A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NEPAL NATIONAL LIBRARY AND KAISER LIBRARY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR SERVICES
A Thesis Submitted to the Central Department of Library and Information Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Kathmandu, Nepal, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
By BIDYA SHARMA
Central Department of Library and Information Science Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Tribhuvan University Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal June 2009 i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am especially grateful to Ms. Nirmala Shrestha, former Head, Department of Library and Information Science, T.U., under whose direct supervision this thesis has been prepared. I am deeply indebted to her for her invaluable guidance, supervision, continuous encouragement and suggestions. Without the proper guidance of Ms. Shrestha such a study for me was impossible to accomplish. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Madhusudan Karki, Head, Department of Library and Information Science, T.U. Despite his busy schedule, he spared time to read every detail of my thesis and made valuable suggestions for the improvement, for which I owe him with great respect. I would also like to acknowledge my teachers, Mr. Rudra Prasad Dulal, Mr. Bhim Dhwoj Shrestha and Mr. Mohan Raj Pradhan, Lecturers, Department of Library and Information Science, whose teachings and instructions led me to this capability. I am immensely grateful to Mr. Bhola Kumar Shrestha who helped me in two capacities, first as the Chief Librarian of the Kaiser Library and second as the external examiner of this thesis. His valuable suggestions helped me reshape some parts of this thesis. I am grateful to Mr. Dasharath Thapa, Chief Librarian, Nepal National Library, who provided me access to all the necessary information regarding the library. Particular thanks are due also to Damodar Bhattarai and Shree Narayan Jha of Nepal National Library and Durga Prasad Pathak and Ganesh Baitha of Kaiser Library for the necessary help. I would also like to register my thanks to all those library users who kindly answered the field questionnaire with sincerity, without which the research would remain incomplete. My sincere thanks to my brother-in-law Sheetal C. Paudel and to all who helped me complete this thesis. Finally, as always, I am deeply appreciative of my husband and children, who gave me the time and encouragement to complete this work.
June 2009 BIDYA SHARMA
iii ABSTRACT
The thesis is entitled ‘A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NEPAL NATIONAL LIBRARY AND KAISER LIBRARY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR SERVICES’. As the title suggests, the work takes a strongly comparative stance regarding the services provided by the two libraries i.e. the NNL and the KLib. The comparison carries its relevance given the close similarities between the two libraries. Both are the government libraries as well as reference libraries. The services they provide to the users are almost similar. The historical backgrounds are also more or less similar, as both of them have been established on the foundations of personal collections. Despite being the libraries of top priority of the government, the numbers of persons visiting these libraries are very low. Moreover, the numbers of visitors in the NNL are even decreasing in the last few years. So it seems that little has been achieved and a lot has to be done in fulfilling their goal of attracting the common people towards them and inculcating the reading culture in Nepali society. So the problem identified for the study was whether the library services provided by them were at par with the users’ expectations. Usefulness of collection, number of library users, budgetary pattern and collection management are some other issues covered during the study. In this context, the objective of the study is to find out, compare and analyze the facilities and the services provided by these two libraries in the light of user’s expectations so that one can learn from the better part of the other. The study also aims to work out the practical solutions for their improvement. As the title of the thesis suggests, the study was limited to the NNL and KLib only and concentrated specially on their services. The significance of the study lies on the fact that this is the very first time that the two libraries (NNL and KLib), which are getting almost equal importance by the government and have a lot similarities, are being studied comparatively in the light of their services. So the findings may be helpful for them to know about their shortcomings and to get suggestions for their improvement. The researcher hopes that this study also makes a base for the further research.
iv The study focuses on exploring the present conditions of the libraries, the services provided by them to the users, their constraints and the suggestions from both the users as well as the concerning staffers for the further improvement of these libraries. Available literatures regarding these libraries were reviewed through various sources. The research works done in the past found to be very few. Though there had been a few studies on the NNL and the KLib separately on various aspects, no studies had yet been conducted comparing the two. The very few literatures available regarding their studies were reviewed. Besides, concerned literatures including the brochures, souvenirs, the news letters, annual reports, web-sites, government policies and various articles published by various scholars on various journals, magazines and newspapers were also reviewed. Some theoretical review was also done regarding the national library and public library. The study was conducted during 2007 and 2008. Direct observation, interviews and the questionnaires were the methods applied for the study and data collection. Library-users’ opinions were collected mostly through questionnaire. The library staff members were interviewed. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 users in each library on random sampling basis. But only 35 users of the NNL and 40 users of the KLib returned them duly answered. Collected data have been presented in the tabular form and then into diagrammatic representation. The data have been analyzed on the basis of ratio as well as descriptive analysis. The study revealed that both the NNL and the KLib have been suffering by the inadequacy of fund. Though they get lion’s share of the annual budget allocated by the government for the library sector in the country, large sum of the budget found to be spent on staff salaries and administrative functions. The budget for the addition of new books and other facilities is always scanty. The study showed that the demand for the circulation service is high among the users, but both the libraries are not conducting such service. The users also want these libraries extend their opening hours. Both the libraries have been following the government office time-table for their opening. The NNL has been the depository of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). But ironically it has not been able to be the national depository. The NNL’s aspiration to be the national
v depository has yet to be fulfilled by the government through some statutory provisions. So one of the principal functions of a national library to act as a national depository and publish the national bibliography has not been fulfilled. Regarding modernization activities, both the libraries have been automated. The KLib also provides online/internet services to its users, though not sufficient, but the NNL does not. On the other hand, the NNL has larger collection than in the KLib and has been ahead in conducting mobile library services, which the KLib is not conducting. The other services provided to the public in general seemed to be almost similar in both the libraries. But in case of the physical facilities to the users the KLib found to be in better condition. The number of users found to be almost double in the KLib, than in the NNL. Besides being a library the KLib is also a mini-museum with different pictures, paintings and some other forms of artifacts from the past. This has the responsibility of preserving all these artifacts also. The staffers in both the libraries are the government employees. The professional librarians and trained manpower found to be in short supply in both the libraries. The libraries are recommended to review their policies and provide circulation service to the users and extend the library opening hours if possible. Finally the government is requested to initiate necessary steps for the statutory provision of making the NNL a national depository. It is recommended to increase the budget for the addition of more reading materials, facilities and services in both the libraries. It is worth considering that there is a necessity for a separate building for the NNL in some better location.
June 2009 BIDYA SHARMA
vi PREFACE
This thesis has been prepared under the supervision of the department of library and information science, T.U., and follows the style prescribed by the department itself. Beginning from the top to the toe, the title page, the preliminary pages, the chapters, the references and bibliography, and the appendices all have been set following the style and the framework prescribed. The APA system has been followed for citation and references. The thesis has been constructed in six distinct chapters, each of which helps to give the work a distinctive character. The chapters have been carefully structured to make the work as systematic and vivid as possible. The chapters follow a sequence so that each subsequent chapter keeps a relation with the previous one. The first chapter is the introductory part. The backgrounds of the study, statement of the problem, objectives, significance, scope and limitation of the study have been dealt in here. The special terms used regarding the library science are included in the glossary. The second chapter deals with the review of relevant literatures. The established norms and functions of national libraries worldwide, the findings and suggestions by the previous researchers of the NNL and the KLib, and the relevant writings on various journals, magazines, newspapers and special publications of these libraries have been included in this chapter. The third chapter deals with understanding of the subject. The historical background and present conditions of the NNL and the KLib, their collections, facilities and services they provide to the users, budgetary conditions etc. have been depicted clearly in this chapter. The fourth chapter deals with the methodology. Research design, population and procedures applied for sampling, data collection and data analysis have been explained here. The fifth chapter is concerned with the presentation and analysis of the collected facts, figures and data. Tables and different types of charts have been used as the statistical means for presentation. Mathematical analyses have been done and the descriptive accounts follow to make the facts more clear and easy to understand.
vii The sixth or the final chapter includes summary, conclusions and recommendations which have been made on the basis of the findings of the study. In the recommendation part the collective recommendation, recommendation for NNL, recommendation for KLib, and recommendation for the government have been separately dealt in. Appendices show the field questionnaire, organization charts of both the NNL and the KLib, list of national libraries in the world and the vita of the researcher.
June 2009 BIDYA SHARMA
viii CATALOG OF THE THESIS
Self List Card
D 027.5 Sh23c 2009 Sharma, Bidya A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services / Bidya Sharma Kirtipur : Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U. 2009 Acc.no. xviii,110 P. : ill., tables; charts, 30cm. Dissertation : Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Central Department of Library and Information Science from CDLISc. Includes bibliography and appendices. 1. Libraries 2. Government Libraries I. Title
Main Card D 027.5 Sh23c 2009 Sharma, Bidya A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services / Bidya Sharma Kirtipur : Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U. 2009 xviii,110 P. : ill., tables; charts, 30cm. Dissertation : Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Central Department of Library and Information Science from CDLISc. Includes bibliography and appendices. 1. Libraries 2. Government Libraries I. Title
ix Subject Card D 027.5 Sh23c 2009 LIBRARIES Sharma, Bidya A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services / Bidya Sharma Kirtipur : Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U. 2009 xviii,110 P. : ill., tables; charts, 30cm. Dissertation : Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Central Department of Library and Information Science from CDLISc. Includes bibliography and appendices.
Subject Card D 027.5 Sh23c 2009 GOVERNMENT LIBRARIES Sharma, Bidya A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services / Bidya Sharma Kirtipur : Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U. 2009 xviii,110 P. : ill., tables; charts, 30cm. Dissertation : Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Central Department of Library and Information Science from CDLISc. Includes bibliography and appendices.
x Title Card D 027.5 Sh23c 2009 A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services Sharma, Bidya A comparative study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services / Bidya Sharma Kirtipur : Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U. 2009 xviii,110 P. : ill., tables; charts, 30cm. Dissertation : Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Central Department of Library and Information Science from CDLISc. Includes bibliography and appendices.
xi TABLE OF CONTENTS page LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION i LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv PREFACE vii CATALOG OF THESIS ix TABLE OF CONTENTS xii LIST OF TABLES xiv LIST OF FIGURES xvi LIST OF APPENDICES xvii LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBRIVIATIONS xviii
Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1-14 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 7 1.3 Objective of the Study 8 1.4 Scope and Limitation of the Study 8 1.5 Significance of the Study 9 1.6 Definition of the Terms/Glossary 9 1.7 Organization of the Study 12 References 14
Chapter II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 15 - 32 References 31
Chapter III. FOCUS OF THE STUDY 33 - 51 Nepal National Library 33 Kaiser Library 43 References 51
xii Chapter IV. RESEARCH METHODOLGY 52 - 55 4.1 Research Design 52 4.2 Population 52 4.3 Sampling Procedure 53 4.4 Data Collection Procedure 53 4.5 Data Analysis Procedure 55
Chapter V. ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 56 - 82
Chapter VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 83 - 92 6.1 Summary 83 6.2 Conclusions 86 6.3 Recommendation 88
BIBLIOGRAPHY 93 - 97
APPENDCES 98 - 113 Appendix A Questionnaire distributed to the users during the field survey 98 Appendix B Organization Chart of Nepal National Library 104 Appendix C Organization Chart of Kaiser Library 105 Appendix D List of National Libraries in the world 106 Appendix E Vita of the Researcher 114
xiii LIST OF TABLES Page Table: 3.1 Number of visitors in the NNL 40 Table: 3.2 Annual budgets for NNL 41 Table: 3.3 Books added to the NNL in the last three years 42 Table: 3.4 Number of visitors in the KLib 48 Table: 3.5 Annual budgets of KLib 49 Table: 3.6 Books added to the KLib in the last three years 49 Table: 4.1 Number of questionnaires distributed and returned 53 Table: 5.1 Library users by gender 57 Table: 5.2 Library users by age group 57 Table: 5.3 Library users by profession 58 Table: 5.4 Regularity of library visit 59 Table: 5.5 Frequency of library visit 59 Table: 5.6 Purpose of library visit 60 Table: 5.7 Time spent in library 61 Table: 5.8 Search pattern 62 Table: 5.9 Reference materials 63 Table: 5.10 Historical books 64 Table: 5.11 Ancient Sanskrit books 64 Table: 5.12 English literature 65 Table: 5.13 Nepali literatures 65 Table: 5.14 Government reports 66 Table: 5.15 Scientific reports 66 Table: 5.16 Database information 67 Table: 5.17 Course-related books 67 Table: 5.18 Magazines and newspapers 68 Table: 5.19 Journals and periodicals 68 Table: 5.20 Back volumes of newspapers 69 Table: 5.21 Space allocated for reading 69 Table: 5.22 Services provided by the library 71
xiv Table: 5.23 Satisfaction over library services 72 Table: 5.24 Rating of the current services 73 Table: 5.25 Satisfaction over physical facilities 75 Table: 5.26 Suitability of the library environment 76 Table: 5.27 Why the library environment not suitable? 77 Table: 5.28 Preference for the library 78 Table: 5.29 Management of library collection 79 Table: 5.30 Usefulness of the collection 80 Table: 5.31 Availability of additional materials 81
xv LIST OF FIGURES
Page Figure:1 Number of visitors in the NNL 41 Figure:2 Books added to the NNL in the last three years 42 Figure:3 Number of visitors in the Klib 48 Figure:4 Books added to the Klib in the last three years 50 Figure:5 Number of questionnaires distributed and returned 53 Figure:6 Library users by profession 58 Figure:7 Purpose of library visit 61 Figure:8 Search pattern 62 Figure:9 Space allocated for reading 70 Figure:10 Satisfaction over library services 73 Figure:11 Rating of the current services 74 Figure:12 Satisfaction over physical facilities 76 Figure:13 Suitability of the library environment 77 Figure:14 Preference for the library 78 Figure:15 Management of the library collection 79 Figure:16 Usefulness of the collection 80
xvi LIST OF APPENDICES
Page Appendix A Questionnaire distributed to the users during the field survey 98 Appendix B Organization chart of Nepal National Library 104 Appendix C Organization chart of Kaiser Library 105 Appendix D List of National Libraries in the world 106 Appendix E Vita of Researcher 113
xvii LIST OF ACRONYMS / ABBREVIATIONS AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloging Rules 2 AD Anno Domini (In the year of lord) BC Before Christ BS Bikram Sambat CAS Current Awareness Service CD Compact Disc CD-ROM Compact Disc Read-Only Memory CDS/ISIS Computerized Documentation System – Integrated Set for Information Systems (UNESCO) DANIDA Danish International Development Agency DVD Digital Video Disc ERIC Educational Resource Information Center Ibid Ibidem (In the same book, chapter etc. previously quoted) IT Information Technology KLib. Kaiser Library LC Library of Congress LCSH Library of Congress Subject Heading LP Long-Playing Record (Vinyl Records) NGMCP Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloging Project NNL Nepal National Library HTML Hyper Text Markup Language OPAC Online Public Access Catalog TU Tribhuvan University TUCL Tribhuvan University Central Library UN United Nations UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USA United States of America VDC Village Development Committee WINISIS CDS/ISIS for Windows WWW World Wide Web
xviii
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study:
Bव यामृतमँ नुते (ईशोपिनष, ११ )
Vidyayamritamasnute (Ishopanishad , 11 )
(Knowledge leads to immortality) These words by ancient scholars of Sanskrit literature and philosophy clearly say that knowledge is the source by means of which we can make our lives better. Which further implies even immortality can be achieved through knowledge.
Books and other information resources are the storehouses of knowledge. The valuable knowledge gained through vigorous learning and long time experience by somebody can be important for anybody anytime. They are to be saved and stored in such a way that they can be easily accessible for those who want to use them. Here comes the importance of a library.
A library is a public institution or establishment charged with the care of a collection of books and the duty of making them accessible to those who require the use of them and the task of converting every person in its neighborhood into a habitual library goer and reader of books. (Ranganathan, 1940)
The word ‘Library’ means much more these days than what it meant in the previous days. In the traditional sense a library meant a collection of books and documents only. But with the development of many other forms of media for storage of information, the term information is being preferred over book.
In the modern sense a library is a collection of information resources and services, organized for use, and maintained by a public body, institution, or private individual.
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This collection and services are used by people who choose not to — or cannot afford to — purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. With the collection of media other than books for storing information, many libraries are now also repositories and access points for maps, prints or other documents and artworks on various storage media (data storage medium) such as microfilm, microfiche, audio tapes, CDs, LPs (gramophone records), cassettes, video tapes and DVDs, and provide public facilities to access CD-ROM and subscription databases and the Internet. Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. In addition to providing materials, they also provide the services of specialists who are experts in matters related to finding and organizing information and interpreting information needs, called librarians. More recently, libraries are understood as extending beyond the physical walls of a building, by including material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of knowledge with a variety of digital tools.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (2004) defines the term library as “A place in which literary and artistic materials, such as books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, prints, records, and tapes, are kept for reading, reference, or lending. A collection of such materials, especially when systematically arranged.”
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia (2006) defines it as “Collection of information resources in print or in other forms that is organized and made accessible for reading or study.” It further states - The word derives from the Latin ‘liber’ (book). The origin of libraries lies in the keeping of written records, a practice that dates at least to the 3rd millennium BC in Babylonia. The first libraries as repositories of books were those of the Greek temples and those established in conjunction with the Greek schools of philosophy in the 4th century BC. Today's libraries frequently contain periodicals, microfilms, tapes, videos, compact discs, and other materials in addition to books. The growth of on-line communications networks has enabled library users to search electronically linked databases worldwide.
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Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2003) states library as a collection of books or other written or printed materials, as well as the facility in which they are housed and the institution that is responsible for their maintenance. Modern libraries may contain a wide range of materials, including manuscripts and pamphlets, posters, photographs, motion pictures, and videotapes, sound recordings, and computer databases in various forms.
“A library is an everlasting gathering of great sages of all countries and all times.” (Devkota, 2012 B.S.). Libraries are full of materials which can be used to gain various kinds of information. So a library can be understood as a storehouse of information or knowledge. In the 21 st century libraries have been considered as the information centers. Shrestha (1983) describes the information service as follows: The information service is provided to meet the needs of users. Information services include personal assistance provided to users in pursuit of information. The character and extent of such services will vary with kind of library or information centers, the type of users. The information services are to be developed not only to meet users’ needs and to improve recent services but also to anticipate users’ needs in the future. The effectiveness of any information service depends upon the satisfaction of the information needs of its users. The efficiency of an information service can be measured only by the degree to which its resources are utilized. (p.6)
Books have always been respected in the Nepali society. There is a tradition of bowing down and touching the books by forehead to show respect on them. If sometimes it happens unknowingly that a book is touched by our foot, immediately after that we touch it back by our forehead. Even an illiterate person does this. Majority of Nepalis consider a book as a form of Goddess Saraswoti, the Goddess of knowledge. So this is the culture of Nepali society to respect books, which ultimately is the respect towards knowledge. But unfortunately reading habits have not been developed in majority of the Nepali people. Around a half of the total population is still illiterate.
The overall development of an individual is not possible without education. Education is the light which helps an individual to widen the horizon of thinking and sharpen the 3 skill of learning in them. “What light does in the outer-world, education does the same in the inner world of an individual” (Devkota, 2012 B.S.).
The histories of developed nations have shown how the spread of education helped for the development of individuals, societies and the nation as a whole. So they still put high importance for the education of their citizens. Apart from educational institutions like schools, colleges, universities and different kinds of learning centers, libraries have always been of great help for the uplift of educational level in a society. So the governments, public institutions, educational institutions, various organizations and the societies all maintain libraries in almost all countries these days. Even the individuals, who can afford to, keep libraries for their personal purposes.
National Library: Most of the countries in the world have national libraries these days. They are either officially titled as the national library or are so characterized by their governments and their scholarly communities.
The profession has been unable to agree on a single, accepted definition for the national library . So the scholars have tried to define the institution in terms of universal characteristics that are common to all national libraries.
According to ALA glossary of Library and information Science, a national library is a library designated as such by the appropriate national body and funded by the national government. Its functions may include the comprehensive collection of the publication output of the nation (frequently by a copyright depository library), the compilation and maintenance of a national bibliography, the comprehensive collection and organization of publications on an international scale for the scholarly community, the production of bibliographic tools the coordination of a library network, the provision of library services to the national government or some of its agencies, and other responsibilities delineated by the national government.
Similarly the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Library and Information Science (1995) defines a national library as a library which has been maintained out of government
4 funds and serving the nation as a whole. Usually, books in such libraries are for reference only. They are usually copyright libraries. The functions of such a library are to collect and preserve for the posterity the books, periodicals and newspapers published in the country. This is best done by a law requiring publishers to deposit copies of all publications issued by them and by purchasing books published in other countries. The functions of national libraries vary considerably. They may compile union catalogs produce a national bibliography publish a retrospective national bibliography or act as a national bibliographical centre.
“A library is called a national one when it is an official depository of printed works; a general access library; an information-bibliographical center of coordination, planning and stimulation of the entire library system of the nation.” (Khanna, 1997).
The governments of most major countries support national libraries . Some noteworthy examples are Library of Congress in the United States, Canada's Library and Archives Canada, the British Library in London, the Lenin State Library in Moscow, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, National Library of India, Nepal National Library etc. (A list of national libraries of the world is mentioned in appendix D)
All national libraries are government libraries but not all government libraries are national libraries. The differences lie in the functions and characteristics. Most of the countries have declared national libraries. But in some countries there may not be any national libraries as declared such by the government. But by their functions and characteristics they may be regarded as the national ones. The most vivid example is the Library of congress in the USA.
Nepal National Library (NNL) is the formally declared national library of Nepal. The government established the NNL in January 1957. It is now housed in Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur. It now contains more than 86,000 books, magazines, journals and other reading materials. The collections are mostly in Nepali, English, Sanskrit and Hindi languages. They include many ancient Sanskrit collections. Besides the functions of a national library it also serves as a public reference library and is open to all. It provides free entry to the users. The library services include reference service, reading room service, reprographic service, inter-library loan service, current 5 awareness service, mobile library service among others. But there is no circulation service and the users can read the materials within the library only.
Government Library: A Government library is the one which is fully funded by the Government. The National Libraries are always the Government funded ones. Similarly the libraries in various Ministries, Departments the Legislature, the Judiciary and their line agencies are Government libraries. Their collections are mostly the Government publications like the gazettes, budgets, various types of reports, parliamentary recordings, judicial documents, books on laws and acts and other related subjects. The users of these libraries are especially the Government employees and the related officials. So on the basis of their collections and users such Government libraries can also be regarded as the special libraries. Besides, the Governments in various countries also provide fund for many other libraries whose management is under government control but serve as the public libraries. Kaiser library is a very good example in Nepal.
Kaiser Library is a government library. It is housed in Kaiser Mahal in Kathmandu. It was previously the personal library of late Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana. After his death it was handed over to the government and was opened to the public in 2026. The library now holds more than 55,000 books and other reading materials. It is rich in English collections especially of the nineteenth and twentieth century books. It also holds Nepali and Sanskrit collections. The library contains many rare collections including ancient manuscripts. Just like the NNL it is also working as a public reference library. The services include reference service, reading room service, photocopy service, internet service, inter-library loan service, advisory service among others. But Kaiser Library does not provide circulation service and the books are provided for reading inside the library premises only. The library is open to all and the entry is free. Kaiser library is rich in historic photographs, paintings and other artifacts. So it is also like a mini art gallery.
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1.2 Statement of the Problem:
Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library, both are fully funded by the Government of Nepal. Both the libraries are under the Ministry of Education and are getting high share of the budget allocated by the government for the library sector. The library staffs of both the libraries are the Government employees and all the expenses including the purchasing of books and furniture is borne by the Government itself. Both the libraries are located in the capital city, a metropolis with more than 2 million people and lots of schools, collages and other educational institutions, and are providing free services to the general public as public reference libraries.
But having enjoyed all these facilities, these libraries have not been able to attract more and more people in their reading rooms. Moreover, the data of the past three years show that the number of users of the Nepal National Library is decreasing each year. The number of users of the Kaiser library is also not much encouraging. This has made these libraries much the storehouses of books, and less the information centers.
Looking at the similarities between the two libraries and their present positions, the problem towards which this study is directed is to compare and analyze the services provided by the two in the light of the expectation of the library users. The focus is also to figure out the deficiencies in the part of these libraries and to make suggestions for their improvement. The following aspects of the two libraries have been considered as the statement of the problems:
It is not known whether the services and facilities provided to the users are satisfactory or not. It is not known whether the collections in the library are sufficient or not. It is not known whether the collections in the library are useful to the users or not. It is not known whether the employees of the library are helpful or not. It is not known whether the budget provided to the library is sufficient or not. It is not known why the users of these libraries are less in number.
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1.3 Objectives of the Study:
a) General Objective: The general objective of the study is to explore the facilities and the services provided by the two big government libraries, i.e. Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library and to compare them in the light of users’ expectations and to find out the practical solutions for their further improvement.
b) Specific Objectives: The specific objectives of the study are: i. To find out the history and present status of the libraries, ii. To find out the library facilities and services provided, iii. To find out the users’ expectations and existing problem in the libraries, iv. To find out the problems faced by the library staff, v. To know about the budget allocation and management, vi. To compare the users’ satisfaction between the two libraries, vii. To provide recommendations for the further improvement.
1.4 Scope and Limitation of the Study: i. As the topic of the study suggests it is limited to the two libraries, Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library only. ii. The study is focused to the library services and facilities provided to the users. iii. The Study also inspects the budgetary conditions and the constraints felt by the libraries for the improvement of the services. iv. The study does not cover the whole status of the libraries in Nepal. The study mainly covers the service provisions of the two libraries. The core concern of the study is to comparatively analyze the service patterns of the libraries under consideration. v. The study was conducted during the period of Oct 2007 to March 2008.
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1.5 Significance of the Study: i. By the study the existing conditions of NNL and KLib along with their services and facilities will be clear. ii. This is the very first time that the two libraries (Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library), which are getting almost equal importance by the government and have quite a lot similarities, are being studied comparatively in the light of their services. So the findings may be helpful for both the libraries to know about their shortcomings and to get suggestions for the further improvement. iii. Ultimately the library users may also be benefited. iv. The findings of the study can be helpful for those who want further research in this field.
1.6 Definitions of Terms / Glossary:
Archive - an organized body of documents made or received in connection with the function of the institution or the library. Archives are maintained and preserved as a part of the record-keeping process and usually collected in a separate physical location.
Bibliography - a list of books, periodical articles, government documents, or other materials systematically arranged by author, title, date and place of publication, publisher, details of edition, and page numbers. Published bibliographies on specific subjects are often found in the reference collection.
Biography - a written account of a person's life or the group of literature concerned with people's lives.
Call Numbers - a combination of numbers or letters and numbers that indicates the address or location of an item in the library. Materials in the library are organized by call number into specific groups.
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Catalog- A library catalog is a list of documents in the holdings of a library or group of libraries. A catalog entry must show sufficient detail to identify a work; this usually means its author, title, date and publisher. The entry must also show the work’s location in library, its classification number or shelf number and number of copies and edition.
CD-ROM - a computer-based format that means Compact Disk-Read Only Memory. It is used for storing and retrieval of information from a compact disk using a CD player and a personal computer. The information on a compact disk is in a Read Only format and cannot be amended or altered by the user.
Circulation – the activity of a library in lending books to borrowers and keeping records of the loan.
Citation - a reference to a text or publication that includes the bibliographic information--author, title, name of journal or name of publisher, date, pages, volumes and other information that is necessary to locate a book, a magazine or journal article, or some other material.
Classification- the action of classifying or arranging in classes according to common characteristics or affinities; assignment to the proper class.
Database - a collection of data or file of information in a form accessible by computer or indexed in machine readable form. In a sense, a database is a computerized library in which individual records can be retrieved.
Government Document - a publication or any printed matter originating or printed by the authority of any office of a legally organized government body.
Interlibrary Loan - an interlibrary loan is a function of the lending and borrowing services between libraries, which provide access to materials not owned by the library.
Internet - a worldwide network of computers that allows the "sharing" or "networking" of information at remote sites from other academic institutions, research institutes, private companies, government agencies, and individuals.
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Journal - a periodical collection of articles or other material such as reports, proceedings, or transactions issued by a society, an organization, or an institution.
Magazine - a periodical publication for general interest such as news, current events, and popular material.
Microforms - a general term used to describe the microfilm, microfiche, or microform formats used for the storage of documents that have been photographed and reduced in size to reduce in order to conserve space or to preserve materials that deteriorate rapidly. Newspapers, magazines, journals, college catalogs, government documents, and Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) documents are some examples of the materials stored on microform.
Open Access – free access to the world of books. Users are allowed browsing amongst shelves without any hindrances and select the book/books of their choice.
Periodicals - publications issued in successive parts at regular intervals, including journals, magazines and newspapers. Current periodicals are ones that have arrived recently within the last six months to two years. Bound periodicals are back issues which have been sent to the bindery, covered with a binding, and placed in the stacks.
Primary Source - Manuscripts, records, or documents providing original research or documentation.
Reprographic – the production in facsimile of documents of all kinds by any process using light, heat or electric radiation such as photocopies, microcopies, electro-copies etc.
Reference - a department within the library where librarians can provide assistance or help in locating information or researching a topic. The reference department also contains a selection of materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, directories, or statistical sources as well as periodical indexes, and subject bibliographies.
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Secondary Source - materials or sources that contain information that has been cited, translated, or based upon another--primary or original source.
Stacks - the sections or areas of the library where the collection is stored. Books and periodicals are arranged on shelves in the stacks and grouped by call numbers.
World Wide Web - a client-server information system that uses the Internet to access computers containing millions of hypertext documents.
1.7 Organization of the Study: The thesis has been organized in six chapters. The first chapter is the introductory part. It consists of the background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, scope and limitation of the study, significance of the study, definitions of terms/glossary and finally the organization of the study. The second chapter deals with the review of relevant literatures. The views and quotations of famous scholars on national libraries, the established norms and functions of national libraries worldwide, the findings and suggestions by the previous researchers of the NNL and the KLib, and the relevant writings on the journals, magazines, newspapers and special publications of these libraries have been included in this chapter. The third chapter deals with understanding of the subject. The historical background and present conditions of the NNL and the KLib, their collections, facilities and services they provide to the users, budgetary conditions etc. have been depicted clearly in this chapter. The fourth chapter deals with the methodology. Research design, population and procedures applied for sampling, data collection and data analysis have been explained in this chapter. The fifth chapter is concerned with the presentation and analysis of the collected facts, figures and data. Tables and different types of charts have been used as the statistical means for presentation and analysis. And the descriptive accounts follow to make the facts more clear and easy to understand.
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The sixth or the final chapter deals with the findings of the study. The summary of the findings, the conclusions of the study and the recommendations for the betterment of the services in these libraries (the NNL and the KLib) have been covered in this chapter.
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REFERENCES
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. (2006). Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Devkota, L. P. (2012 B.S.). Pustakalaya. Navnirman , 1 (2).
Encyclopedic dictionary of library and information science. New Delhi: Anmol Publication, 1995.
Khanna, J.K. (1997). Library and Society . New Delhi: Ess Ess Publication. P 269
Ranganathan, S. R. (1940). Reference Service and Bibliography ,Vol. I. Madras: Madras Library Association. p.25.
Shrestha, N. (1983). Information needs and pattern of information use of University Faculty, Research scholars and graduate students: a survey with implications for improvement of the information services in Tribhuvan University Central Library in Nepal. Unpublished Master degree thesis, Institute of library science, University of Philippines. p.6.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4 th ed.). (2004). Houghton Mifflin Company.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (6 th ed.). ( 2003). Columbia University Press.
Young, H. (ed.). (1983). ALA glossary of Library and information science . Chicago: A.L.A, p.151.
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Chapter II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Regarding the Nepal National library and the Kaiser library very few studies have been conducted so far. Though there have been a few studies on NNL and the Klib separately on various aspects, no studies have yet been conducted comparing the two regarding their services. So theoretical revision has also been done regarding the functions of national and public libraries. Some of the works reviewed during this study are discussed briefly in this chapter.
There have been ample studies, international seminars and discussions regarding the functions and services of national libraries. So some international norms have been established for the functions of national libraries, though many national libraries have their individual specialties regarding their services and activities.
Similarly some international norms have been established for public libraries also. As has been mentioned in the previous chapter the profession has been unable to agree on a single, accepted definition for the national library . So the scholars have tried to figure out its universal characteristics and functions and defined the institution accordingly.
The National Library stands at the apex of the Public Library system of a country. It is a national treasure house of books, periodicals and other reading materials. It is entirely financed and managed by the central government of a country. Thus it acts as a central reference library having a large collection of books and other reading documents and exists to serve the whole nation as the biggest and the best power house of knowledge. The basic object of the National Library is to collect, preserve and make available the National literature published currently in the shape of books, periodicals, microfilms and other documents pertaining to the country and also to obtain foreign literature as per the requirements of the readers of the country. The next important object of the National Library is to extend reference service to the
15 readers by compiling and publishing national bibliographies and maintaining a Union Catalog of important books in the various libraries in the country. The national library can extend inter library loan facilities on national and international level. It preserves rare books and manuscripts of national importance by certain scientific methods. The government of a country enables the national library to receive at least one copy of every new book, journals and newspapers published in the country through legal deposit or compulsory deposit system. (Parida, 1982, pp.73-74).
Parida has clearly mentioned that the governments should enable the national libraries to receive at least one copy of every document published within the country by legal system. But Nepal National Library is yet to get that right. It has been more than a decade since it has requested the government for the legal depository act. Though the NNL has published 3 volumes of National Union Catalog, the library has not been able to produce National Bibliography. International Organization for Standardization (1982) defines a national library as:
National Libraries are those libraries which, irrespective of their title, are responsible for acquiring and conserving copies of all significant publications published in the country and functioning as a deposit library, either by law or under other arrangements. They will also normally perform some of the following functions: produce a national bibliography, hold and keep up to date a large and representative collection of foreign literature including books about the country, act as a national bibliographical information center, compile union catalogs, publish the retrospective national bibliography. Libraries which may be called ‘national’ but whose functions do not correspond to this definition should not be placed in the national libraries category. (p. 136).
This International Organization for Standardization also stresses the national libraries as the Deposit Library of the country. This has not been materialized for the Nepal National Library. Due to lack of national depository act or any such arrangements by the government, the NNL has not been able to produce the National Bibliographies, one of the main functions for a National Library. Regarding the function of national libraries Chandler (1965) opines that:
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It is the primary duty of national libraries to be reference libraries of last resort, where any books in their collections can be seen at any time, and where books on different subjects can be consulted together. It is not the function of a national library to organize its collections primarily for the subject specialist. It is, of course, desirable that national libraries allow as much open access to their collections by bona fide subject inquirers as is consistent with their primary duty of conservation. (p. 96)
Chandler argues that “National libraries ought also to act as lenders of last resort, either by direct loan from their collections to other reference libraries, or by ensuring that loans are made through some other agency under their control or on which they are represented.” (p. 96)
Khanna, (1997) in his book “Library and Society”, has generalized some major functions for a national library. According to him, in unesco’s seminars, Ranganathan’s work and the working of four great national libraries of the world viz, British library London formerly British Museum; Library of Congress Washington; The Lenin State library Moscow and Bibliotheque Nationale Paris the following important functions may be noted.
The primary function of national libraries are set up to preserve the literature produced in a particular country, this functions carried out under the terms of the Copyright Act or the Legal Deposit. This concept is often extended to include documents relating to country and its nationals published anywhere and in any language outside the country. If some of the material is stored elsewhere the national library should have a record of it. It acquires comprehensive, representative current national bibliography and also of retrospective national bibliographies where needed. It undertakes the publication of catalogs of materials in its possession and also compiles Union Catalogs of holdings in the country’s libraries. It should also establish a Union Catalog of manuscripts held in other libraries and archive repositories.
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It sets up a national reference and bibliographical service throughout the country, based on libraries and other organizations which pass information services. The national center on the national library should coordinate the system and act as a Clearing House for enquiries to and from similar centers overseas . A new and very important trend among national libraries is that of separating the national libraries’ reference function from lending ones. There may be two national libraries in each country, one for conservation and reference, and the other for lending and photocopying. It should provide leadership for the country’s library system; initiate or participate in any schemes of a cooperative nature concerned with such matters as shared cataloguing; resource sharing and coordinated information retrieval system. It is a valuable instrument for furthering nation’s material, intellectual, artistic and- spiritual progress. It implies that the national library should be at the head of other libraries as an aid in social engineering. Of the numerous functions of national libraries, the most important ones beyond being the repository of nation’s literary products are that of collecting or selecting current foreign literature the setting up of national bibliographical and information services and a leadership role in the planning of library services generally a role which may include library training and education. (pp. 97-99)
Cornish, G.P. in an UNESCO-sponsored work on national libraries suggested that the basic functions that a national library might reasonably perform are to: Provide the central collection of materials produced within or about the country or region which the national library is situated; Maintain a comprehensive collection of foreign publications; Provide national leadership in library and information affairs; Be the hob of librarianship and the prime mover in library developments; Provide a national information system to facilitate economic and social development at both national and personal levels; Receive materials through legal deposits; Act as the national archive for non-published materials; Create the national bibliographic record; Make its collections nationally available; Act as a national resource for non-print materials; 18
provide a national referral service; undertake to conserve the national printed heritage; provide central coordinating point for research in library and information science’ Provide a national service to the handicapped. (http://www.sims.berkley.edu/courses/is285/so1/national/html)
Line (1998) opines that such established functions of a national library are being threatened by the development in Information Technology. As he puts it:
IT is changing the whole concept of publication; the Web contains, alongside research articles, vast quantities of trivia and also serious discussions of the kind that might previously have taken place in the press. The Web is in fact enabling new forms of communication to prosper. A national library that collected only printed matter would in a few years have a very incomplete record of the nation’s published output. Similar factors apply to non-book media, which not all national libraries have collected in the past: if collection is restricted to tangible forms an increasing body of material will be missed. Even if the legal deposit law is all-inclusive, as in Norway, the problems of enforcing it are almost insuperable, and the burden of collecting is insupportable. Another problem is that globalization affects publication like almost everything else, so that it is often hard to know what is published in or by a particular country. This same factor of globalization is one of several that is beginning to make national bibliographies an irrelevance.
Dasharath Thapa, the chief librarian of the NNL for more than a decade, confesses that the government has not assigned any mandatory functions for the NNL. In his article “Nepal National Library and its International Relation”, published on NNL’s Golden Jubilee publication in 2062 B.S., he writes, “although there is no mandatory function of this library, this library is trying its best to perform the normal primary and secondary national libraries’ function accepted elsewhere.” (Thapa, 2062 B. S.) According to him the major activities carried out by the NNL are: Setting adequate central services, including the compilation of the National Union Catalog, Union List of Serials and other reference tools, Promoting literacy through a network of mobile libraries and the publication of Nepali literature,
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Assisting other public libraries throughout the country in providing efficient services, Providing information about the library and the facility of searching the bibliographical information of books and periodicals through website, Organizing different activities in order to promote the reading habit among the children. (p. 69)
In his decade long experience as the chief librarian of the NNL, Thapa finds lack of legal provisions and inadequacy of the budget as the major hurdle for enhancing the major functions as a national library of the country. According to him, the existing acquisition budget is inadequate. And in the absence of Legal Depository Act it is not possible to collect all the publications of the country. Therefore the library could not perform its one of the main duties “the publication of National Bibliography”. Thapa is not satisfied with the existing physical facilities and staff competency also. According to him, “the existing physical facilities are inadequate to organize and preserve the documents in an efficient and effective way. Similarly the library staff need refresher training to sharpen their working efficiency.” His confession regarding all these lacking and inadequacies clearly show the sorry state of the NNL. As he compares Nepal National Library with the national libraries of some of the South Asian and South East Asian countries Thapa writes:
The national libraries of Singapore and Malaysia seem quite capable to perform the functions of national libraries. In Thailand it has been successful to obtain Royal patronage. In South Asian region the National Library of India is quite rich from various angles. The national library of Nepal has not even its own building. It is sharing some rooms with other government departments. Our national library has neither Legal Depository Legislation nor legislation to manage and administer the library system in the country. (Thapa, 2062 B. S., p. 70)
Thapa, (2065 B.S.) in another article titled “National Library: It’s Existence in Nepal”, published in the Centenary Publication of Kaiser Library in 2065 B.S. has again pleaded for the Legal Depository Act. According to him though a draft for the Act had been prepared and handed over to the concerned ministry for the necessary
20 procedure, it could never materialize as a law. The act is necessary to enable the NNL for getting at least a copy of all the printed materials published within the country and thus to make the NNL a national depository in true sense.
Similarly the Copyright Act, 1966 and its amendment in 1997 also could not be proved to be more helpful to the NNL, so the second amendment on the Act was suggested and a draft for the same was also presented to the government. This also has not been passed.
In the article he has highlighted different performances and achievements of the NNL. But he has also mentioned the inadequacy of the budget and the lack of qualified and experienced staff for the processing of its collection. According to him the backlog un-indexed collections were cataloged and entered into the database through private consultants in 2003 and 2004. Thapa stresses that the building provided by the government for the NNL is not appropriate as it is not sufficient and properly located. In the article he has enlisted the following requirements to be fulfilled by the government: Acquire separate land to construct a new building for the library in easily accessible place in Kathmandu, Acquisition of modern equipment to the library, Increase budget to acquire books / journals, Provide training to the existing human resources of the library, To allocate development budget, Draft library law.
Karki (2062 B.S.) in his article titled “National Library of Nepal: A Critical Review” has been very critical of the condition of the NNL. He pointed out that the library has been functioning without any legislative support from the state. In his own words, “The overall objectives of the NNL are the same as the objectives of other national libraries in the globe. The national libraries of other countries have been supported by policies, plans, programs and acts. But NNL is functioning without any policy, programs and acts.” (p. 88) Karki concludes:
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The NNL, as a prestigious institution in the county has to play significant role in preserving the national heritage and providing best opportunity for self and continuous information, education and knowledge for all. In spite of having great importance of national library, yet the development trend of NNL is not satisfactory. The growth trend in term of collection, staff, infrastructure, budget, policy, program, legal provision etc is very slow. The government sector has not come forward with concrete determination. Therefore national library development trend in Nepal is not satisfactory as in the case of other countries. (p. 89)
Karki has pointed out that in spite of many activities of the NNL; the users are not fully satisfied with its present status. Certain essential requirements have to be achieved through the leadership role of NNL to provide different library systems in the country. In this regard he has made some suggestions for the NNL to come forward with concrete determination. They are:
Starting of a National policy on library and information system, Comprehensive collection development for present and posterity, Improvement of historical outlook and old concept of library and information services, Networking for economy of information, Formation of higher body in LIS profession, Legal provision for deposit of all types of information materials, Mechanism for bibliographic control of all types, kinds and subjects material either published or unpublished in the form of print on paper journals or electronic forms, Effective reference services for long range and short range readymade information, Leadership roles for the implementation of scientifically managed library and information systems of different types of library systems, Consideration of borrowing facility of reading materials through the establishment of lending section in the existing structure, Support and encouragement to public library system through the legal methods, Demand for adequate library budget through strong and authentic justification, Extension of library facilities to the prisoners and handicaps as users’ care, 22
Establishment of permanent library cooperation between different libraries and information centers for resource sharing, Promotion of Audio-visual library and establishment of digital library as a separate media section, Standardization and uniformity in technical processing and other library services through the use of modern IT, Regular opportunity of user education to the users, Grading and higher opportunity of professional posts in LIS profession, Participation of professional librarians in planning and law making process for library and information development activities, Establishment of international relation to narrow down the digital divide, To be an apex agency for “Right to Information of public importance” as mentioned by the constitution of Nepal, A justifiable demand should be made with the government for obtaining a separate building in the central location of Kathmandu Valley. (p. 91)
Karki strongly recommended the government to come up with a clear national policy regarding library and information system in the country.
Nepal should recognize the importance of information revolution. The NNL should be empowered through sufficient and adequate budget, space, manpower and other resources. In this regard there is urgency to formulate a proposal for a coordinated national policy for library and information system. To achieve all these activities national policy for information system is essential as a government manifesto for the development of library and information services in the country. (pp. 92-93)
Later in the year, 2064 B. S., i.e. 2007 A.D., the government passed the “Library and Information Service National Policy, 2007.” This National Policy intends to see the Nepal National Library play the role of the apex body of all the libraries in the country. It states, “Nepal National Library is to act as a higher body of all community and public libraries operated in Nepal.” (Working policies no. 5.5)
Shrestha, (2001) studied on NNL with special reference to UNESCO project, implemented for a period of 5 years from 1994 to 1999. The study report was 23 submitted to the Delhi University as a thesis for the completion of Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. The study led him to the conclusion that the UNESCO/DANIDA project played a vital role for the development of NNL as well as the library services in Nepal. Before UNESCO project, the NNL had made very little progress and was unable to play the national role in the library affairs of Nepal. So UNESCO with the financial help from DANIDA supported this library to modernize its role, functions and services. The works initiated by the project not only affected the objectives and organizational structure of the NNL but also left a great impact on overall functions and services of the library. Creation of awareness on the importance of libraries as the information centers, upgrading the library skill among the staff, introduction of information technology like internet, e-mail services, bibliographic database etc into the library and establishment of children’s section are some of the notable deeds. The project designated one public library in each of the development regions as NNL’s branch library, NNL itself working as a public library to represent Central Development Region. Moreover, mobile library services have been initiated in Kaski and Kathmandu districts.
Shrestha (2062 B.S.) in his article titled, “Role of UNESCO/DANIDA project in the Development of Nepal National Library” published on the golden jubilee publication of the NNL, has again lauded the UNESCO’s help for the Nepal National Library. According to him NNL was able to make little progress in its 40 years of establishment, before the UNESCO/DANIDA project assisted it. It was not able to achieve its objectives and was not able to play the national role for the development of library system in Nepal. He observed following reasons behind this situation:
Absence of national library policy and legal provision, Inadequate number of trained manpower, Inadequate budget, Poor collections, Poor infrastructure, such as – lack of space, furniture ICT materials etc.
According to him, UNESCO, with financial support from DANIDA, initiated the project in Dec, 1994 with the following aims: Train and upgrade the skills of the staff at all levels, 24
Improve the facilities and collection by essentially setting as branch libraries in each of the five development regions with view to develop a public library system to provide services to the general population including rural villages, Promoting the publishing of children’s literature by encouraging and assisting writers and publishers.
Shrestha says, the five year project brought major changes in overall development of the Nepal National Library. The major achievements, as he points out, were:
4,811 volumes of books on Nepal, 1,200 volumes of children’s literature and 45 CD-ROMS added in the NNL. Also 1,200 children’s literature procured for branch libraries. Initiated modernization in the NNL. Computers, printers, multimedia projectors, digital camera, overhead projector, television, CD players, photocopy machines, fax machine were introduced, Helped for human resource development in the field of library science. As a result more than 160 semi-professional manpower were developed within the 5 year project period, Establishment of children’s library in the NNL, Establishment of branch libraries under NNL in five development regions, Initiated the publication of NNL newsletter since June 1999. Other Promotional activities were also conducted, Publication of Nepal National Union Catalog in 1997. Since then other 2 volumes have already been published the second volume in 2000 and the third volume in 2004. The NNUC have now been available in CD form also, A draft for the Legal Depository Act was prepared with extensive discussions and presented to the government in 1998, but never passed. Similarly a draft for Copyright Act was also presented to the government in the same year.
Shrestha concludes that the UNESCO project helped the NNL to come to the present standard, but still there is long way to go to be able to work in its full-fledged capacity and render better services for the national development. (pp. 74 – 81)
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The Himalayan Times, a national daily, in its editorial of Feb 15, 2008, comments: The national library, for lack of proper management and resources, is struggling to provide basic facilities deemed indispensable to a modern library. The government funds that the library receives to cover its expenses is mostly spent on buying newspapers and magazines with hardly any money left to refurbish the library building and buy new books. Worse still, the library lacks enough space for readers to conveniently sit and study.
The library houses over 83 thousand books, including some rare ones on Nepali Literature, Oriental Philosophy and Religions. The national library is one of the few libraries that proffer Nepali literature to its readers. The library would thus be a heaven for readers who wish to explore and savour the taste of Nepali literature and other aspects of Nepal. Evidently, the library would be able to function properly and attract more readers if it was shifted to a better location.
Along with its special responsibilities for being a national library, the NNL is serving the general public as a public reference library. Quite similarly, the Kaiser Library, which too is a government library, is serving as a public reference library. In this regard the NNL and the Klib both are discharging quite similar services to the general public.
Dragomir Dimitrov worked as resident representative for the Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project (NGMCP), which has done quite a lot to microfilm and preserve the invaluable manuscripts collected in the Kaiser Library. During this period he studied about the history and the collections of the library. In the Newsletter of NGMCP, Dimitrov and Tamot (2007) have traced the history of the library as:
The history of the library can be traced back to 1909, when Kaiser Shamsher started putting his own stamp on the books in his possession (Amatya, 1989). Within about half a century the number of his books grew to such an extent that it may now safely be considered one of the largest private libraries in South Asia, and certainly the largest one in Nepal. The collections kept in this library, though neglected for a ling time, are of great importance and deserve much more attention and closer study. (Kaiser Library, 2065 B.S.) 26
Regarding the collection of Kaiser Library Dimitrov and Tamot write:
One highlight of this library is its collection of rare English books especially publications from the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Among scholars, the Kaiser Library is particularly famous for its collection of Nepalese Manuscripts. Besides this, many noteworthy paintings, photographs, sculptures, maps and press cuttings are also part of the library and attract public interest. The portraits of various Nepalese and foreign personalities are especially worth seeing.
The two researchers conclude that the zeal of Kaiser Shumsher to acquire the rare manuscripts helped not only to add to the collections for his personal library but also helped the country to preserve its cultural heritage.
The manuscript collection housed in the Kaiser Library is extremely valuable, not least because the codices kept there have been selected specially on the basis of their importance. There are hardly any accidental acquisitions, and generally there are not many copies of the same title. The core of the material was formed probably around a traditional Rana collection, to which Kaiser Shamsher zealously added many more manuscripts. The older generation of Newar scholars used to talk about rare pieces of art and manuscripts which Kaiser Shamsher collected from local intellectuals. By acquiring the manuscripts for his own library, Kaiser Shamsher has prevented invaluable cultural items of Nepal from being irreversibly lost or illegally taken out of the country.
Highlighting on the riches of the library, Amatya (1991), points out, “the Kaiser Library is not a mere library but also a rich art gallery and a small museum by itself.” Azhar Abidi, an Australian writer of Pakistani origin, astonished by the riches of the Kaiser Library, has published his accounts as follows:
I WRITE my address in the clerk’s registrar and enter, with trepidation. The library of Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana is the oldest library in Kathmandu and it is pickled in time. The reading room has a Railway and Canal Map of India drawn by George Philip and Son Ltd, 32 Fleet Street, London. Railways have been updated to October 1906, canals to August 1905. There is a rolled-up map of Africa, a map of 27
Asia, and a ‘heliozincographed’ map of Nepal printed by the Survey of India Offices, Calcutta, and based on a 1924-25 survey. Mt Everest is shown here as 29,002 feet high. Eyes agape, I walk down the hall. Timber floor, high ceiling, musty smell. On the walls, black and white photographs of dead nobles. Two portraits of glaring British Army officers. A stuffed Bengal tiger with a spider web between its jaws. Further down, there is a bust of Napoleon and a painting of an Englishwoman. The newer titles include hardbacks by Alistair Maclean, Irwin Shaw, Jean Renoir and Anthony Burgess. They are over forty years old. The Funk and Wagnall’s New Standard Dictionary, supervised by Mr Isaac K. Funk, is lying on an oak table. The hunting books are more flamboyant, and after sitting for more than half a century on these shelves they are still ripe with bravura that is rare these days the sort where the author lights his pipe and sets out to follow the paw marks of a tiger into the bush. I open the almirahs. Hobbes’ Leviathian bound in cloth by J.M. Dent & Sons, 1924, stares back. Row upon row of Elizabethan drama books. The Rights of Man by T. Paine; an illustrated edition of The Arabian Nights, translated by Sir R.F. Burton, and published by H.S. Nichols & Co., 3 Soho Square W, in 1894; Don Quixote illustrated by Gustave Dor’e, the Memoirs of Casanova, The Best Flying Stories from the days of flying boats, Boswell’s Life of Johnson, a Sumer-Aryan dictionary. I returned to my oak table. I have a leather bound volume of Dante’s Inferno, illustrated in ink by Gustave Dor’e, printed by Cassell and Company, 1912, and notepad. There are no other visitors. So I spend the rest of the afternoon planning the great Kaiser Library Robbery. (Abidi, 2003)
According to the library source, the collection of the Kaiser Library covers history, religion, philosophy, astronomy, sociology, science, technology, medical science, hunting, sports, arts, gardening, military science, biographies, dictionaries, English literature and many more subjects. When the library was handed over to the government, there were about 28 thousand books, manuscripts, magazines and periodicals. Most of the books were in English.
Kaiser library is also rich in its collection of historical photographs. According to the library sources the library has about 700 photographs in its collection. The Himalayan Times (2008), English daily, on its feature story about the library, comments:
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The lobby of the Kaiser library is adorned with fast fading black-and –white photographs of not-too-distant past. These pictures for instance, take us back to the time when Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher JBR announced the abolition of slavery (1922) and to young days of King Mahendra and King Tribhuvan. Even as these pieces of history fade fast, the Ministry of Education and Sports, the body responsible for preserving these invaluable photographs and looking after the library, remains a mute spectator due to “fund crunch”.
Sharma (2007) conducted a comparative study of Government and Diplomatic Missionaries’ Libraries in Kathmandu Valley for her thesis for the Masters Degree of Library and Information Science under Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She selected the American Library and the Indian Library among the diplomatic missionaries’ libraries and the Nepal National Library and the Kaiser Library among the government libraries for her study. Her study was focused to existing conditions of the collections and types of services provided by these libraries to the users.
Her findings about the government libraries (NNL & KLib) were as follows: Collections are inadequate, Services provided by these libraries such as reference service, CAS, display of latest arrivals etc. are not properly used due to lack of knowledge of the users, The percentage of self-searcher higher in Kaiser Library, Users want issuance system, Users are not familiar with the services provided by these libraries, Budget allocated for these libraries are not sufficient, The location and building of NNL is not suitable, Most of the users seemed gratified with the opening hours, and services provided by these libraries, These libraries are not able to serve the users by computer and internet facilities, Most of the users visit these libraries to read newspapers other than the books and other reading materials.
In her thesis Sharma made the following recommendations for these libraries:
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To provide sufficient information of library source and services to the users, Budget be increased, To establish issuance system, To adopt automation system, To motivate the visitors to consult reference books, read journals etc. other than just to read newspapers, Nepal National library to be better located.
Tikekar, (2000), in his article “Public Libraries as Community Information Centers” published in Herald of Library Science journal writes, “Public library system envisages different types of libraries woven in one string and catering various kinds of services to the community. Such a system comprises of libraries scaling from the national library to a village library.”
This view applies in Nepal too. Besides being the national library of the country NNL is serving the general public as a public reference library. The entry is open to all and books can be read free of cost. But the library materials must be used only within the library premises. Quite similar is the case of Kaiser Library; open to all, free use of library but no circulation. It is also serving the general public as a public reference library. Both the libraries are bound to the public library system by various means.
Shrestha (2000) has stressed the role of libraries as a means to eradicate illiteracy in developing countries. In her article “Role of Public Libraries in Eradicating Illiteracy from Nepal” published in TULSSAA journal, she strongly pleads that a library should take an active part in promoting literacy in the country. According to her a library should work in order to: i. Give some education, ii. Provide with information, iii. Give recreation to the people & iv. To develop culture. And it must be concerned that a public library services should be to whole community and that the services offered should be open to all without barrier. (p. 8).
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REFERENCES
Abidi, A. (2003). The Library of Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana. Meanjin. 62 (4). 49-51.
Amatya, S. (1991). Art and culture of Nepal, an attempt towards preservation . Jaipur: Nirala. p. 97.
Chandler, G. (1965). Libraries in the Modern World. Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd. p.96
Dimitrov, D., & Tamot, K. (2007). Kaiser Shamsher, his library and his manuscript collection. Smarika . (2065 B.S.). Kathmandu: Kaiser Library. pp. 56-67.
Cornish, G. P. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2005, from http://www.sims.berkley.edu/courses/is285/so1/national/html
International organization for standardization. (1982). Information transfer. (2nd ed.). Geneva: ISO. p.136.
Karki, M. (2062 B.S.). National library of Nepal: Critical review. Smarika . a golden jubilee year publication, Lalitpur: Nepal National Library. pp. 91-92.
Khanna, J.K. (1997). Library and Society . New Delhi: Ess Ess Publication. pp. 97-99.
Library and Information Service National Policy (2007). Lalitpur: Nepal National Library, Working policies, no. 5.5.
Line, M. B. (1998). What do national libraries do in the age of the internet? ARIADNE.
Parida, B. (1982). Fundamental of Library Management. Bhubanewsar: Panchashila. pp.73-74.
31
Sharma, S. (2007). A comparative study of government and diplomatic missionaries’ libraries. Unpublished master degree thesis. Central department of library and information science, Tribhuvan University. pp. 64-67.
Shrestha, B.K. (2001). A Study of Nepal National Library with special reference to UNESCO project. Unpublished Master Degree thesis. Delhi University.
Shrestha,B. K.(2062 B.S.). Role of UNESCO/DANIDA project in the development of Nepal National Library. Smarika . a golden jubilee year publication, Lalitpur: Nepal National Library. pp.74-81.
Shrestha, N. (2000). Role of public libraries in eradicating illiteracy from Nepal. TULSSAA , 1 (1), 8.
Thapa, D. (2062 B.S.). Nepal National Library and its international relation. Smarika , a golden jubilee year publication. Lalitpur: Nepal National Library. pp. 69-70.
Thapa, D. (2065 B.S.). National Library: Its existence in Nepal. Smarika , a centenary year publication, Kathmandu: Kaiser Library: pp 68-76.
The Himalayan Times, (2008, January 1) p.1.
The Himalayan Times. (2008, Feb 14). Editorial.
Tikekar, A. C. (2000). Public libraries as community information centers. Herald of Library Science, 39 (3-4), 198-201.
32
Chapter III
FOCUS OF THE STUDY
The focus of the study is to compare and analyze the services provided by the Nepal National Library and the Kaiser Library in the light of users’ expectations. Since these libraries have not been able to attract as many people into their reading rooms and even the number of readers in the NNL is decreasing in the last three years, it is timely to explore upon the weaknesses and the room to improve in their part. So the study also aims to collect the suggestions from the users and make recommendations for the further improvement of these libraries. In this context the details of these libraries, the services they have been providing for the users and their present conditions have been discussed in this chapter.
Nepal National Library:
Nepal National Library is the only officially recognized national library in Nepal. It is an institution of National importance and is under the ‘Ministry of Education’ of the Government of Nepal. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed materials produced in the country or materials related to Nepal published anywhere in the world. The library is situated within the Kathmandu Valley at Pulchok, in Lalitpur District.
Historical Background:
Nepal Government established the Nepal National Library (NNL) in January 1957 (Poush 19, 2013 B.S.). The Government bought the personal library of the then King’s Spiritual Guru late Badaguruju Hem Raj Pandey, for three hundred thousand (3, 00,000) Indian rupees and shifted its collections to Sikri Dhoka, Singh Durbar. There already existed the Central Secretariat library in Singh Durbar but had only a small collection. The government amalgamated the collections bought with late Pandey with that of the Central Secretariat library and declared it as National Library.
33
From the outset, the NNL had an impressive collection of about 43,000 books and periodicals, including those brought in as a result of the amalgamation of the Central Secretariat Library. (Thapa 2062 B.S., p. 69) It is presently housed in Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur and is open to all for reading and reference.
Objectives:
Setting up adequate central services, including publication of the National Union Catalog, National Bibliography and other reference tools. Providing library services to the general public. Collecting, organizing and preserving entire published materials within the country and Nepal related materials published from abroad. Promoting literacy through a network of mobile libraries and the publication of Nepali literature. And Assisting in the development of other public libraries in the country. (Nepal National Library)
Building:
It is located in an old palatial Building of the Rana regime. The building, called Harihar Bhavan, belonged to Shanker Shumsher Rana and later purchased by the Nepal Government. The library occupies the southern wing on the First floor of the building. There are nine rooms and two corridors covered by the library. A separate wing has been built nearby the building for the children’s section.
Collections:
The collections of Nepal National Library contain more than 86,000 items including books, periodicals, documents, written manuscripts etc. It receives about 70 periodicals published within the country or outside the country. Most of the materials are in Nepali, Sanskrit, English and Hindi languages. There are also some books in other community languages such as Maithili, Newari, Limbu, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Marathi etc. The total collection of the library has been divided into different sections
34 according to the language they are published. There are separate divisions for Nepali, Sanskrit, English and Hindi languages. Other language books are stacked by the stack division. In addition there are periodicals and children’s sections. There are also some maps, atlases, photographs, CD-ROMs and audio-visual materials in its possession.
Nepali Collections:
The Nepali book collection has gradually been built up over the past 40 years, since the establishment of the Nepal National Library. Almost 50% of the collection comprises Nepali literary works, including poetry, drama, essays, short stories and novels. Of the other subjects covered, the social sciences are most strongly represented, followed by history, biography, religion and language. The collection, which is on open access, is classified by the Dewey Decimal Classification, and author, title and subject indexing is provided by the card catalog and there is also OPAC facility.
English Collections (General):
Of special interest to historians and researchers, the English collection contains many books published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, both from the Indian subcontinent and from Western countries. The collection covers a wide range of subjects reflecting the broad interests of Rajguru Hem Raj Pandey. It is particularly rich in works on Indian philosophical thought, Hinduism and Buddhism.
There are significant number of books on Indian languages, and commentaries in English on Sanskrit literature. The collection is also strong in economics and politics of that period, and in history and biography. English literature is also represented, both by classics and by contemporary novels from Hem Raj Pandey’s time. The books are classified by the Dewey Decimal Classification (21 st edition). The collection is on open access, and author, title and subject index to the collection is provided by card catalog and there is the facility of OPAC also.
35
English Collection (Nepal):
A significant collection of Nepal related books in English forms a separate section. In the interests of preservation they are kept on closed access, but are made available to readers on request.
Sanskrit collection:
The Sanskrit collection contains some rare and valuable books, including printed “lipi” or leaf books. Some items date back to the early nineteenth century. For Sanskrit scholars and researchers this is the most significant collection and one of the largest collections of printed Sanskrit books in Nepal. The collection includes many works of philosophy, religion, history, Ayurveda and Sanskrit literature. The collection can be searched through OPAC.
Maps and Photographs: The library has district-wise maps of Nepal and other maps and atlases in its possession. The users can fully exploit them upon request. There are some photographs of former Kings and some well known personalities of Nepal.
Audio Visual: Audio visual materials are one of the important parts of its collection. There are some audio cassettes and video tapes deposited as copyright and some number of encyclopedias and other databases in CD-ROM. JICA has donated some Japanese animation video tapes to add into the Children’s Section of the library. Such materials can be used within the premises of the library.
Reports & Thesis/Dissertations: The library has some governmental and other reports in closed access. These can be used upon request. This library has more than 1200 theses and dissertations of Master Degree and Ph.D. These theses and dissertations are received from Tribhuvan University Central Library, Kathmandu University and other institutions. The theses and dissertations submitted to the Ministry of Education for Nepal Vidya Bhusan Medal are also
36 collected here. These theses and dissertations are in closed access and are available upon request.
ADB Depository: NNL has been designated as the “Depository Library” for the publications of ADB since August 2001. The collection is available upon request.
Card Catalog and Database:
“The library has traditional card catalog and a computer database having 15,100 records in WINISIS for English and 24,600 records in Devanagari collections.” (Thapa, 2065 B.S. p. 74)
The author, title and subject card catalogs of the books in English, Nepali and Hindi languages are available in the catalog cabinet near the entrance of the library. There are separate cabinets for different languages. There is also the facility of Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) . The library has prepared and published three volumes of National Union Catalog.
According to Dasharath Thapa, the chief librarian, many books on Sanskrit and English in the collection, are published in the 17 th century. Entire collection has been cataloged and classified according to prevailing rules of library science. The Dewey Decimal Classification has been used for classification and the AACR2 has been used for Cataloging. UN thesaurus, Sear’s List of Subject Headings and LCSH are used for providing keywords to control the vocabulary. (Thapa 2065 B.S. p.71)
To add to its collections NNL gets library materials either by purchase or by gifts. In general National Libraries get statutory rights to receive at least one copy of every item published within the country, free of charge. For example the British Library in UK, the National Library of India, all enjoy this facility. But there is still no provision of Legal Depositary Act is Nepal. So the “Library and Information Service National Policy, 2007” has suggested “To have an Act providing for the storage of publications, with provisions that publications published within Nepal must be provided to Nepal National Library and other two libraries for the collection of intellectual heritage.” (working policy no. 5.6)
37
Services Provided by NNL:
Reference Services:
NNL has been providing reference services to the general public, students, teachers, researchers and foreign users. The materials are freely available to all users. Most of the collections are in open access and the users can use them within the library. But no books are issued for home reading.
The NNL used to provide the lending service from 1961 up to 1980. Later it stopped the lending facilities citing the reason as to start the classification and cataloguing of the entire collection. Since then the users must use the library materials on the premises. The library is open to people without charge or special permission.
Inter Library Loan:
Selected libraries of the country and abroad may borrow the books for their readers from Nepal National Library through inter library loan facility. The NNL also borrows books from other libraries on readers’ request, if the book is not available in the library.
Reprographic Services:
The library users may avail reprographic facilities against payment. The photocopies, microfilms and microfilms printout/photocopy will be provided within the limits of the International Copy Rights Act.
Internet Service:
There is no internet facility for the users in the NNL. But upon special request by the user, it can provide internet service from the computers set for the library officials. The NNL had managed to provide internet service for the users 6 years back. But when the computer set for the users went out of order, no new computer could be managed.
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Current Awareness Service:
The Library provides current awareness services to the library users when required.
Services for Children:
Nepal National Library has established a separate division for children since August 1995. Equipped with Nepali, English and a few foreign languages books, the division caters the information as well as recreational needs of the children. The collection comprises more than 5,000 children’s literature in different subjects. Any child can enter the Children's section and use the library materials. The materials can be used only within the library premises and no books are lent out.
Mobile Library Service: The NNL is providing mobile library services for five village public libraries in Kathmandu valley. The Bhagban Yuba Club of Alapot, Munal Club of Tinthana VDC, Ugra Pustakalaya of Sankhu, Garima Pustakalaya and Tilingatar Higher Secondary School are using this facility and provide the library services through the reading materials of the NNL.
Modernization Activities:
The modernization activities in this library started with the help of UNESCO and DANIDA. UNESCO/DANIDA handled a five year project, 1995-1999, for the development and modernization of the library. This very project introduced the modern information technology into the library.
Now the catalog of the library can be retrieved through local database and online as well. The entire collection including periodicals of the library can be retrieved through internet at www.nnl.gov.np .
The bibliographic information of the English language documents are available in WINISIS software, a library-software developed by UNESCO, and those in Devanagari are in Unicode based software developed by Madan Puraskar Library.
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Library Hours: The library opens from 10 am to 5 pm from Sunday through Thursday and on Friday the library opens from 10 am to 3 pm. But in winter (Kartik 16 to Magh 15) the library hour is cut by one hour in the afternoon and is open only up to 4pm. Saturday is the holiday but the ‘Children’s Unit’ opens 7 days a week except on public holidays.
Staff: There are 23 staff members in the NNL. Among them professional Librans are only three. Six are semi-professionals and the rest are administrative and support staff. The chief librarian says, “The library lacks qualified and experienced library officers for the processing of its collection. The back log un-indexed collections were cataloged and entered into the database through private consultants in 2004 AD.” (Thapa, 2065 B.S. p. 72)
(A copy of the Organization Chart of the National Library is included in appendix B.)
Users: The annual numbers of visitors of the library in the past three years, according to the gate counter register, are as shown in table 3.1. This clearly shows that the numbers of visitors to the library are in decreasing trend.
Table: 3.1 No. of visitors in the NNL
Year No of visitors 2062 BS 9,756 2063 BS 8,927 2064 BS 7,771 Source: Nepal National Library
40
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0 2062 2063 2064
Figure 1 No. of visitors in the NNL
Budget: The large portion of the budget allocated for the library is spent on the salary for the staff and other administrative functions. Only a smaller portion is spent for the purchasing of books and other library materials. (Table: 3.2)
Table: 3.2 Annual budgets for Nepal National Library
Fiscal Year (B.S.) For For Salary and Total (Rs.) books/periodicals Administration
2062 / 063 5,70,000 40,36,000 46,06,000 2063 / 064 7,40, 000 39,37,000 46,77,000 2064 / 065 7,40,000 39,01,000 46,41,000 Source: Nepal National Library
Addition of Books/Materials: The library purchases books and other library materials as well as accepts donations from national and international donors. The numbers of books added to the library in the past three years have been shown in Table 3.3.
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Table: 3.3 Books added to the NNL in the last three years
Year Purchased Gift Total 2062 BS 2,628 668 3,296 2063 BS 2,099 458 2,557 2064 BS 2,570 1,506 4,076 Source: Nepal National Library
4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 Gift 2000 Purchased 1500 1000 500 0 2062 BS 2063 BS 2064 BS
Figure 2 Books added to the NNL in the last three years
Publications: - NNL has been publishing its newsletters twice a year since 1999 June (2056 Ashadh). These newsletters cover the activities of NNL and other library related activities in the country. - National Union Catalog vol. 1, 2 and 3. - Books on Nepal: A Bibliography. - Smarika (Souvenir) on the occasion of its 50 th anniversary in 2062 Pousha. - Brochures. - Jaganmohanam, Part 1 and 2. - Bhasa Banshabali, Part 1 and 2. - Bouddha Darsan Suchi, Part 1 and 2. - Jyotish Shastra Suchi, Part 1 and 2.
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- Prashasti Ratnawali. - Ishatatwam. - Sambitprakash Kabyam. - Catalog of Children’s Literature - Annual Reports (Since 2059)
Kaiser Library: Kaiser Library is a government library. It is totally run by the Government of Nepal. The library has its won building, the Kaiser Mahal, located at the heart of the Capital city Kathmandu.
Historical Background: The name Kaiser Library comes from the name of Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana who established this library. Kaiser Shumsher, the third son of the then powerful Shree Teen Maharaja Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, was fond of collecting books and other publications right from his young age. So he began to buy and collect different types of books, magazines and newspapers. In 1908 AD, at the age of 15 he got a chance to visit England with his father Maharaja Chandra Shumsher. He was very much impressed by the library system in England and the proper management of books in those libraries. This helped him to boost his hobby of collecting books and establishing a systematic library in his own house. He bought a lot of books there and brought to Kathmandu. He also set up a relationship in England so that the new publications would be sent to him in Kathmandu. Thus he established his own library in Kathmandu. But it was his personal property and there was no access to the common people in it. The library was limited to the members of his family, special people of the nation and special visitors from abroad. It remained personal for many years even after the democratic revolution of 2007 (1950AD). Before his death in 2021BS (1964 AD), he wished to handover his library to the government thereby making it a national property, so that everybody could get the benefit of it. According to his “Will” his family members handed over the ownership of the library to the government of Nepal. And since the year 2026 BS (1968 AD) this library has been open for the general public.
43
Since then it has been running under the Ministry of Education of the Government of Nepal. The management and the budgetary control of the library are fully handled by the Ministry. So it is a government library. It is mainly serving as a reference library.
Objectives: The objectives of this library have been set as follows: To provide library and information services to general public; To collect new books and educational materials. To organize trainings, workshops and seminars to develop the libraries in Nepal; To coordinate with national and international libraries through networking; To preserve the Kaiser collection; and. To help provide quality education and to promote reading habit in people. (Kaiser Library, 2008)
Collections:
Kaiser Library has more than fifty-five thousand books, documents, periodicals and manuscripts. It is rich in the collection of rare books, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, animal trophies etc. This library is therefore “not a mere library but also a rich art gallery and a small museum by itself”. (Amatya, 1991 p.97)
So it is very much important in the historical and archaeological point of view also. The entire collections are separated into 6 categories:
Kaiser Collection: The Kaiser collection means the collection made by Kaiser Shumsher himself. The Kaiser collection consists of approximately 28,000 (Twenty- Eight Thousand) books and documents that cover a wide range of subjects like philosophy, religion, astronomy, social science, military science, game hunting, gardening, medicine, literature, history and biography. 95 per cent of the books are in English language. Rests of the books are in Sanskrit, Hindi and Nepali languages. Beside this, many noteworthy paintings, photographs, sculptures, old maps and press cuttings are also part of the library collections. All the books of Kaiser Collections are
44 kept in lines inside wooden and metal cupboards on the ground floor and the first floor.
Manuscripts Collection: Kaiser Library has a collection of more than 600 valuable manuscripts, which are kept, bound in cloth and stored on metal cupboards. Most of the manuscripts are written on palm leaves; and some are in Nepali handmade paper; written in various forms of the Newari, Devanagari, Bengali, Maithali and Tibetan scripts. The manuscripts are in different subjects like Buddhism, Tantrism, Hinduism, Medicine, Astrology etc. The Sahottar Tantra, a manuscript on Vaisajya science, is over a thousand years old. It is an ancient work belonging to the Lichhavi period. The Nepal German Manuscript Preservation Project has microfilmed all the manuscripts of this library. The microfilmed copies are available in National Archives and State Library in Berlin.
New Collection: The new collection means the collection made after the library was handed over to the Government. Every year new books in different subjects are added into this collection. This section was developed in 1970.
Periodicals Collection: Kaiser Library has a subscription of 55 titles of newspapers and periodicals, among them 8 titles are from foreign publications. Besides these there are periodicals from the Kaiser Shumsher’s private collection.
UNESCO Corner: Recently Kaiser Library has acquired more than 3,500 UNESCO reports, books and documents from Nepal National Commission for UNESCO. They are kept for public use in a separate section.
Children’s Section: The Kaiser library, marking the centenary of its establishment, has just established a separate division for children. There are some one thousand books and reading materials for children. Any child can enter the library and enjoy the reading materials free of charge. (Kaiser Library, 2008)
45
Catalog:
There is no card- catalog facility in the library. All the books are automated. The users can search either the local in-house database or online catalog through the web.
Facilities and Services:
The Kaiser library is a reference library. The materials are freely available to all users for use inside the library. But they are not lent out. All the collections, except manuscripts, are kept in open access. The entire collection is automated and can be searched through the internet in its web address www.klib.gov.np
The bibliographic information of the English language documents are available in WINISIS software, a library-software developed by UNESCO, and those in Devanagari are in Unicode based software developed by Madan Puraskar Library.
The Kaiser Library provides the following major facilities and services:
Reference services: KLib has been providing reference services to the general public. The materials are freely available to all users, including the foreigners. Most of the collections are in open access. The users can use them within the library, but no books are issued for taking out of the library. People can also contact by telephone, fax, e-mail or post for the information related to the library.
Reading Room facilities: There are different spaces in the library for the newspaper readers and the other material users.
Photocopy services: Users can get photocopy services against payment. Photocopy will be provided within the limits of the Copy Rights Act.
46
Internet / E-mail services: Users can get free internet facility in this library. Two computers have been allocated for the general users. One can use this facility for a maximum period of 1 hour and the access is provided on first come first basis.
Inter-library loan services: Selected libraries of the country and abroad may borrow the books for their readers from this library through inter library loan facility. This library also borrows books from other libraries on reader’s request, if the book is not available in the library.
Web databases facilities: Users can search the library materials through web database on its URL www.klib.gov.np
Referral services: This library also provides referral services.
Advisory services: This library provides necessary advice for the development of other libraries in the country upon request.
Publications: - Brochures - Souvenir,2065 BS (Kaiser Library: a centenary, 1908-2008 AD) - Post cards (on the occasion of centenary year).
Library Hours: From Sunday through Thursday the library opens from 10 am to 5 pm. But in the three months of winter (Kartik 16 to Magh 15) the library hour is cut by one hour in the afternoon and is opened only up to 4pm. And on Fridays the library opens from 10 am to 3 pm in all seasons. The library is closed on Saturdays and other government holidays.
47
Staff: There are 20 staff members in the Kaiser Library. Among them professional librans are only two. Four are semi-professionals and the rest are administrative and support staff. (A copy of the Organization Chart of the Kaiser Library is included in appendix C.)
Users: The annual numbers of visitors of the library in the past three years, according to the gate counter register, are as shown in Table 3.4.
Table: 3.4 No. of visitors in the KLib
Year No of visitors 2062 BS 10,642 2063 BS 13,657 2064 BS 19,378 Source: Kaiser Library
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0 2062 2063 2064
Figure 3 No. of visitors in the KLib
48
Budget: The large portion of the budget allocated for the library is spent on the salary for the staff and other administrative functions. Only a smaller portion is spent for the purchasing of books and other library materials. The budgets allocated for the library in the last three years are shown in Table 3.5.
Table: 3.5 Annual Budgets of KLib
Fiscal Year (B.S.) For For Salary and Total (Rs.) books/periodicals Administration
2062 / 063 2,80,000 23,22,000 26,02,000 2063 / 064 4,00,000 26,38,000 30,38,000 2064 / 065 4,50,000 31,03,000 35,53,000 Source: Kaiser Library
Addition of Books/Materials: The library purchases books and other library materials as permitted by the limited budget it gets from the government. The library also accepts donations from national and international donors. The numbers of books added to the library in the past three years have been depicted in Table 3.6.
Table: 3.6 Books added to the KLib in the last three years
Year Purchased Gift Total 2062 BS 778 164 942 2063 BS 766 239 1005 2064 BS 1,657 373 2030 Source: Kaiser Library
49
2500
2000
1500 Gift Purchased 1000
500
0 2062 BS 2063 BS 2064 BS
Figure 4 Books added to the KLib in the last three years
50
REFERENCES
Amatya, S. (1991). Art and culture of Nepal, an attempt towards preservation . Jaipur: Nirala. p.97.
Kaiser Library. (2008). Brochure. Kaiser Library.
Kaiser Library. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://www.klib.gov.np
National Library and Informational Policy (2007). Lalitpur: Nepal National Library. Working policies no.5.6.
Nepal National Library. (n.d.). Brochure. Lalitpur: Nepal National Library.
Nepal National Library. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://www.nnl.gov.np
Thapa, D. (2062 B.S.). Nepal National Library and its international relation. Smarika , a golden jubilee year publication, Lalitpur: Nepal National Library. p. 69.
Thapa, D. (2065 B.S.). National Library: Its existence in Nepal. Smarika , a centenary year publication, Kathmandu: Kaiser Library. p. 71.
Ibid p.74.
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Chapter IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research has been conducted for the comparative study of the services provided by the two big government libraries, viz., the Nepal National Library and the Kaiser Library. The intent behind this study is to compare and analyze their services so that the weaknesses, if any, on their part, may come to notice and some workable solutions for the improvement of these libraries may be deducted.
4.1 Research Design: This is a descriptive type of research. During this study both primary and secondary data have been collected, studied, analyzed and some logical conclusions have also been made. First the related literatures were studied to get a brief knowledge about the past studies, their conclusions and the deficiencies. A number of books, reports, research papers, journals and newspaper articles related to the subject under study were studied. These documents helped as a secondary source for information gathering. For the primary data collection frequent visits were done to these libraries and interviews were conducted with the users as well as the library staff members. Similarly questionnaires were distributed to the users to answer, and collected later. Furthermore the brochures and other publications of both the libraries also helped a lot in the information gathering.
4.2 Population: The research study is limited to the two libraries i.e. Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library. The total population for the study includes the users of the two libraries and the concerning staff members. Though these two libraries are the big libraries in the country, comparatively very few people visit these libraries for study and research. It was very difficult to find as many users to answer the questionnaire. Moreover, some of them did not show any interest to answer the questionnaire. Anyway questionnaires were distributed to 50 users in each library. But only 35 persons in the NNL and 40 persons in the Kaiser Library returned the questionnaires duly filled out.
52
Table: 4.1 Number of questionnaires distributed and returned
Library Questionnaires Filled and returned distributed Number Percentage Number Percentage NNL 50 100 35 70 KLib 50 100 40 80 Source: Field Survey, 2008
50
40
30 Questionnaires Distributed 20 Filled and Returned 10
0 NNL Klib
Figure 5 No. of questionnaires distributed and returned
4.3 Sampling Procedure: A random sampling procedure was used to select the users for answering the questionnaire. But it was made sure that the users of each section of the library were included, except the children’s section. Children were not included in this study. Similarly the personal interviews were also conducted randomly.
4.4 Data collection Procedure: The main procedures applied for the collection of primary data were direct observation, interviews and questionnaire. Personal interviews were conducted with some of the users and some library staff members, including the chief librarians. But
53 the questionnaires were the main tools used for the collection of the user’s opinions and their suggestions. Attention was paid to make the questions short, simple and succinct. Questionnaire was designed to cover all the aspects regarding library services so that they can lead to the answers necessary to draw to the conclusion. As the thesis is to be written in English, the questionnaire was prepared in English. And for those who did not feel comfortable with English, the researcher herself helped to translate them in Nepali, the vernacular. Only those questionnaires which were answered completely were included for the analysis. The field questionnaire was divided into 8 parts, each equipped with carefully designed simple questions. Most of the questions demanded only ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer or multiple choice and the users only had to tick in the box nearby. The only thing they had to write was their suggestion. 1. Part A dealt with the personal information. It concerned about the sex, age, and profession of the users. 2. Part B was about the users’ needs. The frequency of library visit, the time they spend in the library and their purpose for the library visit was the area covered. 3. Part C dealt with Use Patterns. Search pattern of the users, availability of the matters of their requirement, and the convenience of the space allocated for reading were the area specified. 4. Part D focused on the Services. It tried to find answers on the availability of different services in the library, user’s satisfaction over them and their expectations as well as users’ satisfaction over the physical facilities in the library and the reason for preference for the library. 5. Part E dealt with the usefulness of Collections for the users. 6. Part F concerned on Staff Cooperation. 7. Part G concerned about the suitability of library hours. 8. Finally Part G asked for the Comments and Suggestions for the improvement of the library. (A copy of the field questionnaire is included in appendix A)
Similarly the brochures, news letters and other publications of these libraries were used for the collection of secondary data.
54
4.5 Data Analysis Procedure: The primary and secondary data collected during the study have been analyzed by using the simple statistical methods. Interpretations of primary data are simply based on the answers from the respondents. The answer for each question has been analyzed. Ratio analysis is the main analytical tool used, followed by descriptive analysis. Tables and charts have been used to show the findings and comparisons have also been made accordingly.
55
Chapter V ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
This chapter aims at managing the collected data in some orderly form and to analyze them with the help of some statistical means. For the convenience the data collected have initially been presented in the tabular form and then into diagrammatic representation.
The questionnaire contained several questions which were mainly separated into the following main headings:
A. Personal Information B. User Needs C. Use Patterns D. Services E. Collections F. Staff Cooperation G. Library Rules H. Suggestions.
Gender: The study reveals that the majority of users in both the NNL and the KLib were men. Women users found to be very few compared to the men. Table 5.1 shows that 80 % of the users in the NNL and the 77.5 percent of the users in the KLib are men. The percentage of women users is 20 in the NNL and 22.5 in the Klib. This shows that the ratios of male and female users in both the libraries are almost the same. It is 4:1 in the NNL and 3.44:1 in the KLib.
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Table: 5.1 Library users by gender
Male Female Total Library No. % No. % No. % NNL 28 80 7 20 35 100 KLib 31 77.5 9 22.5 40 100 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Age Group: For convenience of the study the users have been divided into four age groups; below 20 years, 20 to 30 years, 31 to 40 years and 41 and above. The study reveals that the majority of the users in both the libraries are between 20 to 40 years age. Table 5.2 shows that the highest number of users in the NNL was between 31 to 40 years. This group made 37.1 percent of the total population. While in case of Kaiser Library the highest number of the users was found to be between 20 to 30 years age. This made 37.5 % of the total population. The users of age groups of 20 to 30 yrs and 41yrs and above each made 28.6 %, and below 20 yrs made the least, i.e., 5.7 % in the NNL. Likewise in the KLib 31 to 40yrs age group made 27.5 %, 41yrs and above 22.5 % and below 20 yrs group 12.5 %.
Table: 5.2 Library users by age-group
41yrs and Below 20yrs 20 to 30yrs 31 to 40yrs Total Library above No. % No. % No. % No. % No. NNL 2 5.7 10 28.6 13 37.1 10 28.6 35 KLib 5 12.5 15 37.5 11 27.5 9 22.5 40 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Profession: The study shows that 40 percent of the users in the NNL and 45 percent of the users in the KLib are students. This means almost 40 to 45 percent of the users in both these libraries are students. As shown in Table 5.3 the teachers make 14.3 percent of the users in the NNL and 7.5 percent in the KLib. Similarly 11.4 percent of the users in the NNL and 10 percent in the KLib are researchers. Other professionals make 34.3 percent in the NNL and 37.5 percent in the KLib. Among other professionals there were civil service holders, retired personnel, educational consultants, journalists etc. One tour guide and a doctor were also among those who filled the questionnaire in the KLib.
Table: 5.3 Library users by profession
Students Teachers Researchers Others Library No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 14 40 5 14.3 4 11.4 12 34.3 Klib 18 45 3 7.5 4 10 15 37.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
45 40 35 30 25 NNL 20 Klib 15 10 5 0 Students Teachers Researchers Others
Figure 6 Library-users by profession
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Regularity of visit: As the data in the Table 5.4 show, 68.6 % of the users in the NNL claimed themselves as regular users of the library and 31.4 % said they visit sometimes. Similarly among the KLib-users, 65 % said they were regular users and 35 % said they visit sometimes. Thus from the data it can be deducted that the majority of the users in both these libraries are regular types. Table 5.4 Regularity of visit
Visit regularly Visit sometime Library No. % No. % NNL 24 68.6 11 31.4 KLib 26 65 14 35 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Frequency: The daily users found to be 20 % in both the libraries. The users who visit the library twice a week were 25.7 % in the NNL and 27.5 % in the KLib. (Table 5.5)
Table: 5.5 Frequency of Library visit
Daily Twice a week Weekly Monthly Sometimes Library No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 7 20 9 25.7 8 22.9 - - 11 31.4 Klib 8 20 11 27.5 10 25 - - 11 27.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
As shown in Table 5.5, weekly visitors were 22.5 % in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib. And 31.4 % of the users in the NNL and 27.5 % in the KLib said they visit the library only sometimes. Nobody who filled out the questionnaire claimed to be the monthly visitor in either of the library.
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Purpose: The data reveal that the highest percentages of the persons who visit these libraries are to read newspapers and magazines. A shown in Table 5.6, it is 40 % in the NNL and 37.5 % in the KLib. The second highest percentage is to consult reference materials. It is around 25 % in both the libraries. Similarly 8.6 % users in the NNL and 10 % in the KLib visit to find materials for their research work. 11.4 % in the NNL and 12.5 % in the KLib visit to pass their leisure time whereas 14.3 % who visited the NNL and 10% who visited the KLib had no specific purpose. They just visit the libraries and browse whatever they get. The study also shows that around 5 % of the visitors in the KLib go there to see the decoration. During many visits to the library the researcher herself has seen many persons looking over the decorative pieces, historical paintings and photographs hanging all over the walls of the library. Apart from the Nepalis many foreign nationals, mainly the tourists, too visit the KLib. Most of them seem to be interested to see the historical paintings, photographs and other decorations. The researcher herself has seen some of them taking their photographs on the backgrounds of these library decorations. But unfortunately such persons have not been included in filling out the questionnaire. So the percentage of the visitors who go to KLib to see the decorations may be greater.
Table: 5.6 Purpose of Library visit
NNL KLib. Purpose No. % No. % To consult reference materials 9 25.7 10 25 To find materials for research work 3 8.6 4 10 To read newspapers and magazines 14 40 15 37.5 To look at the decorations 0 0 2 5 To spend leisure time 4 11.4 5 12.5 For all purpose 5 14.3 4 10 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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40 35 To consult reference materials 30 To find materials for research work 25 To read newspapers 20 and magazines To look at the 15 decorations To spend leisure 10 time 5 For all purpose 0 NNL KLib.
Figure 7 Purpose of Library visit
Time spent in library: As Table 5.7 reveals most of the users spend 3 to 4 hours in these libraries. In case of the NNL 31.4 % of the users found to be spending 4 hrs, 28.6 % spending 3 hrs, 20 % spending 2 hrs, 14.3 % spending more than 5 hrs and 5.7 % spending 1 hr only. While in the KLib 32.5 % of the users found to be spending 3 hrs, 30 % spending 4 hrs, 17.5 % spending more than 5 hrs, 15 % spending 2 hrs and 5 % spending 1 hr only.
Table: 5.7 Time spent in library
1 hour 2 hrs 3 hrs 4 hrs 5hrs and more Library No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 2 5.7 7 20 10 28.6 11 31.4 5 14.3 Klib 2 5 6 15 13 32.5 12 30 7 17.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Search Pattern: Most of the users in these libraries were found to be interested in self searching. As the Table 5.8 shows 57.1 % users in the NNL and 50 % users in the KLib found to be self-searcher. 25 % of the users in the KLib used computers for the search of the materials. But this percentage remained only 8.6 in the NNL. Similarly 17.1 % of the users in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib sought help from the library staff. Finally 17.1 % users in the NNL used card catalogs. There are no card catalogs in the KLib.
Table 5.8: Search Pattern
Search Pattern NNL KLib. No. % No. % Consulting Card Catalog 6 17.1 - - Using Computer 3 8.6 10 25 With the help of library staff 6 17.1 10 25 Self-search 20 57.1 20 50 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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60
50
Consulting Card Catalogue 40 Using Computer With the help of library staff 30 Self-search
20
10
0 NNL KLib.
Figure 8 Search pattern
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The data in Table 5.8 show that more than 50 percent of the users in these libraries still seem to be interested in self search. Self-searching in such big libraries may be time consuming for most of the users. It could be faster if they used computers or sought help from the library staff. The reason behind being self-searcher can be analyzed as follows:
i. Majority of the persons visiting the library feel hesitation to consult the library staff. ii. Many might not be familiar to using computers or card-catalogs for searching library materials. iii. May be the users aren’t sure of what materials they want to read and just browse the shelves for whatever interesting they could get.
Availability of the required materials: The users were asked whether they could get sufficient reading materials of their requirements in the library. They were given different subject areas and asked to tick whether they could get or not. Reference books: As Table 5.9 shows, regarding reference books only 57.1 % of the total population of the users in the NNL responded and they all responded positively. But in case of the KLib 70 % of the users responded and among them 71.4 % said yes and 28.6 % said no, they could not get the required reference materials.
Table: 5.9 Reference Materials
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 20 57.1 20 100 - - KLib 40 100 28 70 20 71.4 8 28.6 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Historical books: As shown in the Table 5.10, 31 % of the total population of users in the NNL and 65 % of the users in the KLib responded and they all said yes. This means those who looked for the historical books were found to be satisfied in both the libraries.
Table: 5.10 Historical Books
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 11 31.4 11 100 - - KLib 40 100 26 65 26 100 - - Source: Field Survey, 2008
Ancient Sanskrit books: The number of users of ancient Sanskrit books was found to be very low in both the libraries. Table 5.11 clearly shows that only 20 percent of the users in both the libraries looked for such books. They all found to be satisfied by the materials they could get. Table: 5.11 Ancient Sanskrit Books
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 7 20 7 100 - - KLib 40 100 8 20 8 100 - - Source: Field Survey, 2008
English Literature: As indicated by the data presented in Table 5.12, 31.4 % of the users in the NNL looked for the books on English literature. Among them 72.7 % were satisfied with the materials they could get but 27.3 % of the users were not. Likewise, in the KLib 40 % of the users looked for the books on English literature. Among them only 6.2 % of the users were not satisfied with the materials they could get. The rest, i.e. 93.8 % seemed to be satisfied.
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Table: 5.12 English Literature
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 11 31.4 8 72.7 3 27.3 KLib 40 100 16 40 15 93.8 1 6.2 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Nepali Literature: As shown in Table 5.13, in case of the NNL 48.6 % of the users found to be looking for books on Nepali literature and all of them said they could get sufficient reading materials for their requirement. In case of the KLib 47 % of the users looked for the books on Nepali literature. But among them 78.9 % were satisfied with the materials they could get and 21.1 percent said that they could not get the sufficient reading materials.
Table: 5.13 Nepali Literature
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 17 48.6 17 100 - - KLib 40 100 19 47.5 15 78.9 4 21.1 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Government Reports: Table 5.14 shows that 17.1 % of the users in the NNL looked for the Government Reports and all of them found to be satisfied. But in the KLib 25 % of the users looked for such reports and among them 50 % said yes they got sufficient materials and 50 % said no, they could not.
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Table: 5.14 Government Reports
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 6 17.1 6 100 - - KLib 40 100 10 25 5 50 5 50 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Scientific Reports: Very few people looked for the scientific reports in these libraries. As shown in the Table 5.15, 11.4 % of the total population of users looked for scientific reports in the NNL. Among them 75 % said yes they could get and 25 % said no they could not get the sufficient materials in the library. Similarly in the KLib, 25 % of the users looked for the scientific reports and among them 80 % of them responded positively and 20 responded negatively about the availability of such reports.
Table: 5.15 Scientific Reports
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 4 11.4 3 75 1 25 KLib 40 100 10 25 8 80 2 20 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Database Information: As Table 5.16 shows 8.6 % of the users in the NNL and 25 % of the users in the KLib looked for Database Information. Among them around 70 % users in both the libraries got the information of their requirement and around 30 % did not.
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Table: 5.16 Database Information
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 3 8.6 2 66.7 1 33.3 KLib 40 100 10 25 7 70 3 30.0 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Course-related Books: Negative response was higher regarding course-related books in both the libraries. As shown in Table 5.17, 34.3 % of the users in the NNL looked for course related books. Among them only 25 % were satisfied with the materials they got but 75 % users said they could not get sufficient reading materials of their requirement. Similarly in case of KLib 40 % of the users responded and among them 37.5 % said they got sufficient reading materials and remaining 62.5 % said the course related reading materials are insufficient.
Table: 5.17 Course-related Books
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 12 34.3 3 25 9 75 KLib 40 100 16 40 6 37.5 10 62.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
This clearly means that large number of users of these libraries want course related books to be added in these libraries. The reason behind seems that the majority of the users who come to visit these libraries are students and teachers. In case of NNL 40 % of the users are students and 14.3 % are teachers. The total makes 54.3 %. Similarly in case of the KLib 45 % of the users are students and 7.5 % are teachers. This makes 52.5 %. They mainly look for the course related books.
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Magazines and Newspapers: As indicated by the data presented in Table 5.18, 60 % of the users looked for newspapers and magazines in the NNL and all of them responded positively that the materials were sufficient. Likewise in the KLib 75 % of the users responded and among them 93.3 % said the newspapers and magazines were sufficient and 6.7 % said that the materials were insufficient.
Table: 5.18 Magazines and Newspapers
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 21 60 21 100 - - KLib 40 100 30 75 28 93.3 2 6.7 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Journals and Periodicals: For Journals and periodicals the responses of the users were a bit lower than on the newspapers and magazines. As Table 5.19 shows, only 28.6 % of the users in the NNL looked for journals and periodicals and all of them were satisfied with the materials they could get in the library. In case of KLib 50 % of the users looked for journals and periodicals. Among them 75 % said they got sufficient materials to read and 25 % said the materials were not sufficient.
Table: 5.19 Journals and Periodicals
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 10 28.6 10 100 - - KLib 40 100 20 50 15 75 5 25 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Back Volumes of Newspapers: As indicated by the data presented in Table 5.20, in both the libraries the percentages of the users who looked for back volumes of newspapers are almost equal. It is 25.7 % in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib. Among them 77.8 said they were sufficient and 22.2 % said they were not sufficient in the NNL. And in the KLib, 90 % said the back volumes of newspapers were sufficient and 10 % said they were not sufficient.
Table: 5.20 Back Volumes of Newspapers
Library Total Total Yes No Population Response No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 35 100 9 25.7 7 77.8 2 22.2 KLib 40 100 10 25 9 90 1 10 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Reading Space: In the question whether the space allocated for reading is enough in the library; 34.3 % of the NNL-users showed satisfaction on it, but 65.7 % showed dissatisfaction. While in the KLib 75 % of the users expressed satisfaction on the reading space and 25 % did not. (Table 5.21)
Table: 5.21 Space allocated for reading
Enough Not enough Library No. % No. % NNL 12 34.3 23 65.7 KLib. 30 75 10 25 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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80 70 60 50 40 Enough 30 Not Enough 20 10 0 NNL K-Lib
Figure 9 Space allocated for reading
Services: List of different services were given and users were asked to tick which among them they were getting from the library. The data obtained have been presented in Table 5.22.
About Abstracting and Indexing Service , 22.9 % of NNL-users said they were getting it while this percentage remained little bit higher among KLib-users, i.e. 37.5 %.
Regarding Circulation Service nobody responded positively in both the libraries. In fact there is no provision of Circulation Service in both the libraries.
For Current Awareness Service the respondents remained almost equal in both the libraries. 31.4 % of the users in the NNL and 30 % of the users in the KLib said they were getting CAS from the library.
Similarly 45.7 % of the NNL-users and 50 % of the KLib-users said they were getting Reference Service from these libraries.
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Table: 5.22 Services provided by the library
Services NNL KLib (Total Population= 35) (Total Population=40) No % No % Abstracting and Indexing 8 22.9 15 37.5 Circulation Service - - - - Current Awareness Service 11 31.4 12 30 Reference Service 16 45.7 20 50 Reprographic Service 24 68.6 29 72.5 Translation Service - - - - Subject Bibliographies 12 34.3 9 22.5 User Orientation 6 17.1 2 5 Display of new books 12 34.3 14 35 Exhibition 5 14.3 - - Online/Internet - - 6 15 Database on interrelated subject 3 8.6 10 25 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Those who were getting Reprographic Service remained 68.6 % among NNL-users and 72.5 % among KLib-users .
Nobody seemed to be getting Translation Service from any of the two libraries.
34.3 % of the NNL-users said they got Subject Bibliographies in the library. While in case of KLib the users of Subject Bibliographies remained somehow lower. Only 22.5 % of the users said they were getting such service in the KLib.
Regarding User Orientation service, the NNL seemed to be ahead compared to the KLib. 17.1 % of the NNL-users said they got such service from the library while only 5 % of the KLib-users said they were getting such service.
Display of new books in the library has been noted only by the 34.3 % of the users in the NNL and 35 % of the users in the KLib.
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Regarding the Exhibition of books, 14.3 % of the NNL-users said they have noted such activities of the library but none of the users in the KLib observed such activities.
Regarding the Online/Internet services, only 15 % of the users in the KLib said they were getting such services. There is no such service in the NNL.
Similarly those who used Database on interrelated subject remained 25 % in the KLib, while only 8.6 % of the users used such service in the NNL. (Table 5.22)
Satisfaction over library services: The study reveals that the level of satisfaction over the services offered by the libraries is somehow higher among the KLib-users compared to the NNL-users. As the data presented in Table 5.23 show, among the NNL-users 22.8 % said they were quite satisfied with the services provided by the library, while this percentage remained higher in the KLib. Among the KLib-users 37.5 % said they were quite satisfied. Likewise, 71.4 % said they were partially satisfied and 5.7 % said they were not satisfied over the services in the NNL. And in the KLib 60 % said partially satisfied and 2.5 % said they were not satisfied with the current library services.
Table: 5.23 Satisfaction over library services
Library Quite Satisfied Partially Satisfied Not Satisfied No. % No. % No. % NNL 8 22.8 25 71.4 2 5.7 KLib. 15 37.5 24 60 1 2.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Not Satisfied 2.50% 5.70% KLib. Partially 60% NNL Satisfied 71.40%
37.50% Quite Satisfied 22.80%
Figure 10 Satisfaction over library services
Among those who said partially satisfied or not satisfied with the services, majority of them chose the option ‘library services are insufficient’ for their dissatisfaction. For some, ‘lack of physical facilities’ was the cause for dissatisfaction. This applies to both the NNL and KLib.
Rating of the current services rendered by the library: The services rendered by the NNL were rated Excellent by 2.9 %, Good by 22.9 % and Satisfactory by 68.6 % of the users. But 5.7 % of the users rated them Unsatisfactory and nobody rated them poor.
In case of the KLib 5 % of the users rated the services Excellent, 45 % users rated them Good and 50 % rated Satisfactory. But nobody rated the services as Unsatisfactory or Poor. (Table: 5.24)
Table: 5.24 Rating of the current services
Library Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 1 2.9 8 22.9 24 68.6 2 5.7 - - KLib 2 5 18 45 20 50 - - - - Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Unsatisfactory
Satisfactory Klib Good NNL
Excellent
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Figure 11 Rating of the current services
Expectation of services: (Free answer question): Users were asked freely to write what services they expected from the library. The demand for the circulation service remained high in both the libraries.
In case of the NNL, 24 persons out of 35 demanded the circulation service, which makes 68.6 %. Similarly 63% demanded access to internet and regular online service. Likewise 25 % suggested database and around 17 % suggested display of new books. Many users suggested for pure drinking water and properly cleaned toilet facility.
Quite similar is the demand pattern of the KLib-users also. Circulation service was in top demand. 30 persons out of 40 demanded circulation service, which is 75 %. Similarly demand for online/internet using facilities found to be next higher. 20 persons out of 40, i.e., 50 % demanded this. The other suggestions are addition of course related books and users’ orientation. Some also suggested for better arrangement for proper study environment.
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Satisfaction over physical facilities: The satisfaction of users on the physical facilities provided in the library was found higher in the KLib than in the NNL. As the data in Table 5.25 show, only 57.1 % of the NNL users expressed satisfaction over chairs and tables provided to the readers, whereas the satisfaction among the KLib- users found to be comparatively much higher, i.e. 87.5 % .
Likewise, those who expressed satisfaction over the lighting condition (natural and artificial) in the NNL were 62.9 %. Whereas in the KLib 90 % of the users expressed satisfaction over the lighting conditions.
Only 25.7 % of the users in the NNL expressed satisfaction over drinking water and sanitary conditions in the library. Whereas in the KLib 75 % of the users said the condition satisfactory.
Table: 5.25 Satisfaction over physical facilities
Physical Facilities NNL KLib No. % No. % Chairs and Tables 20 57.1 35 87.5 Light 22 62.9 36 90 Drinking water and sanitation 9 25.7 30 75 Telephone 6 17.1 10 25 Internet - - 6 15 Air Conditioning - - - - Source: Field Survey, 2008
Regarding telephone and internet facilities the satisfaction level found dropped in both the libraries. 17.1 % of the users in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib said telephone facility is ok. Similarly the percentage of the users who showed satisfaction over the internet in the KLib is only 15. But there is no internet facility for the users in the NNL. Likewise nobody responded regarding air-conditioning . There is no air- conditioning in any of the two libraries. (Table 5.25)
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Internet
Telephone
Water & sanitation NNL Klib Light
Chairs and tables
0 50 100 150 200
Figure 12 Satisfaction over physical facilities
Suitability of the library environment: In the question whether the environment is suitable for reading in the library, 57.1 % of the users said ‘Yes’ and 42.9 % said ‘No’ in the NNL. While in the KLib 87.5 % of the users said ‘Yes’ and only 12.5 % said ‘No’.
Table: 5.26 Suitability of the library environment
Library Suitable Not Suitable No. % No. % NNL 20 57.1 15 42.9 KLib 35 87.5 5 12.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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90 80 70 60 50 40 NNL 30 K-Lib 20 10 0 Suitable Not- Suitable
Figure 3 Suitability of the library environment
Among those who did not find the library environment suitable in the NNL, almost all ticked “No proper place for study.” Almost half of them also ticked “Disturbance from users and staff” and a few ticked “Chaos in the library”. And those who said the environment not suitable in the KLib ticked “Disturbance from outside” and Disturbance from users and staff” as the reasons. (Table 5.27)
Table: 5.27 Why the library environment not suitable?
Library Disturbance Disturbance No proper Chaos in the Total from outside from users place for library Respondent and staff study No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL -- -- 7 20 15 42.9 4 11.4 15 KLib 5 12.5 5 12.5 ------5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Preference for the library: On the question why they preferred this particular library, among the NNL-users, 74.3 % ticked ‘Adequate reading materials.’ Similarly 28.6 % ticked quiet environment, 17.1 % ticked easy to access, 8.6 % ticked proximity and 2.9 % ticked excellent services.
While in case of KLib, 75 % ticked quiet environment, 37.5 % ticked adequate reading materials. Similarly 35 % ticked easy to access, 30 % ticked proximity and 5 % ticked excellent services. (Table 5.28)
Table: 5.28 Preference for the library
Library Excellent Adequate Easy to Quiet Proximity Service reading access environment materials No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 1 2.9 26 74.3 6 17.1 10 28.6 3 8.6 KLib 2 5 15 37.5 14 35 30 75 12 30 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Proximity
Quiet environment
Easy to access Klib NNL Adequate materials
Excellent service
0 20 40 60 80
Figure 4 Preference for the library
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Comparatively the NNL-users seemed to be attracted by the adequate reading materials at large and the library environment seemed on the second preference. Whereas for the KLib-users, library environment seemed as the first attraction and the reading materials come only on the second. And on the basis of accessibility, proximity and services the KLib seems to be better preferred than the NNL.
Management of Library collection: On the question whether the collection in the library is properly managed, 74.3 % in the NNL and 70 % of the users in the KLib stood on the positive side, i.e. they ticked ‘Yes’. As presented in the Table 5.29, those who said ‘No’ remained only 25.7 % in the NNL and 30 % in the KLib. More than 70 % approval rate in both the libraries means majority of users in these libraries have no major dissatisfactions over the management of collection in these libraries. Table: 5.29 Management of Library collection
Library Yes No Total No. % No. % NNL 26 74.3 9 25.7 35 KLib 28 70 12 30 40 Source: Field Survey, 2008
80 70 60 50
40 NNL 30 Klib 20 10 0 Well Not well managed managed
Figure 15 Management of library collection
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Usefulness of the collections: About the usefulness of the collections the same percentage, i.e. 20 % of the users in both the libraries ticked “Quite Useful.” 51.4% in the NNL and 42.5 % in the KLib ticked “Somehow useful”, 20 % in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib ticked “Not exactly but can be used for reference”, and 8 % in the NNL and 12.5 % in the KLib ticked “Not much.” (Table 5.30)
Table: 5.30 Usefulness of the collection
Library Quite useful Somehow Not exactly but can Not much useful be used for reference
No. % No. % No. % No. % NNL 7 20 18 51.4 7 20 3 8.6 KLib 8 20 17 42.5 10 25 5 12.5 Source: Field Survey, 2008
Not much
Not exactly Klib Somehow useful NNL
Quite useful
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Figure 5 Usefulness of the collection
Availability of additional materials: Libraries also contain different additional reading materials apart from the books, newspapers, magazines, journals etc. So a list of additional reading materials was given and the users were asked to tick which among them they found in the library.
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As has been presented in Table 5.31, 14.3 % of the users found globes in the NNL, while in the KLib those who found globes were 45 %.
Maps and Atlases were observed by 40 % of users in the NNL. The percentage of those who observed maps and atlases in the KLib was much higher, i.e. 70 %.
None of the users in either of the library observed Slides and Transparencies .
28.6 % of the NNL-users found Photographs in the library. But among the KLib- users, 77.5 % of them observed photographs in the library.
Similarly 28.6 % users observed Posters in the NNL. Whereas in the KLib 50 % of the users observed posters.
CDs, Cassettes and other Audio-visual items were observed by the NNL-users only. 17.1 % found CDs, 20 % found cassettes and 31.4 % found other audio-visual items in the NNL. Users in the KLib did not find such materials.
Table: 5.31 Availability of additional materials
Additional Materials NNL KLib (Total Population = 35) (Total Population = 40) No % No % Globes 5 14.3 18 45 Maps and Atlases 14 40 28 70 Slides - - - - Transparencies - - - - Photographs 10 28.6 31 77.5 Posters 10 28.6 20 50 CDs 6 17.1 - - Audio Cassettes 7 20 - - Audio Visual Items 11 31.4 - - Source: Field Survey, 2008
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Regarding the staff cooperation, majority of the users who filled out the questionnaire expressed satisfaction. But a few have ticked the option- ‘They are not available mostly.’ This applies to both the libraries.
Regarding the library opening hours, about 90 % of the users suggested for the extension of library hours. Most of them suggested to keeping the libraries open from 8am to 7pm. Similarly some among them have the view that the libraries need to be open all seven days a week.
The final part of the questionnaire contained users’ suggestions for the improvement of the libraries.
The users in the NNL suggested as follows: - Circulation service - Internet / online - School, college course related materials - Well information about new and updated papers and documents - Latest publications of English literature - Better physical facilities - Properly cleaned toilet facility. - NNL staff members have a suggestion that the library be shifted to some other location, easily accessible for majority of the users.
The users in the KLib suggested as follows: - Easing of entrance - Number of computers for internet be increased - Circulation / Membership - Addition of International magazines, Sports magazines, Science magazines etc. - Addition of new books such as course related books and books on science, computer, Math, Music etc. - Exhibition - Canteen accessible
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Chapter VI
SUMMARY, CONSLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1 Summary: A comparative study of the Nepal National Library and the Kaiser Library was conducted with special focus on their services. Both these libraries are the leading libraries of the country. The objective of the study is to find out how efficiently they have been serving the users and what their positions are compared to one another. The findings of the study can be summarized as follows:
• The data of the past three years (2062, 2063 and 2064 B.S.) show that the number of users in the NNL is in decreasing trend. Considering the data of 2064 B. S., in an average 27 persons visited the library in a day (considering 288 days working day in a year). The numbers of visitors in Kaiser Library is also not encouraging. It is 67 persons a day in average.
• Around 80% of the library users are male in both the libraries. In the NNL the highest number of library users are of 31 to 40 years age-group. They make over 37%. And in the KLib 20 to 30 years age-group make the highest number. They make around 38 %.
• On the basis of profession the highest percentage of users in both the libraries found to be the students. 40 % of the users in the NNL and 45 % in the KLib were students.
• 40 % of the users in the NNL and 37.5 % in the K-Lib only read newspapers and magazines.
• Around 5 % visitors in the K-Lib went there with the intention of looking at the decorations in the library, which are not only the decorations but the paintings and photographs of historical importance.
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• 57.1 % users in the NNL and 50 % in the K-Lib searched the required materials by themselves. 25 % users in the K-Lib used computers for materials search, but this percentage is only 8.6 in the NNL. It is because there are no computers allocated for the users in the NNL and only those who request specially are allowed to work on the staffs’ computer. Similarly 17.1 % of the users in the NNL used card catalogs. But there are no card catalogs in the KLib. 17.1 % of the users in the NNL and 25 % in the KLib sought help from the library staff.
• Users in the NNL indicated that the books on English literature are not adequate there. While the users in the K-Lib expressed want for the books on Nepali literature.
• Majority of the users being students and teachers, they mostly looked for course related books. But among those who looked for course related books 75% in the NNL and 62.5% in the KLib could not find the required materials .
• About 75 % of the users were found to be satisfied with the reading space specified in the K-Lib but in case of the NNL only 34.3 % of the users expressed satisfaction over it.
• 68 % of the users in the NNL and 75 % in the K-Lib wanted circulation service from the library.
• Regarding the physical facilities provided to the users KLib seemed ahead of the NNL. 87.5 % of the users expressed satisfaction over the chairs and tables in the KLib whereas in the NNL only 57.1 % said ok for the chairs and tables.
• Similarly regarding lighting conditions in the library, 90 % said ok in the KLib whereas only 51.4 % in the NNL nodded on it.
• Drinking water and sanitation facility found to be ok in the KLib, 75% of the users expressed satisfaction over it. But in case of the NNL the percentage was found to be just reverse, 75 % expressed dissatisfaction over that.
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• There is no internet service provided for the users in the NNL. In the KLib also only 15% of the users have expressed satisfaction over this service. The telephone users found to be below 25 % in both the libraries.
• 87.5 % of the library users found the library environment suitable in the KLib, whereas in the NNL only 57.1 % agreed over it.
• Users’ preference for the NNL was found to be adequate reading materials in its collection. While the preference for the KLib seemed to be its environment first and then only its collection.
• 35 % of the users preferred KLib and 17.1 % preferred NNL on the basis of accessibility.
• 30 % of the users in the KLib and 8.6 % of the users in the NNL visited the library on ground of proximity.
• Staff cooperation found to be satisfactory in both the libraries but not being available mostly and making minor disturbances by talking are some of the complaints.
• Regarding opening hours, most of the users want the libraries extend their opening hours and be open on public holidays also.
• Most of the budget allocated for the library found to be spent on the staff salaries and other administrative expenses. The budget for the addition of reading materials and physical facilities found to be comparatively very low.
• Trained manpower seems to be in short supply in both the libraries. • The billboard carrying the name of the Kaiser Library placed outside the Gate of Kaiser Mahal premises seems to be unnoticeable under the big board of the Ministry of Education. The passersby hardly notice that there is a library inside. Similar is the case of the NNL, completely hidden.
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6.2 Conclusions:
The following conclusions can be drawn from the findings of the study: • The number of users in the NNL shows decreasing trend in the past three years. In 2064 B. S. 27 persons in average visited the library in a day (considering 288 days working day in a year). The number of visitors in Kaiser Library is also not encouraging. It is 67 persons a day in average. It seems that a number of visitors who come to these libraries are those who have come with some other works in the offices adjacent to the library. In case of Kaiser Library, a number of the visitors are those who have come to the Ministry of Education for some other works. One of the reasons in decreasing the number of visitors in the NNL seems to be the result of shifting ministry of public concerns from Harihar Bhawan, where NNL is housed. The Kaiser Library may also have to face the same situation when the Ministry of Education shifts from Kaiser Mahal and the library alone remains there. This must be a matter of serious concern for such big libraries spending government coffers. These libraries ultimately, have the responsibility of spreading reading culture in the society.
• The students and teachers make more than 50 % of the users in both the libraries. Their main concern remains for course related materials. And such materials are not adequate in both the libraries. This has resulted that the attraction for these libraries could not have been increased, and a large portion of the library visitors have been only the newspaper browsers.
• The study revealed that more than 50 percent of the users in these libraries still seem to be interested in self search. Self-searching in such big libraries may be time consuming for most of the users. It could be faster if they used computers or sought help from the library staff. The reason behind being self-searcher can be analyzed as follows: i. Majority of the persons visiting the library feel hesitation to consult the library staff. ii. Many might not be familiar to using computers or card-catalogs for searching library materials.
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iii. May be the users aren’t sure of what materials they want to read and just browse the shelves for whatever interesting they can get. iv. Non availability of the library staff.
• Kaiser Library is not only a library of historical importance but also an archive of historical photographs, paintings, arts and artifacts. It is also unique for its ancient manuscript collections. So the proper preservation of such materials is of utmost importance.
• The NNL being established on the foundation of the collections made by a renowned scholar of Sanskrit and Nepali and being the national library of the country, has an abundance of Nepali books and books published in Nepal. Comparatively the books in English literature seem to be in dearth.
• Similarly the K-Lib, which boasts on the collection of its founding father, Kaiser Shumsher, has less number of Nepali collections as compared to the English ones. Kaiser Shumsher being fond of English literature had collected wide varieties of books in English. The other reason behind this may also be that the standard books in Nepali were only limited in his time.
• Both the NNL and the KLib have very good collections of Sanskrit texts.
• The reading space allocated for the users found to be better in the KLib compared to that of the NNL.
• Chairs and tables, lighting conditions, and drinking water and sanitary conditions found to be better in the KLib than in the NNL.
• NNL has not provided internet facility for the users in general. KLib has been providing online/internet facility to the users but it is found to be inadequate regarding the users’ expectations.
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• The NNL found to be better in its collections. It has far more number of books than in the KLib.
• Though the NNL has better collection of books they are not better protected. Most of them are found to be on the open shelves. Comparatively the books in the KLib are found to be better protected. Most of the books in Kaiser Collection are in well covered shelves and in the almirahs.
• Regarding the accessibility and proximity for the readers the KLib found to be better located than the NNL.
• The building used by the NNL does not seem to be better located on the basis of accessibility. And the space occupied is not sufficient.
• The library hours, which follow the government office hours and days, are not suitable for many of the students and other professionals. At that time they have to be engaged on their own works.
• Budget allocated for the addition of books and physical facilities in both the libraries found to be inadequate.
6.3 Recommendation:
Both the NNL and the KLib have their own specialties. The comparative study of them has revealed their positions, strength, some limitations and some shortcomings also. On the basis of these findings and the suggestions made by the users the following recommendations are made for the improvement of their services:
• The users’ attractions towards the libraries can be increased by providing the circulation/lending services. Especially in a country like Nepal, where libraries are very limited in number, people may not find public lending libraries in easy access
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with the materials of their requirement. So depending on the specialties and rarities some materials can be separated for reference only and others can be used for lending. So both the library managements are suggested to rethink seriously over it. If we look at the National Library of India, it issues three types of membership. - Reading Room Membership, - Lending Membership and - Daily Card Membership Under the lending service limited numbers of books are lent out to the readers under certain terms and conditions. (www.nationallibrary.gov.in)
• Though both the libraries are government libraries and the staffs are also the government employees, the libraries, by nature are totally different from the government offices. People can better enjoy the libraries when they have free times. So the managements are suggested to get rid of the government office mindset and extend the library opening hours. As per the users suggestions the opening hours can be better from 8 am to 7 pm. Furthermore, both the libraries remain closed on all the public holidays. This keeps the libraries closed 77 days in an average in a year. This must be reconsidered because these public holidays may be the free times for the potential library goers. We can just take the National Library of India for example. It remains entirely closed only 3 days in a whole year, i.e. on the Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15) and on the Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (October 2). On the rest of the 362 days the library opens from 9 AM to 8 PM on all the working days and from 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. (www.nationallibrary.gov.in)
• Both Kaiser Library and the Nepal National Library are suggested to put prominent billboards outside their premises so that the passersby may notice that there is a library which they can use if they have time. Both the libraries are hidden within high walls and most people don’t even know whether they exist.
• Large portion of potential readers don’t even know about these libraries. Many think them as the special libraries and hesitate to consult them thinking they may not
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be allowed. So the message that everybody can use these libraries for free must be delivered to the public by various means of communication.
• Though they have their own specialties, looking at the demand of the library users it is better if course related books can be added in their collections.
• A large number of the library visitors, in both the libraries, seemed to be hesitating to explore around the library or to consult the library staff. The library staff is suggested to make the visitors feel comfortable in the library.
• Trained librarians are very few in both the libraries. So efforts should be made to train many more.
• Efforts should be made to convince the government to increase the budget for the addition of books and physical facilities in these libraries.
• Library staff not being available when needed and minor disturbances from their talking and other activities are some of the complaints. Library staff should be careful on such matters.
• The library managements of both the NNL and the KLib are suggested to put clear signs in the library so that the users needn’t have to ask for the drinking water and the restrooms.
Recommendation for NNL:
• The NNL is recommended to allocate more space for readers with comfortable chairs and tables. The chairs and tables set at present are not par standard and the users who have to spend hours on them are quite uncomfortable. The space allocated at verandah for reading is also not suitable.
• It is suggested to reinstall the Internet facility for the users as they have demanded the Internet/Online service in the library. It is also the demand of 21 st century. The possible misuse and mishandling can be checked by proper management and care.
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• The library management should keep on pressing ahead to the government to make it the Legal Depository of all national publications.
• Large part of the users in the NNL did not express satisfaction over the drinking water and sanitary facilities in the library. The library being a reference library, people have to spend long hours if they want to read the library materials. But if they feel they are not comfortable there, they can not spend hours and can not even pay good attention over the texts they read. The library management must pay attention in this regard.
Recommendation for KLib:
• Especially new visitors in the KLib found to be hesitating to go upstairs thinking that the library portion may end at the ground floor and there may be something else upstairs. They even don’t know whether they are allowed. So it is suggested to put some clear sign that everybody is welcome upstairs. It would be better to put someone looking after the Kaiser Collections at the ground floor who can also help the library visitors and encourage them to go upwards.
• The internet service being provided to the users have been felt inadequate. Better if more facilities can be added.
Recommendation for the Government:
• The National Library of the country does not have its own building and has been housed in a building which is being shared by many other agencies. It has been squeezed into a limited space and has no more space to grow. On the other hand the field survey shows that majority of users are feeling the NNL not properly located in terms of accessibility. The NNL staff members also suggest that the library should have its own building in some other better location. This suggestion seems to be worth considering by the government.
• National libraries in many countries are generally enabled by some legal means as the national depository of the publications within the country. National Library of
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India and British Library in London can be considered for example. So Nepal government is recommended to initiate steps to enable the Nepal National Library as the National Depositary of the country by issuing National Depositary Act.
• Professional librarians are very few in both the libraries. So it is recommended to increase the number of professional librarians in these libraries.
• Libraries are like the living entities. They need to grow. So the government is highly recommended to increase the budget for the addition of books and physical facilities in these libraries.
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Devkota, L. P. (2012 B.S.). Pustakalaya. Navanirman , 1 (2). Kathmandu:
Dimitrov, D., & Tamot, K. (2007). Kaiser Shamsher, his library and his manusctipt collection. Smarika . (2065 B.S.). Kathmandu: Kaiser Library. pp. 56-64.
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Encyclopedic dictionary of library and information science . (1995). New Delhi: Anmol Publication.
Encyclopedia of information and library science. (1993). (Vol. 13). New Delhi: Akashdeep Publishing House.
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Kumar, K. (1987). Library organization . New Delhi: Vikas.
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Ranganathan, S. R. (1957). Five laws of library science. Bengalore: Sarada Ranganathan Endowmen.
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Shrestha, B.K. (2001). A study of Nepal National Library with special reference to UNESCO project. Unpublished Master Degree thesis. Delhi University.
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Appendix A
Questionnaire distributed to the users during the field survey
Covering letter:
Dear All,
This questionnaire is a part of my study for preparing a thesis for the fulfillment of the 2nd year course of Masters in Library and Information Science (MLISc). The topic of the thesis is “A Comparative Study of Nepal National Library and Kaiser Library with special reference to their services.” The study focuses on the existing condition and services of these two libraries and tries to ascertain to what extent they have been able to provide services to the users’ satisfaction. The study will also attempt to trace the potentials and limitations of both the libraries and recommend some suggestions for improvement.
In this regard you, the library users, have the best experience regarding the services and the conditions of the library. Your suggestions and recommendations can be valuable asset for the betterment of these libraries.
So I humbly request you to answer this questionnaire. Your experience, creative views and suggestions are expected. I want to assure that your answers will be used for thesis purpose only.
Your kind cooperation is highly appreciated. Thank you
With regards Bidya Sharma MLISc 2 nd year Student Central Department of Library and Information Science T.U., Kirtipur, Kathmandu
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Questionnaire:
You are kindly requested to answer the following questions with tick marks ( √) within the given boxes. Your opinions and suggestions are expected.
A. Personal Information: 1. Name:- … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 2. Sex:- Male Female 3. Age:- … … … … 4. Profession:- … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 5. Used Library:- a) Nepal National Library b) Kaiser Library
B. User Needs : 1. Are you a regular user of this library? Yes No
2. How often do you visit this library? a) Daily b) Twice a week c) Weekly d) Monthly e) Sometimes
3. Please mention your purpose of using this library. a) To update knowledge in the field of specialization. b) To consult reference materials. c) To find materials for research work. d) To look the library’s decorations. e) To read newspapers and magazines. f) To spend leisure time. g) For all purpose.
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4. How many hours do you spend in the library (average)? a) One hour b) Two hours c) Three hours d) Four hours e) Five hours or more
C. Use Patterns: 5. How do you get the required materials from this library? a) Consulting card catalog b) Using computer c) With the help of library staff d) Self-search
6. Have you got sufficient reading materials of your requirement in the library? Please tick the area of your study as many applicable to you. a) Reference books Yes No b) Historical books Yes No c) Ancient Sanskrit books Yes No d) English literature Yes No e) Nepali literature Yes No f) Government reports Yes No g) Scientific reports Yes No h) Database information Yes No i) Course related books Yes No j) Magazines and newspapers Yes No k) Journals and periodicals Yes No l) Back volumes of newspapers Yes No m) All of the above Yes No
7. Is there enough space for reading? a) Yes b) No
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D. Services: 8. Which of the following service/services are you getting from the library? Conventional Modern a) Abstracting and indexing service a) Online/Internet b) Circulation service b) Database in interrelated c) Current awareness service subject d) Reference service e) Reprographic (photocopy) service f) Translation service g) Subject bibliographies h) User orientation i) Display of new books j) Exhibition
9. What services do you expect from the library? Please name those services. (See no. 8 for help). … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 10. How much are you satisfied with the services provided by the library? a) Quite satisfied b) Partially satisfied c) Not satisfied If not satisfied, why? Please be specific. a) The library staff are not helpful b) The library staff are inefficient c) Lack of physical facilities d) The library services are insufficient
11. How do you rank the current services rendered by the library? a) Excellent b) Good c) Satisfactory d) Unsatisfactory e) Poor
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12. Please tick which of the following physical facility/facilities you find satisfactory. a) Chairs and Tables b) Light (natural / artificial) c) Drinking water and sanitation d) Telephone e) Internet f) Air conditioning
13. Do you find library environment suitable for study? a) Yes b) No If not, please specify: a) Disturbance from outside noise b) Disturbance from users and staff c) No proper place for study d) Chaos in the library
14. Why do you prefer this library to other libraries? a) The services are excellent b) Adequate reading materials c) Good physical facilities d) Easy to access e) Quiet environment f) Proximity
E. Collections: 15. Do you think the collection in the library is properly managed? a) Yes b) No
16. How much useful is the library collection for your purpose of study? a) Quite useful b) Somehow useful c) Not exactly as required but can be used as reference materials d) Not much 102
17. Have you found any or all of the additional reading materials in the library? Please tick those you have found. a) Globes b) Maps and atlases c) Slides d) Transparencies e) Photographs f) Posters g) CDs h) Cassettes i) Other audio-visual items
F. Cooperation by staff: 18. What do you think about the library staff cooperation? Are they fully helpful to serve your information needs and literature search? a) Yes b) No If not, please mention your comments: a) They do not care for the users’ need b) They are not available mostly c) They are not well-trained themselves
G. Library rules: 19. Are the present opening hours of the library suitable for you? a) Yes b) No If not, please mention appropriate time … … … … … … … … … … … … …
H. Suggestions: 20. Do you have any suggestions for the improvement of the library? Your comments are highly appreciated. .… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …. .… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …. .… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …. .… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ….
*** Thank you for the cooperation *** 103
Appendix B ORGANIZATION CHART OF NEPAL NATIONAL LIBRARY
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Appendix C Organization Chart of Kaiser Library
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Appendix D
List of National Libraries in the world
Country Library City Afghanistan National Library of Afghanistan Kabul Albania Biblioteka Kombetare (National Library) Tirana Algeria Bibliothèque nationale d'Algérie (National Library Algiers of Algeria) Andorra Biblioteca Nacional d'Andorra Andorra la Vella Angola Biblioteca Nacional de Angola Luanda Argentina Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina Buenos Aires Armenia National Library of Armenia Yerevan Australia National Library of Australia Canberra Austria Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Vienna Azerbaijan Akhundov National Library (National Library of Baku Azerbaijan)
B Bahamas College of The Bahamas Library (de facto) Nassau Bahrain Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa National Library Manama Bangladesh National Library of Bangladesh Dhaka Barbados National Library Service of Barbados Bridgetown Belarus Natsional'naia Biblioteka Belarusi (National Minsk Library of Belarus) Belgium Royal Library of Belgium Bruxelles Belize National Library Service of Belize Belize City Benin Bibliothèque nationale du Bénin Porto Novo Bermuda Bermuda Library Hamilton Bhutan National Library of Bhutan Thimphu Bolivia Biblioteca y Archivo Nacional de Bolivia Sucre (National Library and Archive of Bolivia) Bosnia and Nacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka Bosne i Sarajevo Herzegovina Hercegovine (National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Botswana National Library Service of Botswana Gaborone Brazil Fundação Biblioteca Nacional Rio de Janeiro Brunei Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Library (Dewan Bandar Seri Bahasa and Pustaka Brunei Library) Begawan Bulgaria SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library Sofia Burkina Faso Bibliothèque nationale du Burkina Faso Ouagadougou Burundi Bibliothèque nationale du Burundi Bujumbura
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C Cambodia National Library of Cambodia Phnom Penh Cameroon Bibliothèque nationale du Cameroun Yaounde Canada Library and Archives Canada Ottawa CISTI - National Science Library Ottawa Quebec Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec Montreal Cape Verde Biblioteca Nacional de Cabo Verde (BNCV; National Library of Cape Verde) Central African Republic Chad National Archives N'Djamena Chile Biblioteca Nacional de Chile Santiago People's National Library of China Beijing Republic of China Macau Biblioteca Central de Macau, ( Macau Central Macau Library) Republic of National Central Library Taipei China (Taiwan) Colombia Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia Bogotá Comoros National Centre for Documentation and Scientific Moroni Research Republic of Bibliothèque nationale populaire Brazzaville the Congo Democratic Bibliothèque nationale de la République Kinshasa Republic of démocratique du Congo the Congo Costa Rica Biblioteca Nacional de Salud y Seguridad Social San José (National Library of Health and Social Security) Côte d'Ivoire Bibliothèque nationale de Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan Croatia Nacionalna i sveu čilišna knjižnica (National and Zagreb University Library) Cuba Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Habana Cyprus Kypriake Vivliotheke (Cyprus Library) Nicosia Czech Národní knihovna České republiky Prague Republic
D Denmark Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Library) Copenhagen Danmarks Natur og Lægevidenskabelig Bibliotek Copenhagen (Danish National Library of Science and Medicine) Danmarks Veterinær og Jordbrugsbibliotek Frederiksberg (National Veterinary and Agricultural Library) Danmarks Pædagogiske Bibliotek (National Library Copenhagen of Education) Faroe Islands Føroya landsbókasavn (Landsbókasavniþ) Torshavn
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Greenland Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia (Det Grønlandske Nuuk Landsbibliotek, Public and National Library of Greenland) Djibouti Dominican Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña Santo Republic Domingo
E Ecuador Biblioteca Nacional del Ecuador (National Library Quito of Ecuador) Egypt Egyptian National Library and Archives Cairo Egyptian National Agricultural Library Giza El Salvador Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador (National San Salvador Library of El Salvador) Equatorial Ministry of Education and Sciences Malabo Guinea Eritrea University of Eritrea Library Asmara Estonia Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu (National Library of Tallinn Estonia) Ethiopia National Library of Ethiopia Addis Ababa
F Fiji Library Service of Fiji Suva Finland Kansalliskirjasto (Natinonal Library) Helsinki France Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library Paris of France)
G Gabon Direction générale des Archives nationales, de la Libreville Bibliothèque nationale et de la Documentation gabonaise (DGABD) The Gambia National Library of The Gambia Banjul Georgia National Parliamentary Library of Georgia Tbilisi Germany Die Deutsche Bibliothek, with duties shared Leipzig between: Frankfurt am — Deutsche Bücherei Leipzig Main — Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt Deutsches Musikarchiv Berlin (German Music Berlin Archive) Ghana Ghana Library Board Accra Greece Ethnike Bibliotheke tes Hellados (National Library Athens of Greece) Guatemala Biblioteca Nacional de Guatemala (National Library Guatemala of Guatemala) City Guinea Bibliothèque nationale de Guinée Conakry Guinea- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisa (INEP, Bairro- Bissau National Institute for Studies and Research) Cobornel Guyana National Library of Guyana Georgetown
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H Haiti Bibliothèque nationale d'Haïti Port-au- Prince Honduras Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras (National Library Tegucigalpa of Honduras) Hungary Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Budapest
I Iceland Landsbókasafn Íslands Háskólabókasafn (National Reykjavík and University Library of Iceland) India National Library of India Calcutta Indian Agricultural Research Library New Delhi Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Tamil Nadu National Science Library of India New Delhi Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre New Delhi (INSDOC) Indonesia National Library of Indonesia Central Jakarta Iran National Library of Iran Tehran Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi Mashad Tabriz National Library Tabriz Malek National Library Tehran Iraq National Library of Iraq Baghdad Ireland Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (National Dublin Library of Ireland) Israel Jewish National and University Library Jerusalem Italy Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze (National Florence Central Library Florence) Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma (National Rome Central Library in Rome)
J Jamaica National Library of Jamaica Kingston Japan National Diet Library Tokyo Jordan National Library of Jordan Amman
K Kazakhstan National Library of Kazakhstan Almaty Kenya National Library Service of Kenya Nairobi Kiribati National Library and Archives of Kiribati Bairiki
North Korea Grand People's Study House Pyongyang South Korea National Library of Korea Seoul Kuwait National Library of Kuwait Kuwait Kyrgyzstan National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic Bishkek
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L Laos National Library of Laos Vientiane Latvia Latvijas Nacion ālā bibliot ēka Rīga Lebanon Bakleen National Library Beirut Lesotho Lesotho National Library Maseru Libya National Library of Libya Benghazi Liechtenstein Liechtensteinische Landesbibliothek (Liechtenstein Vaduz State Library) Lithuania Lietuvos nacionalin ė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka Vilnius (Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania) Luxembourg Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg (National Luxembourg Library of Luxembourg)
M FYR National and University Library St. Kliment Ohridski Skopje Macedonia Madagascar Bibliothèque nationale de Madagascar Antananarivo Malawi National Library Service of Malawi Lilongwe Malaysia Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Maldives National Library of the Maldives Galolhu Malé Mali Bibliothèque nationale du Mali Bamako Malta National Library of Malta Valetta Marshall Alele Museum, Library and National Archives Majuro Islands Mauritania Bibliothèque nationale de Mauritanie Nouakchott Mauritius National Library of Mauritius Port Louis Mexico Biblioteca Nacional de México Mexico City Hemeroteca Nacional de México (National Newspaper Mexico City and Periodicals Library of Mexico) Moldova Biblioteca Na ţional ă a Republicii Moldova (National Chi şin ău Library of Moldova) Monaco Bibliothèque Louis Notari Monaco Mongolia State Public Library of Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Montenegro Centralna narodna biblioteka Republike Crne Gore Cetinje (Central National Library of the Republic of Montenegro) Morocco Bibliothèque Générale et Archives Rabat and Tétouan Mozambique Biblioteca Nacional de Moçambique Maputo Myanmar Myanmar National Library Yangon
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N Namibia National Library of Namibia Windhoek Nepal National Library of Nepal Lalitpur Netherlands Koninklijke Bibliotheek The Hague Aruba Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (Aruba National Library) Oranjestad New National Library of New Zealand Wellington Zealand Cook Cook Islands Library and Museum Society Rarotonga Islands Nicaragua Biblioteca Nacional Rubén Darío Managua Biblioteca Nacional de Salud (National Health Managua Library) Nigeria National Library of Nigeria Lagos Norway Nasjonalbiblioteket Oslo
O Oman Sultan Qaboos University Library Muscat
P Pakistan National Library of Pakistan Islamabad Panama Biblioteca Nacional de Panamá Panama City Papua New National Library of Papua New Guinea Boroko Guinea Paraguay Biblioteca y Archivo Nacional Asunción Peru Biblioteca Nacional del Perú Lima Philippines National Library of the Philippines Manila Poland Biblioteka Narodowa Warsaw Portugal Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal Lisbon
Q Qatar National Library of Qatar Doha
R Romania Biblioteca Na ţional ă a României Bucharest Russia Russian State Library Moscow Russian National Library St. Petersburg Rwanda Bibliothèque nationale du Rwanda Kigali
S Saint Lucia Central Library of Saint Lucia Castries San Marino Biblioteca di Stato e Beni Librari San Marino Saudi King Fahad National Library Riyadh Arabia Senegal Archives nationales du Sénégal Dakar Serbia Narodna biblioteka Srbije (National Library of Serbia) Belgrade Biblioteka Matice srpske(Yugoslav National Library) Novi Sad 111
Seychelles National Library of the Seychelles Mahé Sierra Sierra Leone Library Board Freetown Leone Singapore National Library, Singapore Singapore Slovakia Slovenská národná knižnica (Slovak National Library) Martin Slovenia Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica (National and Ljubljana University Library) Solomon National Library Service of the Solomon Islands Honiara Islands Somalia National Library of Somalia Mogadishu South National Library of South Africa — Nasionale Pretoria Africa Biblioteek van Suid Afrika Cape Town Spain Biblioteca Nacional de España Madrid Catalonia Biblioteca de Catalunya (Library of Catalonia) Barcelona Sri Lanka National Library of Sri Lanka Colombo Sudan National Records Office (archives) Khartoum Swaziland Swaziland National Library Service Mbabane Sweden Kungliga Biblioteket Stockholm Switzerland Swiss National Library — Schweizerische Berne Landesbibliothek — Bibliothèque nationale suisse Syria Al-Assad National Library Damascus
T Tajikistan State Republic Library Dushanbe Tanzania Tanzania Library Service Dar es Salaam Thailand National Library of Thailand Bangkok Togo Bibliothèque nationale du Togo Lomé Trinidad and National Library and Information System Port of Spain Tobago Tunisia Bibliothèque nationale de Tunisie Tunis Turkey Milli Kütüphane (National Library) Ankara Turkmenistan National Library of Turkmenistan Ashgabat Tuvalu National Library and Archives of Tuvalu Funafuti
U Uganda National Library of Uganda Kampala Ukraine Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine Kiev United Cultural Foundation National Library Abu Dhabi Arab Emirates United British Library London Kingdom Boston Spa (Wetherby) Scotland National Library of Scotland Edinburgh Wales National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Aberystwyth Cymru)
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United Library of Congress Washington, States D.C. National Library of Medicine Bethesda National Agricultural Library Beltsville National Archives and Records Administration College Park Uruguay Biblioteca Nacional del Uruguay Montevideo Uzbekistan National Library of Uzbekistan Tashkent
V Vanuatu National Library of Vanuatu Port Vila Vatican Vatican Library (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) Vatican City City Venezuela Biblioteca Nacional de Venezuela Caracas Vietnam National Library of Vietnam Hanoi
Z Zambia Zambia Library Service Lusaka Zimbabwe National Free Library of Zimbabwe Bulawayo
Source:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_national_libraries .
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Appendix E
Vita of Researcher
Name: Bidya Sharma Address: Kathmandu Metropolitan City-16, Balaju Height, Kathmandu. Contact: Telephone: 4365936 Cell: 9841345814 Email: [email protected] Nationality: Nepali Sex: Female Date of Birth: September 4, 1971
Education: 2005 Master of Library and Information Science, T. U. (University Campus, Kirtipur, Kathmandu)
1998 Bachelor of Education, T. U. (Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal, Kathmandu)
1991 Proficiency Certificate in Education, T. U. (Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhra, Kaski)
1989 School Leaving Certificate, Nepal SLC Board. (Bhawani Kalika School, Lekhnath, Kaski.)
Experience: July 2005 -- Nov. 2008 Library In-charge, Xavier International School and College, Kathmandu.
Jan. 2005 -- July 2005 Library Intern: American Library, Kathmandu.
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