ICT in higher education Essay

Survey of the library and information centres in Higher Education Institutions in ICT age: An analysis of selected university libraries in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Abstractions:

The present survey furnish an thought to polish resources and service set up of University Libraries in the modern context of ICT in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It besides defines the major issues and challenges faced by the cognition keepers. The survey defines the major thrust countries of library and information centres which are to be taken attention while reengineering the university libraries.

Ranganathan in 1940 defined Libraries as a public establishment or constitution charged with the attention of a aggregation of books, the responsibility of doing them accessible to those who require the usage of them and the undertaking of change overing every individual in its vicinity into a accustomed library departers and reader of books. In the epoch of ICT, the direction manner of our libraries need through alteration to carry through the vision of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan.

Key Wordss: University Libraries, Information /Knowledge Resources, Information Services, Collection development, Information and communicating Technologies ICT

Overview:

Education purposes at the exchange of cognition, the ingraining of values and the conveyance of vocational accomplishments. The academic library as a topographic point holds a alone place on campus. No other edifice can so symbolically and physically stand for the academic bosom of an establishment. A university library is a portion of a university set-up. Therefore, it exists to function the aims of its parent organisation. It besides aims at the promotion of the maps of its university. The library, which is still a combination of the yesteryear ( print aggregations ) and the present ( new information engineerings ) , must be viewed with a new position and apprehension if it is to carry through its possible in adding value to the promotion of the institution’s academic mission and in traveling with that establishment into the hereafter.

Keeping in head the above facts the current survey was planned to cognize the organizational system, resources and services of the university libraries in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Aim of the Survey:

The rule purpose and aim which prove public-service corporation of present probes are as follows:

• To analyze the organizational system of University Libraries
• To define the restrictions or jobs, which seem to deter the development of resources in ICT age
• To better the organisation and planning of efficient library services with available resorts in Libraries.
• To measure the existent strengths and failings of university library

Methodology:

Rajasthan is the first largest province of India. Its western portion is Thar Desert and Aravali mountain scope bisects it into two parts. Its country is about 342,239 sq. kilometer. with 33 territories ( Figure 4.1 ) . The present population is about 68,621,012. The literacy rate in 1951 was 8.95 per centum, which rose to 67.06 per cent in 2010.

Rajasthan has a long history in Higher Education. At present there are 50 plus universities along with one cardinal university. Some of them are recognized by UGC/AICTE/ICAR and other vertex organic structure. Seven universities are of specialised nature. Their aggregations, services, patronages, demand are of a particular type. They do non fall in the conventional / general university because impart instruction in the specialised field of Agriculture, Engineering, Technology, Ayurveda, Law, Education, Sanskrit and Jainology, Journalism and Medical.

These can be classified as below:

Categorization of Universities in Rajasthan
Types	Number
Central University	01
State Universities	18
Deemed University	07
Private University	32
Entire	58

Table 1: Categorization of University based on types in Rajasthan

Figure 1:Categorization of University based on types

The Figure1 represents the per centum of the universities in Rajasthan. The maximal 55 % are private universities which have been established within last five old ages under the State Act for Private universities. Maximal 17 private universities exist in Jaipur. Table 3 is the classified list of university in Jaipur based on type and Table three is the alphabetical list of universities in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Categorization of Universities in Jaipur
Types	Number
Central University	00
State Universities	06
Deemed University	02
Private University	17
Entire	25

Table 3: Universities in Jaipur

S.No.	Name	Type
1	Amity University	Private
2	Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication	State
3	Homeopathy University	State
4	IIS University	Deemed
5	Jagadguru Ramanand Acharya Sanskrit University	State
6	Jagannath University	Private
7	Jayoti Vidyapeeth Womens University	Private
8	JK Lakshmipat University	Private
9	JECRC University	Private
10	LNM Institute of Information Technology	Private
11	Mahatma Jyotirao Phule University	Private
12	Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology	Private
13	Maharaj Vinayak Global University	Private
14	Malviya National Institute of Technology	Deemed
15	Manipal University	Private
16	NIMS University	Private
17	Purnima University	Private
18	Pratap University	Private
19	Raffles University	Private
20	Rajasthan University of Health Sciences	State
21	Rajasthan University	State
22	Suresh Gyan Vihar University	Private
23	University of Engineering and Management	Private
24	University of Police, Crime and Criminology	State
25	Vivekanand Global University	Private

Table 4: List of University in Jaipur

Organizational construction of University Libraries in Jaipur

The successful library edifice is one which clearly and straight expresses and provides for the maps that are performed within it. It should be good borne in head that some of the general rules of planning which could function as standards in the visible radiation of which the edifice programs can be critically reviewed in the often altering technological environment. Below table gives the statues of library edifice in Universities in Jaipur.

Statues of Library	Number
Mugwump	3
Part of Administration Block	8
Part of Academic Block	10
Partially Independent	4
Entire	25

Table 5: Statues of Library Building in Universities of Jaipur

Figure 2: Statues of Library Building in Universities of Jaipur

The figure states that 40 % libraries are the portion of Academic Block ; 32 % are the portion of Administration Block and merely 12 % are Independent Library edifice. Rest are Partially Independent, means the entryway and issue is apart from the chief edifice of which they are the portion.

In our topographic point survey, we come to cognize that the procedure of ICT applications has been started in all the university libraries by doing suited alterations in the bing edifices.The below figure define the cybernation of the Libraries. 30 % Libraries are still traditional and remainder are Hybrid Libraries.

Figure 3: Manner of Functioning in Library in Universities of Rajasthan

The diagrammatic representation in Figure 3 presents the manner of working in University libraries. It revealed that 30 % libraries were traditional in their on the job manner. Merely 40 % university libraries were fully-automated and 30 % libraries are partially-automated. 20 % libraries are rendering electronics services. As such, 70 % library edifices are considered to be suited for IT application. The usage depends upon the working and opening hours of Library. The impact of ICT has made Libraries available 365X24X7. The e-resources and networking has ensured the users to acquire maximal information within clip through their Personal computer /Laptops and smart phones. The library can be carried anyplace and can be accessed any clip with the ICT applications.

Figure 4: Working hours of Libraries

The Figure 3 represent the working hours of the university libraries. 44 % university libraries offer their services for 10 hours and 8 % university Libraries work for more than 12 hour.

The functioning efficiency of university library depends fundamentally on the public presentation of their staff working at that place in. It is hence, imperative that sufficient strengths of library staff should be available for rendering services to the patronage in the library- both professional and semi professional. The figure of library forces no uncertainty varies from library to library due to variation involvement of university governments sing library services and handiness of financess provided by university disposal. The recommendation of Dr. Ranganathan Committee of 1957 for Staff Pattern has major impact on all the university libraries. The present statues of the staff is as below

	Number of Staff members	Number of University Libraries
	& gt ; 50	20
	51- 100	4
	& lt ; 100	1
	Entire	25

Table 6: Statues of Library staff in ICT age

Figure 5: Graphic representation of Library Staff in ICT age.

The major consequence of ICT on library forces has been evident in the signifier that lesser figure with better quality is required to offer efficient services in university libraries. The above graph show that maximal libraries have lesser figure in Library staff due to Library Management package.

Resource development of a university library starts with the acquisition of different types of paperss on different topics of specialisation which suit the programmes and necessities of the concerned establishments. Most of University Libraries have good aggregation of documental beginnings, like books, periodicals, studies, etc. Majority of University Libraries have book aggregation up to four hundred thousand, rubrics and subscribe current diaries up to seven 100s.

Measure in Lakh	No. of Universities Libraries
& gt ; 1,00,000	19
1,00,001-2,00,000	1
2,00,001-300,000	2
3,00,001-above	3
Entire	25

Table 7: Legislative acts of Collection in Libraries

Figure 6:Collections in University Libraries

Above informations show that merely 4 per centums good established libraries poses more than three lakh books, periodicals, and diaries in print every bit good as in non print version besides. These are State University Libraries which have been established more than 50 old ages. Beside this 76 % libraries have less than one lakh resources. These libraries are chiefly freshly established University Libraries either State or Private Universities and are in nascent phase.

The usage of University Libraries may be increased by supplying information sing handiness of different types of documental beginnings to all the modules, i.e. , Science, Arts and Commerce, etc. This can be done by bring forthing different types of information services.

Information is concerned with the users and the activities involved in the flow/ services from university library to the user. The aims of information services are to carry through demands, to fulfill wants and to make new desires. Therefore, information can be viewed as a procedure of exchange and a manner to further the partnership between the library and the user. No attempt of information service will be effectual unless we have knowledge or thought about the behavioral form of the possible user and besides the thought of the composing of society. In position of all this the university libraries have to carry on studies sporadically, in order to understand the users requirement sing information services, debut of new information services, pricing services, place/channels of distribution of services, etc.

Figure 7:Information about computerised user services

Figure 8: Information about Traditional User Services

Figure 7 and Figure8 province the per centum of libraries supplying the ICT based services and traditional services in the Universities of Jaipur. No University is supplying interlingual rendition services to users, though maximal information/literature is published in foreign linguistic communications. With a comparing to computerised services still tradition services are given to the users, it has been observed that most of the university libraries have non conducted any study to determine the demand/needs of users for information services which is one of the of import facets of information services.

In recent yearss the demand of users can non be satisfied until all the libraries join together to portion their resources with each other. Resource Sharing, Networking of Libraries and usage of Internet/ Intranet Services are enabling the libraries to supply maximal services and resources to their users.

It has been observed that most of the libraries have traditional, every bit good as, e-resources in their libraries. Universities in Rajasthan are interconnected through web with each other. The web provides the installations to entree database of all the member libraries. Maximum university libraries in Jaipur are member of DELNET and the State Universities are availing the installations from UGC-Infonet and INDEST- Consortia ( as per regulations of UGC ) for resource sharing.

Maximal Universities are holding good figure of computing machine systems in the libraries along with multimedia installations. All the province Universities holding an cyberspace Center apart from the Libraries. The Private Universities have rich ICT installations and supply maximum user based services with available Information Resources.

Decision:

As defined above the work of library can be grouped into few operations and merchandises: acquisition of books, periodicals, studies and non-book stuffs, etc. , proficient processing of reading stuffs like categorization, indexing, abstracting, etc. digest of bibliographies, directories, etc. creative activity of local information database, online entree to national and international databases, usage of external databases on local computing machines, circulation of paperss control, communicating and networking. On the whole, this survey has examined the bing place and state of affairs of Infrastructural installations, information services/ activities in ICT environment, in regard of UGC, ICAR, AICTE, HRD, NAAC, etc. , in inside informations and reveals the undermentioned facts as:

• 24 hours entree to computing machine research labs,
• physical isolation of specific countries to let hours of entree, e.g. , unfastened modesty aggregation and next computing machine, run offing and survey installations,
• flexible acquisition infinites equipped with web entree including multimedia resources and applications package such as word processing, specializer aid near at manus,
• production installations for usage by clients to develop their ain audio-visual and multimedia resources in a assortment of formats,
• video-conferencing installations for client usage,
• installations to back up client engagement in networked online treatment groups,
• laptop moorage installations, wireless laptops handiness,
• specialised installations for research workers such as fully-equipped work-stations back uping information entree and retrieval with full word-processing and printing installations adjacent to specialist aid from mention bibliothecs,
• particular survey sphere for graduate student pupils,
• open-access compacts postponing,
• proviso of next refreshment installations such as unfastened modesty,
• tele-conferencing installations for administrative intent,
• co-location of service desks for increased staffing,
• increased physical integrating with related units in the organisational construction such as information engineering, pupil support and instruction and acquisition.

The libraries have changed with clip from mere inactive depot of interested aggregation of paperss to dynamic service Centres, functioning all professionals and non professionals using utile and need-based aggregation of paperss. Similarly the Library edifice is non the bound of a library, now we talk for digital library, electronic library, practical library and a library without walls. The construct of resource sharing should be adopted by every university library to maximise the resource/ services of library. It is further suggested that maximal aggregation in any library should be in electronic format, so that it can be easy accessed through web on computing machine system anyplace in the universe. Pinpointed information can be sorted by cardinal words in minimal clip.

The basic and basicss of librarianship are to supply right information to compensate user at the right clip. These are non traveling to be changed, in the environment of digital libraries. Inspite of the assorted barriers in the accomplishment development, the LIS professionals will get the timely accomplishments and go on to be dependable beginning for the information searchers. The accomplishments are to be developed by LIS to utilize e-mail efficaciously, to utilize telecommunication agencies economically, to utilize the web with just thought of handiness of assorted information beginnings, the accomplishments to roll up directories of information beginnings, services and to fix lists of assorted resources.

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