Press Clipping File - Its Importance in the Field of Water Resources

Annals of Ubrary Science and Ooc:umentation 1990,37(4), 117-120

PRESS CLIPPING FILE - ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE FIELD OF WATER RESOURCES

P RAGHAVIAH Documentation Officer, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Calicut, Kerala.

Describes the requirement, methodology and extension in all aspects of the utilisation of importance of the press clippingfile organized at water resources. The Centre has on its staff 22 Centre for Water Resources Development and scientists and 59 technical officers. When the Management, Calicut. user's demands for current information could not be adequately met with the available INTRODUCTION sources, the library documentation and information division started the press clipping Among the published sources of information service in 1986. none is more current than the daily press. In the field of water resources it is an important source of information and has an edge over OBJECTIVES the other sources of information because of The objectives for introducing this service the very nature of the information were: communicated. Water Resources being a mission oriented discipline, its development a). To enable scientists/decision makers to and management is monitored by the entire identify problem areas where investi- country and attracts a lot of media attention. gations are to be initiated. Two types of information are generally b). To disseminate information on prominent required by the scientists in this field: issues of current value in the field of water a). Short, on the spot, reports on the agro- resources which might not be available in meteorological and hydro- meteorological books and journals. conditions as well as on quality, management and degradation of water resources. METIIODOLOGY Based on the activities of various divisions of b). Lengthy articles written by specialists on CWRDM viz. Groundwater Division, Surface- the issues in water resources development water Division, Water Quality and Environ- and planning. ment Division, Water Management (Agricul- The Centre for Water Resources Develop- ture) Division, and Education and Extension ment and Management (CWRDM) is one Division, seven main subject fields and four among a chain of autonomous research instit- fields related to water resources were utes established by the Government of Kerala identified. in 1978 under the policy of science & The list of subject headings and their res- technology. It functions as a Centre of excell- pective class numbers are given as follows : ence for advanced research, training and

Vol 37 No 4 December 1990 117 RAGHAVIAH

A. Hydro-meteorology 01 Air 02 Pesticides Drought 01 03 Water 02 Rainfall Industrial Roods 04 03 05 Water Treatment B. Water Resources Development and 06 Waste Treatment Planning

01 Surface Water F. Environment 02 Ground Water 03 Water Supply 01 Degradation 04 Water Transfer 02 Protection 05 Water Transport 03 Afforestation 06 Remote Sensing 04 Wasteland Development Western Ghats Development C. Irrigation 05 G. Geo-hydrology 01 Irrigation Projects 02 Environmental Impact 01 Sea erosion 03 Water Distribution 02 Land slides 03 Earth quakes D. Agriculture Water Management Related Subjects 01 Water Conservation 02 Dryland Farming Agriculture 03 Soils & Fertilizers Energy 04 Erosion Science & Technology 05 Salinity Planning & Development Subjects which have an indirect bearing on the main topic were considered as related subjects. E. Pollution Seven newspapers were indexed. Out of these, four, namely Economic Times (Bombay),

Table 1 Distribution of Citations According to Main Subjects Divisions 1987

Subject Citations % of Total

Hydro-meteorology 147 22.4 Water Resources Development and Planning 131 19.96 Irrigation 83 12.65 Agriculture Water Management 76 11.58 Pollution 96 14.65 Environment 111 1'6.93 Geo-hydrology 12 1.83

Total 656 100

118 Ann Lib Sci Doc PRESS CUPPING FILE

Financial Express (Madras), Hindu (Madras) ARRANGEMENT and Indian Express (Cochin) were in English The clippings on a subject field of a particular and Mathrubhoomi, Malayala Manorama and region were arranged chronologically The Kerala Kaumudi, all the three published from clippings were pasted on sheets of paper of the Calicut, were in the regional language, size 30 em x 24 cm. The number of clippings Malayalam. This selection of newspapers that could be accommodated on a sheet made it possible to collect information of both depended on the size of the clipping. The regional and national importance. sheets were then numbered consecutively. Newspapers were scanned daily. Short news The class number and respective page number items, editorials and long articles relevant to constituted the location number for each item. the subject fields were marked and their index For example, E04-72 related to a newsclip on slips were prepared with appropriate subject Industrial Pollution (E04) appearing on page headings. An abstract was provided with the 72 of the file. items which were not self explanatory. At the end of the month, the marked items were cut DISSEMINATION from the news papers, compared with the index slips and arranged subject wise. The stored information was disseminated through the following channels. The distribution of news clippings, collected and filed under various subject headings a). The "Hydata", the current awareness during the year 1987, are shown in Table 1. bulletin of the library consisting of two sections i.e. 'News and Notes' and 'From In the cases where the same news item was the Press': New,s items of the fortnight, reported by more than one paper, the one with significant to the water resources the maximum information was given community are included in the former and preference. When conflicting views on leading an index of the news items is given in the issues were expressed in different papers, latter. clippings of both views were included in the file. b). "Water-in Press", an annual classified index of the news clipping file: The location number provided in the index connects it with the news items in the file. An extensive subject index is also furnished. Table 1 Rank List of Topics Based on News Coverage in 1987

S1. Rank Subject Number of % of Thtal No. Citations

1. 1 Drought 93 14.15 2. 2 Water Supply 44 6.96 3. 2 Water Pollution 44 6.96 4. 3 Irrigation Projects 32 4.87 5. 4 Environmental Degradation 30 4.56 6. 4 Social Forestry 30 4.46 7. 5 Groundwater 26 3.90 8. 6 Western Ghats 25 3.8

Vol 37 No 4 December 199() 119 RAGHAVIAH

Table 3 Ranklist of Newspapers

Rank Newspaper Number of % of Total Citations

1. Financial Express 176 26.87 2. Indian Express 153 23.35 3. Hindu 117 17.86 4. Economic Times 79 12.06 5. Malayala Manorama 60 9.16 6. Kerala Kaumudi 38 5.8 7. Mathrubhoomi 33 4.9

Total 655 100

DISCUSSION mission oriented discipline and hence there is An analysis of the newsclipping file of 1987 a need to identify problem areas. Even if the highlights the following important features. information given is in an embryo stage, it initiates mass attention and addresses itself to a). In the rank list of topics, on the basis of a wider audience. Scientists have come to their news coverage (Table 2), drought of recognize the importance of this source. Many 1987 is shown to top the list which was studies have been initiated on the basis of an rightly the most pressing issue of the year initial report in the press. It is a springboard seeking solution. for action, a take off point for initiating a b). It identifies specific problem areas where project. Press clipping service therefore can be research activities can be undertaken. considered as an integral part of a research organization, more so in the field of water c). It furnishes current statistical information such as rainfall data, data for crop resources. production (both statewise and crop wise), monsoon prospects, etc. ' ACKNOWLEDGMENT d). It provides an overview of the current The author is thankful to the Executive water resources scenario of the region. Of Director of the Centre for his kind permission the 956 news items, 219 i.e. 33.43% relates to have the communication published. to Kerala situations. e). Newspaper-wise distribution of press REFERENCES clippings reveal that 80% of the information requirements can be met with .1. Bhattacharya G : Information science, a English Newspapers (Table 3) unified view through a system approach. Calcutta, IASLIC, 1978. 2. Greenfell D : Periodicals and serials. Ed 2. CONCLUSION London, ASLIB, 1965. The preceding discussion affirms the pivotal 3. Prodhani M A : Press Clipping Service and role of the press clipping file and recognises it its importance in agricultural research as an essential supplement to reference books. library. Annals Lib Sci Doc 1982, 29(3), It is essential because water resources is a 135 - 137.

120 Ann Ub Sci Doc