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Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify and evaluate the collections within digital libraries and repositories in India available in the public domain. Design/methodology/approach: The digital libraries and repositories were identified through a study of the literature, as well as internet searching and browsing. The resulting digital libraries and repositories were explored to study their collections. Findings: Use of open source software especially for the creation of institutional repositories is found to be common. However, major digital library initiatives such as the Digital Library of India use custom-made software. The collection size in most digital libraries and repositories is in a few hundreds. Practical implications: The paper highlights the state of digital libraries and repositories in India in late 2007. Originality/value: The paper is the first of its kind that attempts to identify and evaluate digital libraries and repositories in India. It also gives a comprehensive listing of digital libraries and institutional repositories in India available in the public domain.

Discusses the development of Electronic Library at TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi). Highlights include: hardware and software used; the digital library/Virtual Electronic Library; directory of Internet journals; virtual reference resources; electronic collection/Physical Electronic Library; downloaded online full-length documents available on the Internet; journals, CD-ROM collections, and other in-house collections and databases; the library catalog; and benefits. (AEF)

Purpose — The purpose of this research is to identify and evaluate the collections within digital libraries and repositories in India available in the public domain. Design/methodology/approach — The digital libraries and repositories were identified through a study of the literature, as well as internet searching and browsing. The resulting digital libraries and repositories were explored to study their collections. Findings — Use of open source software especially for the creation of institutional repositories is found to be common. However, major digital library initiatives such as the Digital Library of India use custom-made software. The collection size in most digital libraries and repositories is in a few hundreds. Practical implications — The paper highlights the state of digital libraries and repositories in India in late 2007. Originality/value — The paper is the first of its kind that attempts to identify and evaluate digital libraries and repositories in India. It also gives a comprehensive listing of digital libraries and institutional repositories in India available in the public domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the contributions of public libraries to the satisfaction of the intellectual needs of rural inhabitants in West Bengal, India. The study applied a quantitative survey method with the help of a well-structured questionnaire. Questionnaires were distributed among to the users (students, officers/professionals, self-employed individuals, businessmen, jobseekers, retired persons, and housewives) of 45 rural public libraries in five selected districts of West Bengal. The study found that the largest group of respondents belonged to the students and jobseekers categories, who visit the rural public libraries for seeking academic and job-related information. Many students from humble backgrounds were solely dependent on public libraries because they have procured some textbooks from middle school up to graduation level. Jobseekers were mostly consulting the Career Guidance Section of the library to prepare for various competitive exams. The study also revealed that public libraries have been trying to satisfy the intellectual and informational needs of the rural inhabitants by providing various services and facilities. Respondents have further reported that public libraries should adopt modern technologies and provide ICT-based library services as well. The outcome of this study would help to develop and upgrade the public library collection, services, and facilities in developing countries in a way that reflects patrons' stated needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenough's large-scale geological map of India (1854) represents a significant landmark in the history of geological cartography in India, it being the first geological map of the entire Indian sub-continent. This paper attempts to provide an account of the production, distribution, variants and survivorship of this pioneering map. The geological information contained on the map is based almost entirely on published data sources, Greenough never having visited India, yet the map is far more than a mere compilation. Its construction required the preparation of a topographic base map, geological interpolation over large swathes of unmapped territory, the organizing of mainly lithological descriptions into a unified chronostratigraphic order, and the integration of palaeontological information. By modern standards the delineation of strata on the map is imprecise, stratigraphic resolution is poor, and structural data are entirely lacking, yet it remained unrivalled as the only available geological map of all-India until the Geological Survey of India produced a smaller-scale map some twenty-four years later. In terms of areal coverage and paucity of reliable information, Greenough's India map represents a far more ambitious and pioneering undertaking than his more famous geological map of England and Wales. 202 copies of the map were produced, sixty of which were purchased by the East India Company, while a further forty or so were gifted by Greenough to various public institutions and distinguished geologists. Edward Stanford acquired publishing rights to the map in 1855 and continued to offer copies for sale until at least 1898. A recent survey has identified three variant states of the map and has confidently located thirty-four surviving copies. For reasons outlined here, Greenough's India map has languished in obscurity since its publication. It deserves to be better known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This empirical study aims to measure the performance of electronic service quality and related infrastructure in a state university library and suggests the strategies for further improvement based on this study. Design/methodology/approach: The data collection was done through a survey questionnaire based on the 22 attributes of four e-Service quality dimensions rated on five-point Likert scale. The sample population consisted of 239 respondents comprising of different categories of users of university library. Findings: The results of this study indicated that all four dimensions rated by the users fell between mean score 3 to 4 (good), the highest score was received in dimension online public access catalogue (OPAC) and internet service with followed by Library website, Library electronic equipment's and e-User education. Out of total 22 e-Service quality attributes, none of the attributes received score above 4 (excellent), which indicates that still university library need to improve the current performance of e-Service quality and to take remedial steps to enhance the existing e-services and infrastructure. Practical implications: Findings from this study could assist university library authority to sustain and enhance performance of e-Services that could achieve the core journey of the modern university libraries. Originality/value: This study was the first endeavour for measurement of the performance of e-Service quality and related infrastructure of federal university libraries in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of district-level public libraries in West Bengal, India. The study focused on staff as well as services against the backdrop of collection development policy. It also investigated the problems faced by librarians and suggested measures to overcome these difficulties. The researchers used a mixed-methods approach – quantitative and qualitative methods – to obtain the data. However, the primary means of data collection was a survey method using a structured questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were carried out with librarians in order to bring more subjectivity to the results. The findings suggest that no selection committees have taken place to recruit new staff in different public libraries; hence, libraries have been suffering from a shortage of staff. Due to severe shortage of library staff, book database has not been completed in Libsys library management software in any surveyed library. Public libraries are established to provide a variety of services to their users. Thus, services are the main product of the public library system. The findings reveal that different kinds of services – such as children's, career guidance and community information services – are provided by the surveyed libraries to benefit their user communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Disability’; the ‘D’ word generally speaks its own meaning, as anyone who is different from others in terms of physical and mental impairment. There are various types of disabilities; broad categories such as physical and communication disability, mental illness and mental retardation, learning disabilities and so forth. In this article, an attempt has been made to describe the term ‘visual impairment’ which falls under the category of physical and communication disability. The next section of the article presents activities of the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, Dehradun, India to make the visually impaired self-sufficient and to recognize the role played by the Institute in disseminating information to them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In southern India, forming the Deccan Shiite governments (1098-895 AH / 1687-1489 AD), which was simultaneous with the Safavid reign in Iran, resulted in incremental Iranians’ immigration to this region. Among immigrants, Iranian Shiite physicians, due to their high medical knowledge and considerable skill, along with the support of the Shiite rulers, enhanced their status and settled in areas under the control of those governments, contributing to the festive medical production and developments there. The main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of the Iranian Shiite physicians, who migrated to the Deccan region, on the Shiite governments' medical advancements. The research hypothesis is that the Iranian physicians developed medicine by establishing Dar al-Shifa (medical schools and hospitals) and teaching and authoring medical books in Persian. Moreover, upon the invitation and support of the Adil Shahi, Nizam Shahi, and Qutb Shahi Shiite rulers, they were appointed as special physicians in the court, resulting in the flourishing and advancement of medical sciences in those areas. The research employed a descriptive-analytical research method and collected data by library resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the expectation and perception of the users of a library of reputed special academic institute in India on quality of library services. The paper is an effort to identify a service gap within five SERVQUAL dimensions rated by the library users. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted through a survey methodology. The survey was implemented through a questionnaire based on five SERVQUAL dimensions. The data were collected by using 22 attributes of SERVQUAL for user expectations and perceptions of special academic institute library, and the gap score between expectation and perception of users was calculated. Based on the expectation mean score and gap score of each attributes, the researchers have identified the service shortfall in five SERVQUAL dimensions. Findings: The result of the study indicates that there is an overall service quality (SQ) gap in services provided by institute library. However, the library is providing relatively satisfactory services to the faculty, but it needs to enhance up to the expectation level of its services to their registered participants. From the study, the average expectation score is very high and it indicates that users expect more from the institute library, particularly in Reliability and Tangibles dimensions. Out of the total 22 SERVQUAL attributes, the result reflects that 10 SERVQUAL attributes have high expectation and high service gap. Originality/value: This paper will assist libraries to improve their library services, particularly in special academic training libraries. Determining SQ has been originated from marketing discipline that has progressively shown its value in the discipline of library and information science profession. This study contributes to the emergent body associated with SQ measures in libraries. Expectation-service gap chart and expectation-service gap grid are the major contribution and rarely found in SERVQUAL literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is based on the secondary data compiled by the Ministry of Human Resource & Development, Govt., of India for the period 2012-13, 2013-14 & 2014-15 and was released as the ranking list of Institutes of Engineering and Technology in India for the year 2016. The study aims to assess the Returns on Investment (ROI) of the twenty leading libraries of the Institutes of Engineering and Technology in India in the form of institutional research output. An attempted has also been made to rank the each individual library on the basis of seven different parameters chosen for the study and worked out the difference between their ascribed rank as per the MHRD list and the achieved ranks worked out on the basis of chosen. The rankings have been calculated on the basis of scores earned by each individual library against each individual parameter. The results showed that the Institutes of Engineering and Technology in India concentrate more on procurement of electronic resources in their libraries, spending nearly three-fourth of their budget on the procurement of electronic documents mostly in the form of online journals and eBooks. While evaluating the ascribed and achieved ranking, 95% libraries under study faced shuffle, as 55% libraries slipped in their rank, while as 45 % improved and 5% showed no change. The study gives a clear idea about the importance of libraries and the part these sub-institutions' play in the overall ranking of their institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This survey paper aims to find out how far the security is a concern and how the university libraries are lacking in this sector. The paper reviewed the literature on security issues and identified issues are verified through a survey of 21 University Libraries of West Bengal. The study finds out that security is a neglected area in libraries and only 5 university libraries have been able to cross a significant role. There is a need to evaluate the security scenario in the libraries of India and emphasis should be given on such issues. There has been more concern about the service but there is a need to put emphasis on the security management area in the library and information centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian missionaries working in India in the nineteenth century made numerous important contributions to European and North American understandings of Islam. One such contribution was theDictionary of Islamcompiled by the Anglican missionary Thomas Patrick Hughes, who was serving in Peshawar on the border between British India and Afghanistan. Drawing upon sources such as collections of Hadith, he provided both brief definitions and some longer analyses of a wide range of aspects of Muslim beliefs, practices and history. However, his compilation was not entirely based on textual sources, but was also informed by daily contact with Muslims in and around Peshawar, particularly Maulavi Ahmad of Tangi. Hughes combined his interest in defining Islam with a passion for exploring and explaining Afghan culture and politics to his readership in Britain. Although situated on ‘the edges of empire’, Hughes nonetheless found himself at the centre of world events as the intrigue between Britain and Russia resulted in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Although located in what some considered a minor province on the periphery of the Muslim world, he nonetheless produced a major reference work on Islam that is still in print. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this article is to highlight the status and application of an automated cataloging system in central university libraries in north India. Data has been collected using questionnaires. Interview and observation techniques have also been used to bring objectivity in the present study. Results show that varying levels of progress have been made with respect to implementation of a cataloging system. Results also show that with the help of automation, libraries have satisfied user communities by way of easy retrieval. It has removed discrepancies and set a trend for standardization. Furthermore, staff morale has been boosted up in an automated environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Monastery libraries have, for centuries, been the hub of religious education and research. They house collections that are unique and even rare and have been useful to students of religion as well as to members of the public. Some, along with the monasteries to which they are attached, even serve as tourist attractions, being as they are ancient relics with rich culture and history. The Tawang Monastery, in Arunachal Pradesh, India, is one such monastery whose libraries are unique and valuable. This paper reports results of a study on the collection in the two libraries of Tawang Monastery which not only found that they are among the best in terms of format, variety and value but also discovered shortcomings like shortage in staff and space which need to be addressed at the earliest.Design/methodology/approach For this research, case study method was used by the researchers. The tools used for data collection were questionnaire and interview. This is because they were found to be easier and convenient methods to carry out this research. Apart from that, observation method was also carried out throughout the research period. Besides these field work research methods, literature review was also carried out to gather mostly historical and some background information about the monastic libraries in India. Internet searching was also carried out to find out other relevant information.Findings This study provides an enumerative account of collection development in the Tawang monastery libraries. During the study, certain pitfalls were noted. First, the ancient Parkhang library building is in a very precarious state of existence. In fact, the library building was undergoing renovation during the period of this study. Due to this very reason also, it’s collection of Kanjur and Tanjur religious texts have not been subjected to any preservation methods, although it is of utmost necessity.Research limitations/implications During this particular period of study the ancient Parkhang library was undergoing the process of building renovation. In fact, the whole library building was deserted as a result, and was in topsy-turvy condition. The tour of the library hall was given, for whatever it was worth by the librarian himself, during which some photographs were taken. Hence, most of the data collection was possible only due to the dedicated cooperation of the monks and a few learned teaching staff of the monastery school. Much relevant information was collected through personal interviews, apart from the questionnaire sets. On the other hand, no such hindrance was faced for the data collection from the school library.Originality/value This study, to an extent, shows that the collection development in the Tawang monastery libraries (especially Parkhang library) is a very vital and important asset, both for the state of Arunachal Pradesh and for India as well. It is the first full-fledged study on collection development in the Tawang Monastery libraries, covering all aspects of the topic at hand, and can serve as a precedent to other such studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose 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.Design/methodology/approach 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.Findings 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.Originality/value 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to examine the current practices related to e-resource collection development in management libraries of India with special reference to the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi with some constructive suggestions for improvement in this area.Design/methodology/approach A well-structured questionnaire was administered to the librarians of the nine management libraries under study.Findings The management libraries are actively involved in building e-resource collection. The budget allocation for purchase of e-resources has increased progressively over the years in majority of the libraries. The factors that, to a great extent, affect selection of e-resources include quality, subject coverage, license agreements and vendor support. The study found that libraries associated with management institutions such as ABS, DMS-IITD, FMS, BIMECH and FSM need to add more management-related databases.Research limitations/implications The paper restricts the study exclusively to e-resources as the type of material and the librarians of nine major management institutions of NCR of Delhi as the respondents in its scope of discussion.Practical implications The study is of great importance to information professionals of similar management institutions in India. The recommendations made could also help solve some of the challenges that are being faced.Originality/value Very little is known about the electronic resource collection development practices followed in management institutes’ libraries of India owing to lack of significant research undertaken on the topic. This study is, therefore, significant because its findings fill up the existing knowledge gap in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the literature about oriental manuscript collections in India and provide an overview of the area. Design/methodology/approach – A core set of literature on oriental manuscript collections in India was retrieved after doing a thorough literature search in different databases. Literature on various aspects of this topic was reviewed. The paper is organized based on various themes to make the study fruitful for various sections of society. Findings – Oriental manuscripts are present in different research libraries, university libraries and public libraries in India but university libraries are leading others in preserving these manuscripts, with few exceptions. Manuscripts are available in different oriental languages but mostly in Sanskrit. Every religious sect in India has contributed immensely in collecting and preserving these manuscripts. The contribution of famous kings of Indian history is also enormous in this regard. Research limitations/implications – The review does not claim to be exhaustive, as most sources might have been skipped during the study for their non-availability. Originality/value – This paper provides a concise overview of manuscripts present in different Indian libraries and research institution/universities and provides a valuable entry point to the field of Indian manuscripts for research scholars, information scientists and other interested parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the extent to which outsourcing of human resources (HR) is used and the attitude of the library staff towards outsourcing in science and technology libraries in Delhi and Chandigarh, India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is the result of a survey conducted in 25 science and technology libraries of Delhi and Chandigarh, India. Questionnaire and interview tools of survey were used to collect the primary data. Findings – Most of the Indian libraries have been using selective outsourcing for many years, which has had favourable impact on the activities and services of these libraries. Outsourcing seems a viable solution, as a majority of the libraries lack the required permanent HR. Normally, outsourcing is considered to be an anti-staff and an anti-professional activity. However, the study found the library professional staff supportive of outsourcing because it reduced their workload and improved their skills and professional competencies. Originality/value – This paper explores the hidden practices of Indian libraries to fill the gaps present in required and available HR. However, they hesitate to accept openly that outsourcing is a tool for managing resources and services that are not available in-house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article emphasizes the need to address the converging as well as diverging factors of Libraries, Archives and Museums (LAMs) for expanding the scope of proposed convergence beyond integrated access. While thinking about this convergence we must protect the role, focus, scope and identities of these disciplines rather than treating them as the same thing referred to by different terminologies. Such a mixed approach has been manifested in many generalized software solutions which loosely claim to manage archives, museums, libraries and repositories together. The courses on museology, archives, library and information science offered in India and elsewhere are found to be at different phases of evolution in terms of integration of digital preservation methods. We have performed gap analysis of digitalization in libraries, archives and museums from the Indian perspective and a set of actions are proposed to bridge this gap. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the information-seeking behavior of science and social science research scholars, including service effectiveness, satisfaction level on different type of sources and various methods adopted by the scholars for keeping up to date. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of 200, randomly selected, PhD students of science and social science departments of four universities in Kerala, India. Findings – Although similarities exist between social science and science PhD students with regard to information-seeking behavior, there are significant differences as well. There is a significant difference between science and social science scholars on the perception of the adequacy of print journals and database collection which are very relevant to the research purposes. There is no significant difference between science and social science scholars on the perception of the adequacy of e-journals, the most used source for keeping up to date. The study proved that scholars of both the fields are dissatisfied with the effectiveness of the library in keeping them up to date with latest developments. Originality/value – The study is based on actual situation and the result can be used for library service redesign for different types of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) libraries represent an important component of the scientific and technical information system in India, but there are a few studies published in national and international library and information science journals that describe the thirty-seven member libraries. We provide an overview of the names of the libraries, their locations, dates of founding, subject focus, and holdings. We then review forty-eight articles that deal with one or more of them. We find that most studies have focused on resource sharing, interlibrary loan, document delivery, and the increasing use of e-resources. A few studies address staffing, library budgets, and management practices and the overall impact of these libraries on research and development. Our goal is to provide librarians within India and abroad with a foundation upon which to advance studies of this network and its member libraries, and to extend comparisons to other sci-tech networks in India and across the globe that have a similar sci-tech focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of scholarly electronic journals at the Indian Institute of Science. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper examines the methodology and results from a questionnaire-based survey of networked electronic services in India at the Indian Institute of Science (llSc) libraries, serving a variety of disciplines. A random sample of the main cohort was selected and, during five months from January 2004 until May 2004, 700 copies of the questionnaire were distributed among 40 departments of IISc; 397 completed and valid questionnaires (56.7 per cent) were received. Findings -- The results showed a growing interest in electronic journals among the users at liSt. Electronic journals were mostly used for research needs and PDF was the most preferred format. The fact that users have free access to electronic journals at all hours from their own computers seems to be the most appealing feature. Research limitations/implications -- There are many factors that may affect the use of scholarly electronic journals. An attempt is made in this study to see how these resources are being used in a multi-disciplinary institute in India. Limiting its focus to one institute, this paper provides useful empirical evidence for library staff and the research community. Practical implications- - The results of the study will be useful for library staff at IISc and similar institutes in India. Originality/value -- The paper provides original data from Indian end users regarding their use of scholarly electronic journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study which has described the need for a digital repository of Summer Internship Project (SIP) reports. The process of setting up of the Digital Repository of SIP reports using the Greenstone open source software at the ICFAI Business School in Ahmedabad, India has also been explained. The study has found that installation of the digital repository is simple but the knowledge of computers and Greenstone software is necessary. The study shows that the digital repository which provides ICFAI Business School, with a central facility for systematic archiving of summer internship project reports, is of use to students, faculties and the organizations.