Brief Article Utilization of journals - a survey of university libraries in South Karnataka: A brief profile Sudhakara S1, Hemantha Kumar GH2,*, Vijayalaxmi Sunagar3 1Librarian, Research Scholar,2 Rayalaseema University, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, 3Library Assistant, Regional Campus Library, Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru *Corresponding Author: Email: [email protected] Abstract Brief profile of the Bangalore University (BU), University of Mysore (UoM), Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and Tumkur University (TU). Introduction India has a large educational system comprising of This paper gives a brief profile of 4 leading universities and centres of higher learning and universities of South Karnataka namely BU, UoM, excellence to serve the educational needs of its academic RGUHS and TU which have been selected for this population. That is how university libraries in India are research survey to study the utilization of journals by the closely connected with the development of higher user’s community (Faculty Members, Research education. The libraries attached to them serve as Scholars, UG and PG Students) of the libraries attached dynamic centres of information rescues in pursuit of to these universities. aims and objectives of the institution for which they become an integral part. The university libraries are the Sl. No. Name of the Year of nerve centres of the higher education and learning. They University Establishment play a central role of critical importance m teaching, 1 BU 1964 research, and extension activities of the universities, by 2 UoM 1916 designing and developing their collections and service. 3 RGUHS 1996 The late Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, Ex-President of 4 TU 2004 India has rightly stated that ‘a library is more important than a university, because a library can function without In addition to brief history and development of these a university whereas a university cannot do without a universities information about the other facilities library. especially library facilities provided by these universities The library becomes the life-blood of an academic are explained in details which serves as a background institution by performing its various functions, like information for this survey research and also helps the acquisition, organization, preservation, and researcher while analyzing the data collected through dissemination of knowledge. To achieve the academic questionnaire method by the users of these universities pursuits of the university, the librarian must build a well- to conclude his observations and suggestions. knit team of honest, dedicated and professionally The university library is core in meeting the competent professional staff and must have a sound academic and research needs of the user community. The knowledge of human engineering. This demands the scientific research needs a library as well as its Librarian to have an adequate knowledge of modern laboratories, while for humanistic research; the library is management tools and techniques for optimizing the both library and laboratory. Dr. S. Radhakrishanan library service to the academicians at the lowest cost and rightly said of the role of university library that, “the with reasonable effort. library is the heart of all the university’s work, directly so as regards its research work and indirectly as regards Role of University Library in Changing World its educational work. Scientific research needs a library The challenges before university libraries and as well as its laboratories, while for humanistic research; information centres will emerge from the expected the library is both library and laboratory”. The functional change in the very nature of future libraries. Emergence role of the university library should not be operated as a of Computer and Communication Technology has mere storehouse of books attached to a teaching room, revolutionized the whole scenario of university libraries. but as dynamic instruments of education. The University The world is moving towards the concept of global libraries play a pivotal role next only to the instructional village, and as such Indian university libraries cannot staff in its importance for high quality instruction and afford to act m isolation but rather m the networked research activities. environment utilizing the latest information technology m their routine activities and services. IP Indian Journal of Library Science and Information Technology, July-December, 2017;2(2):154-172 154 Sudhakara S et al. Utilization of journals - a survey of university libraries in South Karnataka: A brief profile Qualitative academic pursuits of teaching, research latest technologies and manage for the benefit of the and intellectual excellence is only possible in a users. Hence the Library Staff should undergo training m university by having a library well managed by latest service automation, networking before venturing to management techniques as a central organ to serve the adopt IT. They should be trained in: whole user community of the institution. The University Integrated Relational database Management Libraries have a very significant role to play m teaching Systems; and learning processes. The teacher and the taught both Automating Technical Processing and Circulation; need the library to retrieve information for interactive Acquaintance and knowledge of E-Journals; learning and acquiring skills for advancement of their Email, Computer Network, Computer systems and careers and lives. The importance of libraries in the networking components; university education system in the changing scenario has User Profiles, CAS and SDI; and been emphasized time and again by several commissions Internet Information resources skills. and committees constituted by the Central Government. The library professionals should be in a position to Setting up of UGC m 1956 was the turning point and disseminate digital information rather than the landmark m the development the university libraries in custodians of information. They must be capable to tram India. m IT rather than be passive learner. Further, they should The present prospective, erstwhile university library not restrict their service to their single library but they system needs drastic changes to meet the challenges of must exploit the contents of world resources m caring for modem times with the help of gadgets of information their customers by cent percept commitment to quality technology. With the advancement of Science and work culture and I select 4 universities of my study is Technology, the country is experiencing tremendous under follows. growth of information resulting m information explosion, it is putting a tremendous pressure on Bangalore University University Library and Librarians to keep pace with the Bangalore University is located in the Garden City changing time by knowledge acquisition and catering to of Bangalore aptly hailed as the “I.T. Capital of India”, the increasing number of users through traditional was established in July 1964 as an off shoot of the media. Increasing cost of books and Journals coupled University of Mysore, primarily to include institutions of with multiplicity of subject’s in recent years has made it higher learning located in the metropolitan city of imperative for educational administrators to review the Bangalore and the districts of Bangalore, Kolar and existing libraries in order to meet the aforesaid Tumkur, which eventually became a separate university. challenges and provide quality based services. Initially, the two premier colleges of the city, the Central Therefore, the Navaneeth Rao Committee(1994) College (CC) and the University Visvesvaraya College recommends that ‘optimum utilization of the library of Engineering (UVCE) formed the nucleus of books and journals be made by adopting modern Bangalore University. technologies such as use of the computers to enable each The University moved into a new campus named department to be within the reach of the latest ‘Jnana Bharathi’ (JB) located on a sprawling 1100 acres information available’. of land and shifted many of its post graduate departments In view of the changing scenario, the University to this newly established campus. The University Law Libraries are expected to perform the following College, started in 1948 and The College of Physical functions Education, started in 1959 are located in the JB Campus. Ascertain the pertinent requirement of the library Bangalore University has completed 52 years of fruitful and its user community. existence and has come to be hailed as one of the largest Be service oriented rather than collection oriented, universities of Asia. The University was first accredited Resource sharing and networking of libraries, in 2002 by NAAC with Five Star Status, re-accredited in Preservation for posterity and provide access as an the years 2008 and Nov. 2016 in 2nd and 3rd Cycles with integral part of library service; ‘A’ Grade. Marketing of Library and information; According to QS University Ranking: BRICS-2016, Regular training and development to the library an international agency ranked Bangalore University at professionals to cope with the new changing 151st position amongst BRICS nations. As per Hansa environment; and Research Survey 2016 published in THE WEEK-May New Management techniques needs to be adopted 29, 2016 issue, Bangalore University is ranked at No. 15 for dealing with the objectives of the University in the Top multi-disciplinary universities at All India The Library