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In this article the author focuses on the league against Imperialism and the Meerut Conspiracy Case. It states the connection of Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime Minister of India, with the league warranted a serious threat to the colonial state's policing of India's boundaries in the context of the bureoning and robust internationalist networks against imperialism.

The date of onset of the southwest monsoon in western India is critical for farmers as it influences the timing of crop plantation and the duration of the summer rainy season. Identifying long-term variability in the date of monsoon onset is difficult, however, as onset dates derived from the reanalysis of instrumental rainfall data are only available for the region from 1879. This study uses documentary evidence and newly uncovered instrumental data to reconstruct annual monsoon onset dates for western India for the period 1781-1878, extending the existing record by 97 years. The mean date of monsoon onset over the Mumbai (Bombay) area during the reconstruction period was 10 June with a standard deviation of 6.9 days. This is similar to the mean and standard deviation of the date of monsoon onset derived from instrumental data for the twentieth century. The earliest identified onset date was 23 May (in 1802 and 1839) and the latest 22 June (in 1825). The longer-term perspective provided by this study suggests that the climatic regime that governs monsoon advance over western India did not change substantially from 1781 to 1955. Monsoon onset over Mumbai has occurred at a generally later date since this time. Our results indicate that this change is unprecedented during the last 230 years. Following a discussion of the results, the nature of the relationship between the date of monsoon onset and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is discussed. This relationship is shown to have been stable since 1781. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor: The entire world is waging a battle to combat the threat of Corona virus,[[1]] the biggest healthcare challenge of our times; the people with visual impairment are no exception. Hence, the WHO recommends immediate attention and action by key stakeholders to provide support to this vulnerable group.[[2]] Being a collaborative partner of WHO, the Institute for Vision Rehabilitation at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, South India, is addressing this concern through a telerehabilitation approach. Experiences from this model prove that the telerehabilitation influenced by the combined efforts of families and therapists is successful in ensuring the continuity of rehabilitation intervention in the prevailing situation. [Extracted from the article]

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has affected the libraries to the great extent. Libraries use ICT to maintain housekeeping operations, services, uniformity and extension of library facilities. University libraries of Rajasthan (India) are using computer and associated technology for library activities. This study attempts to reveal the basic infrastructure, use, and privation during the implementation of ICT in University libraries of Rajasthan. The data have been collected using the survey method. The paper encompasses the information about the staff, collection, financial sources, hardware, software, networking infrastructure, housekeeping operations, user's services, training and problems areas encountered during implementation of ICT in university libraries. It is revealed that ICT activities are under developing stage in the university libraries of Rajasthan. The lack of basic management and proper planning and frequently change in ICT are the basic hurdles for successful implementation and development of ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this digital environment, it is the libraries responsibility to provide latest and timely information to the end users. Advanced technologies in Software field have developed so many major changes in every walk of life. Automation of Library not only saves the time of the Reader but also the time of the Library professionals and enhances the image of the library. In order to provide effective and efficient services to the user community, it is very much necessary to automate the library. In this connection, the CPA College library has been automated and the experiences faced during the automation process are discussed in this article. [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]

The article presents the results of an analytical study investigating library services, resources, and information technology (IT) infrastructure in medical college libraries in Gujarat, India. The study's goals and mixed case study and questionnaire methodology are described, and the finding that IT infrastructure and library automation are at what the authors describe as an insufficient state of development is commented on. The suggestions that more focus should be given to human resources development is also offered.

The article presents the results of a study investigating the use of electronic resources at the Krishnasamy Collect of Engineering & Technology Library in Cuddalore, India. The study's goals of determining the utilization, satisfaction levels, and opinions of students, faculty, and staff regarding electronic information resources and methodology are described, and the findings that many more students than faculty utilized electronic resources and that many still preferred print versions of resources due to convenience are explored.

A case study is presented on trends in the use of electronic journals (e-journals), with a focus on the PEC University of Technology in Chandigarh, India. Topics include the researchers' preferred methods of accessing e-journals at PEC, the advantages of e-journals over print material, and the infrastructure and facilities provided by the PEC library for accessing e-journals.

The article examines the role of information technology (IT) services in academic libraries as technological innovations like the Internet become more prevalent in research. It examines student and staff perceptions of the impact of IT services as well as user expectations and the use of IT in the Institute for International Management and Technology (IIMT) in India. Other topics include a profile of the IIMT Library's technological services, an analysis of the data collected from student users of the library, and recommendations on how IIMT staff can improve their IT services.

This paper discusses the digital library as an assemblage of digital computing, storage, and communications machinery together with the content and software needed to reproduce, emulate and extend the services. Definition of digital library, what is digitization, need for digitization, digitization process, problems in digitization, hardware and software for digitization, challenges of library professional, challenges of digitization of library, role of library professionals, digital library: initiatives and the future of digital libraries in India are included in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has influenced the libraries for its overall betterment. Libraries use ICT to manage communication facilities, housekeeping operations, user's services, standardization and extension of library activities. University libraries of Madhya Pradesh (MP) are in transition stage in the use of ICT. The study is based on librarians' views and attempts to reveal the real scenario of university libraries of MP as regards to its infrastructure, use and problems to develop and maintain the ICT in libraries. Survey method has been used in the study to find out the present ICT infrastructure in University libraries and use of ICT in terms of communication facilities, collection, hardware, software, networking infrastructure, housekeeping operations, user's services, training and problem areas of the university libraries. The paper concludes that university libraries of MP are in a developing stage in its infrastructure and use of ICT. Lack of proper planning and supervision and frequent change in ICT are the basic hurdles in successful development of ICT in university libraries in MP. [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]

The article presents the results of a study investigating information literacy skills among science students at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, India. The study's goals of quantifying student's information literacy and the extent to which information literacy programs met their needs and methodology of using student questionnaires is examined, and the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) competency for students is commented on. Suggestions for improving informaiton literacy programs are also offered.

The paper is based on the survey research undertaken during 2008-2010. The availability of GL collections and its use pattern in the Recognised Research Centres of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) have been analysed on the basis of the responses of the librarians and the personal observation of the situation in the libraries. A detailed attempt is also made to capture the responses of the users on the use pattern of GL. The users constitute the faculty members engaged in supervising the research programmes, and the research scholars who have registered for doctoral research. The extent of the use of the 6 types of conventional form of GL: theses, dissertations, institutional publications, trade literature, technical reports and proceedings of conferences, seminars and workshops have been studied. Further, the research covers aspects involved in building need based GL collections. Habits of the faculty in visualizing the recent releases of GL and the trends in exploiting the GL collections of the local and regional libraries have been depicted. The research suggests for the creation of databases of GL, resource sharing and development of digital repositories of theses and proceedings of conferences and seminars, for which increased demand is noticed from the user community. The study also captures the training needs of the working librarians and the user community for better access and use of GL . Keywords: Use Pattern; Resource Sharing; Engineering Sciences; Orientation Programme [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the reading habits of senior secondary students at five secondary schools at Allahabad City in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), India. The study found that a majority of the students' mother tongue is Hindi and that reading motives are getting the information and improving the general knowledge. The article also offers suggestions to improve the students' reading habits, including adequate reading area and selection in the library, and forming book-discussion-clubs.

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]

Presented is a case study in which the authors examine an aspect of the Central Library of Banaras Hindu Library, India. At issue are books and other information sources in the Central Library of the university related to ancient Indian knowledge, civilization and culture. It is noted that the library was founded in 1916 as part of the Central Hindu College. A number of topics are addressed including the preservation of Indian manuscripts, an initiative sponsored by the government, the manuscript collection of Banaras Hindus University, and the process of digitization undertaken there.

In this article the authors examine the scientific research contained in doctoral dissertations produced at the University of Kerala, India. The article notes the increase in research and states that nearly 11,000 students are awarded Ph.D degrees a year in India and a majority of them specialized in the sciences. A number of topics are addressed including the department of biochemistry at the University of Kerala, the methodology employed in the production of this research paper, and the division of the biochemistry students by gender.

The article reports on library use by visually impaired persons in the libraries located in Delhi, India. At issue is the use of information and the information seeking behavior of those with visual impairments. A number of topics are addressed including the use of information in decision making and for national development, the significant number of visually impaired individuals in India, and the use and availability of software that assists impaired readers. Also discussed is the methodology used in this research survey.

The article discusses the academic libraries in two textile engineering colleges in Haryana, India. Brief information is given about related studies on collection development and the library environment. The discussion focuses on the results of a status survey of library collections at the Technological Institute of Textile and Sciences and the Panipat Institute of Textile and Engineering. Statistics concerning library orientation programs, the qualifications or academic credentials of library personnel, and book circulation are noted. Library automation infrastructure and computer operating systems used are also noted.

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]

The article focuses on topics related to the publishing of microfilm collections, online collections, and online publications. It states that the East India Co. had organized a trading operation in Bombay, India divided into several types of documents including consultations, copies of letters to London, England, and diary of events. It mentions that the digital collections referred as the Indiana Natural Resources Maps are made to identify deposits of natural gas, coal, and petroleum from 1880s to the early 1900s. It says that the Digi20 Project centers on the digitization of literature in humanities and social studies. Moreover, it adds that "A Guide to Distributed Digital Preservation" report was published to determine strategies and models for cultural memory organizations.

The article discusses the library ergonomics and modern design technologies in nine departmental libraries of an academic institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The library shelving, collection arrangement, environmental conditions, and fire safety in the academic libraries are measured as well as user satisfaction with library services and resources. The methodology used in the research included measurements of the shelving and storage space, dry-bulb and natural wet bulb, illumination level, noise level, and checklists. It was found that the academic libraries in the survey didn't meet modern ergonomic standards. Several recommendations for improvement are given.

This study explores bilateral relations of the Mughal Empire with the most powerful Muslim contemporary state of the time: the Ottoman Empire. Bilateral relations between the two empires have not received the scholarly attention they deserve. Actually, scholars while narrating Mughal relations with Persia and Central Asia in detail have almost totally ignored Mughal- Ottoman relations. The present study is a pioneering effort. It seeks to fill a gap in Indian and Ottoman historical literature by exploring Mughal India's political and diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the poetics and politics of visual culture and specifically tourist brochures and picture postcards that frame an indigenous Buddhist Sikkim for domestic and international tourists. Located in Northeast India, Himalayan Sikkim is a cultural mosaic constituted by almost 22 Indo-Tibetan and Indo-Aryan groups residing therein. It is argued that visual representations incisively frame Sikkim as a Buddhist landscape by selectively photographing mantras, sacred texts, saints, religious sites, murals and rituals that are connected with Buddhism. The growing efflorescence of Buddhism globally and the desire of tourists to experience Buddhist culture has given fresh impetus to imagining Sikkim as their living repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of the Goa University Library in India. The study examines the pricing policies of products, goods, and services which libraries offer their patrons. Topics of discussion include libraries' marketing efforts, understanding the value of information services rendered to customers, and annual library membership fees. The author concludes that libraries must examine the issue of cost recovery and potential for profit if they are to survive. Also discussed is the creative design of products and services.

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 offers information on the digital library projects initiated by a number of libraries and information centers in India. It includes the Digital Library of India (DLI) which seeks to preserve Indian heritage contained in books, manuscripts, art, and music, the National Mission for Manuscript Digitization which aims to facilitate conservation and preservation of manuscripts, and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which documents the public domain traditional knowledge.

The paper first situates the trade carried on by private European traders in the overall framework of the Indian Ocean trade in the early-modern period. It then discusses in some detail the trading network of private English merchants in the Western Indian Ocean with special reference to the Surat-Mocha link in the 1720s and the 1730s. The evidence base is provided mainly by the private papers of Sir Robert Cowan, governor of Bombay between 1729 and 1734 and a major English private trader, operating in collaboration with Henry Lowther, chief of the English factory at Surat. [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.

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)