major obstacle for any innovations in developing countries is the lack of resources. The initial cost of establishing a computer system is beyond the reach of most organizations and institutions. Generally any successful and running operation required a sound financial aid for purchasing of hardware, software and other associate peripherals of ICT. The library automation committee must keep in the mind expenditure for library automation and also for further maintenance and development cost for a successful automation process. A year wise development plan for library automation and service must add in the library automation plan.
Lack of skilledor trained staff / professional :- Another problem is associated to dearth of professionally trained and unskilled staff. The level of short staffing is apparent while the little on ground are so little or no computer knowledge. The level of skill of library staff also played a very important role. In our country there are no standard for level of subordinate staff to be recruited in academic libraries. Librarians are almost always very helpful and often almost absurdly knowledgeable. Their skills are probably very under-estimated and largely under-employed. This posed a lot of technical problems to the automation exercise. In moreover cases it was found that one or two professionals are saddled with the responsibility of managing the system unit there by limiting the outcome of service delivering to clients.
Non-availability of suitable software :- Non-availability of suitable software has also played an important role. Though there are a number of software available for library management but most of them are non standard. The main reason behind is that most of the software have been developed without the help of a qualified librarian. But, recently Google Inc Corporation has launched free Open source Library management software referred to as “KOHA”, which has proved to be a major success in Library Automation, but it too needs expertise skills to handle it. The authors like to conclude this article with few Laws of Librarianship: – Libraries serve humanity – Respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated – Use technology intelligently to enhance service – Protect free access to knowledge – Honour the past & create the future.
(The author is Sr Faculty-GCET- Jammu (J&K)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
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