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Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2013

Library as social space by MADHUMITHA SRINIVASAN, (Source: The Hindu, 15 Sep 2013)

Library as social space-Madhumitha Srinivasan

Libraries everywhere are reinventing themselves to attract more students.

I vaguely remember my college library. The memories that have remained are of being intimidated, bored, confused and uncomfortable, and even of being scared of earning the librarian’s reprimanding glance. Maybe it was just me, or it was the context of it being ‘long ago’ — a time before libraries woke up to the fact that they are not just places for storing books but also service organisations.

“‘If someone steals my book, I am only happy because that person wants to read it,’ is a quote I’ve read and like,” says Dr. S. Venkadesan, Director, Learning Resource Center, Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. This is the kind of attitude makeover that libraries across the country need to undergo, he feels. At a time when universities are cutting budgets and space for libraries, it is imperative to diversify the purpose of this knowledge repository to make it indispensable.

“The meaning of learning should not be restricted to just books. A library’s catalogue should be diversified to include multimedia and even games like in the library of the Hong Kong University that has a gaming room with a large screen,” he emphasises.

Venkadesan and his peers voiced similar ideas, concerns and solutions at the Librarians’ Day celebration organised by Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development (WeSchool), Mumbai. The speakers representing libraries of universities, corporates and independent organisations, centred their discussions on incorporating technology into the library practices and increasing footfalls, physically and virtually.

Ambience

Libraries everywhere are reinventing themselves as social spaces too, which seems to be doing the trick of getting more people to actually visit one. And this begins with attractive design and amenities.

“Come, visit us, eat in our round–the–clock cafeteria and our lovely courtyard where you can relax with a book and coffee,” reads the British Council, Chennai’s library webpage invitingly. Similarly, Amity University’s library has a Café Coffee Day outlet. Such facilities that go out of the way to get you to read can only be encouraging.

But a library should be a place of serious study, you say? Then straight-back chairs, a straighter posture and caffeine–free atmosphere are only killing the will to study longer.

ISB, Hyderabad, has made its library a perfect place to study but by being a lot less restrictive. You can bring along your coffee or whatever it is that you wish to drink, stay on till two in the morning and till 4 a.m. on exam days, no need to bother about a dress code or the right posture.

“You can put up your feet on the table for all we care. And statistically speaking, the number of books that have been damaged by spilt coffee or water are negligible,” reveals Venkadesan. He also adds how some university libraries abroad have lounge chairs especially for students to take a quick nap between their study sessions!

Some like the Biblioteca de Santiago, Chile, go all out to reach out to the public. They have vending stations in the subway, Biblioboat — a library on boats; Bibliobike — a library on a bicycle, open-air market-lending points, plus there are no prohibition signs in the library — “Everything is possible in the Library,” reads its website.

Even a fine ambience can work wonders rather than having mono-chromatic hard wood interiors. In the West, the Downtown Denver’s Public Library, for instance, also doubles up as a high-profile art centre by showcasing sculptures, murals and other art work that attract art lovers and tourists alike.

The Rotterdam Public Library has an in–house movie theatre which also hosts festivals showcasing the work of local and student filmmakers, and the National Library, Singapore, houses The Drama Centre, a performing arts centre with a theatre.

Ajay Pagare, manager, Library, Kotak Mahindra Bank, added events like author readings, competitions, exhibitions, hobby workshops and ‘Bring your children to the library’ Day to the list of suggestions to make a library more interactive and welcoming.

These ideas serve to stress the point voiced by Prof. Harsha Parekh, Ex–Professor and HoD, Department of Library and Information Science, S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai, “The success of libraries today depends on initiatives that go beyond the individual library.”

Echoing that, Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Chennai, has an arrangement with the libraries of Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Management and the Bangalore University, wherein faculty and students can visit and use the resources offered at any of these institutions’ libraries by just flashing their college ID cards.

Technology-enabled

Libraries may have assumed secondary status vis-à-vis the Internet as sources of information, but the former still scores higher on credibility of information. “Not all information is easily available on the Internet, especially scholarly information,” says Prof. Parekh. “But going the tech-way, libraries now have made available access to e-resources.”

E-journals, e-readers, audio books, podcasts, online catalogues, wi-fi, web pages, recommendations, alerts and apps — the adoption of technology is now more than ever. Multi–media rooms with access to numerous audio and video resources are a regular feature in most libraries.

An article on Pew Internet on innovating library services highlights just how much libraries in India need to catch up on the tech-adoption front: “The Skokie Public Library in Illinois, U.S., offers a digital media lab, a space with content creation tools that allow patrons to create and share video, music, photography, and design projects. Additionally, the Skokie media lab has a green screen wall for video projects.

The Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio, U.S., has a smartphone app which features a Digital Books and Media channel that makes locating and downloading e-books and e-audiobooks from the library’s collection a lot easier.

More on technology, the National University of Singapore Library Express has set up a book borrowing and returning machine at University Town.

Despite all these innovations, technology only remains a tool, not a solution. If attitudes of libraries — librarians and management — do not change, no amount of technology can help libraries feature as an option in an information-seeker’s mind.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/features/education/library-as-social-space/article5128842.ece?homepage=true



Friday, December 7, 2012

मदिरालय नहीं चाहिए पुस्तकालय

जागरण प्रतिनिधि, भागलपुर : सोमवार को स्टेशन चौक पर अस्मिता थिएटर, नई दिल्ली द्वारा सफदर हाशिमी मुक्ता मंच द्वारा मदिरालय या पुस्तकालय नामक नुक्कड़ नाटक का मंचन किया गया। अंतरराष्ट्रीय ख्याति प्राप्त लेखक व रंगकर्मी अरविंद गौड़ के इस नाटक को बड़ी खूबसूरती से कलाकारों ने लोगों के बीच परोसा। नाटक के माध्यम से कलाकारों ने इस बात की ओर लोगों का ध्यान आकृष्ट किया कि देश में खरगोश की रफ्तार से मदिरालय व कछुए की रफ्तार से पुस्तकालय खुल रहे हैं। यह सिर्फ बिहार ही नहीं बल्कि पूरे देश की स्थिति है। समाज को रोशनी दिखाने के लिए पुस्तकालय की स्थापना को लेकर सोचा भी नहीं जा रहा है। शराब के ठेके से हजारों घर बर्बाद हो रहे हैं। महिलाएं व बच्चे इसका सबसे ज्यादा शिकार हो रहे हैं। रंगकर्मियों ने डफली बजाकर नाटक का आगाज किया। कलाकारों ने भ्रष्टाचार पर भी चोट किया। 'सरफरोसी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है, देखना है कि जोर कितना बाजुए कातिल में है' गाकर भ्रष्टाचारियों को आगाह किया कि अब देश उन्हें बिल्कुल बर्दाश्त करने के पक्ष में नहीं है। उनके खिलाफ डटकर लड़ाई लड़ी जाएगी। नाटक के दौरान शिल्पी मारवाह, राहुल, पूनम रस्तोगी, ब्रजेश, गुंजन, नीतू, ओम सुधा व सिद्धार्थ ने महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई। रंगकर्मियों का परिचय सोमनाथ आर्य ने कराया। इस मौके पर रंगकर्मी बासुकी पासवान व चंद्रेश भी मौजूद थे।

http://www.jagran.com/bihar/bhagalpur-9886209.html

Friday, October 19, 2012

INDIAreads.com: Designs & upgrades libraries for corporate houses


INDIAreads.com is a unique portal that designs and upgrades libraries for corporate houses and educational institutes besides selling and renting books online.
INDIAreads.com is a unique portal that designs and upgrades libraries for corporate houses and educational institutes besides selling and renting books online.
NOIDA: A rich collection of books or a dedicated libraryat home or office always helps, be it for knowledge, reference or simply for making a style statement. A Noida-based online bookstore-cum-library, INDIAreads.com has started a unique service of designing and advisory/consulting of library collections for corporate and education sector. 

Launched in 2011, INDIAreads started as an online bookstore-cum-library with the objective of catering to book lovers and making books accessible for everyone and anywhere. Recently the portal recently started a consultancy for creating and designing libraries for all budgets - individuals, corporate houses, schools, colleges and community libraries. 

The consultancy focuses on content creation. The clients either have a pre-decided budget for their library or they ask these consultants to prepare the budget. And so, the portal gives tailor-made packages. 

"Our consulting services include corporate memberships where executives buy or rent books from us for their library. Or we prepare their budget and set up corporate libraries by designing and procuring specific books. Even for educational institutions we follow the same process. However most of these institutes opt for our upgradation or review services," says Gunjan Veda, CEO of INDIAreads.com. 

Schools and educational institutes are their primary clients. "But several companies from the corporate realm from sectors such as, IT/ITes, retail and consulting firms have shown interest and have sent queries," informs Veda. 

Her company designs libraries and then makes sure that they are upgraded regularly. "The after service focuses on maintenance, which includes periodical review through a contract. Generally a quarterly review is recommended but most of the clients go for six-monthly review," she says. 

KNOWLEDGE IS WEALTH 

Veda who has worked with the Planning Commission for some time has ensured that her corporate clients can access the INDIAreads library for their special reference collection. This collection comprises government of India publications, annual reports of ministries, guidelines on public private partnerships, state development reports etc. 

"During my stint in the Planning Commission, I traveled places where people told us that they were unable to read books just because the physical accessibility was limited," says Veda. 

With the book market growing in India, Veda has found an opportunity to carry forward her initiative to "leverage the knowledge economy and literacy levels in India". "The non-academic book market in India alone is growing at the rate of 15 percent per annum. Also with major international publishing houses opening their offices in the country, the scope for this segment is growing." 

Friday, August 24, 2012

कई सरकारी स्कूलों में नहीं समृद्ध पुस्तकालय


ओजस्कर पाण्डेय, चंडीगढ़
राइट टू एजुकेशन अधिनियम के तहत व सीबीएसइ के सर्कुलर के अनुसार सभी स्कूलों में विद्यार्थियों के व्यक्तित्व का विकास के लिए एक समृद्ध पुस्तकाल होना जरूरी है, लेकिन चंडीगढ़ के कई सरकारी स्कूलों में समृद्ध पुस्तकालय नहीं है। इसके साथ ही स्कूलों में अन्य विषयों की पढ़ाई के साथ पुस्तकालय में भी जाने का समय तय किया जाना भी जरूरी है, लेकिन चंडीगढ़ में कई सरकारी स्कूलों में या तो पुस्तकालय नहीं है और यदि हैं भी तो वहां पुस्तकालय लाइब्रेरियन नहीं है। जिस कारण विद्यार्थी पुस्तकालयों से लाभ लेने में वंचित हो रहे हैं।
जानकारी के अनुसार चंडीगढ़ प्रशासन के अंदर चलने वाले 15 सरकारी स्कूलों में लाइब्रेरियन का पद तो है, लेकिन यहां लाइब्रेरियन नहीं हैं। कई सरकारी स्कूल जैसे जीएचएस डड्डूमाजरा के स्कूल में जहां करीब दो हजार विद्यार्थी शिक्षा ग्रहण कर रहे हैं यहां पुस्तकालय स्कूल के बरामदे में चलाया जा रहा है। पेपर स्टेंड में बच्चे को खड़े होने की जगह नहीं मिलती है। लाइब्रेरियन की जगह स्कूल के किसी शिक्षक द्वारा काम चलाया जा रहा है। इसी तरह जीएसएसएस मलोया में जहां 2500 विद्यार्थी शिक्षा ग्रहण कर रहे हैं यहां लाइब्रेरियन का पद काफी दिनों से खाली पड़ा हुआ है। पुस्तकों की संख्या भी अधिक नहीं है।
धनास के सरकारी स्कूल में अन्य सरकारी स्कूलों की अपेक्षा पुस्तकों की संख्या अधिक है, लेकिन यहां भी लाइब्रेरियन नहीं है। सरकारी स्कूल विकास नगर मौलीजागरा में भी कमोबेश यही स्थिति है। यहां पुस्तकालय एक कमरे में किसी तरह चलाया जा रहा है। यहां न तो समीचीन पुस्तकें है और न ही इसकी कोई अन्य व्यवस्था ही है। यहां लाइब्रेरियन का पद तो है लेकिन लाइब्रेरियन नहीं है। विद्यार्थियों को जब तक नई पुस्तकें पढ़ने को नहीं मिलेगी वे अपने को कैसे अपडेट रखेंगे। सरकारी स्कूल सेक्टर-12 में भी लाइब्रेरियन का पद नहीं है यहां पुस्तकालय शिक्षकों द्वारा चलाया जा रहा है।
इस संबंध में गवर्नमेंट टीचर यूनियन के अध्यक्ष डा. विनोद शर्मा कहना था कि कई स्कूलों में लाइब्रेरियन का पद ही नहीं है ऐसे में यदि स्कूल व्यवस्था किसी अन्य शिक्षकों द्वारा पुस्तकालय चलाए तो वह कैसे दो विभाग के साथ न्याय करेगा। उन्होंने कहा कि यह मुद्दा जल्द ही डीपीआई के समक्ष उठाया जाएगा।
इस संबंध में जब डीपीआई उपकार सिंह से बात की गई तो उन्होंने कहा कि जल्द ही स्कूलों में लाइब्रेरियन के खाली पद भरे जाएंगे। उन्होंने कहा कि जिन पुस्तकालयों में पुस्तकों की कमी है वहां के लिए नई पुस्तकें खरीदी जाएंगी।

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Bookless Library


Don’t deny the change. Direct it wisely.

THEY ARE, in their very different ways, monuments of American civilization. The first is a building: a grand, beautiful Beaux-Arts structure of marble and stone occupying two blocks’ worth of Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The second is a delicate concoction of metal, plastic, and glass, just four and a half inches long, barely a third of an inch thick, and weighing five ounces. The first is the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the main branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL). The second is an iPhone. Yet despite their obvious differences, for many people today they serve the same purpose: to read books. And in a development that even just thirty years ago would have seemed like the most absurd science fiction, there are now far more books available, far more quickly, on the iPhone than in the New York Public Library.
It has been clear for some time now that this development would pose one of the greatest challenges that modern libraries—from institutions like the NYPL on down—have ever encountered. Put bluntly, one of their core functions now faces the prospect of obsolescence. What role will libraries have when patrons no longer need to go to them to consult or to borrow books? This question has already spurred massive commentary and discussion. But in the past year, as large-scale controversies have developed around several libraries, it has become pressing and unavoidable.
The most heated of these controversies involves the NYPL itself, which has long served as a model for other major American libraries. Under an ambitious Central Library Plan drawn up under its previous president, Paul LeClerc, the institution is preparing to banish millions of books from the venerable stacks of the main branch to off-site storage in central New Jersey, from where it will take them at least twenty-four hours to arrive in the grand Rose Main Reading Room. The plan also involves the sale of decrepit nearby facilities (notably the mid-Manhattan branch lending library, one of over eighty branch libraries in the NYPL system) and the consolidation of their functions in a renovated Schwarzman Building. The plan did not come in any direct sense as a response to digitization, but clearly digitization has made the removal of physical books easier for the library to contemplate. The protests against the plan, which include a letter signed by several hundred prominent writers and academics, have gone so far as to allege that the NYPL’s new president, Anthony Marx, formerly the head of Amherst College, sees the libraries of the future less as repositories for books and learning than as glorified Internet cafés.
This last charge is clearly incorrect. Marx arrived at the NYPL only a year ago, at a moment when the Central Library Plan had already advanced too far to be canceled. He is also, like virtually every other library director in the United States, operating under severe financial constraints. Even the Harvard University library system has seen its budget shrink drastically over the past few years, and the reduction of its staff by over a third (making it the focal point of another library controversy). At the NYPL, the acquisitions budget has shrunk 26 percent over just the last four years. Simply by consolidating several different facilities in a single building, Marx claims the new plan will save as much as $16 million a year in operating costs, or the equivalent of adding 50 percent to the library system’s endowment. The high-profile redesign of the Schwarzman Building—by Norman Foster—will attract additional funding. And Marx is anything but a barbarian geek at the gates. To the contrary, he clearly wants to put as many paper books in as many hands as possible. Among his other initiatives, he is developing a program under which all New York City public school students will be able to order books from the NYPL system, and have them delivered directly to their schools within twenty-four hours.
The critics of the Central Library Plan do have a point when they suggest that it will make the NYPL a more difficult place in which to do serious research. Even if the development of new storage spaces underneath adjacent Bryant Park minimizes the number of books ultimately shipped to New Jersey, there will still be many moments when a reader, paging through a book, excitedly learns of another one crucial to her topic, only to find that it is off-site. (The same thing occurs in many university libraries, which are making increasing use of off-site storage.) Placing a lending library in a large, attractive open space within the main branch will probably at least double the already considerable foot traffic in the building, adding to its levels of noise, dirt, and disruption, although the library is also creating new spaces for serious scholars and writers.
Soon most if not all libraries will be facing quandaries similar to that of the NYPL, owing to the devices on which more and more people are doing more and more of their reading. Already at least a fifth of all book sales come from e-books, and the numbers are rising fast. Total e-book sales in January 2012 came in close to twice those of a year previously, and were more than ten times the figure for January 2009. The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 21 percent of all Americans have read an e-book in the past year, with the proportion predictably higher among the young. Nearly all of the most popular English-language titles are downloadable, including millions of free books in the public domain, mostly digitized by Google Books. Amazon and Barnes & Noble sell hundreds of thousands of copyrighted titles for a price similar to or lower than that of the equivalent paperback. When the Harry Potter novels finally appeared in electronic versions this spring, they racked up $1.5 million in sales in just three days.
This technology cannot simply substitute for the great libraries of the present. After all, libraries are not just repositories of books. They are communities, sources of expertise, and homes to lovingly compiled collections that amount to far more than the sum of their individual printed parts. Their physical spaces, especially in grand temples of learning like the NYPL, subtly influence the way that reading and writing takes place in them. And yet it is foolish to think that libraries can remain the same with the new technology on the scene.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A library in every school, please


library 300x199 A library in every school, please

Books are to education and learning what air and water are to life. Every child needs access to the printed word and lots of encouragement to explore it in order to develop properly.
You might, therefore, be surprised to learn that many schools do not have a library or a librarian – which seems a contradiction in terms. How can you have an organisation whose raison d’ ê tre is learning if it has no library? It’s like a restaurant without a kitchen or a zoo without any animals.
There is no law requiring schools to have libraries either. I worked in a Kent secondary school in the 1990s which had a reasonable – if not wonderful – library extensively used by pupils until the head, clearly not a real educationist, decided that it was, quite literally a waste of space. She decreed that the books be shelved (marginalised?) in the back of English classrooms because she wanted to use the former library room for something else. Result? Reduced emphasis on wider reading and much less access to fewer books for students.
The Society of Authors, which represents over 9,000 writers, is campaigning with other organisations for school libraries to be a legal requirement.
A recent open letter from the Society to schools minister Nick Gibb   asserted, among other things, that ‘Primary and secondary schools should be required by law to have a school library and a trained librarian.’
Out of the question for small schools? The letter acknowledges that ‘While we think dedicated librarians should be compulsory in secondary schools and all but the smallest primary schools, we recognise that librarians are an expensive resource and at the very least a designated teacher should get specialist training in such schools.’
To Gibb’s credit he said at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference in April: ‘I passionately believe that every school should have a library.’ But one man’s passionate belief is a long way from the complete change of mindset – and financial investment – that a proper school library provision needs.
Children need protecting from philistinism just as prisoners did thirteen years ago. As in schools today, library provision in prisons must have been patchy. The Prison Rules came into force on 1 st April 1999 and were made under the power delegated to the Secretary of State by Section 47 of the Prison Act 1952.
Rule 33 states: ‘A library shall be provided in every prison and, subject to any direction of the Secretary of State, every prisoner shall be allowed to have library books and to exchange them.’ Separate, but similar, rules govern Young Offenders’ Institutions.
Now, I am one hundred per cent in favour of education and books for people who have landed themselves in prison. It is almost certainly their best hope of rehabilitation to a non-criminal life.
But it seems absurd that, although there is no definition of the term ‘library’ for prisons – so provision could still be pretty poor – prisoners have in general a better protected right to libraries and books than school children.
Yes, school libraries and librarians cost money so what about some imaginative thinking?
Many public libraries are closing – to the outrage of civilised people and those who care about education and learning. If local authorities and schools were to work together it would be possible to combine local and school libraries. The community library is then run within the school by a designated librarian and is open to both the public and school pupils.
Variations of this idea have been tried quite successfully in some places – at Sawston in Cambridgeshire, for example, where the local library is part of Sawston Village College. Let’s have much more of it.
Another thought: Surely very small schools could combine library resources and share a librarian? If one school housed the library children from elsewhere in the group could be transported there once a week to choose and exchange books. And teachers could take resource boxes back to their own schools for limited periods. Not ideal or perfect but a great deal better than nothing.
Books, libraries and access to the printed word are not only the key to all other learning and educational achievement, they are also a basic human right. It is scandalous that many of our children are being denied. Legislation please, Mr Gibb. ASAP.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Libraries Have a Key Role in Academic Accountability


The continuing drive for more accountability in academe presents “a unique opportunity” for libraries, which are well placed to connect students, faculty members, and administrators. That was the takeaway from two summits on the value of academic libraries organized by the Association of College & Research Libraries, or ACRL. The association today released a report, “Connect, Collaborate, and Communicate,” that recaps the summit conversations and offers a few recommendations.
The summits grew out of a major 2010 ACRL report on the value of academic libraries, part of the association’s effort to help its members document and demonstrate that value. Convened late last year in Chicago, the meetings brought librarians and administrators from 22 institutions together to talk about the broader landscape of assessment and where libraries fit into it. According to the new report, participants at the summits acknowledged the importance of faculty research but mainly focused on “student learning and success, an issue facing increasing public scrutiny.”
The report lists five “overarching recommendations for the library profession” that came out of the gatherings. Participants stressed the importance of helping librarians understand and measure how their libraries affect student success, and the need to develop “assessment competencies” to help put effective practices in place. They wanted to see more professional-development opportunities for librarians to learn about assessment practices. They saw a need to expand partnerships with other groups on campus who are also interested in assessment. And they wanted more integration of existing ACRL assessment tools into what librarians are doing at individual institutions.
The report suggests that libraries can make the most of the current accountability push and “spark communities of action” around the question of assessment. “Academic librarians can serve as connectors and integrators, promoting a unified approach to assessment,” it concludes. “As a neutral and well-regarded place on campus, the academic library can help break down traditional institutional silos and foster increased communication across the institutional community.”
Karen Brown, an associate professor of library and information science at Dominican University, and Kara J. Malenfant, the association’s senior strategist for special initiatives, wrote the report. Summit participants included teams of provosts and library directors from a variety of state universities and smaller colleges, including California State University, Drexel University, Grinnell College, Kansas State University, Linfield College, Moraine Valley Community College, Mount Holyoke College, Pennsylvania State University, Rio Salado College, San Diego State University, the University of West Florida, and Utah State University, among others.

Friday, May 25, 2012

A library in the schoolbag


The quest for the optimal mobile device that can advance education by improving access to learning materials and reducing costs is engaging many countries, including India. Among the more promising gadgets for the task are e-readers, which use e-ink display technology that closely matches the look and feel of a printed black and white page. Tablet computers, on the other hand, offer a full-colour, backlit screen alternative suitable for multimedia and rich content. These technologies can significantly aid the teaching-learning process. And this concept has been put to the test in a field setting in Ghana involving distribution of e-readers to hundreds of school students. One striking outcome: 43 per cent of the students, who had never used a computer, learned to use the gadget quickly. Students who had access to only a few books at home were able to read an average of 107 titles overnight. These ranged from wirelessly delivered sponsored texts to open access volumes that they downloaded. Also, several students discovered that they could listen to music, and read newspapers using the data connection. Importantly, though, 40 per cent of the gadgets broke while in use mainly because of fragile screens. These results from the project make it clear that there are key problems to be ironed out.
India's grand plan to identify a tablet device for educational purposes has been virtually stillborn. The Centre has conceded that the Aakash tablet computer distributed in limited numbers does not measure up due to problems such as heating of the device, limited battery life and unsuitable screen technology. The Department of Information Technology, which has been working with the IIT system, must show the competence necessary to come up with a robust set of specifications for the ideal “low cost access-cum-computing” device for students. The key factor that should underscore the programme is a falling price curve for the hardware. Amazon's Kindle, an e-reader, has witnessed a price fall from $399 in 2007, to $79 now. If a similar graph can be ensured in India, there can be a free or subsidised reading-learning device in every schoolbag. Moreover, the gadget must be able to exploit the ubiquitous availability of mobile data connectivity. Crucially, learning materials need to be available free of copyright costs. Literature could be sourced, for instance, using Creative Commons permission for use by students. It would be a great leap forward if a robust, affordable device can be produced through multiple vendors on an open licensing platform, with the Centre specifying the benchmarks, and monitoring compliance through a certification mechanism.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

पुस्तकालय के लिए विधान पार्षद देंगे 15 लाख


गोपालगंज, कार्यालय संवाददाता : नगर के उर्दू महाविद्यालय के प्रांगण में आयोजित कार्यक्रम में छात्राओं के बीच पोशाक के लिए एक-एक हजार की राशि का वितरण किया गया। इस दौरान विधान पार्षद सुनील सिंह ने कालेज के पुस्तकालय निर्माण के लिए 15 लाख रुपये देने की घोषणा की।
इसके पूर्व बुधवार को विधान निधि से निर्मित विद्यालय भवन का उद्घाटन करते हुए सुनील सिंह ने कहा कि अच्छे शैक्षणिक माहौल से ही छात्रों का समुचित विकास संभव है। उन्होंने कहा कि विद्यालय व कालेजों के विकास के लिए वे सदैव तत्पर रहेंगे। इस मौके पर विद्यालय के पुस्तकालय निर्माण के लिए भी उन्होंने 15 लाख रुपये देने की घोषणा करते हुए कहा कि पुस्तकालय बनने से छात्र-छात्राओं की कई समस्याओं का स्थायी समाधान होगा। छात्रा रिफत जक्की ने स्वागत गीत 'मेरी उम्मीदों के दामन में, जरा भर धूल भी रख दें तो नियामत होगी', से विधान पार्षद का स्वागत किया। इस मौके पर प्राचार्य जुल्फेकार अली, रजी अहमद फैजी, मोहम्मद मुस्तफा, दीनानाथ प्रसाद तिवारी, अजहर इमाम खां तथा मतीउर रहमान सहित कई गणमान्य लोग उपस्थित थे।

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

49600 विद्यार्थी पर भी पुस्तकालय नहीं

चकाई, (जमुई) निज प्रतिनिधि : प्रखंड के 640 गांवों में 292 मध्य एवं प्राथमिक विद्यालय, छह उच्च विद्यालय, चार इंटर स्तरीय विद्यालय एवं एक डिग्री कालेज है जिसमें 49600 विद्यार्थी पढ़ रहे हैं। इन संस्थानों के 15000 विद्यार्थी प्रतियोगिता परीक्षा की तैयारी कर रहे हैं। बावूजद इसके प्रखंड में एक भी सरकारी या गैर सरकारी पुस्तकालय नहीं है जहां बच्चों को सभी तरह की पत्रिका या पुस्तकें उपलब्ध हों। ऐसे में गरीब बच्चे उच्च शिक्षा के प्रतियोगी माहौल में पिछड़ रहे हैं। प्रखंड में 80 प्रतिशत लोग गरीबी रेखा से नीचे हैं। इनके बच्चों के पास इतना पैसा नहीं है कि वे पत्रिका एवं विभिन्न अखबार खरीद कर पढ़ सकें। ऐसे में सार्वजनिक पुस्तकालय ही इनके उम्मीद की आखिरी किरण है। जहां एक साथ कई पुस्तकें पत्रिका समाचार उपलब्ध होता है। चकाई में एक भी पुस्तकालय के नहीं होने से गरीब ग्रामीणों के बच्चे प्रतियोगिता परीक्षा में असफल हो रहे हैं। आदिवासी छात्रावास में रह कर पढ़ाई कर रहे एन्पोनी बताते हैं कि पुस्तकालय नहीं रहने से हमलोग पिछड़ रहे हैं। वहीं परांची के परमेश्वर एवं नारायण दास कहते हैं कि पुस्तकालय प्रतियोगिता परीक्षार्थी की रीड़ होती है। हमारे अभिभावक मजदूरी करके पत्रिका के लिए पैसे नहीं दे सकते हैं ऐसे में हम रोजगार के अवसर खो रहे हैं। चकाई में पुस्तकालय की स्थापना को लेकर घोरमो निवासी प्रो. धर्मेन्द्र सिन्हा ने जमुई समाहरणालय के समक्ष आमरण अनशन किया। आमरण अनशन के दौरान तत्कालीन अनुमंडलाधिकारी ने एक माह के अंदर चकाई में पुस्तकालय खोलने का लिखित आश्वासन देकर अनशन तुड़वाया। आश्वासन के एक वर्ष बीत गए परंतु चकाई में पुस्तकालय नहीं खुला। अनुमंडलाधिकारी बदल गए परिणाम वही ढाक के तीन पात साबित हुआ।
http://www.jagran.com/bihar/jamui-9284893.html

Monday, May 14, 2012

Corporators locals rue poor state of Ahmedabad libraries

While the chief minister of the state is promoting 'Vaanche Gujarat' and trying to inculcate reading habit among the people, libraries in the city are in desperate need of a makeover. So said corporators of those wards where libraries are in a bad shape.
The recent book fair organised on a vast scale by the civic body puts the poor state of libraries in the spotlight. In fact, as some denizens remarked, it is permanent well-equipped libraries that would inculcate the reading habit better than periodic book fairs.
The city presently has 51 municipal libraries, of which many are in bad shape and some have closed down due to poor public response. For instance, the library in Doshi wala ni Pol of Kalupur is in bad shape. Says corporator of Kalupur ward, Surendra Baxi, "The condition of the library is not good. Also, response from denizens is poor as the library has few books and magazines. In fact, the library has only 19 members and the number is set to fall further."
The library in Jamalpur named Lalbhai Kudiwala municipal library seems to be functioning irregularly. Locals said the library is openduring the morning only though the notice board mentions evening timings too. One of the residents of Jamalpur, Yusuf Motiwala said: "Many of the books I want to read are not available in this library. Also, the functioning of the library is very irregular."
Jamalpur residents made suggestions to improve the condition of the library. One was that there be more general knowledge books for children and encyclopedias. "New books should be constantly be brought in," said Suresh Chauhan, a social worker. He saidresidents have to go to MJ library for books and research material now.
The library in Shahpur is witnessing similar problems in terms of infrastructure and books. Speaking to DNA, a corporator of the ward requesting anonymity said, "The municipal library in our ward doesn't have proper seating and choice of books is limited."Three-year-old magazines, periodicals and newspapers are lying around. "The civic body should dispose these of and bring in new books and other reading material," he added.
Similarly, in Gomtipur ward, there are two reading rooms and one library which is devoid of new books. Though the condition of the library is good lack of new books is leading to lack of interest among the public, complained corporator of the ward, Iqbal Shaikh.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A Tale of Two Libraries

Believe it or not, The Simsbury Free Library and the Simsbury Public Library are, in fact, two separate libraries.
If you've lived in Simsbury long enough, you might remember spending time browsing through books and magazines in a familiar yellow brick building prominently placed along Hopmeadow Street.
The Simsbury Free Library, the town's first public library, was for a long time the only game in town. These days, Simsbury is a two-library town and the Simsbury Free Library Board of Trustees and Executive Director Amy Zeiner are now working to reintroduce the library and its historical significance to the community.
"We're an under-utilized town assett," Board of Trustees Chairman James Flynn said.
Whether it's a genealogical research project, an afternoon movie, an engaging book discussion, a speaking event or just a visit to see some historic artwork, the Simsbury Free Library wants residents to know about the programs available inside the building know by some as "The Gracious Yellow Lady."
"We have a beautiful building.  We have a great facility, and it belongs to the town and everyone here.  All of the citizens should be able to use it." board member Tara Willerup said.
The Simsbury Free Library was founded in 1874 and was designated as the "free" library to distinguish itself from the common subscription-based libraries of its time. The library was formed by a group of citizens and endowed by a generous grant from Simsbury native Amos R. Eno, a successful financier in New York City, according to board chairman James Flynn.
The library was originally housed in the Hopmeadow District School until it was moved to its current location in 1890, Flynn said.
In 1970 the town assumed the responsibility of operating the public library and in 1986 moved the library to the new Simsbury Public Library building down the street.
The Eno Trust document specified that the building must be used as a public library and the board of trustees decided to utilize the historical research collections that remained in the building after the opening of the new library.
The Simsbury Free Library then became the home of the Genealogical and Historical Research Library and has since added many additional resources for its members.
"That was for a long time the main function that was carried out in this building," Flynn said.
Now that the majority of genealogical research is done online, members of the Simsbury Free Library have access to the library edition of Ancestry.com in addition to the traditional resources.
The library also provides a home for the William Phelps Eno Memorial Center and the Ensign Bickford Corporate Archives. The Phelps Center was entrusted to the library by the Eno Transportation Foundation, headquarted in Washington, D.C.
"The building itself is worth the trip," Flynn said. "The building is on both the national and state registry of historic places."
Although the library is no longer a “free” library, members benefit from the unique resources, collections, and special events and activities offered there. A membership to the library costs $20 annually. Day passes are also available for $5. Special events and activities cost $5 for members and $10 for non-members.
Executive Director Amy Zeiner said she hopes the community will begin thinking of the library as a place for activities as well as research.
“When you’re looking for something to do, look on our calendar, sign up for our email newsletter,” Zeiner said.
For more information on the library or to check for upcoming events, visit the Simsbury Free Library website.

A library in dire straits


BANGALORE: Many libraries in the city are not free of problems. Likewise, City Central Library in Banashankari 2nd stage lacks basic amenities like cleanliness and maintenance problem.
Like many other libraries in the city, this library too lacks space. “We have been complaining about the space constraint to the authorities but practically the library cannot be shifted. This is because; if the library is shifted then the building has to be rented which is impractical in the present situation,” said B S Nagaraj, Library Incharge.
Books are seen stacked and strewn in the book shelves making it difficult for the readers to choose books of their choice.
There are over 100-150 readers who visit this library regularly. Books belonging to English, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu are available here. But it is mostly Kannada books that are seen stacked in almost all book shelves. Nagaraj said, “There is a great demand for English novels but it is always Kannada plays and poetry books we are supplied with. I have not issued some of these books since the time it was arranged in book shelves.” Readers are not satisfied with the books available in the library. Those who look for academic books or any English novels
would be disappointed.
Vasanth Kumar who is a regular visitor of the library said, “I have been visiting this library for last 10 years. There are certain books which readers demand and are not updated in this library. We have also requested the authorities to update the library with English novels but in vain.”
source: INDIAN EXPRESS

BMC libraries buried in heaps of neglect


BERHAMPUR: Books covered by layers of dust and in disarray, the rich variety at four libraries maintained by Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) often go unnoticed by visitors.
�Several books are in dire need of restoration, new ones are unavailable and there isn’t enough staff. Since many of the books are early editions, conservation techniques need to be updated, said sources. The air conditioners, TVs and computers at these libraries are non-functional. The generators hardly have any fuel to run. Computerised bibliographies in these libraries are a dream for the readers.
One of the BMC libraries, located near the Berhampur Press Club, is frequented by readers. However, this one is� dogged by problems of poor maintenance - just as most other public libraries are in the city.
The library has two halls which are insufficient to accommodate the growing number of readers. On an average, over 200 people visit the library daily.
Although BMC supplies 12 newspapers and over 20 periodicals every month, no new titles have been purchased yet. The library manages with its 7,000 old books that have been there since its inception.
The BMC also owns a research library established in the name of Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati. Books and encyclopedias worth Rs� 2 lakh were brought to the library when it was opened in 1993.
Since then no new books have been added to the collection. Because of its poor upkeep, the research library’s popularity is on the wane.
Intelligentsia said although BMC collects tax from people, no concrete measures are being taken for maintenance and development of the libraries.
They have demanded the State Government’s intervention to establish a well-furnished library in the city.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Libraries set the stage for summer book binge


By-LIFFY THOMAS
The days when the pleasure of reading a library book was tempered by the hassle of having to renew it after a fortnight or pay a fine are suddenly gone. Now, get waivers on the membership fee, find help in choosing age-appropriate books for new readers and participate in activities related to reading. Welcome to the new-age library.
As the summer vacation begins and parents seek to initiate children into reading or even browse through a few favourites themselves, neighbourhood libraries are offering a variety of new schemes to get people to read.
JustBooks, which is one of the newest community library chains, opened its first branch in the city at Indira Nagar three weeks ago. Here, members have the advantage of returning and borrowing books from any one of its 58 branches located in nine cities. Plus, it is offering a two-month fee waiver on its annual membership with no late fee charges on both monthly and annual members as far as the plan allows.
Easwari Lending Library, which usually charges 10 per cent of the cost of a book, now allows members to borrow three books at a time with no restriction on the number of days they can be kept.
All its 13 branches in the city are offering the scheme, and the three books can be borrowed at a cost of Rs.120 per month.
Online book rental service Book and Borrow promises to surprise adults with gifts if they register between April 23 and May 23, and will offer an age-appropriate book for young readers who register between April 20 and June 20.
The iloveread library is also offering discount on membership for April and May.
If discounts on the membership fee or books do not attract you, places such as Hippocampus are organising a book fair where four publishers are sure to help you select the best range of books. To celebrate World Book Day (April 23), a two-day book fair was held on April 21 and 22nd. Events related to reading promise to get children closer to books through may.
Also in the fray is the Book World Library, with five branches in the city, where one can borrow 25 books over a month (children's collection only) at a cost of Rs. 50.
Children such as Akshara T.V., going to class IX, are excited that libraries have so many offers. “I like to read action and comedy-based books and if my library can get me the best collection, nothing like having them as company for the summer,” says Akshara, who wants to read at least 50 books this vacation.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Paperless libraries


                                               
While electronic access has begun to redefine the roles of publishers, librarians and booksellers, it seems unlikely that e-libraries will make good old books redundant, says Akhila Seetharaman





A character from an imaginary future world in American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" remarks, "It's not books you need, it's some of the things that were once in books..."
Today, it's possible to get all the things you may ever need, sorted and edited, without physically opening a single book. Libraries without books, or e-libraries, make this possible.
Like with all things `e', the concept of the e-library is also hazy in the minds of most people. An e-library or an electronic library can either be on the Internet or simply in electronic format and shared in a limited way.
The first step to an e-library is digitising information. Several reputed university libraries in the country, including university libraries in Chennai have significant portions of their resources in electronic format.
This, coupled with subscription databases and online journals, give users wide access.
"While we subscribe to 130-140 journals in print, we receive as many as 2000-3000 journals online," said M.K. Jagadish, Director of American Information Resource Centre.
Not only does the electronic format widen access many times over, it also enables multiple users to access the same text at the same time and protects the valuable content from being lost due to accidents like fires and attacks.
Electronic access alters the way we look at information and knowledge altogether. In the beginning, libraries were sanctums of knowledge and librarians were the watchdogs.
"There was a time when librarians thought that a good library is a library full of books," said M.S. Ananth, Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. "But if all the books are in, it means that nobody is reading," he pointed out, speaking to a gathering of librarians at a convention of the Society for Information Science. Even today, many old-style librarians guard their books both from and for the reading community.
With the sum total knowledge doubling every year, digitisation is the most practical way to save information in terms of both accessibility and storage, said Dr. Ananth.
After digitisation, putting electronic versions of books and journals on networks like the Internet, is the logical next step. This enables knowledge sharing, not just with those in the immediate environment, but also with people with common interests in other areas.
Apart from digitising existing information from books and journals, e-libraries offer potential for new forms of content with increased levels of interactivity.
E-libraries provide opportunities for educational materials to be reached to remote areas and provide access to a range of information materials to all students irrespective of their location.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development has initiated a few programmes to network information resources in universities in the country.
The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) aims at developing web and multimedia learning content for undergraduate science and engineering students across the country.
INDEST, a consortium of 38 institutions, offers online access (by subscription) to vast electronic resources on science, engineering and technology.
Several non-governmental organisations are also experimenting with electronic educational resources. Vidyanidhi (vidyanidhi.org.in), is one digital library experiment that has catalogued and archived over 50,000 Indian doctoral theses.
With fonts being rapidly developed in Indian languages, literature in various languages, including Tamil, is being organised and archived in electronic format.
Electronic access has begun to redefine the roles of publishers, librarians and booksellers. Copyright issues lurk round every corner of the e-library. But it seems unlikely that paperless libraries will make good old books redundant. Many librarians feel that a mix of print and electronic resources is best.
"Although people talk of e-books, there's nothing like the comfort of reading a book in print," said Mr. Jagadish. "Books will never go, that is for sure."

Libraries : A place of unending discovery

SOME OF us think of libraries as dusty, musty places filled with old books no one wants to read and people who for some strange reason love to rummage through the shelves or lose themselves behind piles of faded bound volumes. But for many others, libraries are places of unending discovery, where a chance find can lead to hours of fulfilling reading. In reality, libraries are real storehouses of knowledge. Predictions that the printed word would become obsolete, and that books as we know them would cease soon after the beginning of the new century may have worried young people fascinated by books and libraries. But we can see clearly that the publishing industry is far from dead, and libraries are still very much a part of academic and cultural life the world over.
True, the face of the modern library is undergoing change, but at its core it remains the same storehouse of organised knowledge that it has always been. Library science has taken on the avatar of an information science, a discipline that brings together the craft of cataloguing information and the art of imagining connections that can lead to new knowledge. In India, the relatively low rate of literacy and the position of academic life in general have relegated the librarian to the background, but in many developed countries, library science is considered one of the top ten career fields. As India becomes a more information conscious society, people who understand how to organise and access bodies of knowledge will most definitely be valued.
Today's libraries house much more than books — they include computer-based media such as CD-ROMs and online databases, audio-visual media such as tapes, films and video/laser discs, microfilm and microfiche. Today's librarians, therefore, must be able to work with a wide range of media and formats, and understand how people use information for research, education, or entertainment. They need to be techno-savvy but also understand where to go for antiquated and out-of-print volumes that some researchers might need.
A librarian's work involves identifying material, acquiring and cataloguing it, and helping people retrieve what they need. They need to keep up with the latest publications in a wide range of fields, and make decisions about what to include in their own collections, within a given budget — or where to find materials that they do not have. In addition to organising the collection, the librarian may also help users retrieve material, and sometimes put together bibliographies and reference lists for researchers. Some librarians specialise in organising information for online databases, designing access and retrieval systems that make it possible for users to search large bodies of information easily and efficiently. Others focus on documentation, an allied field that is becoming increasingly important in today's knowledge society. Yet others become archivists, helping store valuable information media such as scrolls, paintings and ancient manuscripts. A librarian is therefore not just a back-office person who is lost among the bookshelves, but someone who interacts with users and helps them in their search for knowledge.
In India, most librarians begin their career after a degree in library science. While a few institutions offer short-term diploma courses, the best way to enter the field is to obtain a bachelor's degree in library science, after a basic degree in any discipline. This is generally a one or two-year course, which can be followed by a master's. Increasingly, library science degrees also include information science, as librarians are seen less as administrators of books and more as "information architects". Information architecture is an emerging field that explores ways that content can be grouped (organisation), how to refer to the content groups (labelling), and how to move between the groups (navigation). As we move from storing information in books, to creating electronic libraries, which are multi-directional and use multi-media, information architects have an important responsibility to organise this "mess" of data in ways that users can access quickly and easily.
The "careerscape" of library science is therefore quite varied, and the nature of work can change according to the nature of the institution that one works with. A school librarian, for instance, has quite a different task from a librarian at the State Archives or the Museum of Natural History, who again has a job very different from a person who manages the database of CNN Online or a Film and Television Institute. If you are among those who finds the organisation and storage of information fascinating, and have no trouble living among piles and piles of books, this may be a field to seriously consider.