ATTITUDE OF LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS TOWARDS LIBRARY OPERATIONS AND SERVICES USING INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN SELECT CENTRAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN DELHI AND U.P.
THESIS
Submitted for the Award of the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy In Library & Information Science
SUBMITTED BY ZEBA KHANAM
(Enrol. No: FF 3042)
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Maulana AzadProf. (Dr.) Library, Shabahat Aligarh Husain Muslim (Retd.) University
DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH – 202 002 (INDIA) 2018 Ph.D THESIS ZEBA KHANAM 2018
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Department of Library & Information Science Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Mob.: +91 9412177121 Prof. Shabahat Husain E-mail:[email protected] B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. M.Lib.Sc. (Alig.), M.Phil. (U.K.), PhD. (Lucknow) [email protected] Ex- Dean, Chairman, University Librarian; Currently President of ILA
Ref.No. Dated:
Certificate
This is to certify that the thesis entitled “Attitude of Library Professionals Towards Library Operations and Services Using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P.” submitted by Ms. Zeba Khanam for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science, is based on the research work carried out by her under my supervision and guidance. It is further certified that this work to the best of my knowledge, has not been submitted in any University or Institution for the award of any other degree or diploma.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Prof. Shabahat Husain (Retd.)
Postal Address: 4/465, Sharafat Lodge (Behind Akbar Market), Civil Lines, Aligarh-202002 (U.P.) INDIA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
All praise be to Almighty Allah the creator of this Universe, the most gracious, the ع ل ) most merciful ( ), who taught me, that I knew not and ultimately provided me an opportunity to join my Ph.D. in ;(ي عل ما الن ان the Department of Library and Information Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, under the worthy and devoted supervision of Prof. (Dr.) Shabahat Husain, a desire that He All praise is due to God alone. I will ever remain indebted to . ل so well fulfilled the Almighty God for the necessary wisdom, patience and strength needed for the accomplishment of this milestone of my academic career with all my official and domestic responsibilities. It’s true that lot of students from this University and elsewhere desire to get their Ph.D. degrees awarded under the able guidance of Prof. (Dr.) Shabahat Husain, whose deep insight of the subject, unflinching devotion, prudent suggestions and incessant encouragement brings out the best from the research scholars working under him. That is why, all his Ph.D. students have been doing well in their respective professions. I feel myself fortunate to get a chance to work under his supervision, during which I have not only imbibed some of his personal characteristics of honesty and sincerity with his own job but also his scientific approach in analyzing the problems involved in this venture. During the course of my studies and research, Prof. Husain has held many administrative & professional positions such as Chairman, Department of Library & Information Science, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University Librarian and currently the President of Indian Library Association, yet he was able to devote enough time in consistently guiding my research until its completion. No words will be sufficient to express my gratitude for the time he has spent in going through this thesis repeatedly with unfailing commitment. Infact, without his consistent supervision, this work would not have seen the light of the day in its present form. I place on record my deep sense of gratitude to all my respected teachers namely Prof. Naushad Ali P.M., Mr. S. Mustafa K.Q. Zaidi, Dr. Sudharma Haridasan, (Chairperson), Dr. M. Masoom Raza, Dr. Nishat Fatima, Dr. Mehtab Alam Ansari, Dr. MaulanaMuzamil MushtaqAzad and Library,Dr. Mohd. Nazim Aligarh for their continuous Muslim support, encouragement University and cooperation whenever needed. Thanks are also due to the Library staff of the department namely Dr. Saba Nasreen Bano, Mr. Zahid Hasan and Mr. Maqsood Ahmad for their patience, and untiring help. My special thanks to the library professionals of central university libraries of DU, JNU, JMI, AMU, BHU and BBAU for their cooperation and timely support in providing me necessary data needed for the present study. No work can be complete without the support and encouragement of one’s good friends and colleagues. My sincere thanks are, therefore, due to Dr. Shazia Khan, Ali Raza, Rumman Gul, Priyanka Nagar, Mumtaz, Dr. Saima Khan, Dr. Shamama Firdaus, Nida Khan, Shazia Alvi and above all my senior Dr. Surayya Ghalibeen, who stood by me during the course of the study despite of their own busy schedules. My Sincere thanks to all Research Scholars, Department of Library and Information Science, A.M.U., Aligarh, and to all my friends, who whole heartedly extended their cooperation during my study. This research thesis would unquestionably bear the impression of love and affection of my family members. My vocabulary does not seem to be strong enough to pen down the most appropriate words of my devotion to my Father Mr. Zahid Khan and Mother Mrs. Munawwar Zahid, who constantly provided me their moral support, everlasting cooperation and shared my moments of happiness and also despair whenever I needed most. My work holds no value without thanking them. My profound thanks are also due to my brothers and sister who have been pillars of strength for me all the way. Words are not enough to express my feelings of indebtness from the core of my heart towards my husband Dr. Musheer Ahmad Khan for his patience, valuable suggestions and cooperation which gave me required zeal to complete this work. I cannot forget to mention the unexpressed and indirect facilitation of my daughter (Ansara Khan) who missed at least some part of my love, care, affection and above all my motherhood for the sake of my research work. I find myself short of words to express my feelings of respect and indebtedness from the core of my heart towards my other family members for their moral support and everlasting cooperation. There are no boundaries of feelings and appreciation to many other unmentioned persons whom I have not been able to mention here. I offer my sincere thanks to all of them.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Date: Zeba Khanam (Enrol.No: FF3042)
ABSTRACT
1. Introduction
In the present scenario there is no developed country, which has poor education system and no under developed country, which has a well-developed education system. India, since its independence, has developed a vast and systematic higher education system. Library being the heart of the institution plays a crucial role in promotion of knowledge and scholarship, ultimately contributing to Nation Building. Government of India therefore, has taken various initiatives that include establishment of National Informatics Centre (NIC), New Delhi; NISCAIR, New Delhi; INFLIBNET, Gandhinagar; National Digital Library of India, Kharagpur etc. This is apart from a number of other National level Projects, such as ShodhGanga for digitization of theses awarded by Indian universities; preparation of subject based Databases, such as Vidwan, e-PG Pathshala, eGyankosh, ERMED Consortia, etc.; Data base of Rare books prepared under National Digital Library Project of Govt. of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by CDAC; provision of Internet bandwidth; funds for establishment and development of laboratories and libraries in universities etc. All these steps have significantly contributed in developing a sound base of Higher Education System, under U.G.C. and M.H.R.D. INFLIBNET facilitates automation of university libraries by providing technical assistance for creation of basic infrastructure, networking, personnel training for use of ICT in library operations and provision of users’ services. The rapid technological changes introduced in the libraries have put new challenges before library professionals and Libraries to keep pace with the technological innovations which require significant efforts and initiatives. In particular, the modern generation of library professionals entering the profession is keen to take risks. They encourage the administration to increase budget spending for the purchase of ICT equipment’s, to provide internet access and to subscribe online databases. Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 2. Statement of the Problem
The problem selected for the present study is to find out “Attitude of Library Professionals towards Library Operations and Services Using Information
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Communication Technology (ICT) in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P.” The current study investigates the attitude of library professionals towards various types of ICT based library operations and services in university libraries and to know the various factors that affect the attitude of library professionals while working with ICT based services. 3. Objectives of the Study
As per the research topic, the general objective is to find out the attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The specific objectives are: 1. To understand the present status of the library professionals and the level of their knowhow regarding ICT. 2. To find out the level of ICT, utilized in performing technical operations in university libraries. 3. To investigate whether the attitude of library professionals affects the library operations and services. 4. To find out the problems faced by the library professionals. 5. To find out the factors that influences the attitude of library professionals. 6. To find out the attitude of library professionals regarding the old and new technologies used in library operations and services. 7. To find out how training of library professionals in ICT could improve their performance level while working with ICT in libraries. 4. Hypotheses To study the attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P the following hypotheses are formulated to test the significance of study: H1: Library professionals in the select central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. have sufficient knowledge about ICT. MaulanaH2: On theAzad job training Library, increases Aligarhefficiency and Muslim performance ofUniversity library professionals. H3: Attitudes of library professionals towards ICT are positive. H4: There is a significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their level of ICT awareness.
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H5: There is significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their frequency of ICT use. 5. Scope and Limitations of the Study The present research appertains to the ‘Attitude of library professionals working in the university libraries of India regarding introducing and upgrading ICT in libraries’. As a large number of university libraries exist in India, the investigator due to the limitations of time and resources, restricted its scope to central universities of Delhi and U.P. ,out of which only three university libraries viz. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Delhi (DU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) were selected from Delhi, and three university libraries viz. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) have been selected from U.P. Amongst the select Universities, the study is confined to only central libraries, leaving aside departmental libraries wherein ICT based library operations and services are yet to be fully implemented. 6. Research Methodology
Basically ‘Questionnaire method’ for Data collection has been followed. The researcher has, therefore, used adequate sample by using appropriate sampling techniques, use of standardized tools and careful adoption of research design. The following methods have been adopted for conducting the research study: 6.1 Construction of the attitude scale
As the ready-made scale for measuring the attitude of library staff towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. was not available, an attempt was made to construct the scale and examine its reliability and validity with the help of a pilot survey. The scale was planned on three and five points Likert Scale.
Maulana6.2 Pilot Azad Survey Library, Aligarh Muslim University In order to ensure validity and reliability of the questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted on the library professionals of Maulana Azad Library, A.M.U. to identify problems that potential respondents might face in understanding questions posed to them. The draft questionnaire was pre-tested on a sample of 73 library professionals.
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In the light of the suggestions, several questions were modified and even some were also added in the final draft of the questionnaire.
6.3 Validity and Reliability of the Scale
To test the reliability of the questionnaire used for the purpose, Cranach coefficient alpha reliability analysis was deployed on 30 ICT attitude statements using SPSS. The test revealed average correlation coefficient of 30 statements as 0.77 indicating the reliability of the scale.
6.4 Population and Sampling
The study consisted of library professionals’ attitude towards ICT. A census sample technique was used to select the sample of respondents. The sample consisted of Librarians, Deputy Librarians, Assistant Librarians, Professional Assistants, Semi- Professional Assistants and other technical staff. The number of questionnaires administered amongst the library professionals of JNU, DU, JMI, AMU, BHU and BBAU received an average response rate of 83.87 %. 6.5 Dependent & Independent variables
For the purpose of this research, attitude of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services were taken as the dependent variables. Respondents’ attitudes were assessed on 30 attitude statements asking them to show agreement/disagreement on 3 or 5-points likert scale.Independent variable is one that is supposed to cause some changes in the value of dependent variable. Attitude of library professionals towards ICT was analyzed in relation to the independent variables. Following are the independent variables:
Gender of the respondents
Age of the respondents
Designation
Maulana Library scienceAzad qualification Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Experience as a library professional
6.6 Data collection procedure:
The investigator prepared two sets of questionnaires:
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Questionnaire for librarian to collect administrative and budgetary data of library. Whereas another questionnaire was concerned with the attitudinal aspect of library staff. This questionnaire was divided into three parts: 1. Demographic Variables of the Respondents The items included in this part were the respondents’ gender, age, designation, qualification, experience and nature of work. 2. Professional Characteristic of the Respondents This part of the questionnaire included the respondents’ level of awareness of ICT, frequency of use of ICT resources, skills for managing ICT and methods of acquiring ICT knowledge. 3. Attitude of Library Professionals towards ICT based Library Operations and Services There were 30 attitude statements which were further divided into four dimensions: Attitude towards general ICT statements. Attitude about impact of ICT. Attitude towards ICT training. Attitude towards barriers of ICT applications
7. Standard Followed For providing the bibliographical references, the investigator has followed American Psychological Association Style (APA, 6th ed.). Some examples are given as under: (a) Book by Two Authors Busha, C. H., & Harter, S. P. (1980). Research methods in librarianship. London: Academic. (b) Journal Article by Two Authors Koovakkai, D., & Jalaja, V. (1999).Library and information profession in the cyber age. Kelpro bulletin, 3(2), 123-126. Maulana(c) Article Azad from Library, an Online Journal Aligarh available on MuslimInternet University Adeyinka, T. (2008). Attitudinal correlates of selected Nigerian librarians’ towards the use of information technology. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve 18 (3): 287-305. DOI: 10.1080/10723030802186272
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(d) Online Dissertation/Thesis Coxall, O., (2006). A Study of Library Staff Attitudes to IT and the Provision of Public Access to IT and the People’s Network in Public Libraries. Retrieved from agda.shef.ac.uk/dispub/dissertations/2005- 06/External/Coxall_Owen_MALib.pdf 8. Chapterization The whole thesis consists of following eight chapters as: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature Chapter 3: Library Profession Chapter 4: Attitude of Library Professionals Chapter 5: Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Libraries Chapter 6: ICT Applications in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P. Chapter 7: Data Analysis and Interpretation Chapter 8: Major Findings, Recommendations and Conclusions 9. Findings
The major findings of the study conducted among the librarians/librarian-in- charges of the central university libraries under study are pertaining to: 9.1 Profile of libraries 1. Out of the six central university libraries understudy, four libraries viz Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University were established during the pre-independence period, while the two central university libraries viz. Jawaharlal Nehru University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University were established during post- independence era. 2. Delhi University Library System (DULS) possesses the largest collection of about 18, 40,090 volumes of print as well as non-print materials, followed by MaulanaAligarh Azad Muslim UniveLibrary,rsity (AMU) Aligarh with around Muslim 18,00,000 collection;University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has a total collection of 16, 70,000 volumes, and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) library has about 15,00,000 collection.
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3. Total number of library professionals in university libraries is as follows: JNU 93, DU 120; JMI 48, AMU 86; BHU 142 and BBAU 7. BHU has the largest number of staff, followed by DU and JNU. 4. As far as staffing position in the six libraries under study is concerned, there seems to be an overall shortage of staff. This is because of the fact that many library positions are lying vacant, even as per ‘UGC Staff Formula 1958’. 5. Budgetary allocation under Regular/Non Plan budget (i.e. from the year 2010- 2015) in the libraries under study show a sort of fluctuating pattern except in AMU and BHU which had almost constant allocation of budget. 9.2 Availability of ICT facilities 1. Almost all the six libraries under the purview started with the development of Database of Books/Online Catalogues using the software packages then in use. For the purpose, D-Base and CDS-ISIS were mainly used by the libraries in early 90s. However, implementation of UGC’s INFLIBNET program in late 1990s and early years of 21st century, sanctioning sufficient grants for library automation and a post of Computer Operator/ Programmer to each library under its purview has actually provided the much needed flip in the development of ICT facilities. 2. Presently, all the six libraries under study are automated using different library management software (LMS). However, Linux operating system is invariably used by the libraries. Regarding LMS, different libraries have used different software in different times. For example, DU is using Troodon, JNU library is using Virtua software, while JMI and AMU are using LibSys, and BHU is using SOUL software. BBAU library being the youngest of all the libraries has been using KOHA 16.5 version since 2011. 3. All university Libraries under study are fully equipped with Internet, Local Area Network (LAN), Campus Wide Network (except BBAU) and Wi-Fi facility to their patrons within the library as well as within campus. In addition, JNU, JMI Maulanaand Azad BBAU libraries Library, are also providing Aligarh remote Muslimlogin facility to Universitytheir users. All the University libraries under study are the members of INFLIBNET. JNU, DU and AMU are also members of DELNET. UGC INFONET and INDEST consortium are found to be the most preferred library consortium for the selected central university libraries of Delhi and U.P.
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4. All the libraries provide ICT based services to their patrons. They offer automated issue/return, OPACs, access to electronic resources (e-books, e- journals, online databases etc.), CD/DVD based services, Reprographic Services, Newspaper scanning service, Reference service and Electronic document delivery service. Current awareness services are provided by all University Libraries except BHU and BBAU. SDI services especially for research scholars are given by JNU. 5. Inadequate training of library staff continues to be the most common problem in implementing ICT based library services. Other problems generally faced by different libraries are non-availability of sufficient funds, lack of interest on the part of library staff and internal resistance to change. Laxity on the part of library authorities and Lack of support from university authorities were also identified by librarians as the barriers of ICT implementation. 9.3 Major Findings derived from the Responses of Library Professionals The major findings of the study conducted amongst the library professionals of the central university libraries under study are enunciated below: 9.3.1 Demographic Variables Male staff was found in significant majority in the libraries, under study. Majority (32.69%) of the respondents were between 25-35 years of age. 61% of the staff belonged to the lower management group of library. The study also found that 29% of the respondents had a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. 35% respondents were having 5-15 years of working experience. 9.3.2 Level of Expertise in ICT 1. The data revealed that most of the respondents had moderate levels of knowledge in ICT, of which 69% were keeping themselves abreast with new developments. Maulana2. Amongst Azad the well-known Library, equipments Aligarh barcode scanner Muslim is the most well University-known followed by image scanner and laser printer. There appears to be least awareness with regard to LCD/Multimedia followed by computer networking and RFID technology.
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3. With regard to the level of familiarity with the most common web based tools and the frequency of their usage by the library staff, the study reveals that the well-known web based services include: email/instant messaging /chat are most frequently used, followed by social networking sites, discussion groups and wikis. Social book marking was the ‘least used service’ followed by blogging and list serves. The research results show that the web based services are yet to be popularized in university libraries as the use of social book marking, blogging, list serves and wikis are not fully utilized by majority of library professionals. 4. Fairly good percentage of library professionals had an average level of skills for managing current awareness services followed by online indexing and abstracting services, selective dissemination of information and online databases. In contrast to this, below average level skills were shown for inter- library loan through networking followed by online bibliographic services. 9.3.3 Attitude of Library Professionals towards ICT The library professionals were overall positive towards the use of ICT in libraries, for 416 respondents measured on 3 or 5 points likert scale on 30 attitude’s statements. They generally had positive attitude towards ICT applications. The logic behind this outcome seems availability of comfort and support on ICT among library staff. However, they showed negative attitude towards some library services such as frequent inter-library transfers, difficulty in learning new modules because of transfer from one section to another etc.
Another significant contribution of this study is the findings regarding relationship between the dependent and independent variables. 10. Suggestions
Based on the outcomes of the present research, as many as 12 suggestions have been provided in order to develop and improve positive attitude of library staff towards ICT. Maulana11. Recommendations Azad Library, for Further Aligarh Research Muslim University The present research was undertaken to study the attitude of library professionals towards the application of ICT in libraries and to explore the factors affecting their attitude and suggest remedial measures. Recommendations for further investigations and enquiries have been given at the end.
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Certificate Declaration Dedication Acknowledgement Abbreviations Lists of Figure Lists of Tables CONTENTS
S.No. Title Page No.
CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study. 1-4 1.2 Statement of the Research Problem. 4 1.3 Terms used in the Statement of Research Problem. 4 1.3.1 Attitude 4-5 1.3.2 Library Professionals 5 1.3.3 Library Operations 5 1.3.4 Library Services 5 1.3.5 Information Communication Technology (ICT) 5-6 1.3.6 Central University 6 1.3.7 University Library 6 1.3.8 Delhi 6 1.3.9 U.P. 6-7 1.4 Significance of the Study 7-10 1.5 Objectives of the Study 10 1.6 Hypotheses 10-11 1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study 11 1.8 Research Questions 12 1.9 Research Methodology 12 1.9.1 Construction of Attitude Statements 12-13 1.9.2 Mode of Answering 13 1.9.3 Pilot Survey 13 1.9.4 Validity and Reliability 13-14 1.9.5 Population and Sampling 14-15 1.9.6 Questionnaire Accompanied by Interview Methods 15-16 1.9.7 Dependent Variables 16-17 1.9.8 Independent Variables 17 Maulana Azad1.9.9 Data Library,Collection Procedure Aligarh Muslim University17-18 1.9.10 Statistical Techniques Used in Data Analysis 18 1.10 Data Presentation by Using Different scales 18-20 1.11 Standard Followed 20 1.12 Chapterization 20-21
CHAPTER-2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction 22 2.2 Library Professionals and their awareness about ICT 22-25 2.3 Attitude of Library Professionals 25-32 2.4 ICT Applications in Libraries. 33-37 2.5 Problem of Library Automation 37-40 2.6 Conclusion 40-41 CHAPTER-3 LIBRARY PROFESSION
3.1 Introduction 42-43 3.2 Definitions of Library 43 3.3 Development of Libraries in India : an overview 44 3.3.1 Ancient Period (before 9th Century) 44 3.3.2 Medieval Period (9th to 19th Century) 44-45 3.3.3 Modern Period (after 19th Century) 45-46 3.3.3.1 Designated National libraries 46-47 3.3.3.2 Public Libraries of National Importance 47-49 3.3.3.3 Special Libraries of National Importance 49-50 3.3.3.4 Online Libraries 50 3.4 Types of Libraries 51-54 3.5 Library Profession 54-55 3.5.1 Brief History of Library Profession 56 3.5.2 Certificates/Diploma/Degrees Awarded in LIS 56-57 3.5.3 Library Associations 57-59 3.5.4 Ethics of Library Profession 59-60 3.6 Library Profession in India 60 3.6.1 Development of Library Profession in India 61-63 3.6.2 Independent Status of Library Science Department 63 3.6.3 Faculty Affiliation of Library Science Department 63 3.6.4 LIS Curriculum in India 63-64 3.6.5 LIS Courses available in India 64-65 3.6.6 Influence of Allied Disciplines 65-66 3.7 Committees and Commissions appointed by the Government 66 3.7.1 University Grants Commission (UGC) 66-67 3.7.2 National Knowledge Commission (NKC) 67 Maulana 3.7.3 Committee Azad set Library,up for Framing New Aligarh National Education Muslim University Policy (2017) 67-68 3.8 Information Scenario in the 21st Century vis-a-vis the Libraries’ Budget Allocation 68-69 3.9 Conclusion 70
CHAPTER-4 ATTITUDE OF LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS
4.1 Introduction 71-72 4.2 Status of Library Professionals 72 4.3 Staff Structure of Library Professionals 72-73 4.4 Designation of Staff in University Library 73 4.5 Staff Formula for University Library 73-75 4.6 Minimum Qualifications for Librarians 75-78 4.7 Recruitment of Library Professionals 78 4.8 Pay Scales for University Library Professionals 78 4.9 New Role of Library Professionals 79 4.10 New Skills Required by Library Professionals 79-80 4.11 Attitude of Library Professionals 80-81 4.11.1 Definitions of Attitude 81-82 4.11.2 Components of Attitude 82-83 4.11.3 Characteristics of Attitude 83-84 4.11.4 Formation of Attitude 84 4.11.5 Theories of Attitudes 84-90 4.11.6 Scales of Measurement of Attitude 88-105 4.11.7 Importance of Library Professionals’ Attitude in the use of ICT 90-92
CHAPTER-5 INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN LIBRARIES
5.1 Introduction 93-94 5.2 ICT: Concept and Definitions 94-95 5.3 Development of ICT in Libraries 96-97 5.3.1 Development of ICT in Libraries: Indian Scenario 97-99 5.4 ICT based Library Operations 99-102 5.5 ICT based Library Services 102-103 5.5.1 ICT based new and advanced library services 103-108 5.6. ICT skills and core competencies of library professionals 109 5.6.1 Levels of ICT skills of library professionals 109-110 5.6.2 Methods of acquiring ICT skills 110-111 5.6.3 Hindrance in the acquisition of ICT skills 111-112 5.7 Conclusion 112
MaulanaCHAPTER Azad-6 ICT Library, APPLICATION AligarhS IN SELECT Muslim CENTRAL UN UniversityIVERSITY LIBRARIES OF DELHI AND U.P.
6.1 Introduction 113 6.2 Structure of Higher Education in India 113-114 6.3 Central University 114-117 6.4 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) 118 6.4.1 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library 119 6.4.1.1 Library Collection 119-120 6.4.1.2 Library Timings 120 6.4.1.3. Members of the library 120 6.4.1.4 Library Services 120 6.4.1.4.1 General Services 120-121 6.4.1.4.2 ICT based library services 121-122 6.4.1.5 ICT based library operations 122 6.4.1.6 Library staff 122 6.5 University of Delhi 122-123 6.4.1 Delhi University Library System (DULS) 123 6.5.1.1 Library Collection 123-124 6.5.1.2 Library Timing 124 6.5.1.3 Membership 124 6.5.1.4 Library services 125 6.5.1.4.1 General Services 125 6.5.1.4.2 ICT based library services 125-126 6.5.1.5 ICT based operations 126-127 6.5.1.6 Library staff 127 6.6 Jamia Millia Islamia 127-128 6.6.1 Dr Zakir Husain Library (Central Library) 128 6.6.1.1 Library Collection 128 6.6.1.2 Library Timing 129 6.6.1.3 Membership 129 6.6.1.4 ICT Based Library Services 129-130 6.6.1.5 ICT Based Library Operations 130 6.6.1.6 ICT Infrastructure 131 6.6.1.7 Library Staff 131 6.7 Aligarh Muslim University 131-132 6.7.1 Maulana Azad Library 132 6.7.1.1 Library Collection 132-133 6.7.1.2 Library Timing 133 6.7.1.3 Library Membership 133 6.7.1.4 ICT infrastructure 133-134 6.7.1.5 ICT based Library Services 134-136 6.7.1.6 ICT based Library Operations 136 Maulana 6. Azad7.1.7 Library Library, Staff Aligarh Muslim 136 University-137 6.8 Banaras Hindu University 137 6.8.1 Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Library 137-138 6.8.1.1 Library Collection 138 6.8.1.2 Library Timing 138 6.8.1.3 Library Membership 139 6.8.1.4 ICT Infrastructure 139 6.8.1.5 ICT Based Library Services 139-140 6.8.1.6 ICT Based Library Operations 140 6.8.1.7 Library Staff 140 6.9 Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University 141 6.9.1 Gautam Buddha Library (Central library) 141-142 6.9.1.1 Library Collection 142 6.9.1.2 Library Opening Hours 142 6.9.1.3 ICT Infrastructure 142-143 6.9.1.4 ICT Based Library Services 143-144 6.9.1.5 ICT Based Library Operations 144 6.9.1.6 Library Staff 144 6.10. Conclusion 145
CHAPTER-7 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
7.1 Introduction 146-147 7.2 Data Regarding Profile of Libraries 147 7.2.1 Establishment 147-148 7.2.2 Collection 148-1149 7.2.2.1 Item wise Collection 149-151 7.2.3 Availability of library staffs 152-153 7.2.4 Status of Library Staff as per UGC Staff Formula 153-154 7.2.5 Availability of ICT Trained library staffs 154-156 7.2.6 Expenditure on libraries’ ICT 156-158 7.2.7 Phase wise Budgetary Allocation 159 7.3 Data Regarding Level of ICT Availability 159-160 7.3.1 Implementation of ICT in libraries 160-161 7.3.2 Library management software 161-162 7.3.3 Use of Library Software Modules 162-163 7.3.4 Hardware availability in respondent libraries 163-164 7.3.5 Infrastructure of Library Network 165 7.3.6 ICT based library services 166 7.3.7 Obstacles in the implementation of ICT in libraries 167-168 7.4 Demographic Variables 168 7.4.1 Gender 168-169 7.4.2 Age 169-170 7.4.3 Designation 170-171 Maulana7.4.4 Azad Highest library Library, qualification Aligarh Muslim University171-172 7.4.5 Total Experience as Library Professionals 172 7.4.6 Knowledge about ICT 172-175 7.5 Level of Expertise in ICT 175 7.5.1 Level of ICT awareness 175-176 7.5.2 Use of web based ICT services 176-177 7.5.3 Proficiencies for managing ICT based Library Services 178 7.6 Attitude of library professionals towards ICT 179 7.6.1 Attitude towards general ICT statements 179-181 7.6.1.1 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. Gender 181-182 7.6.1.2 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. Age 182-184 7.6.1.3 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. Designation 184-186 7.6.1.4 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. Highest Library qualification 186-188 7.6.1.5 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. Experience 189-191 7.6.1.6 Attitude towards general ICT statements vs. University Library 191-192 7.6.2 Attitude about the impact of ICT 193-195 7.6.2.1 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. Gender 195-197 7.6.2.2 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. Age 197-199 7.6.2.3 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. Qualification 199-202 7.6.2.4 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. Designation 202-205 7.6.2.5 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. Experience 205-207 7.6.2.6 Attitude about impact of ICT vs. University Library 207-209 7.6.3 Attitude towards ICT training of Library Staff 210-211 7.6.3.1 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. Gender 211-213 7.6.3.2 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. Age 213-215 7.6.3.3 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. Designation 215-216 7.6.3.4 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. Highest Library qualification 217-218 7.6.3.5 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. Experience 218-220 7.6.3.6 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff vs. University Library 220-221 7.6.4 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application 221-222 7.6.4.1 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs.Gender 222-224 7.6.4.2 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs. Age 224-225 7.6.4.3 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs. Designation 225-227 7.6.4.4 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs. Highest Library qualification 227-228 7.6.4.5 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs. Experience 229-230 Maulana7.6.4.6 Azad Attitude towardsLibrary, barriers ofAligarh ICT application Muslim vs. University University Library 230-231
CHAPTER-8 MAJOR FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
8.1 Findings 232-239 8.2 Discussion 239-242 8.3 Tenability of Hypotheses 242-245 8.4 Suggestions 245-247 8.5 Recommendation for further research 247 8.7 Conclusion 248
BIBLIOGRAPHY 249-269
APPENDICES Appendix – I IFLA codes of ethics of Library professionals Appendix - II Questionnaire for Librarian Appendix – III Questionnaire for Library Professionals
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University ABBREVIATIONS
ANOVA Analysis of Variance ALA American Library Association BI Behavior Intention CAS Current Awareness Service CD-ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory COMLA Commonwealth Library Association CGLA Central Government Library Association DELNET Developing Library Network DRC Digital Resource Center DULS Delhi University Library System ETD Electronic Theses and Dissertation HDD Hard Disk Drive IASLIC Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centre IATLIS Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science IALA Indian Academic Library Association ICT Information Communication Technology ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research ILA Indian Library Association IFLA International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions IGNCA Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts ILL Inter Library Loan INDONET Indian Documentation Network MaulanaINFLIBNET Azad Library,Information and Aligarh Library Network Muslim University IR Institutional Repository ISI Indian Statistical Institute LMS Library Management Software LAN Local Area Network MHRD Ministry of Human Resource Development MARC Machine Readable Catalogue MAN Metropolitan Area Network NICNET National Information Center Network NISSAT National Information System for Science and Technology NKC National Knowledge Commission NML National Mission on Libraries NUCSS National Union Catalogue of Scientific Serials OCLC Online Computer Library Center OPAC Online Public Access Catalogue PDA Personal Digital Assistant RDF Resource Description Framework RFID Radio Frequency Identification RSS Really Simple Syndication SALIS Society for Advancement of Library and Information Science SDI Selective Dissemination of Information SN Subjective Norms SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences TAM Technology Acceptance Model TRA Theory of Reasoned Action UNESCO United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UGC University Grants Commission
W3C World Wide Consortium WAN Wide Area Network Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig. no. Title of Figures Page no. 4.1 Three Components of Attitudes 82 4.2 Theory of Reasoned Action 85 4.3 Theory of Planned Behavior 86 4.4 Technology Acceptance Model 87 5.1 Cloud Computing 108 6.1 Framework of Indian Universities 114 7.1 Year of Library Establishment 148 7.2 Library Collection 149 7.3 Total number of Library Staff 153 7.4 Availability of ICT trained Library staff 156 7.5 Year of ICT implementation 161 7.6 Year of LMS installation 162 7.7 Level of Obstacles 168 7.8 Gender of the Respondents 169 7.9 Age wise distribution of library professionals 170 7.10 Official Designation of the Respondents 171 7.11 Highest Professional Qualification 172 7.12 Knowledge about ICT 173 7.13 ICT Knowledge Acquisition 174 7.14 keeping abreast with latest development in ICT 174 7.15 Methods to Keep Abreast 175 Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Title Page No. 1.1 Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and 11 U.P. 1.2 Administration of university wise questionnaire 15 and response rate 3.1 List of Library Science Courses Available in India 65 3.2 Percentage allocated to Library Budget from 69 Annual University Budget 4.1 Pay scale of Library Professionals 78 5.1 Components of ICTs in Libraries 98-99 6.1 List of Central Universities in India 115-116 6.2 Select Central Universities Libraries in Delhi and 117 Uttar Pradesh (U.P) 6.3 Library Collection of JNU 119 6.4 Library Collection of DULS 124 6.5 Library Collection of JMI 128 6.6 Library collection of AMU 133 6.7 List of BHU institutes and faculties 137 6.8 Library Collection of BHU 138 6.9 Library Collection of BBAU 142 6.10 ICT based tools 143 7.1 Administration of total questionnaire and response 146 rate 7.2 Library Establishment 147 7.2 (a) Library collection 149 7.2 (b) Item Wise Library Collection 151 7.3 Number of Library Professionals 152 7.4 Libraries’ Staff Patterns 154 7.5 Availability of ICT Trained Library Staffs 155 7.6 Library Budget for ICT Implementation and 158 Maintenance 7.7 Phase wise Budgetary Allocation of Library 159 automation 7.8 ICT implementation 160 7.9 Library Management Software 162 7.10 Modules of library software used by the library 163 7.11 Hardware Availability 164 7.12 Network Infrastructure 165 7.13 ICT based reader services 166 Maulana7.14 Azad Obstacles Library, in the implementation Aligarh of ICT Muslim in University167 libraries 7.15 Gender of the Respondents 168 7.16 Age of the Respondents 169 7.17 Designation wise distribution of library 170 professionals 7.18 Highest Professional Qualification of the 171 Respondents 7.19 Total work experience as library professionals 172 7.20 Knowledge about ICT 173 7.21 ICT Knowledge Acquisition 173 7.22 Methods to Keep Abreast 175 7.23 Level of awareness of ICT based resources 176 7.24 Use of web based ICT services 177 7.25 Skills for managing ICT based library services 178 7.26 Attitude toward General ICT Statements 180 7.27 Gender and Attitude towards general ICT 181-182 statement 7.28 Summary of Independent Sample t-test 182 7.29 Age and Attitude towards general ICT statements 183-184 7.30 Summary of ANOVA Results 184 7.31 Designation and Attitude towards general 185 statement 7.32 Summary of ANOVA Results 186 7.33 Highest library qualification and Attitude towards 187-188 general ICT statement 7.34 Summary of ANOVA Results 188 7.35 Experience and Attitude towards general ICT 190 statement 7.36 Summary of ANOVA Results 191 7.37 University libraries and Attitude towards general 192 ICT statement 7.38 Attitude towards Impact of ICT in Libraries 194 7.39 Gender vs. Attitude about the impact of ICT 196 7.40 Summary of independent sample t-test 197 7.41 Age vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT 198-199 7.42 Summary of ANOVA Results 199 7.43 Qualification vs. Attitude about the impact of ICT 201 7.44 Summary of ANOVA Results 202 7.45 Designation vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT 204 7.46 Summary of ANOVA Results 205 7.47 Experience vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT 206-207 7.48 Summary of ANOVA Results 207 7.49 University libraries vs. Attitude about impact of 209 ICT 7.50 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff 211 7.51 Gender vs. Attitude towards ICT training of 212 library staff 7.52 Summary of independent sample t-test 213 Maulana7.53 AzadAge vs. Attitude Library, towards ICT Aligarh training of library Muslim 214 University staff 7.54 Summary of ANOVA Results 215 7.55 Designation vs. Attitude towards ICT Training of 216 Library Staff 7.56 Summary of ANOVA Results 216 7.57 Qualification vs. Attitude towards ICT training of 218 library staff 7.58 Summary of ANOVA Results 218 7.59 Experience vs. Attitude towards ICT training of 219 library staff 7.60 Summary of ANOVA Results 220 7.61 Central University libraries vs. Attitude towards 221 ICT training of library staff 7.62 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application 222 7.63 Gender vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT 223 application 7.64 Summary of Independent Sample T-Test 224 7.65 Age vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT 225 application 7.66 Summary of ANOVA 225 7.67 Designation vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT 226 application 7.68 Summary of ANOVA Test 227 7.69 Qualification vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT 228 application 7.70 Summary of ANOVA 228 7.71 Experience vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT 229 application 7.72 Summary of ANOVA 230 7.73 Central University libraries vs. Attitude towards 231 barriers of ICT applications 8.1 One-Way ANOVA Test Results for level of ICT 244 awareness 8.2 One-Way ANOVA Test Results for frequency of 245 use of web based services
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Chapter 1 Introduction
CHAPTER -1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study The main aim of education is to impart knowledge to the citizens who in turn contribute to the development of a country. It is not merely a coincidence that in the present scenario there is no developed country, which has poor education system and no under developed country, which has a well developed education system. India, since independence, has built systematically developed a vast higher education system, that includes Universities, Research Centres, Colleges etc. regulated and recognised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission. The later is an apex body that recognises universities with its power drawn from the University Grants Commission Act, 19561. Central universities established individually by the Act of Parliament are, in general, governed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission. All Indian Universities can be categorised into Public and Private Universities. While the Public universities are supported and financed by the central and state Governments, private universities are mostly supported by various local bodies, societies and educational trusts. The numbers of universities in 2018 are 850 out of which 47 are Central Universities, 384 State Universities, 296 State Private Universities and 123 Deemed to be Universities2. Academic libraries constitute an integral part of education system and have been one of the key success factors for the universities to accomplish their mission. Libraries are the soul of any learning institution, which is pivot of teaching-learning process. It has played an active part in the progress of higher education of the country. In an academic environment, the University library is recognised as a social and intellectual centre or even the ‘heart’ of the university. The university library occupies the apex position amongst all academic libraries. It exists to cater to the requirements of students and teachers, while supporting teaching, learning and research programmes Maulanaof the university. Azad For Library,any University, itsAligarh library is indispensible. Muslim University
1 Ministry of Human Resource & Development (India). (2016). About. Retrieved on 16 March, 2016 from http://mhrd.gov.in 2 Ministry of Human Resource & Development (India). (2018). Higher Education. Retrieved on 17 June, 2018 from http://mhrd.gov.in 1
Chapter 1 Introduction
University libraries are expected to facilitate required information to its patrons which can be made possible only through organised library system, characterised by the availability of modern ICT facilities and above all, qualified library professional to disseminate knowledge and administer the library properly (Ejedafiru & Oghenetega, 2013). Information is growing at a very fast rate that effects every aspect of society and library is also not lagging behind. “Information is scattered in many areas and in order to keep track of these information many libraries have started embracing the recent developments in information technology to help them for effective library services” (Afolabi & Abidoye, 2011). Information Communication Technology (ICT) entered into libraries, especially university libraries, during the 1960s. Libraries employed ICT to speed up their daily activities and reduce their operating costs. Many repetitive activities were upgraded using ICT (Igwe, 1986). Now-a-days several ICT tools are used in various library operations and services for effective dissemination of Information. Increasing use of the new ICT gadgets includes computers, the Internet, Intranet, Extranet and other technologies, which help in providing effective library operations and services to its users by saving the time of library professionals as well as users. The role of ICT is being increasingly used in library operations such as acquisition, circulation, classification, online cataloguing, inter-library loan, documentation, serial control, information storage, reference and information services etc. (Saleem, Shabana Tabusum & Batcha, 2013). Libraries are providing various ICT-based services to their users, such as provision of Web access to OPACs, Electronic Document Delivery Services, CD-ROM Services, Online Reservation Services, Networked Information Resources, Reference Services, Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), Current Awareness Service (CAS), Photocopying Service, Webliographic Service, Delivery of Information to User Desktops, Online Instructions, Online Readers Advisory Services, etc. (Hussain & Lavanya, 2014). MaulanaThe application Azad of Library,ICT in library operationsAligarh and servicesMuslim provide University the right information to the right reader at the right time in the right form and in a right personal way. ICT based library activities helps in providing library services to its users very efficiently, rapidly, effectively, adequately and economically. Inspite of various benefits of ICT, implementation of ICT in university libraries becomes a challenge due to various factors such as inadequate financial resources, non-availability of IT-trained
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Chapter 1 Introduction
personal, cumbersome purchase procedure for the acquisition of hardware and software, lack of adequate qualified professional staff etc. In order to meet these challenges of new technologies, it is required that library professionals’ level of knowledge about new information and communication technologies must be raised through workshops, seminars and through continuing education and training programmes (Ramzan, 2004a). A library having good collection cannot render the best services to its users without efficient and trained personnel. Thus for fulfilment of desired objectives of any library, sincere and organized human resource is essential. The basic aim of the library professionals should be to provide right information to its users within very limited time. They should ensure that no reader who requires their help either in the choice of documents or in getting information from documents should not go without it. The Kothari Commission has drawn attention on the library personnel in such a way that “A collection of books, even a good collection of books, does not constitute a library. Given enthusiastic teachers, who teach with books and librarians who can cooperate with them may convert the library into an intellectual workshop. Without such a staff, the most luxurious building or extensive collection may have no effect at all” (Mathur, 1988). The success of a library depends on large measure upon the persons who are responsible for their use, distribution and fulfilment of its objectives. The collection of a library must have its effective use in the hands of readers. The persons who take responsibility for this transformation is the library staff, who can also be termed as library professionals. In a university library, the professionals may be broadly divided into University Librarian, Deputy Librarian, Assistant Librarian, Professional Assistant, Semi-Professional Assistant and other technical staff. In view of the fact that technology in itself does not bring changes, it is the library professionals who use these technologies in order to provide effective and efficient services to its users. Therefore, the attitudes of library professionals towards the application of ICT play a fundamental role in determining their response towards Maulanaimplementation Azad of theseLibrary, technologies Aligarh in their libraries Muslim (Adekunle University et. al., 2007; Ramzan, 2004b). Nair (2001) stated that the success or failure of ICT application in libraries depends on the attitudes of the librarians because they are the key responsible persons for initiating changes, innovations and for planning and implementation of ICT projects in their libraries.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
Transformation of traditional libraries into digital libraries requires positive attitude, a well equipped and properly trained library professionals in order to explore and exploit the ICT to its full potential (Weiner, 2003). Attitude of library professionals are very important because they are the key responsible persons that can change the shape of libraries and information services in a country. Therefore, research in this area was considered important because it could help in understanding the complex and varied attitudes of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services in central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. 1.2 Statement of the Research Problem A clear and defined statement of the problem is needed to achieve the aim and objectives of the study. The problem selected for the present study is to find out “Attitude of Library Professionals towards Library Operations and Services Using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P.” The current study investigates the attitude of library professionals towards various types of ICT based library operations and services in university libraries and to know the various factors that affect the attitude of library professionals while working with ICT based services. The study also aims to explore the factors like knowledge about ICT, training of ICT, in-service courses etc. that make positive attitude of library professionals towards ICT. 1.3 Terms Used in the Statement of Research Problem In the statement of research problem under study, the terms used have been defined/explained as follows: 1.3.1 Attitude Attitude has been defined as an important concept that helps people to understand the social world. The word attitude is defined as “a learned predisposition to response in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object” (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). nd MaulanaAccording Azad to ‘Oxford Library, English Dictionary Aligarh (2 ed., unabridged Muslim dictionary, University in 20 volumes)’: Attitude is defined as a settled behavior or manner of acting, as representative of feeling or opinion; it is the background of meaning or reference against which a mental process is seen; a posture of the body proper to, or implying, some action or mental state assumed by human beings or animals; deliberately adopted, or habitual, mode of regarding the object of thought (“Attitude”, 1989).
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Chapter 1 Introduction
Allport (1935) defines attitude “as a mental and neutral state of readiness organized through experience exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon individual’s response to all objects or situations with which it is associated”. 1.3.2 Library Professionals A professionally trained person responsible for the care of a library and its contents, including the selection, processing, and organization of materials and the delivery of information, instruction, and loan services to meet the needs of its users. (Reitz, 2004) In this study the term library professionals refers to all those persons who have acquired their specified knowledge and training in library and information science through formal education programme. 1.3.3 Library Operations A management term encompassing all the activities and details involved in running a library or library system on a day-to-day basis, as opposed to functions requiring a long-range view of the institution's direction and priorities, such as planning and budgeting, policy making, fund-raising, and public relations (Reitz, 2004, p.505). 1.3.4 Library Services The facilities provided by a library for the use of books, electronic and other materials and the dissemination of information (Library Services, 2005, p.425). 1.3.5 Information Communication Technology (ICT) According to the UNESCO training module for ICT, Information Communications Technologies (ICT) are described as the technologies that enable society to create, collect, consolidate, communicate, manage and process information in multimedia and various digital formats for different purposes, i.e., computing and telecommunication technologies like the personal computer, CD-ROM, cable TV, cellular phones and the internet (David, 2001). In broad term the ICT consists of all modern technical means used to store and handle information, its communication through computer and related hardware, Maulanacommunication Azad networks Library, technology andAligarh necessary software Muslim etc. (Tiwari University & Sahoo, 2013). ICT includes acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information by means of computers and communication systems. ICT is a term used to describe a range of equipments i.e. hardware (personal computers (PCs), scanners, phones, faxes, modems and video conferencing equipment), computer programs
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Chapter 1 Introduction
(software: database and multimedia programs) and new infrastructures which allow us to access, retrieve, store, organize, manipulate, present, send information and communicate locally, nationally and globally through digital media (Dunmill & Arslanagic, 2006). 1.3.6 Central University Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education is responsible for determining the standards of universities in India. Central government of India provides grants to UGC for the establishment of universities. There are four main categories of universities - Central Universities, State Universities, Deemed-to-be Universities and University-level institutions. The university which is established by a Central Act are considered as the central university (Ministry of human Resource and Development, 2018). 1.3.7 University Library A library or group of libraries established, maintained, and administered by a university to meet the needs of its students and members of the academic staff. 1.3.8 Delhi New Delhi is the national capital territory of India. This union territory has its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister. New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi. It is now considered as the most preferred city in terms of industriliazation, information technology, real estate, healthcare, investments, etc. New Delhi is the blend of old and new. Old Delhi still has influence of Mughals whereas New Delhi having the influence of British Rule in India (Delhi, 2016). There are five central universities in Delhi i.e. University of Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indira Gandhi National Open University and South Asian University. 1.3.9 Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) Uttar Pradesh is a state located in northern India. It was created on 1st April Maulana1937 as the United Azad Provinces, Library, and was renamed Aligarh Uttar Pradesh Muslim in 1950. Lucknow University is the administrative capital of Uttar Pradesh. Holding the status of being the fourth largest state in India post 9th November, 2000, a new state Uttarakhand was separated from it. It covers 93,933 square miles (243,2990 km), equal to 6.88% of the total area of India. It is the most populous state in the country as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. Hindi is the official and most widely spoken language in its
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Chapter 1 Introduction
75 districts. Agriculture and service industries are the major parts of the state's economy. It plays an important role in the education, culture, politics, agriculture, industry, and tourism of India (Uttar Pradesh, 2017). Uttar Pradesh has a long tradition of education. There are six central universities in Uttar Pradesh i.e. Aligarh Muslim University (Aligarh), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Lucknow), Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi), University of Allahabad (Allahabad), Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (Rae Bareli), Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (Jhansi). 1.4 Significance of the Study The main purpose of establishing central universities in India is to promote the higher education and research. Government of India is keen to modernize the system and infrastructure of the central university libraries so that these centres of higher education can compete with those in developed countries. The Government of India is increasingly focussing on the quality and promotion of higher education and research in the country by making available print and non print knowledge resources through proper utilization of ICT in the country. This is evident from the growth in allocation of financial resources to the higher education sector. Library being the heart of the institution plays a crucial role in promotion of knowledge and scholarship, ultimately contributing to Nation Building. Government of India therefore, has taken various initiatives that include establishment of National Informatics Centre (NIC), New Delhi; NISCAIR, New Delhi; INFLIBNET, Gandhinagar; National Digital Library of India, Kharagpur etc. This is apart from a number of other National level Projects, such as ShodhGanga for digitization of theses awarded by Indian universities; preparation of subject based Databases, such as Vidwan, e-PG Pathshala, eGyankosh, ERMED Consortia, etc.; Data base of Rare books prepared under National Digital Library Project of Govt. of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by CDAC; provision of Internet bandwidth; funds for establishment and development of laboratories and libraries in universities Maulanaetc. All these Azad steps have Library, significantly contributed Aligarh in developing Muslim a sound University base of Higher Education System, under U.G.C. and M.H.R.D. INFLIBNET facilitates automation of university libraries by providing technical assistance for creation of basic infrastructure, networking, personnel training for use of ICT in library operations and provision of users’ services.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
However, ICT based library services have been increasing by the growing automation, use of email, Internet, online databases, e-journals, e-books and other web applications. Such Library services have posed a challenge to Indian library professionals either to learn new ICT based library techniques or perish. The rapid technological changes that by the turn of present century brought a revolution in the techniques for information storage and retrieval in libraries, have put forward new challenges for library professionals to keep pace with the new innovative changes. This naturally requires significant efforts and initiatives on the part of library professionals to adapt themselves to the new technologies and implement them in their libraries in such a way that may be reflected in the quantity and quality of research publications in the institutions of higher education in general and central universities in particular. It is heartening to note that the present generation of library professionals are keen to take up the challenges to cater to the needs of information based society, specially the researchers and the scientists working in their organizations. They advise and encourage the library administration to continually increase budget spending for the implementation of latest ICT technologies, subscribe online databases, e-books, e- journals etc. Unfortunately, however, this type of attitude is though discernible in libraries yet no comprehensive study in this regard has been conducted, so far. The present study is aimed to examine the attitudes of library professionals towards the application of ICT in select central university libraries and to find out the factors that could influence their attitudes. The findings of this study will help in highlighting the issues of attitude and will help in making plans and policies to improve the library services accordingly. This will help in achieving the ultimate goal of libraries i.e. development and generation of new knowledge and scholarship in India. Conducting research in this area is important because it may provide evidence regarding the current state to which ICT applications have been applied in Central University libraries in India. At the same time, the study will take into account library Maulanaprofessional’s attitudes Azad towards Library, the library operations Aligarh and services Muslim using ICT Universityin central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The studies conducted so far have mainly focused on technological part ignoring the issues of library professional’s attitudes. This is all the more important when we think of notable transformation in library resources and services, which have a direct bearing on the positive attitude and involvement of the library professionals in the provision of effective library services.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
This in turn will help the policy makers to improve the ICT competencies of the library professionals. There are many factors that directly or indirectly make positive and negative attitude of library professionals towards ICT that ultimately affect the library operations and services. This study aims to explore the factors that influence positive and negative attitudes of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT. This study will also be useful for libraries in the developing countries, which might be at a similar level of knowledge base with regard to understanding of library professional’s attitudes and their relationship with ICT and other innovations in libraries. Findings from this study will provide valuable information in this field which allow the researchers throughout the world to have an opportunity to examine the condition of library professionals attitudes and its relationship with ICT and other variables thus providing them a reliable source of study in the context of Indian universities. This study will also serve as an instrument in assessing the library professionals’ attitude in the state level universities, private universities and in other institutes of higher education in India. It is hoped that data collected through this research can be useful for library managers to prepare plans, guidelines, strategies and feasibility study regarding application and promotion of different hardware, software, databases, electronic resources and other technologies in their libraries which will help in the provision of better library services and operations. Findings of this study are further expected to be useful for budgeting in libraries under the perview and also for similar libraries, specially while allocating funds to develop ICT infrastructure and provision of online services/ Databases and e-resources. Library professionals are the part of library system, success or failure of any library system largely depends on the way of thinking or attitude of its staff regarding implementation of new technologies or innovations within the existing framework. The positive attitudes of library professionals encourage the heads of the Maulanainstitutions Azad to plan effective Library, technological Aligarh applications inMuslim individual libraries. University A survey of literature available on the topic has revealed that little attention has so far been paid to look into attitudes of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in central university libraries. Most of these studies were reported from developed countries, which are already ahead in application of state-of-the-art information technologies in their libraries. It is observed that researchers often overlook
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Chapter 1 Introduction
human factor aspects and attitudinal issues of ICT in libraries of developing countries, especially in India. This is a real fact that library professionals make up a library system. Therefore, the findings of this study will go a long way in providing empirical information to enhance further development of libraries in ICT era. It is hoped that this study would add to the library literature by providing insights into the library professionals’ attitudes towards library operations and services using ICT in central university libraries of India with valuable suggestions and recommendations. Moreover, the study would provide primary data for further studies in this area. 1.5 Objectives of the Study As per the research topic, the general objective is to find out the attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The specific objectives are: 1. To understand the present status of the library professionals and the level of their knowhow regarding ICT. 2. To findout the level of ICT, utilized in performing technical operations in university libraries. 3. To investigate whether the attitude of library professionals affects the library operations and services. 4. To find out the problems faced by the library professionals. 5. To find out the factors that influence the attitude of library professionals. 6. To find out the attitude of library professionals regarding the old and new technologies used in library operations and services. 7. To find out how training of library professionals in ICT could improve their performance level while working with ICT in libraries. 1.6 Hypotheses Library professionals’ attitudes towards the implication of ICT in different library operations and services are influenced by various demographic and organizational factors. To study the attitude of library professionals towards library Maulanaoperations and servicesAzad using Library, ICT in select central Aligarh university librariesMuslim in Delhi University and U.P, the following hypotheses are formulated to test the significance of study: H1: Library professionals in the select central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. have sufficient knowledge about ICT.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
H2: On the job training increases efficiency and performance of library professionals. H3: Attitudes of library professionals towards ICT are positive. H4: There is a significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their level of ICT awareness. H5: There is significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their frequency of ICT use. 1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study Attitude of library professionals working in the university libraries of India are subjects of this study because they are the most responsible and influential library personnel involved in introducing and upgrading ICT in libraries. As a large number of university libraries exist in India, the investigator restricted its scope to central universities of Delhi and U.P. and out of the five central universities in Delhi, the investigator selected three university libraries i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Delhi (DU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and out of six central universities in U.P., three university libraries i.e. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) have been selected. Due to the limitations of time and resources, it was not possible to cover all universities under present study. The present study is, therefore limited to six central university libraries as given in Table 1.1. Table 1.1 Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P. S.No. Central University in University Central University in University Delhi Location U.P. Location 1. University of Delhi Delhi Aligarh Muslim Aligarh University (AMU) 2. Jawaharlal Nehru New Delhi Banaras Hindu Varanasi University (JNU) University (BHU) 3. Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) New Delhi Babasaheb Bhimrao Lucknow Ambedkar University Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh(BBAU) Muslim University The study is confined to only the central libraries, leaving aside departmental libraries wherein ICT based library operations and services are yet to be fully implemented.
11
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.8 Research Questions The main research question of the study was to find out the “Attitude of Library Professionals towards Library Operations and Services Using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P.”. The present study was guided by the following sub questions in order to accomplish the stated objectives: R.Q.1. How much ICT is available and utilized in different library operations and services in university libraries? R.Q.2. What is the attitude of library professionals toward the use and application of ICT in library operations and services? R.Q.3.What are the factors that influence the attitude of library professionals? R.Q.4. Does ‘on the job ICT training’ or ‘existing ICT knowledge’ of library professionals influence their attitude towards use of ICT in their libraries? R.Q.5. What are the problems faced by the library professionals while working with ICT in different library operations and services in university libraries in Delhi and U.P.? 1.9 Research Methodology Research methodology includes all those techniques which are used for conducting research. It is a way of systematically solving the research problem. Under it, the researcher acquaints himself/herself with the various methods generally adopted to study a research problem, along with the underlying logic behind the methods used in the context of research study and explain the use of a particular method as compared to the other methods or techniques. The research therefore, involves the adequate sample by using appropriate sampling techniques, use of standardized tools and careful adoption of research design. The investigator has adopted the following methods for conducting the research study. 1.9.1 Construction of the Attitude Scale MaulanaAs the readyAzad-made Library, scale for measuring Aligarh the attitude Muslim of library staff University towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. was not available, an attempt was made to construct the scale and examine its reliability and validity with the help of a pilot survey. Items were written in the form of statements. Care was taken to keep the langauge of the statement simple, clear and direct.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
At the time of preparing the scale, ‘librarian’s attitude towards information technology scale’ developed by Nair (1998) and Ramzan (2010) were taken into consideration. The scale was planned as three and five points Likert Scale wherein the respondents had to read very carefully each statement, decide on the agreement and disagreement with the statements. 1.9.2 Mode of Answering The scale was so prepared that the users are to respond in either of three ways viz. Agree (A), Neutral (N) and Disagree (DA) or five ways viz. Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A) Neither agree nor disagree (NA/NDA), Disagree (DA), Strongly Disagree (SDA) by putting a tick mark (√ ) against the appropriate alternative against each statement. 1.9.3 Pilot Survey
In order to ensure validity and reliability of the questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted on the library professionals of Maulana Azad Library, A.M.U. The pre- testing exercise was undertaken to identify any problems that potential respondents might face in understanding questions posed to them. The preliminary draft of the questionnaire was pre-tested on a sample of 73 library professionals working in Maulana Azad library, A.M.U. Based on pre-test, the researcher made amendments to the questionnaire on the bases of suggestions, received from library professionals. Some new questions were also added in the final draft of the questionnaire. 1.9.4 Validity and Reliability of the Scale 1.9.4.1 Validity of the Scale The scale, as a data collection tool, must produce information that is not only important but free from systematic errors; therefore, it must produce valid information. In general a test is valid if it represents a concept in a truthful manner. In other words, a scale is valid for use in one situation but may have no value in another situation. Several steps were taken to ensure the validity of the scale constructed for this study such as, analysis of several books and articles on ICT and attitude, informal discussion Maulanawith teachers Azad and experts Library, in the field ofAligarh library and information Muslim science University and informal discussion with professionals.
1.9.4.2 Reliability Test
The most commonly used method of reliability test in statistics is Cronbach coefficient alpha test using SPSS (Osburn, 2000). This test provides statistics that is an 13
Chapter 1 Introduction
indication of the average correlation among all items that make the scale. Values of the test statistics range from 0 to 1 with a minimum of 0.6 while other studies suggest that anything above 0.7 recommends high levels of internal reliability. To test the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach coefficient alpha reliability analysis was deployed on 30 ICT attitude statements using SPSS. The test revealed average correlation coefficient of 30 statements as 0.77 indicating the reliability of the scale.
1.9.5 Population and Sampling The subjects for this study are the library professionals working in central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. The study is confined to the library professionals, other categories such as Para-professionals, University Administrator and Library users are excluded from the study. The library professionals were chosen to complete the questionnaire because they were assumed as the most significant persons involved in the implementation of ICT in library operations and services in their libraries. Three central university libraries of Delhi and three central university libraries of U.P. have been selected for the study: i. University of Delhi (DU) ii. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) iii. Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) iv. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) v. Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vi. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) The study consisted of library professionals’ attitude towards ICT. A census sample technique was used to select the sample of respondents. This sample technique was chosen because in these libraries, there were very few targeted participants and therefore data was gathered by every member of the population. Library professionals with qualifications ranging from certificate course to Masters and Ph.D. in library and information science and those currently working in the target institutions were focused for the purpose. The sample consisted of Librarians, Deputy Librarians, Assistant MaulanaLibrarians, Professional Azad Assistant Library,s, Semi-Professional Aligarh Assistant Muslims and other Universitytechnical staff. As mentioned in the Table 1.2, number of questionnaires administered amongst the library professionals of JNU, DU, JMI, AMU, BHU and BBAU were 93, 120, 48, 86, 142 and 7, while the responses received were 84, 109, 42, 81, 137 and 7
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Chapter 1 Introduction
respectively. As some of the questionnaires received were rejected, the total number of questionnaires analyzed in the libraries of JNU, DU, JMI, AMU, BHU and BBAU were 75, 92, 38, 73, 131 and 7 respectively. Thus the total response rate of the library staff in JNU, DU, JMI, AMU, BHU and BBAU was found to be 80.64 %, 83.33 %, 79.16%, 84.88%, 92.25 % and 100 % respectively while the average response rate in these six central libraries was 83.87 % as tabulated below: Table 1.2 Administration of University wise Questionnaires and Response Rate
Respondents Number of Number of Number of Response Questionnaires Questionnaires Questionnaires Rate Administered Received Analyzed JNU 93 84 75 80.64% DU 120 109 92 83.33% JMI 48 42 38 79.16% AMU 86 81 73 84.88% BHU 142 137 131 92.25% BBAU 7 7 7 100% Total 496 460 416 83.87%
1.9.6 Questionnaire Accompanied by Interview Method A questionnaire is a list of questions put before the respondents in order to cull out the required Data/Information for research purposes. Two types of Questionnaires viz. open-ended and closed-ended were carefully prepared. Open-ended (or unstructured) questionnaire can be used in a preliminary survey or to get a feel for the subject. Here respondents answer questions in their own words. Closed-ended (or structured) questionnaires are used in large-scale data collection. Here respondents choose from a collection of alternatives or assign a numerical score or ranking. The present study used mostly closed-ended questionnaires consisting of structured questions, check boxes and likert rating scales. To collect the necessary data for the study, the investigator designed two sets of questionnaires, one for the librarian Maulanaand another Azad for other Library, library staffs. The Aligarh questionnaire Muslim for librarian wasUniversity designed to know the availability of hardware, various ICT tools available in the libraries, details of library automation software in use, ICT based services offered by the library, budget allocation, strength of staff in various categories and number of ICT trained library staffs.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
The questionnaire for library professionals included questions related to demographic variables as well as professional characteristics, in addition to the questions related to measure the attitude of library staff regarding the impact of ICT on different library operations and services in university libraries. In addition to questionnaire the investigator also used interview method to know the real and practical situation of ICT. It is a device of data generation in which the researcher interacts directly stimulates the respondents with his questions, while the interviewee responds in the form of his answers and reactions. The investigator approached library professionals and had an informal interview to clarify some doubts, if any. Simultaneously, interview helps to investigate and collect the data on the areas which are not covered by questionnaires. 1.9.7 Dependent Variables For the purpose of this research, attitude of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services were taken as the dependent variables. Respondents’ attitudes were assessed on 30 attitude statements asking them to show agreement/disagreement on 3 or 5-points likert scale as follows: For three points likert scale, the scores/ranking were given below: A N DA Positive 3 2 1 Negative 1 2 3
For five points likert scale, the scores/ranking were given below:
SA A NA/NDA DA SDA Positive 5 4 3 2 1 Negative 1 2 3 4 5
For the positive statements for three points likert scale, 3 weights were given for Agree response (A), 2 weights were given for Neutral response (N) and 1 weight was given to Disagree response (DA) and for five points likert scale, 5 weights were given to Strongly Agree response (SA), 4 weights for Agree response (A), 3 weights for Neither Agree nor Disagree (NA/NDA), 2 weights for Disagree (DA) and 1 weight Maulanawere given to StronglyAzad D isLibrary,agree response (SDA)Aligarh. The scoring Muslim was reversed University for the negative statements. The scores were tabulated under median for all six central university libraries. The median was compared among the six central university libraries to identify the correlation factor and the significance of difference was
16
Chapter 1 Introduction
checked by calculating the value of ANOVA among the groups for all the six central university libraries. 1.9.8 Independent Variables Independent variable is one that is supposed to cause some changes in the value of dependent variable. Attitude of library professionals towards ICT was analyzed in relation to the independent variables. Following are the independent variables: 1. Gender of the respondents 2. Age of the respondents 3. Designation 4. Library science qualifications 5. Experience as a library professionals 1.9.9 Data Collection Procedure Investigator had collected data for the present study in the year 2016. The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire and one-to-one in-depth interview. Questionnaires were personally administrated among library professionals of six respective libraries. Duly-filled questionnaires were collected back on same date or later in the next visit. The investigator personally consulted the library staff and made an informal talk regarding their attitude towards the implementation of ICT in their libraries. The investigator prepared two sets of questionnaires: Questionnaire for librarian to collect administrative and budgetary data of library. Whereas another questionnaire was concerned with the attitudinal aspect of library staff. This questionnaire was divided into three parts: 1. Demographic Variables of the Respondents. The items included in this part were the respondents’ gender, age, designation, qualification, experience and nature of work. 2. Professional Characteristic of the Respondents. This part of the questionnaire included the respondents’ level of awareness of MaulanaICT, frequency Azad of use Library, of ICT resources, Aligarh skills for managingMuslim ICT andUniversity methods of acquiring ICT knowledge. 3. Attitude of Library Professionals towards ICT based Library Operations and Services.
This part of the questionnaire consisted of questions for measuring the attitude of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services. This relates to 17
Chapter 1 Introduction
both positive and negative effects of implementation of ICT in libraries. Respondents were asked to rate their belief about ICT applications on five and three point likert scale. A total of 30 statements on attitude were framed, each of which were further divided into four dimensions: i. Attitude towards general ICT statements. ii. Attitude about impact of ICT. iii. Attitude towards ICT training. iv. Attitude towards barriers of ICT applications. 1.9.10 Statistical Techniques Used in Data Analysis After collection of the data using the questionnaire over sample population of the university library staff under the purview, the following statistical methods have been used for data analysis3:- (a) Frequency: In statistics the frequency of an event is the number of times the event occurred in a study. (b) Percentage: A percentage is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the percent sign (%). (c) Median: It is a simple measure of central tendency. It is one way of finding the ‘average’ of a set of data points. (d) Cronbach Coefficient Alpha Test: It provides statistics that is an indication of the average correlation among all items that make the scale. Values of the test statistics range from 0 to 1 with a minimum of 0.6. (e) T-Test: T-Test is a type of inferential statistic which is used to determine if there is a significant difference between the means of two groups which may be related in certain features. (f) One Way ANOVA: The one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to determine whether there are any statistically significant differences between the means of three or more independent groups. (g) Chi-square test: A chi-square is a test that measures how expectations Maulanacompared Azad to actual observedLibrary, data. Aligarh Muslim University 1.10 Data Presentation by Using Different Scales Attitude cannot be measured directly but can only be inferred from observations of subjects’ responses to a selected set of statements. The purpose of the attitude scale
3 Kothari, C.R. (2004). Research Methodology: methods and techniques (2nd Ed.). New Delhi: New age international publisher. 18
Chapter 1 Introduction
is to assign an individual a position somewhere between the highly favourable to unfavourable. For satisfying the assumptions the scale used, has to be carefully tested for validity and reliability. The more commonly used scales for attitude measurement can be grouped under different headings namely: (i) Semantic Differential Scale Charles Osgood invented semantic differential scale in 1957. It measures people's reactions to stimulus words and concepts in terms of ratings on bipolar scales (usually seven-point scale) defined with contrasting adjectives at each end and response options are expressed as “semantic space” (Heise, 1970). (ii) Thurstone Scale It was developed by Louis Leon Thurstone in 1928. A Thurstone scale is an attitude scale consisting of statements of favorable or unfavorable evaluation of objects with which the respondent either agree or disagree. A number of judges are involved to rank each item on the scale using an eleven-point scale reflecting the attitude that is being measured. The means and variances of the numbers assigned to each statement are calculated. Then two or three statements with very close means are selected, thus producing a final draft of statements. Respondents were asked to read all the statements and indicate those which they agree (Harvey, 2012-17). (iii) Guttman Scale Guttman scaling was developed by Louis Guttman (1944) and was first used with War Department research on the morale of American Soldiers. Abdi (2010) described Guttman scaling as a set of binary questions answered by a set of subjects and then the subjects are asked to check each statement with which they agree. When a participant agrees with an attitude statement, the participant receives a score of 1 for the item. However, if the participant disagrees with the attitude statement; the participant receives a score of 0 for the item. The participant’s total score is the sum of all his/her item scores on the scale. The overall score suggests the participant's degree of Maulanafavorability Azad towards theLibrary, attitudinal object. Aligarh Then the data Muslim submitted to University Guttman scale analysis. The Guttman method includes a scalogram analysis device for determining the degree of consistency that is present (Dwyer, 1993). (iv) Likert Scale Likert’s summated rating method is one of the popular methods of attitude measurement. In this method researcher prepares about 100 statements expressing 19
Chapter 1 Introduction
either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ towards an object. A set of respondents are then given five or seven response options and are asked to choose one response to express their views on statements. Each participant is then assigned a total score by summing his/her score on all items. Finally, for each item, each person’s score is correlated with his/her total score and items with low item-to-total correlations are dropped. Approximately 20-40 statements with strongest correlations are selected for administration to the sample (Likert, 1932). For the purpose of the present study Likert method is adopted because it is relatively easier to construct, simple and reliable method of attitude measurement. Tittle & Hill, (1967) observed that the Likert scale is the best predictor and exhibits the greatest reliability, whereas the Guttman and thurstone’s scale is the least reliable. It is also stated that response to understandability to these scaling methods indicates Likert scale to be the easiest to understand (Shukla, 1972). 1.11 Standard Followed For providing the bibliographical references, the investigator has followed American Psychological Association Style (APA, 6th ed.)4. 1.12 Chapterization The study was organized into eight chapters. Each chapter deals with different aspects of research work, as explained below: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter includes the background of the study, statement of the problem, definitions of the terms used in the statement of the problem, significance of the study, objectives, hypotheses of the study, research questions, scope and limitations of the study. Further the chapter also explains the research methodology used, methods of data collection and data presentation. Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature To begin the study, a comprehensive review of the relevant literature was undertaken. The main purpose of this chapter is to understand the already existing MaulanaKnowledge on Azad the topic ofLibrary, present research Aligarh and to find outMuslim the research University gap. The research topic was divided into subheadings like library professionals and their awareness about ICT, attitude of library professionals, ICT applications in libraries and
4 American Psychological Association Style (APA). (2019). Referencing and Citation Styles: APA 6th. Retrieved on 7 February, 2019 from https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476096 20
Chapter 1 Introduction
problems of library automation. A search was made to find out the related research material of above mentioned subheadings so as to arrive at the right perspective. Chapter 3: Library Profession This chapter includes a conceptual framework of a library, its definition, historical developments, followed by various types of library, especially focusing on university libraries under the purview. Further, this chapter covers an overview of library profession and professionals, especially in Indian context. Chapter 4: Attitude of Library Professionals This chapter describes library professionals in general followed by their work categories in university libraries. It also describes the attitude of library professionals, definition of attitude and various attitude measurement scales. Chapter 5: Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Libraries Under this chapter the impact of ICT in libraries as well as the role of ICT in the development of libraries is described. This chapter also includes detailed description of various ICT gadgets which are used in different library operations and services. Chapter 6: ICT Applications in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P. This chapter provides detailed description about the three university libraries in Delhi i.e. DU, JNU and JMI and three university libraries in U.P. i.e. AMU, BHU, BBAU. This chapter also includes the history, collection and details about ICT based library operations and services of university libraries under study. Chapter 7: Data Analysis and Interpretation This chapter deals with the analysis and interpretation of data that is collected by various methods (survey and interview). Under this chapter, various tables and graphs have also been made to explain the attitude of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. Chapter 8: Major Findings, Recommendations and Conclusions MaulanaThis Azad chapter Library, provides major Aligarh research findings, Muslim detailed discussion University on the findings and conclusion of the study. It also provides the recommendations for improving the attitude of library professionals towards ICT based library operations and services. Future areas of further research are also provided at the end of this chapter.
21
Chapter-2 Review of Related Literature
CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature
2.1 Introduction
Review of related literature is conducted to enable the researcher to get a clear understanding about the specific field of study including the trends of research being followed in the subject area concerning the topic of study. It also helps the researcher to have an insight into the tested methods, procedures and interpretations of similar studies conducted elsewhere. This chapter focuses on understanding, reviewing and synthesizing previously published scholarly literature pertinent to this study. It will help in understanding the problem statement with more clarity. The literature review will also help in formulating research questions, establishing hypotheses, developing the research instrument and in understanding different research methodologies and approaches used by previous researchers. Specifically, this chapter attempts to examine the literature on the following subheadings: • Library Professionals and their awareness about ICT • Attitude of Library Professionals • ICT Applications in Libraries • Problems of library automation
2.2 Library Professionals and their Awareness about ICT
Ustun (2002) examined the changing role and responsibilities of information professionals. The main objective of this study is to discuss the knowledge, skills and the consciousness of social responsibility that information professionals need to have and the factors which affect the library and information specialization of the modern world. The study found that it is important that the information professionals develop a basic understanding of information technology, terminology and the key issues Maulanaaffecting Azad the library Library,at present. However Aligarh, it is notMuslim very easy forUniversity information professionals who are working in these changing environments. The future librarian faces lots of problems which he/she has to overcome. It is recommended that the way to survive is to successfully manage change and to answer the newly emerging needs and
22
Chapter-2 Review of Related Literature
demands of the users in the best way and also it is necessary to manage relationships, communications and human resources well. Arokyamary (2012) found that with the emergence of new technologies various opportunities have opened in the form of online databases, institutional repositories, e- journals, weblogs etc. The roles of libraries are gradually changing with the paradigm shift from printed resources to electronic resources and library professionals were considered as the effective human resources for information retrieval. All these make it essential for library professionals to make them aware with new technologies, developed new skills and competencies so that they can take better decision in academic environment, provide value added library services to their patron and contribute in the growth and development of the institutions. Arif and Mahmood (2012) conducted a study in order to explore the level of adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in Pakistan libraries. The survey method was used in order to find out the various demographic variables of the professionals as well as the frequency of use of Web 2.0 technologies. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference between the gender, length of professional experiences and place of work with the use of new technologies in libraries. In contrast, there was a significant difference between the perceived internet use and perceived ease of Web 2.0 uses among the library professionals which showed that level of expertise and self-efficacy had the positive effect on the use of new technologies. The study further revealed that Pakistani librarians were generally less inclined towards adoption of Web 2.0 technologies. Certain problems were identified such as Lack of computer literacy, low availability of computers and internet facilities which hindered the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies by librarians. It was recommended that training programs could enable a librarian to cope with the Web 2.0 technologies. Ranganadhan (2013) provided an overview of the qualities of library professionals in ICT environment. The objective of the study was to represent the library resources and services in ICT environment and to explore the qualities of library professionals in ICT Maulanaenvironment. The Azad study graspedLibrary, the role Aligarh of library professionals Muslim as information University manager and information advisor or instructor. It further emphasized that the acquisition of computer and other technical knowledge for library professionals has become essential to survive in the present ICT environment. Seena and Pillai (2014) the findings of their study revealed that the library professionals in Kerala university library system had relatively average level skills in 23
Chapter-2 Review of Related Literature
various ICT related tasks in libraries, wherein LibSys software is invariably used. A good number of library professionals indicated that the main constraint in the application of ICT in libraries is inadequate training. Sankari and Chinnasamy (2014) surveyed the ICT skills of Librarians in engineering colleges in Salem and Namakkal Districts. The purpose of the study was to find out the influence of ICT on the professional development of library staff and also evaluate their skills in handling new developments in the field of ICT. The findings revealed that majority of library staff was aware of the ICT based applications and possess higher level of awareness in using windows and MS office package. Staff was more familiar with Computerized Documentation Service/Integrated Set of Information Systems (CDS/ISIS) library automation software as well as Green Stone digital library software. However, it is clear from the present study that most of the new ICT technologies were yet to be introduced in the library system. Therefore the library professionals were not in a position to use these technologies in their work and possess low level of technologies skill development among the professionals. Ayoku and Okafor (2015) examined the level of ICT skills among the librarians of Nigerian Libraries, considered as the gatekeepers of knowledge. Nigerian libraries rapidly introduced various new technologies and thus faced various challenges in terms of knowledge and skills of librarians to implement the digital and electronic library services. The findings revealed that majority of the library professionals did not have knowledge and skills of email use and word processing tasks; they also had lack of knowledge of search engines and web directories other than Google and Yahoo, respectively. Many of the professionals did not know how to catalogue e-resources such as CDs, DVDs, microfilms, video tapes etc. The findings further revealed that many of them had no knowledge of subject gateways, specialized databases and some open-access library databases. Majority of professionals had no knowledge of database management, not skilled in Web designing and not familiar with Web design applications. It was recommended that government should be involved in the Maulanamanagement Azad of university Library, libraries to provideAligarh sufficient Muslim funds for ICT trainingUniversity and for ICT infrastructure acquisition in libraries. Gill (2016) focused on the changing role of library professionals in the present digital scenario. Rapid development of technologies has changed the scenario of libraries; they are not confined within the four walls of buildings but converted into virtual and digital libraries. With this changed set-up of libraries the role of LIS professional has also 24
Chapter-2 Review of Related Literature
changed from traditional to e-librarians and for this they need to upgrade their new technological awareness, accept the change and adopt new technologies. The study recommends certain competencies which are required for library professionals such as communication skills, technical skills, leadership skills, time management skills, managerial skills, ICT skills and motivating skills etc. in order to manage and create information sources and services. Dhanavandan, Esmail and Mani (2016) conducted the survey of library professionals of Tamil Nadu regarding the awareness about ICT tools. The emergence of ICT provides library professionals with new opportunities to improve upon information resources (collection) and services. The findings of the study revealed that female library staff used more communication tools in comparison to male library staff. Majority of the respondents had the opinion that ICT is the most helpful media for professionals. The findings also indicated that there is no significant relationship between the age of the library staff and the utility of ICT which means communication tools played a significant role in enhancing the various abilities of library professionals irrespective of the age factor.
2.3 Attitude of Library Professionals
Su, Shiao-Feng (1993) examined the attitudes of academic library professionals towards computers based systems in Taiwan. 76 questionnaires were sent to 10 university libraries known to have installed computerized library system and follow up telephone interviews were conducted. Results were compared with those of an earlier study performed in the USA which related to professional academic library staff in 13 academic libraries in the Midwest. Very little difference was found between the attitudes of librarians in the two countries. Students’ T- Test of the categorizations of attitude indicated that librarians in Taiwan had significantly more negative attitudes towards computers in general. Results suggested that there was still room for improvement in the overall computerized systems environment in academic libraries in MaulanaTaiwan. Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Shani and Sena (1994) results of their study indicated that employees with greater control on implementation and application of technological innovations felt a sense of ownership and showed more positive attitudes towards IT innovations than those who did not have control on implementation of information technologies.
25
Chapter-2 Review of Related Literature
Mishra and Vashishth (1998) conducted a study among 335 library professionals to know their attitudes towards resource sharing and networking. The study revealed that 50% of respondents considered that use of library networks had increased their responsibilities in providing library services and about 7.76% respondents considered that network has reduced workload. However 65.38% of professionals working in special libraries and 55.32% from academic libraries were optimistic and hopeful of the development of local library network. Respondents identified the factors affecting the development of networks as: lack of training, financial constraints, problems related to computerization, limited staff and attitude of professionals. The professionals in general had moderately favorable attitude towards networking and resource sharing. Doney (1998) conducted a study under the title “Developing opinions: the attitudes of Information and Library Staff (ILS) to Continuing Professionals’ Development”. The aim of the study was to analyse the attitudes of library staff towards ‘Continuing Professionals Development (CPD)’ and to assess whether those attitudes were influenced by the sector they worked in. Interviews were conducted with 17 library and information professionals in two industry sectors, the business and academic, in order to gather their views on CPD. The study shows that the attitudes of library and information staff to CPD were not greatly affected by sector. All of the interviewees agreed that CPD was a positive concept, they also felt that it was the responsibility of employee and the employer in partnership to oversee an individuals’ development. However, very few staff reported using the Library Association’s framework for Continuing Professional Development, and levels of support for the idea of a compulsory scheme of CPD for the ILS sector were not high. Yoo (1998) investigated the relationship between the attitudes of academic librarians towards computers and their demographic variables. A total of 244 librarians working in academic libraries in the States in universities or colleges were surveyed, out of which 190 were selected for data analysis (79.9 percentage of response rate).The findings of the study revealed overall positive attitude of the librarians towards library Maulanaautomation Azad. It was found Library, that most of Aligarhthe demographic Muslim variables such Universityas gender, age, the highest degree obtained, collection size, functional areas in which the librarians were engaged in the current library, and length of library experience, were not significantly related to their attitude towards computers. In contrast to this, experience with computers and knowledge about programming language was significantly related to a positive attitude of librarians towards computers. 26
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Idowu (1998) highlighted certain significant variables (i.e. between knowledge, I.T. training/experience of Nigerian librarians) that can affect attitudes of librarians towards computers. A chi-square analysis was used to test the significant relationships. The findings of the study indicated that previous training experience and present usage (knowledge of computer usage) of computers at work had a significant relationship with the positive attitude towards computers. The study recommended that library schools should ensure adequate training programs and libraries should be equipped with state-of-the-art computer facilities so as to develop positive attitude for using such facilities. Saraf and Temjen (2003) examined the attitudes of library professionals towards information technology adoption in North East India, as opposed to the topic of present thesis pertaining to select central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. The study was based on already developed and tested scales of attitudes towards computers and information technology developed by Pereek et al and Nair respectively. The scale items were based on five points Likert type rating scale. Out of 163 respondents, 122 respondents returned back the questionnaire therefore the total response rate was 63.19%. The various statistical analyses were performed on the data using SPSS 7.5 version. The study identified the five variables through factor analysis which were anxiety, efficiency, work performance, use confidence and acceptance. Most of the socio-economic variables did not show any significance with attitudes towards information technology except sex and working experience. This study suggested adequate information technology infrastructural facilities, training and education for library professionals working in North East India. Ramzan (2004a) determined the extent of information technology (IT) utilization in libraries in Pakistan together with librarians’ level of knowledge in IT and their attitudes towards IT in libraries through a survey of 244 librarians in Pakistan, whereas the scope of the present thesis appertance to the attitude of librarians towards ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. Respondents were asked to indicate Maulanathe extent of computers,Azad CDLibrary,-ROMS, network Aligarh servers, and Muslim other hardware, University email, Internet, software, and electronic databases available, use of IT-based systems and resources by the library staff and patrons, and the degree of changes occurring in IT applications in their libraries. The respondents’ level of knowledge in IT was examined through measuring the extent of knowledge of technology, rate of keeping abreast of IT, and how much they had written or published about IT in libraries. Regarding the 27
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extent of knowledge of technology, the data showed 13.5 per cent of the respondents had no knowledge in technology, 33 per cent had little knowledge, while the majority, 41 per cent of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge in technology. The findings of the study also revealed that availability of appropriate IT and its proper utilization are important variables that are capable of increasing the librarians’ positive attitudes more towards IT which implies that librarians require continuing education and exposure to increase their level of knowledge of new technologies.
Spacey, Goulding and Murry (2004) found that positive attitude of staff is considered fundamental in the acceptance, implementation and success of new technologies. The successful design, implementation requires careful attention to the psychological needs of the people involved in its application. Ramzan (2004b) conducted a study under the title “Does level of knowledge impact librarians’ attitude towards information technology (IT) applications?” The aim of the study was to measure the librarians’ level of knowledge of information technology, investigate their attitudes towards IT applications and examine the relationship between librarians’ knowledge of IT and their attitudes towards IT applications in Pakistan. The data was collected through a questionnaire in order to study 244 librarians in Pakistan. The data was measured using likert scale from one to five points. The study revealed that awareness of attaining professional qualifications and knowledge in IT had a significant relationship with librarians’ attitudes. The study also found that librarians were strong change agents in implementing new technologies in libraries. Several recommendations were given in order to improve librarians’ attitudes towards IT applications. DeYoung and Spence (2004) described the initial stages in the development of a Technology Profile Inventory (TPI). The draft of TPI was constructed based on the responses of 318 participants. Factor analysis was used to analyse the major components of individuals’ attitudes towards information technology. The factors of TPI were correlated with a variety of demographic and usage variables. Gender Maulanadifferences Azad were found Library, for most TPI factors. Aligarh Correlations Muslim with usage variables University provided both convergent and divergent validation, as both past experience and present use of computers and internet were associated with more positive TPI attitudes. Adekunle, Omoba and Tella (2007) targeted the librarians in libraries of Nigeria that have automated systems. The results of their study revealed that librarians in the
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developing countries especially in Africa had a positive attitude towards the use and implementation of ICT in their libraries. The reasons might include an understanding of the benefits of ICT. Training and knowledge are the sine qua non of a positive attitude towards ICT. Zhang Alikman and Heshan (2008) conducted a study under the title “Two types of attitudes in ICT acceptance and use”, whereas the present thesis has under taken four dimensions of attitude to study the problem. Results of the survey demonstrated that conceptually and empirically, attitude towards a system and attitude towards using the system are two different concepts that have very different effects in information technology acceptance and intentions. Findings of the study revealed that attitude towards using IT have a positive impact on behavioral intentions of using IT. Findings also showed that attitudes related to a similar previously used ICT can influence intentions through current attitudes. Intaganok, Waterworth, Savachulamanee, Grasaresom and Homkome (2008) conducted a study under the title “Attitude of staff to Information and Communication Technology in a provincial university in Thailand”, whereas the present research thesis covers attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The purpose of the report was to study the university teachers in the Faculty of Education at Surindra Rajabhat University, Thailand in regard to their basic ICT skills and their attitudes to the use of ICT. The study revealed that negative attitudes towards ICT were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety. It also revealed that ICT skills were not significantly related to staff age, gender, subject specialization and experience. The report suggested number of recommendations which could help the faculties in facing various kinds of dilemmas. Aharony (2009) suggested that librarians who perceive themselves as technology oriented would find it easy to implement and integrate new technologies in their libraries. Their positive attitudes towards Web 2.0 and other technologies play an Maulanaimportant role inAzad successful Library, application of newAligarh technologies Muslim in libraries, whereas University the present thesis highlights the attitudinal factors that affect the use and application of ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. Adeyinka (2009) has examined the “Attitudinal correlates of some selected Nigerian librarians towards the use and application of ICT in various libraries”, whereas the present research confines itself to the attitude of librarians towards ICT applications in 29
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select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. A total of 4135 librarians from automated libraries in the Oyo state of Nigeria formed the population of the study. The survey instrument used for the collection of data was a computer anxiety and attitude towards microcomputer utilization (CAATMU) scale and a librarian attitude questionnaire. The main objective of the study was to find relationship between demographic variables of respondents’ age, gender, prior knowledge/experience and training, educational qualification, computer anxiety and librarians attitude towards ICT. The analysis of results showed that all the four out of the five variables age, gender, educational qualifications and knowledge of ICT, significantly correlate with librarian’s attitude towards ICT, while the variable ICT anxiety correlates negatively with the attitude of librarian towards ICT. The study emphasizes the need for libraries to embark on training their librarians who do not have knowledge of ICT.
Cavas, Cavas, Karaoglan and Kisla (2009) indicated that teachers’ attitudes towards the use of information and communication technologies influence instruction to science students. Their attitudes differed by variables like age, computer ownership at home and computer experience. The data revealed that overall science teachers have a favorable attitude towards ICT. The teachers agreed with 20 positive value statements about effect of ICT on teaching and learning statements. They disagreed with all the 11 negative value statements such as the usage of ICT in teaching and learning brings overload. Kim, Chun and Song (2009) empirical examination of research hypotheses indicates behavioral intention when attitude is strong, whereas it partially mediates the effects when attitude is weak. This implies attitude strength in acceptance of information technology by individuals or organizations. That attitude towards system use fully mediates the effects of salient beliefs. Ramzan and Singh (2010) examined the factors affecting librarians’ attitudes towards IT applications in libraries. A purposive sample of 288 head librarians were drawn from a countrywide population of 682 academic libraries. In total 76 percent valid Maulanaquestionnaires Azad were selectedLibrary, for data analysisAligarh and interpretation. Muslim Principal University Component Analysis (PCA) method was deployed to carry out prediction analysis. The main objective of this study was to identify common underlying factors, which could be used to predict the probable behavior of librarians towards IT innovation in their libraries. The study found that librarians’ attitudes were open to influence by their personality
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characteristics, professional IT competency level and through organizational environment. The most significant of these factors were the issues of ownership of IT application in libraries, librarians’ fear of handling technologies and their involvement in IT related decision- making. Mahmood (2010) examined the attitudes of library professionals towards the internet in Pakistan. Data was collected through a questionnaire which was distributed through list serve and survey monkey software. The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS 16.0 version. The study revealed that library and information professionals’ attitudes were very positive towards internet based facilities and services. It was also found that the institution type, gender and age of the respondents had no effect on their attitudes towards internet. Whereas the variables such as experienced, frequency, level of perceived skills and training in the use of internet had strong effect on the attitude of respondents. Keeping in view the findings of this study, it was recommended that steps should be taken to provide more extensive internet training at pre-and in-service levels. Eguavoen (2011) has examined the attitude of library staff in university of Ibadan library system towards the use and application of ICT, in contrast to this the scope of the present thesis includes the attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The study used the descriptive survey and used ICT scale (ALSUICTS) to elicit information from the respondents. The Friedman Test was carried out and Pearson Correlation Matrix was used in analyzing the data. The findings showed that generally library staffs in Kenneth Dike library had a positive attitude towards the use and implementation of ICT in the library. The results revealed that the training and knowledge of ICT influenced the positive attitude of library staff towards its usage. Based on findings, the study recommended that the staff of library should be trained to allay the fears and anxiety about the use and application of ICT in their respective libraries. Sivakumaren, Jeyaprakash, Gopalakrishnan and Geetha (2011) examined the Maulanaattitudes of library Azad professionals Library, on ICT in andAligarh around Chennai, Muslim whereas the University scope of the present thesis appertance to select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. Questionnaire method was used to collect the data. The questionnaire was divided into two sections like personal information and attitudes of library professionals towards ICT in libraries. The study found that the majority of library professionals had positive
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attitude on ICT and some of them were not able to update their knowledge and skills on ICT. The study recommended for ICT based programs to train the library professionals. Rahman (2012) examined the attitude of university library professionals of Bangladesh towards IT, in sharp contrast of the scope of the present thesis covering select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P. The author identified how the socio-economic variance influenced the attitude of library professionals to the use of IT applications, and also examined how the experience with IT had influenced their attitudes. To accelerate the positive attitude, highest priority should be given to the continuing education of library professionals. Top managements’ positive attitude and comfort levels towards technology will help the mid and entry level professionals to be skillful at creative applications of IT. The analysis should help the policy makers to improve the IT competencies of the library professionals. Senna and Sudhier (n.d.) conducted a study which revealed that even though the majority of library professionals do not have much idea about cloud computing technologies and its application in libraries, they had a positive attitude towards the cloud computing applications in libraries, whereas the present thesis covers the attitude of library professionals towards ICT based Library operations and services. Number of library professionals indicated that the main constraints relating to the application of Information and Communication Technology in libraries was the lack of training, lack of infrastructure & network facility and lack of cooperation of higher authority in implementing the technology. Oluwajuwon (2012) examined the attitude of library staff towards the efficient use of ICT facilities. The result of the findings revealed that current usage of computer, sex, culture, experience; skills and expertise at work had no effect on the use of ICT facilities. Further, the study concluded that presently the library staff is using ICT facilities and those professionals who are not using it efficiently, also possess positive attitude towards the effective utilization of ICT facilities. Ali, Yakub, Nwekeand Makintami (2014) examined the functions and obstacles that Maulanahampered Azadthe implementation Library, of Electronic Aligarh Library Muslim Services in StateUniversity University Libraries in Nigeria. They also studied the attitude of librarians towards new technologies. The paper highlighted the importance of training of librarians in order to allay the fears and anxiety about the use and application of ICT in their respective E- library Services. The paper further discussed about some challenges that hindered the
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implementation of electronic library services such as lack of funds, negative attitude of librarians towards training and low comfort level with the use of ICT facilities.
2.4 ICT Applications in Libraries
Siddiqui (1997) reported the use of information technology in seven university libraries of Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires distributed to Deans of academic libraries and interviews conducted with the individual library professionals were used to extract information about availability and use of information technologies like computers, networks, electronic mail, online information retrieval, CD-ROMs, facsimile transmission, personal computers (PCs) and the internet in the academic libraries. The results revealed that the academic libraries were using these information technologies to provide excellent services to library users. In addition, all seven libraries were using IT in performing their day-to-day work of processing and services. Bii and Wanyama (2001) examined the impact of automation on the job satisfaction among library staff of the Margaret Thatcher Library (MTL). It was found that there were many problems within the library regarding training and access to automated systems, like frequent computer and network breakdowns and/or failures, inadequate printing facilities, software-related problems, lack of adequate IT skills. They had been a source of dissatisfaction among the library staff. However, MTL staff members viewed automation as enrichment and a source of satisfaction to their jobs. For automation to boost the staff members' job satisfaction, concrete plans for consistent structured in-house training, and free access to the available software, additional systems staff and centralized databases must be implemented. Spacey, Goulding and Murry (2003) reviewed the literature on the ‘ICT and change in UK public libraries: does training matter?’ The study showed the developments that affect the growth of ICT in public libraries. The study found that the attitudes of library staff were important in determining the successful implementation of ICT in libraries. Training was suggested as an appropriate means of enabling staff to cope effectively Maulanawith technological Azad changes . Library, Aligarh Muslim University Jeevan and Nair (2004) presented the results of a survey conducted among the premier libraries in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala to assess the IT adoption in these libraries. A survey using questionnaire and interview was used for getting information about the different IT components useful for better library organizations. Eighteen scientific,
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technical and research libraries both under central and state government participated in the survey. The result revealed that all the eighteen libraries were very positive about the use of IT in libraries and many of the libraries were IT intensive. Singh, Krishna and Jaiswal (2004) conducted a study under the title “Use of ICT based library resources and services and its impact on users: A case study of University of Allahabad”. The purpose of the study was to examine the use of ICT based library resources and services and its impact on users to show that the university library and its collections are the major sources of information. Survey method was conducted for the collection of data. The study revealed that majority of the users visited the library as and when needed. Study also showed that 72% of users’ preferred Google search engines, 66% of users consulted OPAC. The study indicated that the use of ICT played a significant role in their study activities. The study recommended that adequate training and users’ orientation programs were the crucial steps that can facilitate effective use of ICT based resources and services in libraries. Cholin (2005) provided an overview of information technology implementation in different university libraries in India. Further, it provides effective access to resources available within universities and elsewhere. The survey method was used to study the application of information technology in the Indian universities. The study was conducted among 66 university libraries and the responses were received from 54 (81.80%) of the total libraries covered. The study revealed that the university libraries in India are at various stages of development as far as the application of information technology tools in day-to-day library activities are concerned. Al-Qallaf (2006) conducted a survey under the title “Librarians and technology in academic and research libraries in Kuwait: Perceptions and effects”. 147 questionnaires were distributed among the librarians, out of which 66% valid questionnaires were selected for data analysis. This study showed that academic and research institute librarians in Kuwait were found optimistic about the benefits of IT use in information provision through libraries. However, they felt stressed because of insufficient staff Maulanatraining, technology Azad breakdowns Library, and lack Aligarh of acknowledgement Muslim from the University management. Haneefa (2007) conducted a study under the title “Application of Information and Communication Technologies in special libraries in Kerala (India).” The paper aims to investigate the application of ICT in special libraries in Kerala, India. Questionnaire based survey of librarians and observational visits in the libraries were used for data collection for the study, confined only to the automated special libraries in Kerala. 34
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The findings of the study revealed that though the libraries were equipped with hardware, software and communication facilities to some extent, yet ICT based resources and services were not reaching to the users as per expectations. Library automation in special libraries in Kerala was largely commenced during the period 1990-2000. As compared to other library automation software, CDS/ISI was used more in libraries, wherein library catalogue was found to be the most popular area for automation. E-mail was the mostly used ICT-based resource. Most of the libraries were hampered by lack of funds, infrastructure and skilled professionals to embark on automation of all library management activities and application of ICT. The study provided several recommendations to enhance library automation and effective and efficient application of ICT. Islam and Islam (2007) conducted a study under the title “Use of ICT in libraries: An empirical study of selected libraries in Bangladesh”. The study revealed that the ICT- based libraries in Bangladesh were in infancy. However, the demands for ICT in libraries were continuously growing due to increased number of users, new electronic formats of resources, increased output of publications and the development of new and cheaper computers. The study recommended several action plans which helped to overcome the barrier of ICT-based library systems in Bangladesh. Walmiki and Ramakrishnegowda (2009) in a survey of ICT infrastructure in university libraries of Karnataka outlined the status of ICT infrastructure of selected six university libraries. The main objective of the study was to find out the status of hardware, software and other ICT infrastructure available in university libraries of Karnataka. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from university libraries. The collected data included details of hardware infrastructure, software facilities and availability of campus LAN and internet facilities. The survey revealed that most of the libraries were lacking sufficient hardware and software facilities and internet with required bandwidth. The University Libraries would have to plan, implement and develop ICT infrastructure to exploit the benefits of digital information environment. MaulanaSingh, Sharma Azadand Negi (2009)Library, reported a studyAligarh on the ‘A vailability,Muslim use and University barriers to ICT in the R & D institutions: A case study of the libraries and information centers (LIC) in Noida’. The study was based on 25 LICs of public, government, corporate and private enterprises in Noida. The results showed that the lack of awareness interest and initiation of library professionals towards ICT application in the library were the major barriers of ICT applications in the LICs. About half of the LICs had better hardware 35
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facilities including scanner, barcode printer, barcode scanner etc. but the hardware facilities in the majority of LICs were not being properly utilized because majority of the library professionals were not properly aware of the use and operations of the hardware. Sampath and Biradar (2010) observed the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in 31 college libraries in Karnataka state of India. The survey was carried out using questionnaire, observation and informal interview with selected college librarians. The study revealed that lack of budget, manpower, skilled staff and training had been the main constraints for not automating library activities even though library professionals had shown a positive attitude towards the use of ICT applications and library automation. It was also found that majority of the respondents expressed the need for appropriate training to make use of ICT tools for handling library services in the changing digital era. Talab and Tajafari (2012) identified and compared the impact of ICT on training of library professionals in the two university libraries each from India and Iran. A questionnaire was made and distributed to all the library staff. The study showed that though both Indian and Iranian library staff believed that introduction of ICT in libraries had affected their training needs, Iranian library staff perceived the effect of ICT on their training needs more than their Indian counterparts. Although, a majority of both Iranian and Indian Library staff received training on using ICT, there was a need for regular training on ICT. The study recommended that development of training policy and modifications in working hours of library staff were needed for effective ICT training. Umeji, Ejedafiru and Oghenetega (2013) examined the level of information/ICT literacy and skills among Librarians in Madonna University, Okija, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to find out the effectiveness and efficiency of information/ICT literacy among academic librarians in the digital era. In order to collect the data, descriptive survey research design method along with oral interview Maulanawas used. AzadPopulation ofLibrary, this study was Aligarhall the librarians Muslim in Madonna University University library, Okija. The findings of the study revealed that the librarians didn’t have information/ICT literacy/skills because of major challenges facing them such as lack of funds, time and environment of the system. Further the study showed that a cause of failure in use of English and library course among students was negative attitude of
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librarians as they were not ready to help them for library and information services in some cases. The results showed that those librarians had very low literacy levels/skills. Verma and Dahiya (2016) discussed the importance of information and communication technology in the present scenario as it was a major backbone of Indian education system. To support E-learning in Universities, ICT played an important role. Many Universities either government or private were supporting the full utilization of various ICT gadgets in teaching and learning practice. There was wide need to determine mentor’s behavior towards ICT adoption to enhance and promote their learning skills. The paper focused on ICT awareness among students and faculty belonged to Indian Universities. The concerned paper further described the attitude of students and faculty towards ICT awareness in relation to their gender by using various statistical tools. The findings of this paper will help Indian universities administration to know about importance of ICT involvement in Indian education system. Ahmad and Rahman (2016) explored the level of ICT competencies, and importance of training for updating these competencies among library professionals in Pakistan. Descriptive survey research method was used to conduct the study. A total of 105 library professionals working in the 14 public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan were taken into consideration. The findings of the study revealed that the status of ICT competencies among library professionals in the region was unsatisfactory. Insufficient staff and lack of interest in acquiring ICT knowledge were the main problems. The study recommended that library administrators should organize regular ICT training programs to train their library staff in current ICT resources as per their needs and to eliminate any hurdle in updating ICT competencies among staff.
2.5 Problems in Library Automation
Ahmad (2002) examined the managing change to enhance web-based services in the Arabian Gulf libraries. The study found that university libraries in the Arabian Gulf Maulanawere offering web Azad-based services Library, to their users. Aligarh However, the Muslim usage of these Universityresources was very low and one of the reasons to this low usage of web-based resources was that users did not feel comfortable in using these resources. Hence, they needed to be trained in the effective use of these online resources and services.
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Singh (2003) analyzed the problems that directly or indirectly affect the progress of library automation such as attitude and awareness of management, faculty and users, availability of resources, skills of staff and geographical location area. The paper discussed the present status of library automation in university libraries and also the areas where computers were being used. Role of INFLIBNET has also been focus of the study. The paper concluded that things were changing for the better as library automation in academic libraries is now being regarded as an urgent need. Haider (2004) identified the major issues responsible for hindering library automation in university libraries in Pakistan such as absence of readers’ services, inadequate physical facilities, lack of experienced human resources, software and hardware constraints, inadequate financial support and limited application of information technology in libraries. The study recommended the formulation of a standing committee on university libraries by Higher Education Commission for solving the concerned problems. Amekuedee (2005) in his study “An evaluation of library automation in some Ghanaian university libraries” found that university libraries realized the importance of library automation. However, lack of support in terms of funds, administration support from the university and availability of skilled staff was hampering the automation of university libraries in Ghana. It was also revealed that none of the libraries had an OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) facility for their patrons. Suku and Pillai (2005) conducted a study to examine the status and problems of library automation of university libraries in Kerala. A structured questionnaire was used as a tool for the survey and the response rate was 100 percent. The study revealed that the library staff lacked necessary skills to plan and carry out automation project. Inadequate IT infrastructure and late decision to automate the university libraries were the main reasons. The lack of funds was also a problem to carryout automation with latest software. Younis (2005) examined the local online information systems in Jordanian university Maulanalibraries. DataAzad was collectedLibrary, through Aligarh a written questionnaire, Muslim personnel University interview, literature review and field visits. The study found that although all university libraries in Jordon were linked through the internet and provide online services and users’ lower-end software and hardware. However, the use of online services was not very common and effective, lack of skilled staff, shortage of funds and insufficient hardware
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were prime obstacles in the wider use of innovative information technologies in Jordanian university libraries. Okiy (2005) conducted a study under the title “Strengthening information provision in Nigerian university libraries through Information Communication Technology”. The purpose of this study was to review the current state of ICT application for information provision in Nigerian university libraries and make suggestions to enable them to take full advantage of ICT facilities. University libraries in Nigeria were now using ICT effectively for the benefit of their users. The major obstacles in IT applications in academic libraries of Nigeria were inadequate funding, electric supply and IT skilled librarians and low level of literacy among Nigerians. Ani, Esin and Edem (2005) conducted a study on the “Adoption of ICT in academic libraries: A strategy of library networking in Nigeria”. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in university libraries in Nigerian libraries as modern tools of providing library services to users in the global setting. Survey method was used to collect data from 29 university libraries out of which 17 duly completed questionnaires were received and used for data analysis. The study found the extent of computerization and IT based services in the university libraries in Nigeria. The study showed that the major factors against effective adoption of ICT were inadequate funding, lack of trained personnel and negative attitude of university management on IT. The study recommended that the government should increase funding for the development of university libraries and improve the provision of un-interrupted electricity for sustainable adoption of Information and Communication Technology in University Libraries in Nigeria. Pors (2005) explored the changes in Danish Public Library managers’ perception of the environment, their own knowledge about management methodologies and tools as well as their perceived need for further education. The study used two data sets based on a comparable measurement instrument in order to investigate some of the changes in attitudes and general outlook among Danish Public Library managers. The study also Maulanaexplored that political Azad support Library, and respect fromAligarh the patrons Muslim and their perception University of libraries had significant effect on the productivity of the librarians. Khan and Bawden (2005) reported that libraries in Pakistan were providing one or the other kind of community information services; however there were numerous problems hindering the application of ICTs in academic and public libraries. The majority of respondents mentioned about lack of funding/budget as their number one problem, 39
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followed by non-availability of standard library software and lack of skilled human resources. A significant number of librarians reported negative attitude of their management towards application of ICT, in contrast to the views of the librarians themselves. Sami and Pangannaiah (2006) reviewed literature on library users who initially found it difficult to cope with the new technology and experience anxiety. They mentioned that information was coming in a variety of formats and at an unprecedented speed. Software and hardware versions were changing very fast, hence bringing uncertainty and anxiety for the librarians to remain current. They further reported that women were comparatively less comfortable in dealing with technologies than men. Prior computer exposure, especially computer use at home and computer experiences had significantly positive relationship towards computers. They suggested that in most cases, the decision to use information technologies was made by executives and information technology/computer professionals and librarians were not involved in decision- making. Hence, their behavior tends towards compliance and not towards taking initiatives. This in turn resulted in some resistance on part of the librarians. Saxena and Dubey (2014) discussed the impact of digital technology and role of libraries in the age of knowledge and information societies. The paper highlighted the problems faced by the academic libraries in Indian Universities in implementation of new and advanced technology. The study was based on secondary resources; the findings showed shortage of digital resources in the academic libraries of different states of India and needed to be increased according to the requirement. The study recommended that the government should increase funding for the development of university libraries. The study also recommended some specific suggestions to increase digital resources in Academic Libraries of India. 2.6 Conclusion The review of literature in the preceding sections have evidenced that library professionals are playing a key role as champion of new initiatives and innovations in Maulanaintroducing Azad and enhancing Library, the use of ICAligarhT in libraries. AMuslim number of studies University in different countries have been carried out to investigate the personal, organizational and environmental factors that can affect the library professionals’ attitudes towards information communication technology. Their attitudes towards acceptance or rejection of new technologies in libraries are critical. They can behave like resistors to ICT innovations, if they develop a negative or less positive attitude to the technological 40
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innovations. Similarly, they can become great promoters, champions and change agents of ICT innovations, if they develop positive attitudes towards these technologies. With regard to the relationship between library professionals’ ICT attitudes with other variables, the literature indicated differences in librarians’ attitudes in different conditions. It was also found that libraries in developing countries are lagging behind in application of ICT as compared to libraries in developed countries. In short the research of the present chapter has reviewed the related literature comprising a total of 63 references. In view of the scope and objectives of the study the references under this chapter have covered four different aspects of the study namely library professionals and their awareness about ICT (9 references), Attitude of Library Professionals (26 references), ICT applications in Libraries (16 references) and problems of Library automations (12 references).
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Chapter-3 Library Profession
CHAPTER – 3 Library Profession 3.1 Introduction “Library is a collection of books arranged for use and enshrined in a building which symbolizes the ennobling of the human mind which men associate with learning” (Hutchings, 1969). The word library has been derived from the Latin word ‘Liber’ which means a ‘Book’. In ancient times, spoken words were the only means of communication as there were neither any alphabets nor any surface used as means for recording/preserving man’s thoughts. Slowly they started carving pictures on wood, stones and began to evolve the written language. The earliest recorded form of knowledge was the Babylonian cuneiform script dating back to 2600 B.C. The style of writing developed by Egyptian was hieroglyphic form dated from the last quarter of the 4th millennium B.C. During 5th Century B.C. Greeks developed pictographic art of writing. They also adopted consonantal twenty-two letter alphabet of the Phoenicians in the 8th Century (Gates, 1976). Likewise writing surfaces were developed from the earliest form of clay tablets (2500 B.C.), papyrus (4thmillennia B.C.), palm leaves (5th Century B.C.), parchment (6th Century B.C.) and paper (8th Century). That was how the knowledge was preserved in libraries. Today, libraries are growing tremendously with variety of reading materials in book and non-book formats. Unlike in the past, they are not merely considered as a place where books were preserved for reading, but are treated as the centres for creation and recreation of information, services and products for academic pursuits. Rapid developments in computers, telecommunications and other technologies in 21st century have made it possible to store and retrieve information in different forms (“Libraries”, 2010). With the development and application of information communication technologies, the library environment has shifted from traditional library to automated, digital, virtual and hybrid library (Halder & Jana, 2013). It’s well known that the provision of effective Library services totally depends Maulanaupon the talentAzaded and Library,skilled staff. AsAligarh the libraries increasedMuslim in their Universityutility, number and size, the work of librarians became more and more complex for they now had to manage the exponential growth of knowledge on one hand and ever emerging diverse demands of users on the other. A library professional is duty bound to disseminate right information to the right person, in the right amount, in the right form and at the right
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time. The library profession as compared to the past has thus grown as a much more dynamic and aggressive profession, that continually strives for the provision of latest information to its users. 3.2 Definitions of Library Library is a social organization, created as an integral part of scientific communication process, so essential for the development of scholarship with enviable function to serve the society and cultural heritage. Over the period, libraries have evolved as per the requirements of the society, exponential growth of knowledge and the development of information and communication technologies. Some of the prominent definitions of library are summarized as under: According to Oxford English Dictionary (2nd unabridged edition), Library is "a building, room or a set of rooms, containing a collection of books for the use of the public or of some public or of some particular portion of it, or the members of some society or the like; a public institution or establishment, charged with the care of collection of books and the duty of rendering the books accessible to those who require it " ("Library", 1989). Harrold's Librarian's Glossary defined Library as “A collection of books and other literary materials kept for reading, study and consultation” (“Library”, 2005). According to Dr. Ranganathan (1961) “A library is a public institution or establishment charged with the care of collection of books and the duty of making them accessible to those who require the use of them”. A.L.A. Glossary of Library and Information Science has defined library as “a collection of materials organized to provide physical, bibliographical and intellectual access to a target group, with a staff that is trained to provide services and programs related to the information needs of the target group” (“Library”, 1983). According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary: Library is a “collection of books, manuscripts or other literary materials kept (as in a library) for study or reading or a collection paintings, musical scores, musical recordings, Maulanaphotographs, maps Azad or films Library,kept for convenient Aligarh use, study or Muslim enjoyment” (“Library”, University 1966). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Library and Information Science defines “library as a collection or group of collections of books and other print or non-print materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research etc.)” (“Library”, 2010).
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3.3 Development of Libraries in India: an overview 3.3.1 Ancient Period (before 9th Century) There was evidence of existence of libraries in India in ancient times, but in those days there were very few manuscripts or books, everything was then learnt by heart and there was the system of oral transmission of knowledge. The inherent difficulties involved in preserving knowledge through memory were realized and led to the gradual establishment of library system. Kings, rulers, priests and monasteries began to store manuscripts and preserve them in separate room (Dutta, 1975). Libraries of the important centres of learning such as Nalanda, Vikramsila, Taxila, Vallabhi, Odantapuri, Somauri, Jaggadal, Mithila, Kanheri etc., existed in our country from the very ancient times. Of the five oldest Universities of the world Nalanda and Taxila were found in India. Nalanda founded during Gupta age functioned from 500 AD to 1300 AD until, it was destroyed by foreign invaders. Ancient Chinese travellers namely Xuanzang, Faxian, Yijing have recorded that, 10,000 students were taught by 200 professors in 300 lecture halls, laboratories, libraries and an observatory spread over one of the five oldest University of the world at Nalanda. The Nalanda library known as ‘Dharmaganja’ consisted of three buildings called ‘Ratnasagara’ (sea of gems), ‘Ratnadadhi’ (ocean of gems), and ‘Ratnaranjaka’ (collection of gems). Taxila University acquired an International reputation in the 6th century B.C. as a centre of advanced studies. The university was established in the city of Gandhara in northwest India (Now Pakistan). It is considered to be the first University in the world. The University had an excellent library. The library collection included works on Hinduism, Political Science, Literature, Medicine, and Philosophy. The City of Gandhara, including the University and the library, was destroyed during the invasion of Hunas, in the middle of the fifth century (Libraries of Ancient India, 2018). In the seventh century A.D., there were two more famous seats of learning in the South India known as ‘Amarawati’ and ‘Nagarjuna’. All these libraries were destroyed at one time or the other by fire (Taher, 1997). th th Maulana3.3.2 Medieval Azad Period Library, (9 Century to 19Aligarh Century) Muslim University In the middle ages, some of the Mughal Emperors of India were famous for their great love for books. They constructed no separate buildings for libraries; rather they deposited and preserved books in mosques, maktabs (primary schools), madrasas (schools of higher learning), Khangahs (building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood for spiritual retreat and character reformation) and other educational
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institutions. Mughal rulers enriched libraries with oriental literature. The library of Khwajah Nizam-ud-din Auliya was an important oriental library (1325-1327). Humayun’s library (1533) played an important role in Mughal history. Akbar, the great Mughal emperor, also maintained a very rich library of over 24000 volumes (1570- 1574). Likewise, Shah Jahan, DaraShikkoh, Aurangzeb and Bahadur Shah Zafar also contributed to the development of libraries (Gul & Khan, 2008). Printing press was introduced in Europe during 15th century, while in India, it started in 1556. It was much later that printing press was widely used as an effective medium of communication. The first books published in India were authored by the foreigners and the first books published in Indian languages were mostly on grammar. Indian Renaissance was started in Bengal in the middle of the 19th century, when publication of literary works and on many other subjects like religion, philosophy, etc. started taking place. It was during this time, efforts were made to assemble rich collections for wider public reading (Dutta, 1978). During this period, numbers of academic institutions were established along with their own libraries by the East India Company, Christian Missionaries and some non-missionaries. 3.3.3 Modern Period (after 19th Century) Development and growth of libraries during modern period received an impetus due to the rise of European settlement in India. During the first half of the 19th century, three presidency towns of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras had libraries and these were financed by Europeans. During pre-independence period i.e. in 20th Century, the social-political scenario had a turbulent influence on the entire country and also had a significant impact on the history of Indian libraries. The Imperial Library was founded in 1891 by combining a number of Secretariat libraries. Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India in 1901 merged the Calcutta Public Library with the Imperial Library. Soon after Independence, the Government of India changed the status of the Imperial Library to the National Library of India, with the enactment of the Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act, Maulana1948. On 1 February Azad 1953, Library,the National Library Aligarh was opened Muslimto the public, inaugurated University by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the First Education Minister of Independent India and B. S. Kesavan was appointed the first Librarian of the National Library (National Library of India, 2018). The contribution of Maharaja Sayyaji Rao Gaekwad III of Baroda in 1910, foundation of Punjab Library Association by Asa Don Dickenson in 1915, establishment of Indian Library Association (1933) and the role of personalities
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like S.R. Ranganathan were highly remarkable in Indian library movement (Bhatt, 1995). The most significant development in post-Independence period was the enactment of Library Legislation Act (1948), establishment of Delhi Public Library (1951), Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act (1954), and Enactment of Copyright Act (1957). These were the landmarks in the history of libraries in India. Apart from these various committees and commissions appointed by the Government of India, establishment of UGC (1953) and foreign assistance brought about significant changes in the working conditions of libraries and their staff. This era witnessed the emergence of a number of research and special libraries, such as Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) in 1962, National Social Science Documentation Centre (NASSDOC) in 1969, Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) in 1952 later INSDOC and NISCOM (National Institute of Science Communication) were merged and became a new organization named National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) on 30 September 2002, National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT) was launched by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in 1977. The scheme has not been included as a component of the Tenth Plan of the Planning Commission. So, finally the NISSAT comes to an end. Though, it has not been possible to provide financial assistance to many of the projects during 2002-03, most of them continued their activities and provided services (NISSAT, 2018). During modern period some more prominent libraries and information centres at National level were established which had different collections and also fulfilled the requirements of different types of users. They are enunciated as follows1: 3.3.3.1 Designated National Libraries (a) The National Library, Kolkata National libraries are financed and maintained by the Government with an aim to serve the whole nation. They are responsible for acquiring and conserving copies of all Maulanasignificant Azad publications Library, in the country. Aligarh National libraries Muslim usually get theUniversity privilege of legal deposit which means it must get free of cost a copy of each book published in the country, as per the provisions of ‘The Delivery of Books Act 1954’ enacted by the Indian parliament, which regulates the deposit of books published in India to
1Description on National libraries is a part of the project submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India in 2018 by Prof. Shabahat Husain, supervisor of this Ph.D. thesis.
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the National Library of India, Kolkata and three other libraries namely, Connemara Public Library, Chennai (1890); Central Library, Mumbai (1830) and the Delhi Public Library. The Act was amended in 1956 to include periodicals and newspapers. The Indian National Bibliography is compiled on the receipt of books under Delivery of Books Act at the National Library, Kolkata. (b) National Science Library (NSL) National Science Library (NSL) established by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) in June 1963. The NSL has over 2,51,000 printed collection of Science & Technology documents which includes monographs, bound volumes of journals, reports, theses/dissertations, standards, patents etc. (National Science Library, 2018). (c) National Medical Library, New Delhi National Medical Library was set up on 1st April 1966, earlier it was known as Central Medical Library. It functions under the administrative control of the Directorate General of Health Services. The National Medical Library aims to provide efficient library and information services to the health and medical science professionals in India (National Medical Library, 2018). (d) National Library for deaf-mute, Dehradun National Library for deaf-mute is controlled by National Institute for the Visually Handicapped which hosts three National Libraries that are capable of accommodating reading interest of visually impaired persons, scholars, researchers & professionals working in the field of visual disability (National Library for deaf-mute, 2018). 3.3.3.2 Public Libraries of National Importance (a) The Rampur Raza Library, Rampur The Rampur Raza Library is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and Arts which was setup by the erstwhile Rampur State, founded by Nawab Faizullah Khan in 1774, who ruled the state upto 1794 and formed the nucleus of the library through his inherited collection of valuable manuscripts, miniature paintings, books and other Maulanaworks of Art kept Azad in the Nawab Library,’s Toshakhana. Aligarh He himself substantiallyMuslim added University to the collection. Now this library occupies the position of an autonomous institution of national importance under Department of Culture, Government of India and is fully funded by Central Government (Rampur Raza Library, 2018).
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(b) Central Library, Mumbai The Asiatic Society of Mumbai (formerly Asiatic Society of Bombay) is a learned society in the field of Asian studies, based in Mumbai, India. It was founded by Sir James Mackintosh. Its origin to the Literary Society of Bombay may be traced back to Nov 26, 1804 when it met for the first time. The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is one of the depository libraries under the ‘Delivery of Books and Newspapers Public Libraries Act, 1954’ which receives a copy of all books and periodicals published in the country (Central Library, 2018). (c) Connemara Public Library, Chennai Connemara Public Library was established in 1890, it is a repository of centuries-old publications, wherein lie some of the most respected works and collections in the country. It also serves as a depository library for the United Nation in India. (d) The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, Thanjavur The Saraswathi Mahal library started as a Royal Library for the private pleasure of the then Kings of Thanjavur who ruled 1535 - 1675 AD. Later the library was maintained by the other Maratha rulers. Most notable among the Maratha Kings was Serfoji II (1798–1832). He enthusiastically took special interest in the enrichment of the Library. Since 1918 the Saraswathi Mahal Library has been a possession of the state of Tamil Nadu. The official name of the Library was changed to "The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library" in honour of the great royal Marathan patron (Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, 2018). (e) Delhi Public Library, New Delhi Delhi Public Library was started as a UNESCO project in the year 1951 by the Govt. of India. Delhi Public Library is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture and governed by Delhi Library Board, fully financed by the Government of India. The Delhi Public Library is also one of the 4th recipient libraries under the Maulanaprovision ofAzad Delivery Library,of Books & Newspaper Aligarh (Public Libraries) Muslim Act 1954. University Delhi Public Library is the biggest Public Library System in India (Delhi Public Library, 2018). (f) The Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh was born in Chapra (Bihar) on 2nd August, 1842. Educated at Patna and Calcutta, he started his professional career as Peshkar. He was appointed the Government Pleader of Patna in 1880 and was subsequently appointed to
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the post of Chief Justice of Nizam’s Court Hyderabad in 1895 for three years. He donated his entire personal collection (i.e. about 4000 manuscripts, of which he inherited 1400 from his father Maulvi Mohammed Bakhsh) to the people of Patna by a deed of trust. Acknowledging the immense historical and intellectual value of its rich and valued collection, the Govt. of India declared the Library an Institution of National Importance by an act of Parliament in 1969. The Library is now fully funded by the Ministry of Culture (Govt. of India) (Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, 2018). 3.3.3.3 Special Libraries of National Importance (a) The Central Secretariat Library, New Delhi The Central Secretariat Library was earlier known as Imperial Secretariat Library, Calcutta that came into existence in 1891. With the shifting of India’s Capital to Delhi, the Imperial Secretariat Library was also transferred to Delhi in 1912. On 1st April 1948, the library was named as Central Secretariat Library. One of the largest tangible treasures of knowledge next to National Library, Kolkata for Indian and foreign document resources (Central Secretariat Library, 2018). (b) National Museum, New Delhi It was established on August 15, 1949, inaugurated by Shri C. Rajagopalachari, the First Governor-General of India (21 June 1948-26 January 1950) in the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The foundation of the present building was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, on May 12, 1955. The Museum presently holds approximately 2,00,000 objects of a diverse nature including Indian as well as foreign, and its holdings cover a time span of more than five thousand years of Indian cultural heritage (National Museum, 2018). (c) National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi National Gallery of Modern Art was formally inaugurated by Vice-President Dr. S. Radhakrishanan in the presence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and artists and art lovers of the city on March 29, 1954. The gallery is a repository of the cultural ethos of the country and showcases the changing art forms through the passage of the Maulanalast hundred and Azad fifty years Library,starting from about Aligarh 1857 in the fieldMuslim of Visual and University Plastic arts (National Gallery of Modern Art, 2018). (d) Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi Lalit Kala Akademi (National Academy of Art) was established and inaugurated on 5th August 1954 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Minister of Education, Government of India as an apex cultural body in the field of visual arts to
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encourage creative art such as painting, graphics, sculpture, architecture etc. (Lalit Kala Akademi, 2018). (e) Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi It was established in the memory of Smt. Indira Gandhi, in 1987. The inauguration of IGNCA was done by the then Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi on 19th of November 1985 as on Autonomous Trust under the name of Indira Gandhi National Centre Trust. It is visualized as a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts in India (Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, 2018). 3.3.3.4 Online Libraries The description on National Libraries, a development of 21st century, will not be complete unless the Online Libraries are also described briefly. (a) Social Science Cyber Library, AMU, Aligarh ‘Social Science Cyber Library’, first of its kind in the world was developed at Aligarh Muslim University. It was a brain child of Prof. Shabahat Husain (Professor of Library and Information Science, A.M.U. Aligarh and currently the President, Indian Library Association, Delhi). Prof Husain designed and developed the Cyberary, as it is called and got it inaugurated on 27th December, 2013 by the then President of India, H.E. Shri Pranab Mukherjee. The Cyberary brings together open access e-resources in form of e-books, e-journals, video lectures, subject gateways, databases, useful websites etc. in the field of Social Sciences at one place, so that the students, research scholars and faculty members belonging to various disciplines of social sciences across the globe may make optimum use of them. Presently, being visited in 163 countries around the world, ‘Social Science Cyber Library’ received ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2015 and was recorded in ‘Limca Book of Records’ in 2016 (Social Science Cyber Library, 2018). (b) Narendra Modi News Library, AMU, Aligarh Modi News Library, an interactive portal for current and retrospective news was launched in March 2018. The portal brings together Narendra Modi’s policies, plans, Maulanaspeeches atAzad national andLibrary, international levelAligarh, e-books, e -Muslimarticles, Biographies University pertaining to Sh. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. It also provides information related to Cabinet and State Ministers of Modi Govt. Modi News Library is the first effort of its kind in the whole world, designed and developed by Prof. Shabahat Husain, supervisor of the present thesis (Narendra Modi News Library, 2018).
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3.4 Types of Libraries While classifying Libraries, authorities have used a number of characteristics for the purpose, such as: nature of collections and services, objectives and nature of users and mode of access to the documents. According to IFLA there are thirteen types of libraries namely: Academic and Research Libraries, Art Libraries, Government Libraries, Health and Biosciences Libraries, Law Libraries, Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities, Library and Research Services for Parliaments, Metropolitan Libraries, National Libraries, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Science and Technology Libraries and Social Science Libraries (IFLA, 2018). Dutta (1975) defined various types of libraries into: Private Library, Public Library, School Library, College Library, University Library, National Library, Government and Special Library. However, libraries are mainly categorized into four types as National Library, Public Library, Special Library and Academic Library. 3.4.1 National Library National Libraries are financed and maintained by the Government of a country and exist to serve the whole nation. The designated National Libraries are responsible for acquiring and conserving copies of all significant publications published in the country. National Libraries usually get the privilege of legal deposit which means it must get free of cost a copy of each book published in the country. 3.4.2 Public Library Public Library is a social institution, established by state legislation. It is financed by public funds and is open to all without any sort of discrimination. There is no direct charge from its users for any of its services. A public library exists for the benefits of general public of the country at large. 3.4.3 Special Library Special Library is established and funded by a commercial firm, private Maulanaassociation, government Azad agency, Library, non-profit Aligarh organization, or Muslim special interest University group to meet the information needs of its employees, members, or staff in accordance with the organization’s mission and goals. The scope of the collection is usually limited to the interests of the host organization (“Special Library”, 2010).
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3.4.4 Academic Library Academic library is an integral part of formal education system which provides time bound education from primary school level to university level. Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Library & Information Science defines Academic Library as “an integral part of a college, university, or other institution of post-secondary education, administered to meet the information and research needs of its students, faculty and staff” (“Academic Library”, 2010). Accordingly, the Academic libraries include: School, College and University libraries, each of which is distinguished by its own purpose and scope. 3.4.4.1 School Library School Library is established to serve the objectives of the parent organization of which it is a part. It serves the information as well as curriculum needs of its students, teachers and other staff. The collection of school library usually contains books, periodicals, reference books, newspapers and education media (Seenivasan & Kumar, 2014).
3.4.4.2 College Library College library, being an integral part of a college, serves the educational requirements of the students, teachers and other staff and also research needs in Post Graduate Colleges. The collection of a college library should be able to meet the extent and nature of the curriculum and should also adequately take care of extra-curricular materials as well (Sayeed, 2009). 3.4.4.3 University Library University library is an inseparable part of University education system. It is therefore established, administered and funded by the University in order to meet the teaching, learning, and research requirements of its students and faculty. University library collection constitutes relevant documents in Print and Electronic forms such as books, journals, reports, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, patents, standards, audio-visual kits, video- audio cassettes and similar others. MaulanaThe Azad movement Library, to establish U niversitiesAligarh in India Muslim started about University a century ago. The ancient universities of India like Nalanda, Vikramsila, Taxila, Vallabhi, Odantapuri, Somauri, Jaggadal, Mithila, Kanheri etc. were the leading centres of learning in the ancient world. It is generally accepted that the modern university system in India is a creation of the British colonialist influence. University system in
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India really began with the establishment of Universities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras; which were established in 1857. The Government Resolution on Education Policy (1913) accepted the need for establishing more universities. As a result of this policy, 6 new universities came into existence between 1913 and 1921. Recognition was also given to the efforts made by eminent Indians to break new ground in creating new universities. For example Banaras Hindu University was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malvia in 1916, while Aligarh Muslim University, with its origin as MAO College in 1897 founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, came into being by an Act of Parliament in 1920. Meanwhile, two princely states also established universities in their states i.e. the University of Mysore in 1916 and the Osmania University in 1918. After independence there had been much more rapid expansion in the field of higher education and more universities were established. The numbers of universities in 2018 are 850 out of which 47 are Central Universities, 384 State Universities, 296 State Private Universities and 123 Deemed to be Universities (UGC, 2018). Depending upon the size, most of the Universities maintain a Central library, supported by the libraries at the Faculty and Department levels. As the University Libraries play an active role in teaching and research, all their activities are geared for the development of print and electronic form of reading material, provision of Reference and Information Services including Data Mining, Document Delivery Services using RFID and other electronic means, and Access to Bibliographic and Full text Databases like Web of Science, Scopus, SciFinder Scholar etc. The collections of University Library have to cater to the needs, not only for teaching and learning, but also for research, experimentation, conservation of ideas and creation of new knowledge etc. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire knowledge in whatever form it is available such as books, journals, reports, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, patents, standards etc. as print/electronic form. 3.4.4.3.1 Services of University Library The importance of University Library depends on the extent of providing library Maulanaservices to its users. Azad Services Library, of a University AligarhLibrary are conveniently Muslim divided University into two types - technical services and Readers services. Technical services also known as works behind the scene include acquisition of materials, classification, cataloguing, binding, weeding out of reading materials, etc. On the other hand Readers services include circulation work, reference services, bibliographic service, information service etc. where the staff is in direct contact with the readers in providing library services.
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University Library plays a vital role in the development of ‘Education System’ of a country. The effectiveness and efficiency of University Library can be measured in terms of their services rendered to its users; students, research scholars, and teaching faculty. The quality of library services depends upon the quality of work force, which in turn, depends on knowledge, adaptability and more importantly job satisfaction of professionals working in libraries. By the turn of the 21st Century, advent of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in University Library has revolutionized the information handling activities that include all the processes of Information storage and retrieval of information. In the present electronic age, University Library is expected to provide diversified services facilitating optimum utilization of information resources. 3.5 Library Profession The term profession is used to denote the whole body of persons engaged in an occupation that attains the status of a profession by qualifying itself with an extensive education and training in a branch of science or the liberal arts. According to the Dictionary of Social Sciences: The term profession denotes occupation which demands highly specialized knowledge and skill required at least in part by courses of more or less theoretical nature and not by practice alone, tested by some form of examination either at a university or some other institution and convening to the persons, who possess their considerable authority in relation to clients (“Profession, 1964”). Cambridge International Dictionary of English, 1995 Edition defines profession as “any type of work which needs a special training or a particular skill, often one which is respected because it involves a high level of education” (“Profession, 1995”). According to Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus: Profession is an occupation requiring special training in the liberal arts or science, especially one of the three learned professions, law, theology, or medicine (“Profession, 2000”). MaulanaLibrarianship Azad Library, is a missionary Aligarh work under which Muslim a person should University discharge his/her duties as professional, providing services to the users with devotion. A librarian is a social worker who plays vital role in enhancing social intelligence of a community. Librarianship has got all the essential attributes of a profession. As a profession librarianship aims at service. Persons with zeal to serve the community should join the profession irrespective of their rank/status/grade. Library profession is a service
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oriented profession which demands specialized knowledge and skills. It is based on a systematic theory which delineates and supports the skills that characterize the profession. The emergence of librarianship as a recognized profession is a fairly modern development. While serving the society wherever they are, Library professionals are becoming more and more conscious of their status and occupational identity, as it happened in many other fields in the later part of the 19th century. ALA World Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Services2 has identified following attributes in order to call it as a profession: a) It has a body of theoretical and specialized knowledge for the purpose of teaching in library schools. b) It has a set of applied techniques for practice. c) It has established formal educational programs. d) It has developed the professional code of ethics. e) It has a representative organization which monitors its general standards of activities. f) It is committed to service orientation to its clients. g) It is committed to maintain standards and quality in the work of the practitioners of the professions. h) It has social recognition, providing social status to its practitioners, protection, power and privilege. This raises the LIS profession to the dignity of a learned profession.
As the number of libraries grew and the complexity of their operations increased, librarians found it necessary to develop new technical skills in organizing the large volume of information available. The growth of librarianship as an expanding discipline is perhaps best reflected in the changing nomenclature from the term “Library Economy”, used in the early days, to “Library Service” and “Library Science,” followed by the current usage of the term “Library and Information Science” Maulanato describe the fieldAzad (“Profession”, Library, 1986). Aligarh Muslim University
2 Wedgeworth, R. (2010). ALA World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services.2nd Ed. American Library Association: Michigan
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3.5.1 Brief History of Library Profession The role of librarians in ancient and medieval times was chiefly concerned with the preservation of documents as cultural heritage. The emphasis has been less on ‘service’ and more on ‘maintaining collection for posterity’. It thus lacked some of the major characteristics of a profession. The growth of modern librarianship in the West can be traced from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The process of professionalization of librarianship started with the foundation of American Library Association in the U.S.A. in 1876 and Library Association in U.K. in 1877. The first Library school was established in 1877 by Melvil Dewey at the Library of Columbia College in the U.S.A. He had to face much opposition in this venture, because prior to that it was felt that a mere apprenticeship in a library was sufficient. Three more schools were set up in U.S.A in 1890, 1892 and 1893. In this way USA was the first country to establish courses in library science at various levels (Gupta & Pawan, 1986). In U.K. the first formal training for librarians was started by the Library Association in 1885. Library Association also set up an official register of librarians in 1909. In 1933 Pierce Butler wrote a book titled “Introduction to Library Science”. Thereafter many significant developments took place in the profession which established its claim for the profession (Jayaswal, 1990). Today library profession is characterized by systematic professional education, proliferation of professional literature, adoption and innovation of different tools and techniques for sophisticated handling of information needs of various categories of users (Hamerly & Crowley, 2014). 3.5.2 Certificates/Diploma/Degrees Awarded in LIS Library profession began with the motto of preserving the recorded knowledge of human civilization. But this objective has changed from preservation of knowledge to provision of global access to information. To fulfill these objectives, professionals are required to acquire desirable qualifications, training and necessary skills in order to meet the changing demands of the information society. The professional degrees in Maulanageneral are Azad listed as under: Library, Aligarh Muslim University Certificate Course : Certificate course in Library Science/Librarianship Post Graduate Courses Postgraduate Diploma in Library Automation Networking (PGDLAN)
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PG Diploma in Digital Library and Information Management (PGDLIM) Post Graduate Diploma in Library Science Bachelor of Library and Information Science (B.Lib.I.Sc.) Master of Library and Information Science (M.Lib.I.Sc.) Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) 3.5.3 Library Associations A lone person or a single institution cannot possibly do much to deal with wider and far reaching issues of concerned professions. For this, a collective action by interested group is necessary, which can only be performed by collective efforts of professionals forming, what is called as Professional Associations. Library Associations are also the professional associations. Role of Associations in the Development of Library Profession: a) The main aim of library association is to support library movement by interacting with governments from time to time using every conceivable opportunity for sound development of a library system in the country. b) Library associations make the people conscious towards utility of the libraries for themselves, in order to make them as responsible citizens of the country. Libraries help them to educate themselves about their rights and duties. These associations strive for an evolution of an integrated ‘National Library and Information System’ based on a well-defined national policy. c) These associations also provide a common forum for library professionals for exchange of their information, ideas, experiences and expertise etc. d) Library associations work for betterment of salaries, grades, service conditions of library staff, and also for improving their status in the society. e) These associations also work towards sharing of resources and avoiding duplication of efforts among the libraries. Maulanaf) They also Azad contribute Library, towards the development Aligarh of manpowerMuslim for library University and information work. For which they arrange education and training programs for library professionals. g) The associations hold the image of library profession high in the society and promote cooperation among the professionals of the libraries.
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Library Associations are the organizations that represent library profession to solve the problems relating working condition, job satisfaction, infrastructure facilities, education, training and research activities. The advent of Information Communication Technology and its extensive use by the users of library has not only affected their information seeking behaviour but also changed the traditional concept of preservation to the dissemination of information. The information revolution demands highly professionalized services from library professionals. The whole library profession is under pressure to achieve high performance in order to survive in this competitive world for which various professional workshops, training programs, seminars and conferences are conducted by the library professionals. Library Associations may be categorized into International and National Library Associations: International Library Associations: There are many world level library associations established for the benefit of the profession and its members. Some of them are: American Library Association (ALA) (1876), Library Association (U.K.) (1877), International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) (1895), Association for Special Library and Information Bureaux (ASLIB) (1924), Special Library Association (SLA) (1909), International Federation for Library Association (IFLA) (1927), Commonwealth Library Association (COMLA) (1972) etc. National Library Associations: In India many professional associations are working to enhance the academic and professional standards of library profession in the country. Indian Library Association (ILA) is the oldest Library Association in India founded in 1933. The other National level Association include: Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centre (IASLIC) established in 1955 with an aim to supports development in the entire field of special librarianship in India. Similarly, Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science (IATLIS) was established in 1969 with an aim to promote training and welfare of teachers of library science and also promote the Maulanaresearch, consultationAzad Library,services, publications Aligarh of books and Muslim periodicals in University library science in India (IATLIS, 2018). Other library Associations in India include: Medical Library Association of India (1898), Central Government Library Association (2004), Society for Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS) (2002). There are 23 states level Associations established in different states by the promulgation of Public Library Acts, as given below:
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i. Central Government Library Association (CGLA) (2004) ii. Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centres (IASLIC) (1955) iii. Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science (IATLIS) (1969) iv. Indian Library Association (ILA) (1933) v. Society for Advancement of Library & Information Science (2002) vi. Society for Information Science (1975) vii. Haryana Library Association (1966) viii. Assam Library Association (1938) ix. Bengal Library Association (1925) x. Delhi Library Association (1939) xi. Gujarat Library Association (1971) xii. Karnataka State Library Association (1979) xiii. Kerala Library Association (1972) xiv. Madras Library Association (1928) xv. Punjab Library Association (1916) xvi. Uttar Pradesh Library Association (1935) xvii. All Bengal School Librarians' Association (ABSLA) (1990) xviii. Bombay Science Librarian's Association xix. Indian Academic Library Association (IALA) xx. Indian Theological Library Association (ITLA) (1985) xxi. Medical Library Association of India (1898) xxii. Young Librarians Association (YLA) (2008) xxiii. All Librarians Development Welfare Association (ALAMP) (2018) 3.5.4 Ethics of Library Profession Ethics is science of morals. A set of moral principles are necessary for any professional group including the LIS professionals in order to regulate and guide their Maulanaconduct and behaviour Azad in their Library, day to day activities. Aligarh Muslim University LIS is a noble and learned profession with a motto of ‘service to mankind’. The idea of ethics came to the forefront in the profession in 1876 with the establishment of American Library Association. The word ‘ethics’ was used for the first time at the ALA conference at Boston in 1908. The ALA appointed a number of committees after 1922 to draft a code of ethics.
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A code of ethics should be an expression of ethos of an occupation; it should reflect or be based upon all the basic values associated with the occupation. It should reveal what occupation is, what the practitioner themselves feel and of their place in society. The code should reflect the nature of library and library like agencies as functioning system (Kaur & Prasher, 2002). This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is offered as a series of ethical propositions for the guidance of individual librarians as well as other information workers, for the consideration of Library and Information Associations while creating or revising their own codes. A number of library associations have formulated codes of ethics for their members for observance such as American Library Association codes of ethics (1939), Library Association codes of ethics (1983), Special Library Association codes of ethics (2010), IFLA codes of ethics (2012) etc. IFLA codes of ethics are discussed in Annexure I. 3.6 Library Profession in India Today, the information-based society spread all over the world belongs to either information rich or information poor society. Information today is a resource and commodity, which has economic value. Every person ranging from school children to the senior citizens needs information for his personal or professional development. As a result, librarianship is changing and growing at a tremendous rate as evident from its changed nomenclature from ‘Library Economy’ to ‘Library Science’ then to ‘Library and Information Science’, adding new aspects to its realm at every phase of development, basically from preservation of knowledge to global access to information. Since the first formal attempt to educate the people for the profession of librarianship has seen a drastic change in the approach of profession by adding new techniques and methods of organization, preservation and dissemination of recorded information. Earlier to 1939, in India the facility for library science education with a planned curriculum was not in existence. The progress and development of library science education can be traced from the first decade of 19th century but it was well developed Maulanaafter Inde pendence,Azad especiallyLibrary, after Radhakrishanan Aligarh reports Muslim of higher Universityeducation. The major changes have been seen in this field as there is a change from earlier training status of library science to a formal academic and research subject of international importance. The change is due to the development within the subjects and also influenced by the other subjects. In the light of these aspects, an effort is therefore made to present the brief historical development of LIS education in India.
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3.6.1 Development of Library Profession in India The development of Library profession largely depends on the status of LIS education in the country. It is a well-known fact that the beginning of formal education for Librarianship was started by Melvil Dewey in the west and by Dr. S.R. Ranganathan in the east. The brief account of history of LIS education in India is given below: 3.6.1.1 Baroda School Library education in India was first started at Baroda, under the patronage of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda who invited an American Librarian, W.A. Borden and appointed him as the Director of the State Library Department in 1911. Mr. Bordon had been a pupil of Mr. Melvil Dewey so he had all the enthusiasm of his master (Kaula, 1958). 3.6.1.2 Punjab School Punjab was the next to provide training facility when the Punjab university library, Lahore started training classes in Library Science in 1915, under the guidance of another American Librarian, A. Dickinson (Gupta & Pawan, 1986). After Post- Independence period, this school became Department of Library and Information Science, University of Punjab (Pakistan) and run various courses in library science. 3.6.1.3 Andhra Desa Library Association Course Andhra Desa Library Association course was the first library training course started by a library association at Vijayawada in 1920. The course was of one month duration with specific qualifications prescribed for admission. The course was more oriented to the education of social workers than to that of librarians. In 1934 the syllabus of the course was modified to include more subjects on library work. 3.6.1.4 Mysore State (Karnataka State) During the year 1920, a training course for librarians and library workers was started in Karnataka. The training was conducted in Bangalore under the programme of ‘Library Development’ initiated by Sir M. Visveswaraya, the then Dewan of Mysore. Maulana3.6.1.5 Madras AzadSchool Library, Aligarh Muslim University It was left to the dynamic personality of Dr. Ranganathan to give a country wide lead in library education and to make the country conscious of library and its formal
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training. Under his inspiring leadership, Madras Library Association started its first Certificate course in 1929, which was taken over by the University of Madras in 19313. 3.6.1.6 Bengal School The Bengal Library Association followed next in 1935. One of its Presidents, the Late Kumar Munindra Deb Rai Mahasai, arranged a library training camp at Banasberia. The Bengal Library Association ultimately started a summer course in librarianship in 19374. 3.6.1.7 Andhra School The Andhra University started a library school in 1935. 3.6.1.8 Imperial Library School In 1935, the imperial library now National Library Calcutta started training course under the guidance of its librarian, K. M. Asudullah. This course was discontinued in 19455. University of Delhi was the first university to establish a full-fledged Department of Library Science just before Independence in 1946. Sir Maurice Gawyer invited Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, to start the Department of Library Science in the University and became a pioneer to start PG Diploma course, Master’s and Doctoral Degree programs in Library Science. The first Ph.D. degree in library science was also given by Delhi University in 1957 to Sri Krishnarao. 3.6.1.9 Library Schools in Post-Independence Period Between 1951 to 1959, six new LIS departments were established at Aligarh Muslim University, M.S. University of Baroda, Nagpur University, Pune University and Vikram University. In 1956 the University of Baroda and Nagpur started training courses in library science. Vikram and Ujjain University also started training courses in 1957. The Library Science Department of Osmania University was established in 1959 with the efforts of Sri. Masood Yazdani, Sri. B.P. Shenoy and Sri. K. Raghava Reddy. Initially it offers a PG Diploma and Post Matriculation Certificate in Library Science. The department introduced Bachelor of Library Science in 1965, Master of Library MaulanaScience inAzad 1978-80, Library, M.Phil. in 1993 Aligarh-94 and PG. Diploma Muslim in Digital University Information Management in 2010-11 (Osmania University, 2018).
3Kaula, P.N. (1958). Library movement in India. New Delhi: Delhi Library Association. 4Kaula, P.N. (1958). Library movement in India. New Delhi: Delhi Library Association. 5Kaula, P.N. (1958). Library movement in India. New Delhi: Delhi Library Association.
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Aligarh Muslim University had started a certificate course in Library Science in 1950-51. Encouraged by the success of the certificate course, Padama Shri Prof. S. Bashiruddin introduced 'Bachelor of Library Science' in 1958-59 with full time Lecturers for the first time in the country. The Certificate course was discontinued in 1968-69. Subsequently, 'Master of Library Science' was introduced in 1970-71. In 1986-87, Library Science as a subsidiary subject at B.A. level in the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences was also started. Realizing the needs and importance of research in the subject, M.Phil. & Ph.D. programmes were introduced since 1990-91 (Aligarh Muslim University, 2018). 3.6.2 Independent Status of Library Science Department From the time of Melvil Dewey, the library science training courses were started by the library especially by the University Library. In India, the courses in Library Science were started as a part of the University Library. In 1965, UGC Review Committee Report recommended the need of library science department with independent status and full time teaching staff and full time head. The State University’s Act also made it a point to include the clause that there should be separate Heads for University Library and for the Department of Library and Information Science. However, in some states there is still a common Head for both University Library and Department. 3.6.3 Faculty Affiliation of Library Science Department Library and Information Science being a focus for all the subjects, this department in different Universities is variedly affiliated to different faculties such as Science, Arts, Social Science, Humanities, Education, Management, etc. 3.6.4 LIS Curriculum in India In India, library science has seen a transitional period from manual to automated system. With the advent of computer in library new technologies for organization and preservation of knowledge have been implemented. This needs trained and skilled manpower to cater to the needs of sophisticated information society. The educational Maulanaprograms of library Azad professionals Library, should include Aligarh in their course Muslim contents the knowledge University and skills required to function effectively in such an environment. UGC constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Prof. C.R Karrisidappa. The committee discussed all the aspects of the curriculum and fully proposed modular syllabi for Indian universities. This report was published in 2001 under the title “UGC Model Curriculum: Library and Information Science.”
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According to Karrisidappa (2004) LIS curriculum includes: i. Foundations of Library and Information Science. ii. Knowledge Organization, Information Processing and Retrieval. iii. Information Source, Product and Services. iv. Management of Library and Information Centres. v. Information Technology: Basics and Applications. vi. Research Methods and Statistical Techniques. vii. Electives: Information system. viii. Information Literacy / Information System / Knowledge Management / Technical Writing and Professional Communication/Digital Library.
It implies that the curriculum may be adapted to any one of the education patterns; viz., One year each of B.Lib.I.Sc. and M.Lib.I.Sc. & two years integrated M.Lib.I.Sc. 3.6.5 LIS Courses Available in India The library profession did not attract the best talent in the country for a variety of reasons. The individual opts to undergo library science education not by choice but by chance. But now many opportunities have increased due to the fact that many states in the country implemented the library legislation. In recent past, faster growth in Special Libraries & Information Centres and Multinational Organizations (MNCs) has added to the prestige of library profession as more talented librarians/ information scientists are required. The level of LIS courses available in India are shown in the Table No.:3.1
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Table 3.1 List of Library Science Courses Available in India Level Nomenclature Duration
Certificate Certificate In Library Science 3-9 Months
Diploma Diploma In Library Science 2-6 Years i. Bachelor In Library and Information Science 1 Year Bachelor ii. Bachelor in Arts (Hons) (Pass) (Optional) 2-3 Years
i. P-G Diploma in Information Technology 1 Year
ii. P-G Diploma in Archives and Documentation 1 Year PG Diploma Management
iii. Post MLISC Diploma in Library Automation 1 Year
i. Master of Library and Information Science 1 Year
ii. Master in Library and Information Science 2 Years (Integrated) Master iii. Master of Information Science 2Years iv. Master in Science (Integrated) 2 Years
v. Master of Science (Library and Information Science) 2 Years vi. Associateship in Information Science 2 Years i. Master of Philosophy 2 Years ii. Doctor of Philosophy 2-5 Years Research iii. D.Litt 3 Years
3.6.6 Influence of Allied Disciplines As the Library and Information Science had emerged as a multidimensional interdisciplinary subject, the teaching departments revised its curricula, hired faculty from other disciplines and extended the length of their programs and venture into new Maulanaareas of education. Azad As the Library, LIS subject domains Aligarh broadened, Muslimthe work within University libraries had changed to reflect new areas of knowledge. With expanded domains of concern, Library and Information Science naturally looked for related fields as disciplines with backgrounds from a range of disciplines, including computing and engineering, as well
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as history and sociology that had become a part of the dynamic reshaping of Library and Information Science (Hjorland, 2010). Though Library and Information Science had developed its own professional techniques and methods, but it showed its attraction towards the application of other similar subjects. Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, father of library science in India, introduced scientific method in library science, after that management science made a strong influence on it. Later the research methodology and statistical techniques were gradually introduced in the realms of library science. Another important field is the Psychology that has influenced library science. With the introduction of information technology, there is a paradigm shift in the status of library science as its environment gradually changed from manual to automated system. The application of information technology in library science has reduced the gap between library professionals and information professionals. 3.7 Committees and Commissions Appointed by the Government After Independence, the government appointed Radhakrishnan Commission in 1948. The commission observed in its report that ‘the library is the heart of all university’s work’ and that in most of the Indian universities, the annual grants for libraries were inadequate and most of the libraries did not allow open access. According to the commission the ideal university library system would consist of a large central library with departmental libraries. The commission also recommended that the university library should have adequate and qualified library staff categorized as University Librarian, Deputy Librarian, Assistant Librarian, Professional Assistant, Semi-Professional Assistant and Information/Documentation Officer (Gupta & Pawan, 1986). 3.7.1 University Grants Commission (UGC)6 In post independent India, it had become a challenge for library profession to cope up with the changing trends of libraries. Various types of libraries and information centers established in the country, required skilled library professionals that could Maulanasatisfy the Azad changing needsLibrary, of the users. Aligarh For this, the Government Muslim of India University established University Grants Commission as a statutory organization established by an Act of
6At the time of writing this thesis for submission, draft Act 2018 for the formation of ‘Higher Education Commission of India’ to replace ‘University Grants Commission’ (UGC) was on the anvil.
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Parliament in 1956 for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. Apart from providing grants to eligible universities and colleges, the Commission was also charged with the function of advising Central and State Governments on necessary measures to be adopted for the development of Higher Education. The UGC functioned from its headquarters in New Delhi as well as its six regional offices located in Bangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune (Ministry of Human Resource & Development, 2016). Realizing the importance of Libraries in Higher Education, UGC appointed several committees and commission for the improvement of library education and training procedures so that the standard of library profession should be maintained. These committees are: Ranganathan Committee (1957), Advisory Committee (1958), Kothari Commission (1964), Karisiddappa Committee on curriculum development in LIS (2001) etc. These committees submitted their own recommendations for the Improvement of libraries and their services, for they play a vital role in the advancement of the country’s education system. 3.7.2 National Knowledge Commission (NKC) The establishment of National Knowledge Commission (NKC) by Govt. of India in 2005 is undoubtedly a mile stone in the process of development of libraries and information professionals of our country. National Knowledge Commission (2014) recommended a National Mission on Libraries (NML). NML set up four working groups and after deliberating on the recommendation of the working groups formulated the scheme “National Mission on Libraries- upgradation of libraries providing services to the public”. The scheme consists of four components: Creation of National Virtual Library of India (NVLI). Setting up of NML Model library. Qualitative & quantitative survey of Libraries. Capacity building. MaulanaCapacity Azad building would Library, be understood Aligarh to enhance the Muslim professional competence University of library personnel. 3.7.3 Committee set up for Framing New National Education Policy (2017) The National Policy on Education (NPE) is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote education amongst people of the country. The first
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NPE was promulgated in 1968 by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the second by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. The present government of India has appointed a new committee under the chairmanship of Dr. K. Kasturirangan to prepare a Draft for the new National Education Policy in 2017, in order to meet the changing dynamics of the population’s requirement with regards to quality education, innovation and research. The committee has taken up the task for drafting a new National Education Policy, the report of which was supposed to be submitted by 31st 7 August, 2018 . 3.8 Information Scenario in the 21st century vis-a-vis the Libraries’ Budget Allocation8 Library being a nerve centre of any academic institution serves as an intellectual workshop for students and the teachers alike. It caters to the diverse needs of the Faculty members, Research Scholars, Post-Graduate and Under-Graduate students by providing not only the hard copies of information resources (i.e. Books, Journals, Research reports etc.) but also those in electronic form. In fact, in the present Digital Era, a large variety of electronic resources are available in different formats like e- books, e-journals, e-reference sources, subject gateways/web-portals, blogs/wikis/podcasts, discussion forum/bulletin board, etc. In addition to this, there are online- bibliographic databases (e.g. Scopus, Web of Science) and also full-text multidisciplinary databases (such as J-Gate, Science Direct, Emerald Insight, JSTOR, etc.). Besides, the libraries are using fast the social media interactions with the users and are developing specific web pages/sites for informing the users about the library resources and services. This is apart from ‘Knowledge Repositories’ which make it possible to self-archive the published work for making it accessible to the academic community around the Globe. The aforesaid developments in the scholarly communication of information have totally changed the shape and services of Library. In the present information age, it is imperative that the academic libraries must develop along modern lines using latest MaulanaICT applications Azad to enableLibrary, our College/University Aligarh products, Muslim to be at University par with their
7 New National Education Policy (2017). Retrieved on 5 August, 2018 from http://mhrd.gov.in/relevant- documents 8 Report submitted to UGC by Prof. Shabahat Husain, President, Indian Library Association in 2017
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counterparts in the developed world, so that India may become an industrial power to reckon with the developed countries in near future. Development of proper ICT based infrastructure and procurement of Print as well as highly expensive Electronic Resources in the Libraries are capital intensive, that should essentially be taken care of in the Annual Budget Allocations. It may be noted that the present Budget Allocation of University Libraries in India is still not at par with the recommendations of following commissions: (a) Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49) suggested about 6.5 per cent of educational budget as reasonable expenditure on libraries. (b) Kothari Commission (1964-1966) recommended Rs. 25 for each students registered and Rs. 300 per teacher. (c) New Education Policy (1986) recommended ‘Accessibility of Books for all segments of the Society’, ‘nationwide movement for the improvement of existing libraries and the establishment of new ones’, ‘status of Librarians’. Although the aforesaid recommendations were made in pre-digital era, yet a recent survey of a few central university libraries has, however, revealed that even today none of the following centrally funded Universities has been able to receive an allocation of library budget as recommended by Radhakrishnan Commission:
Table: 3.2 Percentage Allocated to Library Budget from Annual University Budget S. Universities University’s Total Library Percentage No. Annual Budget Budget of library (excluding salary Allocation budget comp.) (2015-16) (2015-16) (2015-16) 1. Aligarh Muslim 750,000,000 2,38,00,000 3.17 University 2. Banaras Hindu University 2,000,000,000 5,81,00,000 2.90 3. Delhi University 5,444,130,000 135,608,000 2.53 4. Jamia Millia Islamia 558,106,000 1,44,00,000 2.58 MaulanaUniversity Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 5. Jawaharlal Nehru 559,419,500 2,57,95,000 4.61 University
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3.9 Conclusion In earlier days, the libraries had museum value and their holdings were meant only for elites, but now libraries are agencies of mass communication and an important source of social emancipation. As a result of information explosion and technological changes, the role of library professionals has altogether changed. In past, it was considered that librarianship is not a profession, then it was treated as an emerging profession, now it is well-thought-out that librarianship is a full-fledged profession with its own fundamental laws and methodology to meet the challenges of ever changing conditions and needs of the society and also of the rapid changes taking place in the universe of knowledge. The current scenario predominated by information and knowledge perspectives indicates the pressing need to educate and train library manpower towards a sustainable professional competence. They need to be equipped with necessary skills and competency to satisfy the ever growing information needs of the users. The professionals should be trained to use the information technology techniques in their services.
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CHAPTER – 4
Attitude of Library Professionals 4.1 Introduction A Library is a trinity of collection of documents, users and staff. Besides having a good collection of documents, the library cannot provide its best services to its users without having trained and effective library professionals. The success and failure of any library service generally depend on the professional skills of library staff, which constitute library’s human resources with technical and professional knowledge so required to efficiently perform various library operations and services. Like any other professional, librarians play a great role in the development of intellectual capital of a country. With the advent of ICT applications in all types of libraries, including university libraries, the attitude of the librarians of different levels and grades have been slowly and gradually changing with regard to their professional skills, necessary in providing up-to-date library services. Therefore, the university libraries in our country are in developmental stages from manual to semi-automated, then to completely automated system and finally developing into digital resource centres. Therefore, some of the university libraries are in hybrid stage, whereas others are in the final stages of development into digital libraries. The university libraries are now shifting their operations and services from traditional to digital system. The modern ICT equipments like computers, printers, barcode readers, modem, reprographic, RFID systems and other equipments coupled with access to online databases have completely modernized the practices and techniques followed in libraries. In order to cope up with this situation the library professionals have to keep abreast with the latest developments in the field of ICT for achieving effective utilization of resources and users satisfaction. The objective of university library is not only to collect books and non-book materials and offer effective library services, both online and offline, but also to collect, store and Maulanadisseminate Azad information Library, exhaustively Aligarh and expeditiously Muslim through a varietyUniversity of ICT equipments to its clients. Attitude of library professionals are very important in the adoption and implementation of ICT in their libraries. It may be either a major obstacle in the acceptance of ICT or a major factor in the successful implementation of ICT in Chapter 4 Attitude of Library Professionals
libraries. “Librarians’ attitude towards IT refers to their personal opinions and beliefs about importance, impact, worth and usefulness of computer hardware, software, email, internet and other information and communication technologies in library operations, resources, services and systems” (Ramzan, 2010). Library professionals having positive attitude can only exploit and explore the technology to its full potential and help the libraries to implement positive changes. Positive attitude towards ICT provides fast service, increased productivity and users’ satisfaction while negative attitude provides low productivity and anxiety towards work. The major obstacle in the application of ICT in libraries is not technical but attitudinal. The attitudes of library professionals play an important role in changing the shape of the library as to its collection of different types of resources and revolutionizing the information services. Realizing the importance of library professionals in university libraries, the University Grants Commission appointed various committees which have submitted several recommendations regarding staff structure, status, qualifications, salary, staff formula etc. 4.2 Status of Library Professionals Library is considered as the heart of any teaching and learning process and the relationship between librarian and the user, is equal to that of teacher-student relationship. Modern library professionals with high academic and professional qualifications, combined with academic and administrative responsibilities indicate the status of library staff. “The Union Government and national educational bodies like UGC, ICAR, AICTE, etc. have assigned faculty status for librarians and issued orders providing full academic status. The recruitment policies, pay scale and promotion schemes recommended were also at par with that of teachers” (Francis, 1997). 4.3 Staff Structure of Library Professionals Throughout India, the staffs in a university library are categorized as Professional, Semi-professional and Non-professional, though their nomenclature differs from university to university. On the basis of UGC categorization of library professionals, MaulanaSrivastava &Verma Azad (1980) Library, have grouped the Aligarh library staff into Muslim the following headsUniversity: a) Professionals Senior They include Librarian, Deputy Librarian, Documentalists, Reference Librarian, Chief Classifier and Chief Cataloger.
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b) Professionals Junior They include maintenance Librarian, Assistant Librarian, Assistant Classifier, Assistant Cataloger, Accession Librarian, Periodical Librarian, Circulation Librarian and Senior Library Assistants or Professional Assistants. c) Semi Professionals Junior library assistants are put in the category of Semi-Professionals. d) Non-Professionals The rest of the staff such as Library Attendant, Accountant, Clerks, Stenographer, Binder, etc. are considered as non-professionals. 4.4 Designation of Staff in University Library In general the hierarchy of library professionals in the university library is as follows: a) University Librarian b) Deputy Librarian c) Assistant Librarian d) Professional Assistant e) Semi-Professional Assistant f) Other Staff 4.5 Staff Formula for University Library First staff formula developed for college libraries was the outcome of recommendation of the Library Committee set up by the University Grants Commission under the chairmanship of S. R. Ranganathan in 1958. The formula suggested one post of Librarian, one post of Deputy Librarian, one post of accountant, one post of steno-typist and one clerk to look after the administrative and professional tasks. In addition to these two managerial positions, every function or unit in a library is managed by an Assistant Librarian, with additional staff as per demand (Satarkar, 2000, p.71-72). (1) Book section and Acquisition Section: One person for every 6000 volumes Maulana Azadadded in a year.Library, Aligarh Muslim University (2) Periodical Publication Section: One person for every 500 current periodicals subscribed. (3) Documentation section: One person for every 1000 entries prepared in a year for the development of information products like bulletins.
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(4) Technical section: One person for every 2000 volumes added in a year and processing it for the availability in library viz. cataloguing, classification and indexing. (5) Maintenance Section: One person for every 6000 volumes added in a year, one person for every 500 volumes to be replaced in a day and one person for every 100000 volumes in the library. (6) Publicity section: No staff provided for this section as this was not considered in libraries. (7) Administrative section: Minimum one accountant, one steno typist and one clerk for managing administrative jobs. (8) Reference section: One person for every 50 readers (other than the users of the text book collection) in a day for providing short range and long range reference services as well as referral services. (9) Circulation section: One person for every 1500 hours for which one wicket gate of the library has to be kept open in a year who looks after all the circulation activities. (10) Supervision section: One librarian and one deputy librarian for undertaking managerial tasks. (11) Unskilled staff: One cleaner for every 30000 volumes in the library, one attendant each for every 6000 volumes added in a year, one attendant for every 500 current periodicals taken, and for each of the shifts in the circulation section, besides unskilled and the semi-skilled workers normal to any institution.
The above staff pattern was accepted by UGC, but S.R. Ranganathan later suggested few more additions to remove the gaps. Consequently, following changes were suggested in UGC staff formula in 1965: (1) Periodical publication section: 1500 periodicals subscribed. (2) Documentation section (to supplement the work done by the INSDOC and the Maulanainternational Azad abstracting Library, services): 30Aligarh research workers Muslim in the university. University (3) Maintenance section: 1500 volumes newly added 50000 volumes to be looked after. However, certain weaknesses were pointed out in the formula, as given below:
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(1) It is difficult for any college library to subscribe 500 current periodicals, therefore, a person to look after the periodicals work independently may not be available. This can be true in case of university library. (2) Similar situation raised for maintenance work as the college may not have collection of one lakh books (newly initiated). (3) No college library can add 6000 volumes in a year as the cost of books has increased enormously. Hence this work is also to be carried out in part only. (4) One person for 1500 gate hours is also not suitable as in these situations the average working days in a college comes to 280 roughly so only one person can be available for this work. (5) The formula does not suggest staff for property counter, watchman, reading room, Xeroxing, etc. This is the weakness.
Till 1979 no staff formula or pattern was justifiable except Dr. S.R. Ranganathan. This situation created the missing link among the number of staff available and the staff required. In 21st Century, the application of ICT in libraries in performing different functions has transformed all the activities and services. The modern techniques such as e–publishing, digital information resources, internet resources changed the practices in libraries. The change is not only in transformation of functions but also on job analysis and job description of staff. The staff patterns are also changing in digital era as ICT applications in libraries need more competitive and professional staff in order to perform various ICT based services and operations. The staff formula given by Dr. S.R. Ranganathan in 1958 which was later modified in 1965 and 1979 by UGC required further revision in the light of ICT/digital era (Mary & Saravanan, 2014). 4.6 Minimum Qualifications for Librarians1 According to the UGC Regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2018 (notified on 18th MaulanaJuly, 2018 Azad). Library, Aligarh Muslim University
1 UGC Notification (2018). Retrieved on 2 August, 2018 from https://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/4033931_UGC_Regulation_min_Qualification_Jul2018.pdf
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Minimum Qualifications for Direct Recruitment to the Posts of University Assistant Librarian/College Librarian, University Deputy Librarian and University Librarian.
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN i. A Master‘s Degree in Library Science/Information Science/Documentation Science with at least 55% marks or an equivalent grade in a point -scale wherever the grading system is followed. ii. At least ten years as a Librarian at any level in University Library or ten years of teaching as Assistant/Associate Professor in Library Science or ten years‘ experience as a College Librarian. iii. Evidence of innovative library services, including the integration of ICT in a library. iv. A Ph.D. Degree in library science/information science/documentation /archives and manuscript-keeping. UNIVERSITY DEPUTY LIBRARIAN
i. A Master‘s Degree in library science/information science/documentation science, with at least 55% marks or an equivalent grade in a point –scale, wherever grading system is followed. ii. Eight years’ experience as an Assistant University Librarian/College Librarian. iii. Evidence of innovative library services including integration of ICT in library. iv. A Ph.D. Degree in library science/ Information science / Documentation Science/Archives and manuscript keeping/computerization of library. UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN / COLLEGE LIBRARIAN i. A Master‘s Degree in Library Science, Information Science or Documentation Science or an equivalent professional degree, with at least 55% marks (or an equivalent grade in a point –scale, wherever the grading system is followed) ii. A consistently good academic record, with knowledge of computerization of a library. Maulanaiii. Besides fulfillingAzad the Library, above qualifications, Aligarh the candidate Muslim must have cleared University the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the UGC, CSIR or similar test accredited by the UGC like SLET/SET or who are or have been awarded a Ph.D. Degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (Minimum
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Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2009 or 2016 and their amendments from time to time as the case may be: Provided that the, candidates registered for the Ph.D. degree prior to July 11, 2009, shall be governed by the provisions of the then existing Ordinances / Bye-laws / Regulations of the Institution awarding the degree, and such Ph.D. candidates shall be exempted from the requirement of NET/SLET/SET for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor or equivalent positions in Universities/Colleges / Institutions subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions:- a) The Ph.D. degree of the candidate has been awarded in the regular mode b) The Ph.D. thesis has been evaluated by at least two external examiners; c) Open Ph.D. viva voce of the candidate has been conducted; d) The candidate has published two research papers from his/her Ph.D. work out of which at least one is in a refereed journal; e) The candidate has presented at least two papers based on his/her Ph.D. work in conferences/seminars sponsored /funded/supported by the UGC/ICSSR/CSIR or any similar agency. Note: i. The fulfillment of these conditions is to be certified by the Registrar or the Dean (Academic Affairs) of the University concerned. ii. NET/SLET/SET shall also not be required for candidates in such Master’s Programmes for which NET/SLET/SET is not conducted by the UGC, CSIR or similar test accredited by the UGC like SLET/SET. Essential Qualification for Professional Assistant i. M.Lib.Sc./ M.L.I.Sc. or equivalent with 50 per cent marks; OR Master’s Degree in Arts/ Science/ Commerce or any other discipline with 50% and B. Lib. Sc./B.L.I.Sc. with 50% marks. ii. Computer Science paper at Graduate/ PG level or Six months computer science Maulanacourse Azad from a recognizedLibrary, institution. Aligarh Muslim University Essential Qualification for Semi-Professional Assistant i. Graduate in Arts/Science/ Commerce or any other discipline or any other higher qualification with 50% marks.
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ii. B.Lib.Sc./ B.L.I.Sc. with 50% marks, 3 months Course in computer application at Graduate or PG level or 6 months Computer course from a recognized institution. 4.7 Recruitment of Library Professionals In Indian university libraries, selection of library professionals including that of librarian is done through advertisements followed by interviews conducted by a properly constituted selection committee, composition of which differs from University to University. The committee for the posts of University Librarian, Deputy Librarian and Assistant Librarian is chaired by the Vice – Chancellor, three external subject experts for University Librarian and two external experts for Deputy Librarian and Assistant Librarian. The Registrar of the University acts as the Secretary of the Selection Committee. Sometimes, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and/or a nominee of the Executive Council/Senate, are also included in the selection committee. University librarian is generally the chairperson of the committee for Professional/semi Professional’s posts. It will have at least one subject expert and one or two nominees of the Vice Chancellor. 4.8 Pay Scales for University Library Professionals The revised pay scale (7th pay commission) for library professional in Higher Educational Institution under the purview of the UGC was made in 01.01.2016. According to MHRD2 the pay scale of library professionals is as follows: Table 4.1 Pay Scales of Library Professionals S.No. Name of Pay Scale (Rs.) Revised Pay Scale (Rs.) the Post (under 6th Pay Commission, 2006) (7th Pay Commission, 2016) 1. Librarian 37400- 67000 +Grade Pay -10000 Rationalized entry pay of Rs.1,44,200+Allowances 2. Deputy 15600-39100 + Grade Pay -8000 Rationalized entry Librarian pay of Rs.79,800 +Allowances 3. Assistant 15600-39100 + Grade Pay - 6000 Rationalized Librarian entry pay of Rs.57,700 +Allowances 4. Professional 9300-34800 + Grade Pay –4200 Rationalized entry Assistant pay of Rs. 35400 +Allowances Maulana5. Semi Azad5200 -19500Library,+ Grade Pay –Aligarh2800 Rationalized Muslim entry University Professional pay of Rs. 29200 +Allowances Assistant 6. Library 5200-19500+ Grade Pay - 1800 Rationalized entry Attendant pay of Rs. 18000 +Allowances
2. MHRD (2017). Retrieved on 17th July, 2017, from https://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/7077481_Revision-of-Pay-of-teachers.pdf
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4.9 New Role of Library Professionals Access to information in the digital era has brought into practice such phrases as information explosion, exponential growth of knowledge, global village, information superhighway, virtual library etc., which in effect is the result of application of ICT for the exchange of information. As the information is now considered an economic commodity, it must be handled professionally in order to guide users in the libraries in fulfilling their information needs. Changing trends in information technology and its application in libraries especially in university libraries has changed the perception of library professionals regarding their own role. Now they are treated as Information specialist, Information scientist, E-Librarian, Cyberarian, Search intermediary, facilitator, End-user trainer/ educator, web designer, E- resource manager etc. The library professionals today play an important role of information provider in the electronic environment, irrespective of the fact where a user is and where the information is. They are dealing with information in electronic formats by creating web pages to promote their services to external customers and choosing automated library management systems. The most important role of library professionals is to assist the users in locating the information. “They are the eyes and ears of the research community, constantly surveying and mapping the information universe for colleagues. Librarians are the ones who know how to find and use the most up-to-date version of scholarly resources, how long these resources are likely to maintain their current shape and content” (Creth, 1996). At present the library professionals can be identified as one who creates documents, transforms and share information. It is very necessary for professionals to develop the skills of ICT in order to help users in finding the required information. To cope up with the developments, acquisition of new skills through training and continuing education is very essential in order to shape and update professional skills and competencies of library staff. Many continuing professional development programs are being organized such as seminars, workshops, short-term training programs, Maulanaconferences Azad etc. for updating Library, ICT know Aligarh how of library professionals.Muslim University 4.10 New Skills Required by Library Professionals Libraries have undergone a number of changes in their course of development. The library professionals’ have to acquire new skills to cope up with the changes in technologies. The existing skills of classification, cataloguing, indexing etc. are to be remoulded for data analysis, data structuring, data organization, packaging and re-
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packaging of information and for organizing value-added library and information services. The following are the basic skills of library professionals: Information Handling Skills: Acquisition, cataloguing, indexing, abstracting, circulation, general management and organization of information, organization of knowledge, compilation of bibliographies and development of databases. Evaluation Skills: Identification, selection, critical evaluation and review of information. Training and Facilitating Skills: Helping people of any age, background, specialization or need and to use libraries and information resources in any media. Ansari (2013) suggested the following ICT skills that are necessary for a library professional to perform: Software installation / operations Web design Digitization and imaging technology Online cataloguing Online classification System analysis and design Networking MS Office Database searching technique Transformation of data. With these skills, the library professionals should get equipped and envisage the need for information, assimilate information and channelize them in the right direction so as to achieve user satisfaction in an information rich society. 4.11 Attitude of Library Professionals ICT has changed the role of library professionals from intermediary to facilitator of information. For this the library professionals need to learn new Maulanatechnologies and Azad procedures. Library, The traditional Aligarh functions of librariesMuslim have completely University changed with the introduction of computers for library operations and services. The modern functions of library professionals include the acquisition of e-journals, working with library management software, digitization of documents, installation and use of RFID, Data mining etc. It may seem frightening for library professionals having little
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or no prior experience of computer or modern technologies. Their fear might have emerged because of change in routine work that in hybrid libraries is changing fast. If they don’t come up with the technological changes, they might be replaced by other persons who are technology saucy. ICT devices have become a common tool for the organization, retrieval and dissemination of information. During the last few decades the libraries have seen extensive use of the photocopiers and word processing systems. An increased number of libraries are now using e-mail, fax and online access to bibliographic and full text databases. Use of micro-computer is predominantly being used in the libraries to handle their house- keeping activities. All these technological revolutions in the libraries ask for a fresh approach to the welfare of library professionals who actually use these ICT devices and many a time resist to change (Prasher, 1997). Attitudes are of vital importance in shaping the influence of new technology. The implementation of ICT in libraries largely depends on the attitude of library professional. Attitude is the opinion or feeling about something. ICT has brought a drastic change in library practices which pose challenge to the library professionals. In order to cope up with the latest developments in ICT, the library professionals have to quickly learn and adopt new information technologies and there is a need to develop positive attitude towards the application of ICT in library operations and services. Positive attitudes of library staff are assumed to be fundamental in the acceptance, implementation and success of new technologies (Spacey, Goulding & Murray, 2003). 4.11.1 Definitions of Attitude Social psychologists of the 1920s focussed on attitudes as a central concept in seeking to develop their field as a scientific discipline. Indeed, attitudes seem so pervasive that their study might be said to cover the full range of human behavior and experience. People tend to develop attitudes as per their experience towards other people, towards political and religious institutions, towards moral and philosophical Maulanasystem, appare Azadntly toward Library,s everything. Aligarh Muslim University The term ‘Attitude’ has already been defined by different authorities in Chapter 1. It therefore, follows that for all intents and purposes, we can define this term as a mental and neural state of readiness organized through experience exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon individual's response to all objects or situations
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with which it is associated. Attitude can either be positive or negative towards a particular entity. 4.11.2 Components of Attitude Attitude is not a single element, but it represents a cluster of certain interrelated elements. These elements/components are cognitive (having to do with perceiving, knowing, believing), affective (emotional) and conative (motivational, striving, acting).
Fig: 4. 1: Three components of attitudes (Source: Jain,Vishal, 2014)
Thus the informational content of any attitude is cognitive (belief). It refers to the individual’s knowledge, opinion and faith about the attitude object with varying degree of certainty, i.e. what is good or bad; true or false; desirable or undesirable. Knowledge is directly related to belief; increase in individual’s knowledge signifies strong belief. Cognitive aspect develops from past experiences and learning. In context to the use of ICT by library professionals those who have strong beliefs about ICT indicates a favorable attitude in its implementation in libraries than those who do not have about it. Affective component (feeling) is a very important component of attitude because under suitable conditions, this component can arouse with varying degree of intensity around the object i.e. having positive or negative feeling about the object. This emotional loading gives attitude their insistent, stirred up and motivating character. This affective component epitomizes the evaluative nature of attitude. A strong belief Maulanaabout the application Azad of ICTLibrary, in libraries encouragesAligarh library Muslim professionals’ University positive feeling towards it. Conative component (behavior) includes all the behavioral readiness associated with the attitude. If an individual has a favorable attitude towards a given object, then he/she will support the object, act favorable towards it. For example, if A has a more
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favorable attitude towards the application of ICT in university libraries than individual B, that means A’s many different statements and actions concerning the use of ICT are consistently more favorable than individual B’s comparable words and deeds (Satish, 1994). As a rule, favorable attitudes are characterized by positive directions for all three attributes; unfavorable attitudes tend to involve the reverse. Nevertheless, one may experience hearty dislike without the usual cognitive basis (i.e. without knowing why). Or he behaves aggressively (conative) without feeling hostile (affective). Such unbalanced attitudes often are said to be symptomatic of psychiatric difficulties; frequently they are seen to reflect one’s own inner conflicts rather than his objective experiences (“Attitudes,” 1982). 4.11.3 Characteristics of Attitude There are four characteristics of attitudes: a) Attitude Objects The word object broadly includes the person, events or anything present in the environment. In the context of library professionals’ attitude towards the use of ICT in libraries, the object may include the ICT equipments which are used by the library professionals. b) Attitudes are Learned Predisposition There is a general opinion that attitudes are learned predisposition and they are having a judgmental evaluation aspect of positive or negative. Attitudes which are relevant in changing the behavior are formed as a result of direct experience or information acquired from others. It is important to remember that attitude and behavior are not synonyms; instead they reflect either favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the attitude object. The attitude of library staffs towards ICT largely depends on the knowledge about it. If they are aware about the importance and use of ICT in libraries they show positive attitude towards the application of ICT gadgets in their libraries. Maulanac) Attitudes Azad have Library, Consistency Aligarh Muslim University Since attitudes are usually defined as more or less enduring states of readiness to respond to objects or situations, it is inferred that they are wholly static modes of adjustment. Attitudes are by no means fixed and unchanging predispositions. Their full complexity and their role in behavior are better understood if we examine them in their dynamic context. It is a mistake to think of them in static terms, as factors making for
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rigidity and sameness of behavior. Attitudes do change under normal conditions and in controlled situations the change may be striking (Bonner, 1953). d) Attitudes Occur within a Situation Situation means circumstances or surrounding that at a definite point of time influence the attitude of individuals. A specific situation may cause individual to behave accordingly. 4.11.4 Formation of Attitude Formation of attitude takes place through various sources. Majority of the attitudes are acquired from the members of the family and from the peer group in early childhood and later. Thus other people are generally the source of formation of attitudes. Most of our attitudes develop within the group to which we belong. Another source is personal experience; which, however, form a small number; though it is more intense than those formed by association with other people (Kuppuswamy, 1983). In the context of library staff, their attitude basically depends on the knowledge about the ICT and its importance in library operations and services. If they know how to use the ICT tools in libraries then they have positive attitude in the application of ICT in their libraries. Their attitudes are formed by gaining experience during the job, gaining knowledge during course of study, getting formal ICT training programs or attending in-service courses. 4.11.5 Theories of Attitude The three models/theories for measuring attitudes of library professionals are so important in the successful implementation of ICT in libraries. A critical literature review concerning the attitudes measurements in library and information field shows that not any attitude measurement technique is designed yet to measure the attitudes. It is concluded that attitudes of library professionals are very essential for the use of ICT in libraries, therefore self-constructed questionnaire and models for measuring attitudes are used and adopted from other disciplines such as psychology. The important models for study of attitude of library staff include: Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of MaulanaPlanned Behavior, Azad Technology Library, Acceptance Aligarh Models which Muslim were developed University by IcekAjzen and Martin Fishbein. i. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) The theory of reasoned action was developed by Fishbein and Ajzen in 1975 (Chuttur, 2009). This theory of attitude is widely studied model of social psychology which led to the study of attitude and behavior. “According to TRA, a person’s
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performance of a specified behavior is determined by his or her behavior intention (BI) to perform the behavior, and BI is jointly determined by the person’s attitude (A) and subjective norm (SN) concerning the behavior in question, with relative weight typically estimated by regression” (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). Thus TRA is the combination of three components i.e. behavior intention, attitude and subjective norms which need to be explained in relation to ICT application. Behavior intention is a function of both attitudes towards behavior and the subjective norms towards that behavior, to predict actual behavior. Attitude is defined as an individual’s positive and negative feeling about an object and the subjective norms refer to “the person’s perception that most people who are important to him think he should or should not perform the behavior in question” (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The theory contends that individual’s attitude and society pressure from the surroundings have influence on the behavior intention, which is important for the performance of the individual’s behavior. The person’s behavior is expected by his/her attitude towards that behavior and how he/she thinks other people will view the behavior if he wants to perform his final behavior. People’s attitude and behavior towards the acceptance and rejection of ICT application in libraries are central to the components of TRA.Thus the formula of TRA is as follows: BI= A+SN
Fig: 4.2: Theory of Reasoned Action (Based on Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). (Source: Malhotra & Galletta, 1999, P.2)
Maulanaii. Theory Azad of Planned Library, Behavior Aligarh Muslim University
In Social Psychology, the theory of Planned Behavior was developed by Ajzen in 1991 (Korpelainen, 2011). This theory was the extent of TRA, with the introduction of one more element namely perceived behavior control. This theory is based on three factors; the first factor is attitude which is determined by one’s belief about the
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consequences of performing the behavior and one’s evaluation of the possible consequences of performing the behavior. The second factor is subjective norms which is determined by the perceived expectations of significant others and one’s motivation to confirm these expectations and the third factor is perceived behavior control which refers to the perception of control over the performance of a given behaviour (Korpelainen, 2011). This is clear from above defined factors that the individual do not have control over their behavior rather these three factors combine in an interactive way to determine behavioral intention, which in turn determines behavior. Behavior intention refers to an individual’s attitude, his plans and motivation to commit a specific task as desirable and favorable. This theory revealed that human behavior is governed not only by personal attitudes but also by social pressures and a sense of control. For example, when library professionals want to apply ICT tools in their operations and services they not only need more resources such as information, time, etc. but also more self confidence in making proper decision. Therefore, it is perceived that behavior control becomes a significant factor in predicting a person’s behavior intention under this application of ICT.
Fig: 4.3: Theory of Planned Behavior (Source: Crisp & Turner, 2007)
iii. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) TAM was not developed basically for the measurement of attitudes but rather for Maulanatechnology acceptance Azad which Library, is an important Aligarh factor for the successMuslim and failure University of any information system at a time when an organization has invested lot of money for purchasing computer systems for their employees. TAM was developed by Davis in 1986 (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). The theoretical base of this model was based on the TRA. Davis presented this model to explain the ICT usage behavior i.e.
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factors that causes the users to accept or reject the use of the ICT. TAM was based on two sets of concepts: (1) Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use (2) User’s attitude, behavioral intentions and actual computer usage behavior. Perceived usefulness is defined as the user’s subjective probability, that “using a specific application system will increase his or her job performance within an organizational context”. Perceived ease of use refers the degree to which the user expects the target system to be free of effort. Both Perceived usefulness and Perceived ease of use predict attitude towards using the system, defined as the user’s desirability of his or her using the system. Attitudes and perceived usefulness influence the individual’s behavior intention to use the system (Malhotra & Galletta, 1999). In other words, person’s attitude mainly depends on two factors namely perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. TAM suggests that a person could hold negative attitude toward the usage of ICT, but he would still use it because it has high perceived usefulness. Training influence users’ attitude towards the use of ICT in libraries as it has increased individuals knowledge about computers, their operations, enhance their skills and help in reducing the attitudinal barriers to the acceptance of ICT. The present study is going to adopt the Technology Acceptance Model because it is considered appropriate in the application of ICT in libraries as opposed to the Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior that only study the factors of behavior intention.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Fig. 4: Technology Acceptance Model (Source: Davis, Fred, D, 1993, P.476)
Fig.:4.4: Technology Acceptance Model (Source: Davis, Fred, D, 1993, P.476)
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4.11.6 Scales of Measurement of Attitude Krosnick, Judd, & Wittenbrink (2005) mentioned that information about attitude is gathered through observation method and self-report. The self-report methods usually involve the series of questions, adjectives or statements about the attitude objects. Attitudes are so important concepts that researchers have developed variety of scales for measurements. The four major types of attitude scales have been discussed below: 1. Thurstone Scales (1929) Thurstone and Chave in 1929 developed the method of equal-appearing intervals to measure attitudes (Dwyer, 1993). The essential steps involved in the Thurstone scale are: (i) involve the very large number of simple statements of favorable or unfavorable evaluation about the object in question. (ii) the judging of each of these items by a sizable group of experts as to its proper diagnostic position on an attitude continuum between one extreme and the other and rejection of those items for which there is insufficient agreement among the judges as to proper scale position. (iii) The task of the judges is to place each item in one to 11 piles which appears to be equally spaced from one extreme of the scale to the other. That is the judge must decide whether assent to the given item would indicate an extreme favorable attitude, a neutral attitude, an extreme unfavorable attitude, or some intermediate position among them. (iv) Out of the original large set of items, only those are selected about which there is high agreement among the judges (v) a final selection among the remaining items as that they will spread more or less evenly along the scale from one extreme to the other (Krech & Crutchfield, 1948). Participants are asked to read all the statements and to indicate with which they agree. Each participant is assigned an attitude score by averaging the mean scale values of the statements they endorsed (Ramzan, 2010). 2. Likert Scales (1932) Krosnick, Judd & Wittenbrink (2005) described that Rensis Likert’s (1932) summated rating method is less labour method. In this method first, the researcher prepares about 100 statements that express positions either strongly favorable or Maulanaunfavorable toward Azads an ob Library,ject. A set of participantsAligarh are thenMuslim given a set University of five response options (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3= undecided, 4 =disagree, 5 = strongly disagree) and are asked to choose one response to express their views on each statement. For the statements expressing favorable views of the objects, responses are coded 1,2,3,4, and 5, respectively and for the statements expressing unfavorable views of the objects, responses are coded as 5,4,3,2 and 1, respectively. Each participant is
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then assigned a total score by summing his/her score on all items. Finally, for each item, each person’s score is correlated with his/her total score and items with low item- to-total correlations are dropped. Approximately 20 statements with strongest correlations are selected for administration and participants express their extent of favorability or unfavorability for each statement (Krosnick, Judd & Wittenbrink, 2005). 3. Guttman Scales (1944) Guttman scaling was developed by Louis Guttman (1944) and was first used with War Department research on the morale of American Soldiers. Abdi (2010) described Guttman scaling as a set of binary questions answered by a set of subjects and then the subjects are asked to check each statement with which they agree. When a participant agrees with an attitude statement, the participant receives a score of 1 for the item. However, if the participant disagrees with the attitude statement; the participant receives a score of 0 for the item. The participant’s total score is the sum of all his/her item scores on the scale. The overall score suggests the participant's degree of favorability towards the attitudinal object. Then the data submitted to Guttman scale analysis. The Guttman method includes a scalogram analysis device for determining the degree of consistency that is present (Dwyer, 1993). 4. Semantic Differential Scale (1957) Semantic differential scale was developed by Osgood in 1957 (Garland, 1990). Krosnick, Judd &Wittenbrink (2005) defined semantic differential scale as the simplest and easiest technique to administer the attitude. Osgood identified a set of adjectives pairs including good-bad, valuable-worthless, wise-foolish, pleasant-unpleasant, etc. each pair anchors the ends of a 7-point rating scale and the participant selects the point on each scale to indicate their evaluation of the object. This scale consists of a long horizontal line, intersected by six short vertical lines dividing the horizontal line into seven segments. At the two ends of horizontal line, there were two antonyms, such as good and bad. Participants were asked to mark a spot on the horizontal line to evaluate Maulanathe goodness Azad and badness Library, of an attitude Aligarh object. Muslim University Good Bad Krosnick, Judd & Wittenbrink, (2005) further mentioned that all the points on the rating scale have some meaning. For example, the end point labled good means extremely good, the next point overt means quit good, next point means sliently good, the mid point means neither good nor bad, the next point means slightly bad and so on.
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They concluded that semantic differentail technique is not usually used by today’s researchers, as it has some demerits like the horizontal line is presented with no lables at any point except the end points and these end points are not labled extremely. The likert scale technique is used in the present study to know the attitude of library professionals, as it is one of the popular, simple and reliable technique of attitude measurement. 4.11.7 Importance of Library Professionals’ Attitude in the Use of ICT In the context of psychology, especially in social psychology, attitude is an important concept as it plays an essential role in individual’s behaviours and judgments. Attitude is a predisposition to behave towards something or someone in a given situation. For example if library professional says; I like to use new technology or I do not like to use new technology, an attitude is being expressed. Attitude can either be positive or negative depending upon one’s belief about the system. Through the advent of new information technologies, the library professionals have experienced major challenges with the changes in generation, creation, dissemination and preservation of knowledge in libraries. There is no doubt, that new technologies provide various opportunities for retrieving information, but in order to recognize these opportunities one has to require new knowledge, competency skills and positive attitudes (Ramzan, 2010). The libraries face many challenges with the introduction of new ICT as it makes manual based library operations and services less relevant. Whilst, facing the challenges, the library professionals in developing countries especially in India, must develop the positive attitude towards the use of new technologies in their libraries (Eguavoen, 2011). The incorporation of ICT in libraries plays an important role in fulfilling the needs of their users, but one must not ignore the fact that ICT is not only the factor responsible for achieving the goals of libraries, it is the library professional’s positive attitude which endorses the implementation of the same. As it is evident from the study that ‘attitudes- chiefly positive attitudes are assumed to be fundamental in the Maulanaacceptance, implementation Azad Library, and success of newAligarh technologies’ Muslim (Spacey, Goulding University & Murray, 2004). On the other hand, if library professionals hold negative attitude towards ICT then the services they are providing may not be able to fulfill the needs of the users who expect to be offered the latest in technological advance. There are many reasons which help the library professionals to develop their positive attitude which include: prior knowledge, proper training and continuing
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education, in-service courses, attending workshops and seminars etc. If library professionals have positive attitudes towards the application of ICT in their libraries, then it will raise their self-confidence, increase productivity, high moral and motivate colleagues. On the other hand, negative attitude will raise high level of anxiety, low level of self-efficacy, technophobia, cyber phobia and fear to lose their jobs. Negative attitude of library professionals is the main hindrance in the implementation of ICT in libraries. Adeyinka (2009) mentioned that there are many variables such as age, qualification, experience, prior knowledge, training about ICT and anxiety seem to influence the attitude of library staff towards the use of ICT. It was made known that the age, gender, qualification, experience and prior knowledge about ICT significantly have positive effect on the attitude of library staff while the ICT anxiety has negative effect on the attitude of library staffs. The libraries in developed countries have since been applying ICT in modernizing the services of their libraries. The technology was adopted at the level of policy makers, top library Management as well as by the library staff. On the other hand, the situation is quite opposite in developing countries, major problems hindering wider use of modern technologies are the low level of knowledge of library staff and lack of enthusiasm in most of the cases. In addition to this, the reasons for slow implementation of ICT in university libraries include: poor library policies, lack of funding, interrupted power supply, lack of skill to analyse and evaluate library automation projects and less interest of higher authorities towards library development etc. This deplorable condition of libraries in many developing countries, especially in India is a true reflection of the level of librarians’ IT knowledge, skills and attitudes (Ramzan, 2004). It can be concluded that for the implementation of ICT in libraries it is important that the library professionals should have positive attitude as their attitudes towards the use of computers and other technologies do effect the implementation of new technologies which ultimately influence the library services offered to the users. To Maulanadevelop theAzad positive Library, attitude towards Aligarh ICT, library professionals Muslim must University upgrade their knowledge of new technologies through attending workshops, seminars and conferences organized by the Departments of Studies or Institutes, in-service training courses and through continuing education programs. This exercise will certainly benefit library professionals in making their libraries well equipped with appropriate hardware, software and other technologies applicable there in. Many authors like Sakarkar (2014),
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Adekunle, Omoba, & Tella, (2007), Adeyinka, (2009), Sivakumaren, Jeyaprakash, Gopalakrishnan & Geetha, (2011), Rabina & Walczyk, (2007) and Sakarkar & Kuralkar, (2013) found in their studies that attitudes of library staff were fundamental in determining the success and failure of computerization in libraries. If the library professionals developed negative attitude towards the new innovative technologies, they would not be able to meet the changing demands of the users.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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CHAPTER – 5 Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Libraries
5.1 Introduction While the whole world is undergoing a transition from agrarian society to information society, it is important for every country specially developing countries to take part in the changing scenario of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in its wider context, that includes integration of various technologies such as computer, telephone, television, internet, wide range of projection devices, multimedia packages, video conferencing, fax, computer assisted instructions and many more, required for acquiring, managing, processing, storing and disseminating information. ‘ICT has helped to overcome the barriers of time and space and reduced the time-lag between the generation of information and its consumption by the end user’ (Walmiki & Ramakrishnegowda, 2009). ICT gives us a foundation for universal access to information and unlimited self-expression. In the present information age, the overall development of any country depends on full utilization of modern information communication technology. In order to narrow the gap between information rich society and information poor society, it is necessary to have full utilization of ICT as it provides new opportunities to access current information. ICT is widely used in every aspect of human life such as in Industries, Business, Engineering, Defense, Education, Medicine, Entertainment, Transportation etc. Invention of computer, internet, mobile phone, satellite communication and wireless communication have fundamentally changed mode of creating, recording and disseminating information which has made global interaction much easy. It is now an accepted belief that ICT will change the world more permanently and more profoundly than any other technology adopted so far. It has already brought significant transformation in the society and still has the potential of increasingly Maulanaenhancing Azadthe performance Library, of individual Aligarhs and organization Muslims. University The application of ICT has influenced every field of knowledge with libraries Library Science subject as a whole, forming no exceptions. In fact the phenomenon of knowledge explosion that emerged like a demon in the second half of 20th century has been well tackled by the advent of ICT for storage, retrieval and dissemination of
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information in Libraries in general and University Libraries in particular. During our life time, ICT has been solely responsible in changing the terminology of the subject from ‘Librarianship’ to ‘Library Science’; then to ‘Library and Information Science’ and even at some places to ‘Library and Information Technology’. In fact, an ICT application in libraries in general and in university libraries in particular, has revolutionized the traditional concept of library from store house of books to an electronic/Digital/Virtual library. ICT helps libraries in improving their services and resources by providing latest technologies that transform the conventional resources to digital resources. In the present electronic age, University Libraries not only work as document centers but also as knowledge repositories in the form of Gateways, which can access e-journals, e-books, e-dissertations and thesis, e-proceedings, e-teaching materials, video lectures, Databases, software and others. With the help of ICT, university libraries can store huge amount of information and transmit it at anytime, anywhere without geographical barrier. Libraries have tremendously increased the use of ICT in their operations and services in order to satisfy the diverse information needs of their users. With the rapid advancement of ICT in the 21st century, the library professionals especially in developing countries have/had to face more challenges in the adoption of ICT in library operations and services. They must possess adequate ICT skills and knowledge to manage their libraries and provide better services to their users (Thanuskodi, 2011). 5.2 ICT: Concept and Definitions Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the combination of three words, i.e. Information, communication and technology. Information is the collection of data which is arranged in an organized manner to be presented, told or passed on to someone who needs it. Information is considered as resource and commodity in a commercial activity. Communication means exchange of information between individuals by speaking, writing or using some other medium. Communication may be Maulanaverbal or non-verbal. Azad Communicating Library, data from Aligarh one location Muslim to another requires University some form of pathways or medium, these pathways called communication channels which involve twisted wires, coaxial cables, optical fibers, microwave transmission, satellite transmission, multiplexing, switching techniques etc. (Enakrire & Ocholla, 2017). Technology, in general, deals with the techniques and processes. Communication at a distance involves technologies which can convert information 94
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from analog to digital mode and vice versa such as modem, telephone, computer, television, scanner, printer etc. ICT includes computer technology, communication technology, telecommunication technology, storage and network technology. It was developed in industrial period and has now entered into the information age. Consequently, the society has seen a transformation from industrial society to a new era information society or knowledge society. Because of ICT applications, the whole world has shrunk into a global village or cyber village where people can interact and communicate with each other without any barrier of time and space. Some of the important definitions of ICT as applicable to libraries are given here under: According to Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary: “Information Communication Technology replacing the older Information Technology, is a generic term that covers the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of information of all types- textual, numerical, graphical, sound and in all application areas-e.g. Banking, business, science, technology-not just librarianship and information science. The term is restricted to systems and depends on a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications technology” (“Information Communication Technology”, 1991). Shayo (2010) in Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences defined the term ICT as “Information communication technology as any system, product, or process whose underlying technology base is composed of computers, workstations, and computer communication networks of all types including LAN, WAN, MAN, intranets, internet, robotics and smart chips”. Dunmill and Arslanagic (2006) defined ICT as a “term used to describe a range of equipment (hardware: personal computers (PCs), scanners, phones, faxes, modems and video conferencing equipment), computer programs (software: database and multimedia programs) and new infrastructures that allow us to access, retrieve, Maulanastore, organize, Azad manipulate, Library, present, Aligarh send information Muslim and communicate University locally, nationally and globally through digital media”. Marcelle (2000) defined “Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a complex and heterogeneous set of goods, applications and services used for producing, distributing, processing and transforming information”.
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5.3 Development of ICT in Libraries As ICT has drastically reshaped the way in which libraries in the present electronic age perform their work, it will be worthwhile to look into the historical
background of the adoption of ICT in libraries. The growth of computerization in libraries was seen in 1930s when punch card equipment was implemented for use in library circulation and acquisition. In 1945, Vannevar Bush envisioned an automated system which stored information, including books, personal records and articles. In 1950s computers were used in libraries in U.S.A. Mortimer Taube, the Father of Coordinate Indexing, often referred to as the “Dewey of mid-twentieth-century librarianship,” pioneered the development of computer-based information retrieval systems. His invention of ‘Uni-Card Post Coordinate Indexing system of Documents, while in ‘Armed Services Technical Information Agency’ (ASTIA), USA in 1952, is a landmark that is considered to be a precursor to automated indexing. ICT entered into Libraries era in 1960s when Dr. H.P. Luhn organized computerized index in 1961. Computers entered and found some place in American Libraries during this decade. However their use and application was restricted due to high cost of hardware and non-availability of application software. In this decade, two most important developments consisted of MARC I project and OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue). Machine Readable Catalogue (MARC) came into existence in 1963 at the Library of Congress (U.S.A) for providing standardization in automation. Establishment of Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC) in 1967 marked the beginning of cooperative systems and union catalogues. In 1969, the Library of Congress started distribution of records in the new MARC II format. In 1970s, the libraries used programming skills of IT to develop library based applications. This decade had witnessed the use of various searching Bibliographic
databases e.g. DIALOG, MEDLARS etc. In the same decade, OPACs, for the first time were developed on a large scale at Ohio State University and the Dallas Public Library in 1975 and 1978 respectively, although some experimental OPACS of first Maulanageneration existed Azad as early asLibrary, the 1960s. These Aligarh and other early Muslim online catalog ueUniversity systems tended to closely reflect the card catalogues that they were intended to replace (Husain,
R. & Ansari, M.A, 2006). 1980s witnessed a gradual transition from in-house built system to integrated library management system. Apart from this, high capacity optical storage media such as WORMS and CD-ROM emerged in this decade. Some common databases including 96
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MARC; UMI’s Business Periodicals on Disk and Elsevier’s ADONIS had also emerged in the same decade. In 1990, computer networking showed the path of communication ahead, as linking of computers to form a network, could provide access to information resources both locally and from a distance (Aswal, 2006). This decade also witnessed the growth of internet and the evolution of Digital libraries, which
greatly improved telecommunication and huge reduction in the cost of mass storage. By the turn of the 21st century until now, the concepts of digital libraries, virtual libraries and paperless environment have developed. At the same time various technologies such as barcode technology, RFID security system, content provider, content aggregator using RSS (Rich Site Summary or often called Really Simple Syndication) feeds, search engines and others have emerged. Similarly other technologies that offer great potential to libraries continue to emerge such as video conferencing, biometric system, e-governance, e-learning, social networking site etc. (Tella, 2011). Now-a-days the application of ICT has become almost essential component of library operations in developing countries. 5.3.1 Development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Libraries: Indian Scenario The first computer in India, imported from the U.K was installed at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta in 1955. The first indigenous computer was designed in India in 1964 by the ISI, Calcutta in collaboration with the Jadavpur University, Calcutta. Since then India did not look back in the field of computerization. As far as the use of computer for library work is concerned in India, computers were used in library work for the first time possibly by INSDOC (Indian National Scientific and Documentation Center). This national level documentation center has been compiling a National Union Catalogue of Scientific Serials (NUCSS) in India with the help of a computer. Another application of the computer is the compilation of the Author Index and the Key-word based Subject index of Indian Science Abstracts in 1965. INSDOC also pioneered the ‘computerized SDI’ service in 1975. Maulana In Azad1970s, the developmentLibrary, of the Aligarh integrated computer Muslim chip and Universitystorage devices led to an explosion of library automation. During 1980s, CD-ROMs changed the ways libraries were operated, CD-ROMs containing databases, software, and information previously only available through print, became available making the information more accessible (Aswal, 2006). Computer networking in India showed a rise 1990s.With the result, Libraries started internet on a large scale for providing quick library and 97
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information services. Through the initiative and financial support of NISSAT (National Information System for Science and Technology) many library networks e.g. DELNET (Developing Library Network), INFLIBNET (Information and Library Network), NICNET (National Information Center Network), INDONET (Indian Documentation Network) etc. were initiated and are now fully operational. In the present library scenario, technological advances will continue to open new opportunities for libraries to provide efficient library services. The latest technologies now being frequently used in library include: Barcode, RFID, Magnetic Tapes, Digital library, CCTVs, Video- conferencing etc. The real boost in Indian university libraries are seen with the establishment of UGC-INFLIBNET. It provides financial assistance and standards for ICT implementation in university libraries. It has initiated various programs such as Shodhganga, Shodhgangaotri, Shodhsindhu, Indcat etc. to promote research and development activities. INFLIBNET since its inception facilitated the automation of University Libraries. Even now it provides access to lot of E-resources, like E-books, E-journals and also a number of Full text/Bibliographic Databases. All the above mentioned factors helped computerization in University Libraries in India. Some of the ICT's technologies that have direct or indirect applications in libraries are listed in the table-5.11. Table 5.1 Components of ICTs in Libraries Computer Technologies Communication Reprographic, Technologies Micrographic and Printing Technologies Hardware: Audio Reprographic Personal Computers Video Micrographic Mini/Mainframe/Super Audio-visual Printing (traditional and Computers Radio modern) Handheld devices Cable Television 3D Printing Storage: CD/DVD Film Scanners Software: Tele-text MaulanaSystem Software Azad and Library,Video-text Aligarh Muslim University Application Software Telephone
1 Components of ICTs in Libraries (2015). Retrieved January 27, 2016, from https://librarykvpattom.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/final-book-of-library-and-information- science-class-xii.pdf 98
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Library Management Cell/Mobile phone Software Smart Phones Digital Library Software Fax (Telefacsimile) Digitizing Software Tele-conferencing e-learning Software Networking (LAN,WAN) Artificial Intelligence Satellite Cloud Computing Barcode Storage: Smartcard ACD, VCD, DVD-ROM RFID Flash Drives Wireless E-Resources Internet E-Books Email, Voice mail E-Journals Instant Messaging (Chat) Databases (Bibliographic, Web 2.0/Social Media Full text and multimedia) (Social Networking, E-learning resources Blogging, etc.) Electronic Thesis and Voice Over Internet Protocol Dissertations (ETD) (VOIP) Library Consortia
5.4 ICT based Library Operations The introduction of ICT in libraries helps to automate various housekeeping operations as given below: 5.4.1 Acquisition Acquisition section of a library is responsible for procurements of library materials such as books, technical reports, government publications, audio-visual materials, journals, magazines or serials etc. The ordering, receipting and reporting have been the part of library management software which is being variedly used by most of the university libraries. Mahapatra (2004) gave the following major functions of automated acquisition (a) Pre-order searching, especially to avoid duplication of items Maulana(b) Azad Placing of ordersLibrary, with the suppliers. Aligarh Muslim University (c) Receiving materials from the suppliers and verifying the order list. (d) Sending of reminders to suppliers in case of non-receipt of items within the stipulated period. (e) The documents are accessioned in the accession register.
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(f) Then bill processes and send to the payment. (g) Establishing links with activities of other departments like cataloguing, serials control and circulation. (h) Maintenance of databases on publishers, book-sellers, vendors, and their latest publications. 5.4.2 Cataloguing In an automated libraries, catalogues are prepared and recorded on the computer and are made accessible via internet throughout the world. This online cataloguing has greatly enhanced the usability of catalogues. Online Public Access Catalogues have enhanced usability of traditional card formats. Prasad (2004) gave the following steps of preparing computerized cataloguing: (a) Preparing worksheet, (b) Generating machine readable records consisting of appropriate tags, (c) Verification of the machine readable catalogue records and final generation of computer readable catalogue, (d) Generation of added files. These entries may be stored in a file called inverted files, (e) Generation of indexes and cross reference entries. (f) Printing the records in a card form or book form or in the machine readable form. 5.4.3 Classification Computerized classification helps the classificationist in the selection of isolate terms in order to synthesize the class number with the help of offline/online classification schemes. Library of Congress Classification Scheme and Web Dewey are the major online classification schemes. Library of Congress Classification Scheme is very old and popular scheme developed by Library of Congress USA in 1901. It announced its transition to online in 2013, known as Classification Web. th MaulanaThe online Azad version Library, of DDC called WebAligarh Dewey was Muslim published on 15UniversityJune, 2003. Web Dewey means the database of Dewey decimal classification in web environment (i.e. on World Wide Web). Like print versions of DDC, Web Dewey is also found in both full and abridged versions; they are Web Dewey and Abridged Web Dewey.
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5.4.4 Circulation Circulation section is considered as the heart of library activities. The use of new technologies such as computers, barcode scanners and Circulation module Library Management software helps in performing these routine operations quickly and easily. Following are the functions of computerized circulation system: (a) Location of circulating items – either all items on loan or only those items on loan or elsewhere than on the shelf. (b) Identification of items on loan to a particular borrower or class of borrowers. (c) Perform issue/return with bar code. (d) Provision for handling different categories of borrower with different borrowing limits. (e) Printing recall notices for items on long term loan. (f) Renewal of loans. (g) Calculation of fines, printing of fine notices, recording receipt of fines and sometime printing of fine receipts. (h) Printing due date slip; automatically generating orders for lost books. (i) Provision for inter library loan transaction. 5.4.5 Serials Control Serials include periodicals, newspapers, annuals, journals, proceedings etc. Because of their continuing nature, serial subscriptions create problems and make it a complex process, which consequently requires a separate section in the library. Jena (2004) stated that an automated serial control performs the following functions: (a) Inputting bibliographic information of serials as per requirement, (b) Processing of approved list for current journals, (c) Ordering new journals either directly from the publisher or through vendors, (d) Renewal of presently subscribed serials Maulana(e) AzadVerification Library, of serials with Aligarh the order receipt, Muslim University (f) Verification of the bills with the order files, (g) Processing of reminders for non-receipt journals, (h) Processing of bills for payment, (i) Claiming and monitoring of defective issues and cancellation of orders, (j) Preparation of bindery order along with the list of volumes to be bound, 101
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(k) Maintaining up to date holding list of serials in the library, indicating the status of each title whether on shelf, binding, or circulation etc. (l) Providing searching facilities through Boolean searches, (m) Works related to budgetary control, discount, exchange rates etc. (n) Preparation of reports and statistics.
Other ICT oriented library operations include: Automated Stock verification, Security Gate, Drop box, Self Issue/Return work stations, Hardware/ Software specially designed for visually handicapped library users, Text to Braille conversion machine, CD search machine etc. The bibliographic databases browse through on CD-ROM or online which offer convenient, efficient and cost effective information retrieval. Use of ICT in libraries has enabled library management activities like: budgetary control, maintenance of records, preparation of accounts and library statistics etc. 5.5 ICT based Library Services Introduction of ICT in libraries has revolutionized library services. The uses of computer and communication technologies have brought new possibilities for storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. University libraries as a sub-system of higher education, have been adopting ICT in order to provide maximum services to its users as given below: Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) OPAC is a computerized database of the library holdings which can be searched by various searching criteria namely author, title, subject, class number or one or more of these combined together. OPAC is made accessible on campus through LAN or worldwide when it’s called WEB OPAC. Searching for relevant literature becomes a challenging task for a user. Federated searching allows users to search multiple full text and bibliographic databases, subscribed by the library. The same is applicable to open access e-resources as well (Chaurasia & Rehan, 2012). Information Services These services promote the use of library materials to fulfill their information Maulanarequirements. Today Azad the online Library, information Aligarh services are provided Muslim by the universityUniversity libraries which include newspaper clipping, current awareness services, indexing/abstracting services, translation service, referral services, photocopying services and computer services.
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Reference Services ICT has enhanced the conventional based reference services to electronic reference services. Electronic reference service uses ICT gadgets such as e- mail, web forms, ask a librarian, video conferencing, digital reference robots and even social media, etc. Bibliographic Services Manual Compilation of bibliography has always been a tedious job for librarians. Similarly, browsing through a print bibliography is equally time consuming. Bibliographic databases are now available in online offering convenient and effective search options, while displaying results in various formats. Many databases provide advance features like web based natural language, ranking the search results, full text searches which provide links to the original documents. Some of the examples of online bibliographic databases which are provided by the university libraries to their users are ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, J-Gate, DELNET, Indiastat, emerald insight etc. Extension Services With the adoption of ICT in libraries, modern tools like blogs, social networking sites, wikis, etc. have made library extension services more attractive and effective. Many library orientation programs are now conducted with the help of online applications. Multimedia Services Recent developments in audio video technology such as CD and DVD have made it possible to store large amount of multimedia documents in hard disk. These multimedia resources are now uploading on internet which provides easy access to the users. Electronic Document Delivery Services This service implies the delivery of the electronic version of a document that might involve reproduction of an electronic copy of a document if it is not already Maulanaavailable inAzad the electronic Library, format and deliveredAligarh to the usersMuslim online. University University libraries are also using scanners for immediately delivering copies of articles via email. 5.5.1 ICT Based New and Advanced Library Services The new and advanced ICT based library services can be classified into three groups:
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i. ICT based facilities/resources ii. Web based services iii. Customer services i. ICT based Facilities/Resources University libraries provide various types of ICT based facilities that help users in getting their relevant information timely and effectively. These are as follows: a) Computer University library provides computer labs facilities where users can utilize these equipments for their study purposes. The success of the library services mainly depends on the efficiency of the computer equipments provided in the library, i.e. the full utilization of most modern technology is important not the number of equipments. b) CD and DVD CDs and DVDs are high density, compact, portable, easy to use computer storage device and contain advanced multimedia support. Many information sources are now available on CDs, floppies and DVDs such as dictionaries, encyclopedia, full text; multimedia information, etc. Library non-book materials are mounted on a CD mirror server, users are not allowed to take them outside the library but they can access these materials through the Campus LAN. c) Barcode In automated libraries the bar code technology is used in the circulation section for the issue and return of documents and for data capturing process for stock verification. It has improved the speed and efficiency of library circulation and helps in stock verification. It ultimately saves the time of users as this technology takes less time and is error free than manual methods (Rajendiran & Bhushan, 2006). d) RFID RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification; it is an automatic identification technology where radio waves are used to identify objects or people. RFID components consist of tags, sensor, antenna, server, RFID label printer, self- Maulanacheck unit and antiAzad-theft detection Library, gate. This AligarhRFID technology Muslim solves to certain University extent the book loss problems in libraries and it can prevent book theft. e) Smart Card Smart cards are very useful in identifying the authorized users in the library. A smart card is a card with a microchip embedded in it. This card contains the entire information of users. The user information is also available in the library databases. 104
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The barcode machine reads the users' information through barcode on the circulation counter and to issue books. f) Scanner University library provides scanner facility to its users so that they can scan images, printed text, handwritten text and other documents. The university provides various types of scanner such as flatbed scanners, 3D scanner, handheld scanner etc. g) Printer University library provides printer to its users so that they can print their documents according to their needs. This facility can either be free or with minimum fee. h) Photocopier Photocopy or reprographic services have helped libraries in providing effective library services to their users ensuring better access to library materials. Students have easy access to photocopy facilities in libraries, which enable them to reproduce required material from books, journals, newspaper, reports, proceedings etc. ii. Web based Services a) Email Email is one of the important features of the internet. University library provides email services to its users not only giving messages, but also rendering Current Awareness Services (CAS) and Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) services. Through email services the library transfers journal articles and other relevant information to their needy users. b) Electronic Books (e-books) E-books stand for electronic books, which refer to the electronic or digital version of printed books. It has revolutionized the use, organization and preservation of information. E-books can be read on a dedicated reading device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other multipurpose devices such as pocket PC, tablets or PC using software from Microsoft, Adobe Acrobat reader etc. Maulanac) AzadElectronic Library, Journals (e-journals) Aligarh Muslim University Journals play an important role in the communication of scientific information. New forms of electronic information, i.e. electronic journals are seen in this digital era, these are the online version of print journals. Many academic journal publishers are providing online access to electronic journals. E-journals can be delivered from the publisher to the user through online access which is subscribed by 105
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library. The latest method of ICT in E-journals is the participation in consortia such as UGC- INFONET maintained by INFLIBNET. Many universities in India have become the member of it. d) Electronic Theses and Dissertation Electronic Theses and Dissertation (ETD) is an electronic version of research report submitted by scholars in university. Most of the university libraries provide online access of theses and dissertations to its users. Large numbers of universities have made ETDs repository by converting their theses and dissertations collections into digital format and have made it available on internet for global access. University libraries provide a platform for research students to deposit their theses and dissertation in electronic form. iii. Customer Services a) Online Databases/Database Searching Services Through this service the library provides its users, the exact information they need, depending on the users’ interest profile, from the library collection. The databases are in CD-ROM or online which save the users’ valuable time and energy, as the information available here is pinpointed and readily accessible. b) Online Reservation Services The online reservation service allows library users to reserve books and journals which are on order, being processed by the library or on loan to another reader. c) E-Query Services E-query or online reference service is offered to the registered members of the library together handle queries received in person or by E-mail. E-queries may sometimes need to be followed-up with telephone, fax, regular mail, or personal interactions. The information gathered in response will be sent to the enquirer through e-mail. d) Inter-library Loan (ILL) Services Inter-library loan services deal with borrowing documents from other Maulanalibraries and m akeAzad them available Library, to the users. Aligarh This service isMuslim gaining momentum University due to the application of improved technology and network developments. The computerized ILL system offers many advantages such as reduction of staff time required to process ILL requests, easy to download and upload ILL records, up-date ILL records automatically, print downloaded ILL records etc.
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e) Development of Institutional Repositories An institutional repository (IR) is a digital collection or archives of universities intellectual output, which capture, organize, store, disseminate, preserve and make accessible the knowledge generated by the universities to all. It provides a platform for faculty and researcher to deposit, reuse and share their research publication such as Ph.D. theses and dissertations, articles, reports, conference proceedings, audio- video records, etc. For the development of institutional repository, various systems Software such as D-Space, E-Prints, FEDORA, Greenstone, etc. are used. University library develops IRs to give access to quality scholarship to their users over LAN and also throughout the world over the internet. f) Development of Subject Gateways Subject gateways are specialized catalogues in which the information has been organized and selected by an institution or a person. It is also known as a guide to information, bibliographic guide, and a literature guide to reference materials. It is one of the most useful ways to find relevant and quality resources in a particular subject area. It allows easy access to web based resources in a particular subject. The library provides access to subject gateways through its website; it is designed and prepared under the consultation of subject experts, or by subject librarians so that it helps library users in discovering the high quality information on the internet. g) Semantic Web in University Libraries Semantic web is disseminated by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C). It is an international standardization body for the web. Libraries are using various databases like bibliographical, full text online journals, institutional repositories, etc. The users of the library seeking and making use of databases, searching for and getting in touch with other people, reviewing online catalogs, viewing documents and ordering books by filling out forms. All these activities in a library are not well supported by software tools, but search engines which establish connections between documents are the main tools used in library in searching the keywords. Maulana AzadIn university Library, library, semantic Aligarh web can be Muslim viewed as an extensionUniversity of the concept of digital libraries. It allows web information to be used in libraries for interoperability and integration between system and applications. The new standard and languages are being developed to strengthen the web information used in libraries which includes Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language
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(OWL). It enables the creation of a global infrastructure for sharing documents and data, searching and reusing information easier. h) Cloud Computing in Libraries Cloud computing contains set of software and hardware resources which are available on the internet. Its services are managed by the cloud service provider. These services provide access to advanced software applications and high configured servers. Cloud computing is a web based computing where shared resources, applications and information are provided to the set of computers and other devices on demand using web technology. It is based on internet, therefore the process of cloud computing is being done through set of web enabled applications loaded on the server (Chaurasia, 2014). Cloud computing has large prospective for libraries. Libraries may put large and large content on the cloud so that users would be able to browse them. Many library house- keeping operations, digital libraries, repositories, searching scholarly content, file storage, website hosting, building community power are hoisted on the cloud based network (Kaushik & Kumar, 2013). Cloud computing has enabled libraries to provide best services to their users to access various resources and computer applications from a single platform.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Fig: 5.1: Cloud computing
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5.6 ICT Skills and Core Competencies of Library Professionals The advent of Information and Communication Technologies poses many challenges to the library professionals, as they not only have to keep themselves updated with the emerging technologies, but have also to develop expertise in implementing those technologies in libraries for the purpose of information storage and retrieval. The skills and competencies possessed by the information scientists are usually referred to as the knowledge, experiences, know-how, attitude and attributes applied to perform a defined task effectively (Seena & Pillai, 2014). As far as the competencies are concerned, these are viewed as a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge that has enabled the individuals to take right decision in the working environment. When applied to the library professionals, competencies will mean acquiring basic knowledge and skills about ICT in order to provide faster access to information and its retrieval in a digital environment. This necessitates possessing ample knowledge by the library professionals in handling ICT based library services. To be specific the technologies wherein expertise is to be developed include the ability to use different forms of hardware and software, internet based services such as Email, Blogs, use of online databases, social networking sites, institutional repository, document search skills (i.e. Federated search), knowledge of MS-office, Library management software etc. 5.6.1 Levels of ICT Skills of Library Professionals In ICT era, library professionals must offer ICT oriented services. Ajeemsha and Madusudhan (2012) mentioned following ICT skills that should be acquired by the library professionals: i. Knowledge about relevant developments in ICT such as email, blogs, Social networking, RSS feeds, web search strategies, federated search. ii. Presentation skills. iii. Database creation. Maulanaiv. AzadComputer hardwareLibrary, competencies Aligarh. Muslim University v. Knowledge of installing software. vi. Library management software skills. vii. Knowledge of use of internet. viii. Networking competencies. ix. Knowledge of E-resource management. 109
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x. Understanding design and development of Web page creation. xi. Developing Digital library competencies. xii. Institutional repositories. xiii. Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 competencies. xiv. Web navigation skills. xv. Knowledge of copyright and IPR. xvi. Knowledge of storage devices. xvii. Knowledge of E-Books readers xviii. Knowledge of scanner, printer, barcode and RFID. xix. Photo editing and digital imaging. xx. Knowledge management skills. xxi. Knowledge of programming language.
5.6.2 Methods of Acquiring ICT Skill Library staff of university libraries is burdened with the responsibility of providing services to their users and require serious utilization of ICTs and enormous skills in order to increase efficiency in the way they serve their users. With the recent development of ICT the library staff needs to move along with the growing trends by constantly developing and updating their ICT skills and competencies. They generally acquire such skills either by practice on the job or off the job methods. On the job method includes colleagues’ assistance, trial and error, self-study using user’s guides, job instructions while off the job methods include programmed instruction, formal education, IT programs, attending in service-training and workshops etc. Following are the important methods that enhance the ICT skills of library professionals: i. Formal continuing educational programs, Informal education and short term courses should be done by library staff. ii. Orientation programs, Constant training, and retraining opportunities in digital library software, institutional repository software, integrated library Maulanamanagement Azad sof Library,tware etc. for library Aligarh professionals Muslim must be provided. University iii. Instruction and orientation programs which include subject specific and general bibliographic instructions and web based tutorials.
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iv. National and international conferences/seminar/workshops/symposiums and refresher courses should be organized regularly by professional associations. v. Use of installed library management software for developing digital libraries and institutional repositories. vi. Membership of professional’s forum, discussion groups and other communication platform through internet for sharing experiences and gaining the expertise from the professionals. vii. Training programs should be conducted at institutional levels which help the library staff in building confidence; understanding ICT tools and techniques; understanding the capabilities and implications of new technologies and also help them in getting away from technophobia. viii. Library staff should learn skills from the experienced workmates. ix. The present LIS curriculum should be revised and updated regularly in order to include new technologies and hands on training thereof.
5.6.3 Hindrance in the Acquisition of ICT Skills
There are many barriers on the way to acquiring ICT skills and competencies. Hashim (2008) mentioned four general categories of ICT literacy barriers i.e. Situational barriers, Institutional barriers, Information barriers and Psychological barriers. Situational Barriers
It is related to the personal problems that are inherent in the library staff such as they are afraid that they may not succeed in the training, they also spend most of their time working in the library and therefore they have no time to enroll in any training program. There may be lack of funds for purchasing their own computers and other ICT tools such as smart phone, iPad etc. for personal practice (Ojiegbe, 2010, p.41). It may be noted that due to these personal problems, some of the library staff develop what is called as technophobia, which becomes a discouraging factor for successful Maulanaacquisition Azad of ICT skills. Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Institutional Barriers
These relate to the lack of ICT infrastructure in university libraries, failure to integrate ICT area into the LIS curriculum, inadequate support from higher authorities,
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lack of government policies on ICT plans and policies which retard ICT literacy acquisition. Information Barriers These simply mean that the libraries fail to communicate information on ICT training and literacy programs to its staff. Psychological Barriers These relate to the library professionals belief, values, attitudes and perceptions that inhibit participation in ICT learning programs such as negative attitudes and fear of technology of library professionals towards ICT and unwillingness of library staff to learn new technology. 5.7 Conclusion The emerging technologies are creating an electronic information environment, so the library professionals need to restructure the library services as per the electronic environment in the digital era. The emerging technologies have enabled the libraries to produce services and resources in electronic format to enhance accessibility and convenience of the users. This electronic environment in library makes it necessary for library professionals to keep updated with the latest developments in ICT. Implementation of ICT in libraries has resulted in maximizing the resource utilization, while minimizing the cost of services. Users can access these resources 24 x 7 from any stand-alone workstation. Thus, the most important aspect of this change is to be able to adapt the existing theoretical knowledge and traditional skills to be able to apply them in a practical working environment that is constantly changing. In the present scenario, the existence of libraries largely depends on how effectively and efficiently the library professionals manage information resources using ICT and provide quality services to their users.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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6.1 Introduction Higher education is of vital importance for sustained growth and development of a country, as it is a powerful tool to build a knowledge-based society. Indian constitution lays down education as one of the fundamental rights of every citizen. For the development of Higher Education, the Government of India established Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) which is responsible for the overall development of the basic infrastructure of the Higher Education sector, both in terms of policy and planning. 6.2 Structure of Higher Education in India MHRD, Department of Higher Education described the structure of higher education system in India as follows: Central University: A university established or incorporated by an Act of Parliament. State University: A university established or incorporated by a Provincial Act or by a State Act. Private University: A university established through a State/Central Act by a sponsoring body viz. A Society registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, or any other corresponding law for the time being in force in a State or a Public Trust or a Company registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. Deemed to be University: An Institution Deemed to be University, commonly known as Deemed University, refers to a high-performing institution, which has been so declared by Central Government under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956. Institution of National Importance: An Institution established by an Act of Parliament and declared as Institution of National Importance. Maulana Institution Azad under Library, State Legislature Aligarh Act: MuslimAn Institution University established or incorporated by a State Legislature Act.
Chapter 6 ICT Applications In Select Central University Libraries of Delhi and U.P.
INDIAN UNIVERSITY FRAMEWORK
Public Private
Central Universities
Private Universities State Universities
Deemed to be
Universities
Institutes of National Importance
Institutions Established by State Legislature
Govt. Aided Colleges Private Colleges
Fig. 6.1: Structure of Indian University
6.3. Central University Central Universities (CU) are universities established by an Acts of Parliament by Government of India. They offer variety of courses ranging from Diploma/Degree to Doctoral level in the country. They are established to support teaching, learning, research and development activities and imparting knowledge to fulfill the mission and objectives of the country. At present there are 47 central universities which are spread Maulanaall over the country Azad1. Library, Aligarh Muslim University
1 University Grants Commission (2018). Consolidated list. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/Consolidated%20list%20of%20Central%20Universities%20as% 20on%2015.01.2016.pdf
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The below table shows the name, year of establishment and location of central universities. Table 6.1 List of Central Universities in India (as on 12.04.2018) (Arranged by location) S.No. Name of the Central Year of Location Universities establishment 1. Rajiv Gandhi University 2007 Arunachal Pradesh 2. Assam University 1994 Assam 3. Tezpur University 1994 Assam 4. Central University of South Bihar 2009 Bihar 5. Mahatma Gandhi Central University 2000 Bihar 6. Nalanda University 2010 Bihar 7. Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya 2009 Chhattisgarh 8. Central University of Gujarat 2009 Gujarat 9. Central University of Haryana 2009 Haryana 10. Central University of Himachal 2009 Himachal Pradesh Pradesh 11. Central University of Kashmir 2009 Jammu & Kashmir 12. Central University of Jammu, 2011 Jammu & Kashmir 13. Central University of Jharkhand 2009 Jharkhand 14. Central University of Karnataka 2009 Karnataka 15. Central University of Kerala 2009 Kerala 16. Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya 2009 Madhya Pradesh 17. The Indira Gandhi National Tribal 2007 Madhya Pradesh University 18. Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya 1997 Maharashtra Hindi Vishwavidyalay 19. Central Agricultural University 1993 Manipur Maulana20. ManipurAzad University Library, Aligarh 2005Muslim Manipur University 21. North Eastern Hill University 1973 Meghalaya 22. Mizoram University 2000 Mizoram 23. Nagaland University 1994 Nagaland
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24. Central University of Orissa 2009 Odisha 25. Central University of Punjab 2009 Punjab 26. Central University of Rajasthan 2009 Rajasthan 27. Sikkim University 2007 Sikkim 28. Central University of Tamil Nadu 2009 Tamil Nadu 29. Indian Maritime University 2008 Tamil Nadu 30. Hyderabad University 1974 Telangana 31. Maulana Azad National Urdu 1998 Telangana University 32. The English and Foreign Languages 2007 Telangana University 33. Tripura University 2007 Tripura 34. Aligarh Muslim University 1920 Uttar Pradesh 35. University of Allahabad 1887 Uttar Pradesh 36. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar 1996 Uttar Pradesh University 37. Banaras Hindu University 1916 Uttar Pradesh 38. Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation 2013 Uttar Pradesh University 39. Rani Lakshmi Bai Central 2017 Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University 40. Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna 1973 Uttrakhand Garhwal University 41. VishwaBharati 1921 West Bengal 42. Delhi University 1922 NCT of Delhi 43. Indira Gandhi National Open 1985 NCT of Delhi University 44. Jamia Mallia Islamia 1920 NCT of Delhi Maulana45. Jawaharlal Azad Nehru UniversityLibrary, Aligarh1969 MuslimNCT of Delhi University 46. South Asian University 2007 NCT of Delhi 47. Pondicherry University 1985 Pondicherry
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Out of 47 central universities, the scope of the present study confines itself to 3 universities from Delhi and 3 universities from U.P. as given in Table 6.2.
Table 6.2 Select Central Universities Libraries in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.)2 S.No Central Year of Central University Year of Establishment University Establishment Libraries in U.P. Libraries in Delhi University Library University Library 1. Jamia Millia 1988 1988 Banaras Hindu 1916 1917 Islamia University (BHU), (JMI), New Varanasi Delhi 2. University of 1922 1922 Aligarh Muslim 1920 1920 Delhi (UOD), University Delhi (AMU), Aligarh 3. Jawaharlal 1969 1969 Babasaheb Bhimrao 1997 1998 Nehru Ambedkar University University (BBAU), Lucknow (JNU), New Delhi
The selection of the central university libraries is based on the following criteria: a) All the selected libraries except one are the prominent and oldest central university libraries in India. b) These libraries are world famous for their collections and services. c) These libraries have applied ICT for automation of their operations and services.
The present study has been conducted on the attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using ICT in select central university libraries Maulanaof Delhi andAzad U.P. This Library, chapter, therefore, Aligarh discusses a Muslimbrief history of Universitythese libraries, their collection and their ICT based services and operations.
2 The description of the libraries under study is based on the data collected individually and also upon the information available on library website in 2016. 117
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6.4 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi is one of the prestigious central universities in the country. The university was named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and was formally inaugurated on 14th November 1969 by Shri V. V. Giri, the then President of India. The JNU campus is situated in Aravali hill range, occupying about 1000 acres of land. The JNU campus represents Indian elites by drawing students from every corner of the country and from every group and section of the society. The University was envisioned as an institution essentially for post-graduate teaching and research. As per the data available on JNU website about 8308 students are enrolled in the university with about 450 faculty members (Accessed on December, 2017). The objective of the university is to promote research and teaching leading to the increasing engagement of its students and teachers in higher level academic work. The Academic Advisory Committee of the University had originally planned that the University would be broadly structured into Schools (like Faculty), each with constituent centers. Today the University has ten Schools and four special centers as follows: Schools: (i) School of Arts and Aesthetics (SAA) (ii) School of Biotechnology (SBT) (iii) School of Computer and System Sciences (SCSS) (iv) School of Computational and Integrative Sciences (SCIS) (v) School of Environmental Sciences (SES) (vi) School of International Studies (SIS) (vii) School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies (SLL & CS) (viii) School of Life Sciences (SLS) (ix) School of Physical Sciences (SPS) (x) School of Social Sciences (SSS) MaulanaCenters: Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University (i) Center for the Study of Law and Governance (CSLG) (ii) Special Centre for Molecular Medicine (SCMM) (iii) Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies (SCSS) (iv) Special Centre for Nano Sciences (SCNS) These Schools have been declared by the UGC to be centers of 'Excellence'.
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6.4.1 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library JNU library was established in 1969 and is located at the heart of the Academic complex in JNU. It is a nine-storied building with a carpet area of about one lakh sq.ft. This library is a knowledge hub of Jawaharlal Nehru University which provides comprehensive access to books, journals, theses and dissertations, reports, surveys covering diverse disciplines. This library was named as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library on April, 2017. The library is easily accessible from all the Schools/Centers making it hub of the entire academic activities of the university. The central library of JNU is 24x7 Wi-Fi enabled providing a conducive environment for study and research (JawaharLal Nehru University, 2017). 6.4.1.1 Library Collection The Library has a rich print collection of over 5,70,000 volumes which includes books, theses, dissertations, bound volumes of journals, newsletters, Govt. and UN reports, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus, glossaries, CDs ROM collection, charts, maps, micro rolls, audio/video cassettes, etc. The JNU Library is a depository of all Govt. publications and publications of some important International Organisations like WHO, European Union, United Nations and its allied agencies etc. In addition to local materials, the JNU Central Library provides access to hundreds of thousands of e- books, e-journals, magazines and newspapers. Table 6.3 Library Collection of JNU S.No. Documents JNU 1. Books 5,83,686 2. Current journals 254 3. Ph. D. Theses 23,842 4. Govt. publications 30,000 5. Online Journals 20,000 6. E-Books 1,22,252 Maulana 7.Azad Online Library, Databases Aligarh Muslim41 University 6.4.1.1.1 Print/ E-Journals and Online Databases The library subscribes to 314 print & 597 online Journals and 41 online databases. In addition, it has access to 25 online databases under UGC-INFONET consortium program of INFLIBNET.
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6.4.1.1.2 Electronic Theses and Dissertations The library has a digital collection of over 23,842 full-text Theses and Dissertations submitted to JNU. All e-theses and e-dissertations can be accessed through the library OPAC on JNU intranet. In 2018 the university has provided a digitized copy of more than 4715 theses to INFLIBNET Centre to make them available in Shodhganga (Shodhganga, 2018). 6.4.1.1.3 Digital Archive of Newspaper Clippings The library has a rich digital collection of about one million newspapers’ clippings, culled and digitized from more than 11 newspapers on the basis of 72 selected areas and subject studies. Besides, the library also has a complete Digital Archive of the newspaper “Times of India” (since 1880) and subscribes to Newspaper Direct (Press Display) which provides access to over 2990 national and online newspapers. 6.4.1.2 Library Timings Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday - 9:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M Sundays and Holidays - 9:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M The Library remains closed on three National Holidays and at Holi festival each year. 6.4.1.3 Membership of the library At present there are approximately 8893 registered members comprising of 8308 Students, 450 faculty members and 135 supporting staff. 6.4.1.4 Library Services The central library of JNU provides many services which are as follows: 6.4.1.4.1 General Services (i) 24x7 remote access facilities to all E-resources of the library. (ii) 24x7 fully air conditioned general reading halls with all modern amenities and specialized reading rooms for faculty members. (iii) Overnight issue facility of textbooks in all disciplines. (iv) Plagiarism check and guidance facility for theses/dissertations/articles. Maulana(v) Reference Azad and referral Library, services. Aligarh Muslim University (vi) Regular display of faculty publications and New Book Arrivals. (vii) Locker facility for JNU research scholars, faculty and visually & physically challenged users. (viii) All regular library services such as circulation, reprographic, scanning, binding, printout etc. provided by the library.
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(ix) Dedicated specialized services and assistive technologies are provided for visually challenged researchers and students in ‘Helen Keller Unit’. The library provides a digitization center for visually challenged users; it also provides Braille printing facility. The library unit provides laptops, digital voice recorders and assistive reading and writing in different languages to the users. 6.4.1.4.2 ICT based Library Services Jawaharlal Nehru University library provides following ICT based services to their users. (i) The library provides OPAC services in which the users can search Books, Articles, Journals and Theses, etc. through various search techniques like Quick Search, Browse and Advanced Search. Users can also know the status of the document like whether it has been issued out or on-shelf as well as the location of the document within the Library. (ii) Cyber Library with 200 PCs has been installed for students and research scholars to access internet and online resources. (iii) Institutional Repository (IR) available on the intranet consists of the intellectual output of JNU faculty in form of articles, theses, teaching materials, working papers and also administrative documents etc. in various formats like texts, presentations, audio-visual records and e-learning objects. (iv) JNU subject gateway offers links to freely available online resources (documents, audio and videos) on various subjects such as Arts, Social Sciences, Literature, Language, Biotechnology, Computer Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences, Law, Nano Sciences, Life Sciences etc. accessible via internet to students, researchers and faculty members. (v) Books and Articles on loan are arranged from other Libraries through DELNET. Maulana(vi) AzadOnline Press Library, Clippings Service Aligarh of the library Muslim is one of theUniversity widely used services among the research scholars and faculty. The library has digitized approximately 8 lakhs newspaper articles in Social Sciences, International Relations, Humanities, and News about JNU.
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(vii) As a member of DELNET, Central library of JNU avails lot of facilities such as compilation of various Union Catalogues of its resources, Email and Inter-Library loan service. (viii) JNU central library being the member of UGC INFONET Digital Library Consortium, avails free access to bibliographic full text databases. 6.4.1.5 ICT based Library Operations The library has been using VIRTUA library management software since 1995. Virtua software was developed by Visionary Technology in Library Solution (VTLS), Virginia USA based company. This software provides a number of customized solutions to manage library. Virtua is comprised of all the modules namely Acquisition, Circulation, Cataloguing, Article indexing, Serial control, OPAC, Statistics and reporting, Chameleon Gateway. While conducting a comparative study of three most popular library management software in India, Husain & Ansari (2007) have comprehensively discussed Virtua in their research article. 6.4.1.6 Library staff At present the library has 93 sanctioned posts of professional staffs, as given below: Designation Number 1. University Librarian 01 2. Deputy Librarians 03 3. Assistant Librarians 12 4. Professional Assistants 24 5. Semi Professional Assistants 27 6. Library Attendants 26 6.5 University of Delhi (DU) The University of Delhi was establishment in 1922 by an Act of the then Central Legislative Assembly. The President, Vice President and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India are the Visitor, the Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor of Maulanathe University respectivelyAzad .Library, Beginning with Aligarh three colleges i.e.Muslim St. Stephen’s University College (founded in 1881), Hindu College (founded in 1899) and Ramjas College (founded in 1917), two faculties’ i.e. Arts and Science and about 750 students, it has grown as one of the largest universities in India with 16 faculties, over 80 academic departments, 77 colleges and 5 other recognized institutes across North campus, South campus and off
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campus. The offices and the library of the university were situated at the Viceregal Lodge Estate in 1933. The South Campus established in 1973, moved to its present location on Benito Juarez Road, near Dhaula Kuan, in 1984 (University of Delhi, 2016a). 6.5.1 Delhi University Library System (DULS) The regular development and extension in the number of libraries, has led to the emergence of the concept of the Delhi University Library System (DULS) for accomplishing the task of reaching out to the wider academic community in Delhi. The Delhi University Central Library which began in 1922 with a collection of mere 1380 gifted books has now grown into a decentralized system having more than 37 libraries in its folds, excluding Central library, headed by the University Librarian. In 1933, the library managed to get a relatively stable space, viz. the ‘Dance Hall’ of the Old Viceregal Lodge (the present office of the Vice-Chancellor). On December 01, 1958 the Library moved to its present locale in the heart of the Campus (University of Delhi, 2016b). Delhi University Library System includes the following major libraries which are extended in the four zonal directions (north, east, west and south) of Delhi. (a) Central Library (b) Arts Library (c) Central Science Library (d) East Asian Studies Library (e) FMS Library (f) Law Library (g) Ratan Tata Library (h) South Campus Library (i) Braille Library 6.5.1.1 Library Collection The collection of Delhi University Library System includes print as well as Maulanaelectronic Azadresources. Library, Aligarh Muslim University 6.5.1.1.1 Print Collection The present collections of DULS are given in the following table.
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Table 6.4 Library Collection of DULS S.No. Document Category Number 1. Books 14, 50,000 volumes 2. Current Journals 1290 Journals 3. Bound Journals 3,66,000 bound volumes
4. Ph.D. Thesis 14,500 volumes
5. M.Phil Dissertations 5,600 volumes 6. Manuscript 700 manuscripts 7. CD ROM 2000 CDs 8. Total 1840090
6.5.1.1.2 Electronic Resource Collection
DULS subscribes to a large number of e-resources including databases, reference sources, full text sources, statistical sources and bibliographic databases that are accessible through the campus network and also through UGC INFONET Digital Library consortium. The electronic resources of the library are divided into three heads: (a) DULS subscribed e-resources: the library subscribes to 30 online databases (b) UGC INFONET e-resources: About 29 e-resources are provided by UGC INFONET to the library. (c) Public Domain e-resources: There are about 90 public domain databases provided by the library (University of Delhi, 2017). 6.5.1.2 Library Timings Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday - 9.00 am - 8.00 pm Sunday and Holidays - 9.00 am - 6.00 pm The library is open round the year except on Republic Day, Holi, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Maulana6.5.1.3 Membership Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Following are the members of the library: Faculty members: 7000 Research scholars: 5000 Regular Students: UG: 114494, PG: 17941
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6.5.1.4 Library Services The DULS provides many services to its users as described below: 6.5.1.4.1 General Library Services In general, libraries under the DULS offer following facilities and services; i. Library Membership Facility;
ii. Document Borrowing Facility; iii. Text book Service; iv. Reference, Referral and Information Service, and E-referencing;
v. Reservation of books;
vi. Inter-Library Loan Service; vii. Facility to browse reading materials in an open access environment; viii. Use of special collections wherever they are available; ix. Use of Theses and Dissertations as per the conditions;
x. Facility for research scholars; xi. Assistance in the use of Electronic Resources; xii. Information Literacy and Competency Programs for the benefit of students and teachers of the University; xiii. Bibliographical Services wherever they are available; xiv. Article Alert Services wherever they are available; xv. Photocopying Service by adhering to the Copyright Provisions is available through the commercial vendors in the vicinity of each Library. 6.5.1.4.2 ICT based Library Services (a) E-mail Service: This service is provided to the members of the library including faculty members, research scholars and PG students. It is used for updating users about a number of services offered by the library, such as CAS, overdue books etc. (b) Access to E-journals: To facilitate the academic community, the library has started a project ‘Electronic Journal Listing Service (EJLS)’. The users can Maulanasearch Azad e-journal Library, Listing Service Aligarh database by its Muslim title, publisher orUniversity subject. Only authorized users are allowed to use this service as the authentication is done at IP level.
(c) Online Services: Following are the online services provided by DULS:
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(1) Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC): DULS provide OPAC facility to its users, about 16,82,649 bibliographical entries of books, journals and theses are recorded in OPAC.
(2) DELNET: DULS is a member of DELNET and availing various services provided by DELNET such as resource sharing, DELNET database, reference services, professional training and technical support.
(3) Digitization of Books: As a part of Government of India’s ‘Digital Library project’ (2016), DULS in collaboration with CDAC (Center for Development of Advanced Computing), Noida (UP) undertook a pilot project to digitize 3000 out of copyright books. (University of Delhi, 2016c).
(5) Federated Search: The library provides a common search engine called Knimbus for the benefit of their students and faculty members.
(6) Information Literacy Tutorial: In order to enable a user to recognize the information, he/she needs and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use the information effectively; the DULS has initiated this program for the benefit of students and teachers of the University.
(7) Open access e-resource: DULS provides the links to freely available e- resources in public domain, such as e-journals, e-books, institutional repositories, Dissertations and theses and multimedia resources for use in teaching, learning and research.
(8) Membership in Consortia: Delhi University is a member of UGC-INFONET Digital Library Consortium. It accessed 21 databases through this consortium. The library through its website provides detailed list of publisher wise full text e-journals as well as bibliographic databases to their users' community along with their links (University of Delhi, 2016d).
(d) Development of IT Infrastructure for Physically Challenged: DULS provides various services to physically challenge academic community by making library material in talking book format, E-books and Braille scripts for Maulanastudy, teachingAzad and Library,research. Aligarh Muslim University 6.5.1.5 ICT Based Operations For solving the problems of Library’s working environment and users’ services, DULS installed Trodden library management software in the year 1998. This software developed by Comtex Services Private Limited, is a user friendly integrated, multi-user
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retrieval software package for library automation. Following are the computerized library operations, which are performed by the library: OPAC, Acquisition, Circulation, Cataloguing, Serial Control, In-house databases, Management information, Database Maintenance/Retrospective data conversion, Word processing. 6.5.1.6 Library staff At present the library has 120 sanctioned posts of professional staff, as given below: Designation Number 1. University Librarian 01 2. Deputy Librarians 07 3. Assistant Librarians 10 4. Professional Assistants 19 5. Semi Professional Assistants 49 6. Library Attendants 34 6.6 Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) In response to a call by the Father of the Nation, Shri M.K. Gandhi to boycott British Government supported educational institutions Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) was established at Aligarh in 1920, with Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmud Hasan, Maulana Mohamed Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Abdul Majeed Khwaja and Dr. Zakir Husain as prominent members of Jamia Millia Islamia movement. In Urdu language ‘Jamia’ means university and ‘Millia’ means National. The Jamia moved from Aligarh to Delhi in 1925. The foundation stone of the present campus was laid on March 1, 1930. Since its inception, the institution has grown and expanded rapidly. In 1963, Jamia Millia Islamia was declared a deemed university under section 2 of the University Grants Commission Act and subsequently elevated to the status of a Central University as per Jamia Millia Islamia Act 1988, passed by the Parliament on 26th December 1988. On 22 February 2011 the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions granted “Minority Institution” status to Jamia Millia MaulanaIslamia under Azad Article Library,30(1) of the constitution Aligarh read with Muslim Section 2(G) Universityof the National Commission for Minorities Institutions Act. The University remains committed to modern education and its implicit stated values of Nationalism & Secularism. It offers integrated education right from nursery level to research. The university presently conducts PG, UG, Diploma, Certificate, M. Phil., M .Tech and Ph.D. courses in
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different subjects. Almost twenty thousand students are enrolled in 9 Faculties, 38 Departments, 33 centers and 7 schools in the University (Jamia Millia Islamia, 2017). The university has the following faculties: (a) Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics
(b) Faculty of Engineering and Technology (c) Faculty of Law (d) Faculty of Dentistry (e) Faculty of Fine Arts (f) Faculty of Natural Sciences (g) Faculty of Education (h) Faculty of Humanities and Languages (i) Faculty of Social Sciences
6.6.1 Dr. Zakir Husain Library (Central Library) Dr. Zakir Husain Library is the university's central library. Established in 1920, it was named after Dr. Zakir Husain, former President of India and Jamia's former Vice-Chancellor in 1973. Originally housed in the old building with an area of 23,038 sq.ft, the library has grown keeping pace with the university, which gradually evolved from deemed university in 1962 to the present central university in 1988. The new library building was planned in 2003, and the library was shifted to its present premises in 2009 (Jamia Millia Islamia, 2018). 6.6.1.1 Library Collection The Library has a collection of 3.70 lakh books and subscribes to 345 print journals including foreign and Indian both. The Library has a valuable collection of 2230 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pushtoo, Punjabi and Hindi languages. The library collection consists of: Table 6.5 Library Collection of JMI S.No. Document Category Number 1. Books 3.70 Lakhs 2. Print Journals 345 3. Manuscripts 2230 Maulana4. AzadRare books Library, Aligarh4200 Muslim University 5. Theses 2200 6. E-journals 7000 7. E-databases 37 8. CDs 1200 9. Total 387212
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6.6.1.2 Library Timing The library remains open from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. in all week days including Sundays. During the examination period, opening hours are further extended till midnights. The library remains closed on: Republic day, Holi, Jummat-ul-Wida, Eid-UL-Fitr, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Dussehra, Eid-ul-Azha, Diwali and Muharram. 6.6.1.3 Membership The library caters to the needs of 19,762 members, comprising of Faculty and other staff, research scholars, under-graduate and post-graduate students of the University. 6.6.1.4 ICT Based Library Services The Dr. Zakir Husain central library provides the following services to its users: (a) Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC): OPAC terminals are installed in the entrance lobby of the main building as well as in all stacks of the library. The library used ‘Virtua software’ for automation of its services in 1992. It switched over to LibSys 4 version in 1998. Presently the library has been using LibSys 7 upgraded version since 2016 which also provides Web OPAC facility that enables the users to search library holdings by various approaches such as title, author, corporate source, keyword, etc. (b) Reference service: The library provides online and offline reference service to its members by preparing bibliography, Webliography, new additions, newspaper clippings and offers group/individual orientation sessions for using the OPAC and e-resources. (c) Inter-Library Loan: The central library of JMI offers inter library loan service to its users for the documents by procuring them from other libraries within Delhi and elsewhere. Document procurement services can be made available via DELNET and INFLIBNET. (d) Photocopying Service: Library provides photocopying facility at a subsidized Maulanarate, Azad available Library, at the main reading Aligarh hall and textbook Muslim section throughUniversity private contractors. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. including Saturdays and Sundays. (e) Federated Search: A federated search tool, Knimbus, is available to search journal articles in multiple databases.
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(f) Single-Window Search: Library provides single-window search facility for its e-journals, e-books, in-house digitized documents, and open access resources through EBSCO Discovery Service. (g) Web Service: The library website was launched on 2nd November, 2000 and had grown into an information rich dynamic portal. It provides information about the holding of the library, open access e-resources, library services, new additions, conferences, workshops, seminars, staffs, events, library rules etc. (h) Database Services: Database services provided by the library are made available through UGC-INFONET, INFLIBNET and INDEST-AICTE. Some of the major databases are Scopus, Indian Citation Index, Britannica Image Quest, Sage journals. (i) Digital Resource Center: The Library’s Digital Resource Centre is equipped with 100 workstations as a gateway to the online resources and to facilitate access to 7000 peer reviewed full text scholarly e-journals in the field of sciences, engineering, technology, humanities and languages, law, etc. through 28 databases and 7 bibliographic/citation databases. Guide Boards giving the details of the Databases and E-Journals and in-house Digitized Resources are available at the Digital Resource Centre (Jamia Milia Islamia, 2016). (j) Learning Center for Differently abled: The library provides access to learning resources for the visually impaired students through the use of assistive technology for the screen reading, screen magnification, and optical recognition. The Centre is equipped with requisite Software such as SAFA Reader, Talking Typing Teacher Software, OpenBook Software, ReadEasy+ etc. and has developed a collection of about 1,500 e-resources for visually impaired students as per users’ requirements. 6.6.1.5 ICT Based Library Operations Automation of library operations and services started with the installation of Virtua software in 1992. It, however, gained impetus with the installation of LibSys software Maulanain 1998. Hence, Azad most of theLibrary, in-house operations Aligarh such as Acquisition,Muslim Cataloguing, University Serials, Circulation, and Article Indexing were automated. After up-gradation of LibSys with the latest version 7 in 2016, Web OPAC and Customizable Reports facilities were also developed.
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6.6.1.6 ICT Infrastructure
As per the information collected from the library administration the Library has a well-established Wi-Fi network and has an advanced Digital Alpha server with the configuration of DEL power Edges R7200, Intel Xeon 3.50 GHz (2 processors), 48 GB RAM and backup data drive etc. with around 200 PCs running various versions of Windows operating software. The library has 18 printers, 8 barcode readers and 1500 CDs/DVDs, besides; there is one LCD projector and six flatbed scanners. It has CCTV system with 32 cameras providing electronic surveillance. 6.6.1.7 Library Staff The library has 48 sanctioned posts of professional staff as given below: Designation Number 1. University Librarian 01 2. Deputy Librarians 01 3. Assistant Librarians 06 4. Professional Assistants 12 5. Semi Professional Assistants 09 6. Library Attendants 19
6.7 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) being one of the oldest universities in the country was established in 1920. It has a long history with its roots going back to the period of the first struggle of independence in 1857, to which every section of the Indian society including Muslims had made their own contribution. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) being a nationalist, freedom fighter, scholar and a great social reformer of his time, strongly felt that the empowerment of all sections of Indian polity particularly Muslims can only be achieved through education and scientific outlook. The dream of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was to open new vistas in higher education and learning on the model presented by some of the finest universities of his time like Oxford and Cambridge. The sibling of his ideas that originated as a small school in Maulana1875 grew Azad into the MohammedanLibrary, Anglo Aligarh Oriental (MAO Muslim) College in University 1877 and was chartered as the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. It was the secular spirit of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who regarded Hindus and Muslims as the two eyes of the Nation. Thus, the university, since its inception, is open for all the members of the communities, castes and creeds (AMU, 2017a).
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The University has more than 28,000 students, 1,326 teachers and some 5,610 non-teaching staff on its rolls. There are 12 faculties, 99 departments, 3 academics, 13 centers and 5 institutions, 7 colleges and 10 schools. The university offers about 300 courses in traditional as well as modern education (AMU, 2017b). 6.7.1 Maulana Azad Library (Central Library) The library was set up in 1877 when this institution was first established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as Madrasatul-Uloom Musalmanan. The foundation stone of the library building was laid by Lord Lytton, the Viceroy of India and the library was named after him as Lytton Library. Since 1920 when the college was chartered as the Aligarh Muslim University by an Act of Parliament, the library continued to grow steadily. In spite of annexing the adjacent rooms to the Lytton Library in 1950’s, it was not possible to accommodate any more books and readers. Thus, in 1955 the foundation stone of the present seven storied building was laid by one of the foremost leaders of Indian freedom struggle and the first Prime Minister of the Independent India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It took five years for the construction of this mammoth building and in 1960 when the construction was completed, the library was inaugurated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and named as Maulana Azad Library after the name of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a noted scholar, a great educationalist, a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement and the first Education Minister of the Republic India. As the time rolled on, the university showed multi-dimensional growth adding more and more departments of studies and research centers to shoulder the educational responsibilities of India. Accordingly, M.A. Library also expanded its dimensions and incorporated various departmental libraries. Presently, the centralized library system of the University is comprised of a Central Library, known as Maulana Azad Library, along with 5 College/ Faculty Libraries and over 110 Departmental/Seminar libraries. 6.7.1.1 Library Collection As per the data collected in 2015/16 or then available on library’s website, the central library as well as departmental libraries are in possession of about 18 lakh Maulanadocuments, both Azad in print Library, and electronic formAligarh. The collection Muslim consists ofUniversity books, periodicals, newspapers, theses, dissertations, reports, pamphlets, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, CDs, databases, e-books, talking books etc. The library also has some important collection such as Sir Syed Collection, Gandhi Collection and Aligarh Collection, apart from a mammoth collection of 16,788 manuscripts, some of which belong to rarest of the rare category.
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Table 6.6 Library Collection of AMU S.No. Documents Number 1. Books 13,07,879 2. Print Journals 580 3. Theses and dissertations 14,019 4. E-Books 1,20,948 5. E-journal 7,372 6. Research Papers 20,00,000 7. Manuscripts 16,788 8. Online Databases 04 9. CD/DVD 7,320
6.7.1.2 Library Timing The library remains open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight on all days throughout the year except a few holidays of national and religious importance. During the examination period, the library opening hours are extended upto 2:00 a.m. for the convenience of the students. 6.7.1.3 Library Membership The library has both types of membership, i.e. permanent members who include all the bonafide students, faculty and other staff as well as temporary members who can borrow books from the library by depositing the security charges. The undergraduate teaching of female students of the university is done in Women’s College, which is a fully fledged campus with an independent library. The U.G students of Women’s College may also avail the facilities of central library. 6.7.1.4 ICT Infrastructure Automation of Maulana Azad library started in late 90s. In the Ist phase, library introduced library automation software LibSys version 4 in 2001 and started retro- Maulanaconversion Azad of bibliographic Library, documents .Aligarh Simultaneously, Muslim efforts were on University to computerize library’s in-house operations including automated Circulation of books using Barcode, use of email in Acquisition process and Serials’ control, Article Indexing etc. However, the library gained real momentum to the automation process during the period of 2008- 2012 when Prof. Shabahat Husain took over charge of the University Library. The
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initiatives taken during the period include: Installation of CCTVs and Automatic Security Gate (3M system) for theft detection, pasting of tattle tapes in all the issuable books of the library, Downloading of about 2 lac E-books from the ‘ First World E- book Fair’ (held in July 2008) under the Gutenberg Project , Digitization of 30 Lac folios of rare books and documents in Urdu and Persian under National Digital Library Project of Govt. of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by CDAC, establishment of Digital Resource Center (DRC) with high speed internet connectivity, digitization of works of Sir Syed Ahmad khan and making them available through the website (www.sirsyedtoday.org) launched in December, 2009, completion of retro-conversion of about 5.5 lac collection and making it available through Library’s web OPAC, developed by upgrading library software LibSys from version 4 to 7 in 2012. All these developments made M.A. Library to get into full swing in order to provide effective services to its users. Presently, the central library has a well - established Wi-Fi network, 1 main server, 104 systems running various operating systems such as Windows 7, 8, XP and Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise. The library has 15 printers, 4 barcode readers, 1 LCD projector, 2 overhead scanners and 2 flatbed scanners, apart from a CD search system and Automatic security gate (3M system) using magnetic strips in the Books. 6.7.1.5 ICT Based Library Services The Central Library provides the following services to its users: 6.7.1.5.1 Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Since the upgradation of LibSys from version 4 to 7, the library has developed web OPAC since 2012. A well decorated central Hall is provided with eight OPAC terminals in addition to at least one terminal in each of the seven storied stacks as well as in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Manuscripts Division and Reading Rooms of the Library. LibSys with Unicode based high end version 7, provides all different modules for the total library management solutions. 6.7.1.5.2 Inter-Library Loan Services MaulanaThe Library Azad obtains Library,the required document Aligarh on Inter LibraryMuslim Loan as andUniversity when required. Library’s reference section after obtaining complete information of the required document from web OPAC of other Universities gets the documents on loan for the benefit of users. It also uses services of DELNET and INFLIBNET when needed.
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6.7.1.5.3 Digital Resource Centre: With the establishment of Digital Resource Center (DRC) in 2009 several landmarks were achieved in the history of library. Apart from downloading about 2 Lac e-books, the library subscribed to a number of languages learning software, in addition to getting free access to Science Direct, Web of Science, SciFinder scholar, Online Wiley journals through INFLIBNET. In 2015 the DRC was shifted to the new building of library (Annexe) and provided with 100 systems based on Windows and Ubuntu operating systems. It provides access to the subscribed as well as open access resources available to the University. CDs of lectures of IITians, medical tutorials, reference documents, etc. are also accessible in the Digital Resources Centre. At present about 16000 e-journals and some world famous databases are accessible to the users through DRC. The library has received IP based online access to almost all important internationally reputed Full Text Databases namely Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciFinder Scholar, ERMED Consortia, J-Gate, BIOSIS, ProQuest, Scopus, Indiastat, EBSCO and DELNET. DRC provides access to various digital resources such as: (a) List of Books by Sir Syed (b) List of Books on Sir Syed and Aligarh Movement (c) Institutional Repository of Theses and Dissertations (d) List of E-Resources available in Oriental Languages (e) Subject Information Gateways (f) List of Open Access e-Journals (g) List of Open Access e-Books (h) List of Open Access Databases & Search Engines (i) List of Dictionaries & Encyclopedias (j) List of open access Electronic Theses & Dissertations (k) Publications of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) (l) List of Annual Reports: National & International Maulana6.7.1.5.4 BrailleAzad book Library, services Aligarh Muslim University Maulana Azad Library provides services to the visually impaired students through Braille Section. Apart from the books in Braille script, this section provides a large number of documents and devices in electronic format. The library issues Angel Pro, a mobile like apparatus along with memory chips of 32 GB for recording the classroom lectures and listening to the already recorded documents to all the students
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for the entire duration of the course. The Braille section of the library has a freedom scientific instrument with JAWS, screen reader software provided with a Braille printer that converts the print materials into Braille. This section is in possession of a machine also that directly converts printed text from the Book into Braille. 6.7.1.5.5 Photocopying Services The library provides photocopying facilities, print, scanned and prepared CDs at a subsidized rate to its members through private vendor. 6.7.1.5.6 Current Awareness Service (CAS) Library provides CAS as content page service that involves photocopying of all new issues of leading scholarly journals received in the library for transferring them to the respective departments via e-mail. 6.7.1.5.7 River Ganga Repository The central library launched River Ganga Repository on 17th May, 2016 in order to collect, organize and make accessible the literature and other information pertaining to river Ganga. The information may be utilized in cleaning and rejuvenating river Ganga. 6.7.1.5.8 Library Security System In 2010, the central library installed 3M Security system/Automatic Security gate using magnetic strips in the books. The system offers security and efficiency in Circulation of Books. It also installed about three dozen CCTV cameras in various sections, reading rooms and stacks for the security of the invaluable collection and provision of efficient services to the users. 6.7.1.6 ICT Based Library Operations The library has introduced ICT in library operations in a phased manner started in 2001 by adopting LibSys 4.0 software. Today the library uses LibSys 7.0 software which was installed in 2012; it connects almost all 9,500 computers within the University as well as the off-campus centers. The software is comprised of all modules namely: Acquisition, Cataloguing, Serials, Circulation, Article Indexing, Web OPAC and MaulanaCustomizable Reports. Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 6.7.1.7 Library Staff Maulana Azad library has 86 sanctioned posts of professional staff as follows: Designation Number
1. University Librarian 01
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2. Deputy Librarians 01 3. Assistant Librarians 05 4. Professional Assistants 16 5. Semi Professional Assistants 43 6. Library Attendants 20 6.8 Banaras Hindu University The Banaras Hindu University (BHU), an internationally reputed temple of learning founded by great nationalist leader Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916, is situated in the holy city of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). BHU is the largest residential University in Asia with about 30,000 students from all over India and 46 foreign countries. The university campus is spread over 550 Hectares (1360 acres) with majestic buildings of great architectural delight. In addition, the Rajiv Gandhi South Campus was established in the year 2006 in 1092.6 Hectares (2700 acres) located about 75 kms away from the main campus, at Barkachha in Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh. The university offers several undergraduates, postgraduate courses, special PG level courses, Research programs, D.Litt, LL.D. (BHU, 2017a). The university has 6 institutes, 8 faculties, 25 departments, 4 colleges and 3 schools. The institutes and faculties of BHU are as follows: Table 6.7 List of BHU institutes and faculties S.No. Institutes Faculties 1. Science Arts 2. Medical Sciences Commerce 3. Agricultural Sciences Education 4. Management Studies Law 5. Environment & Sustainable Development Performing Arts 6. Indian Institute of Technology Social Sciences 7. Sanskrit Vidya Dhama Vijnan 8. Visual Arts
Maulana6.8.1 Sayaji Azad Rao Gaekwad Library, Library (Central Aligarh Library) Muslim University
Central Library of BHU called as Sayaji Rao Gaekwad library is one of the biggest university libraries in the country. It was established in 1916 at the Central Hindu College, Kamachha, having its roots in a small but precious collection donated by Prof. P.K. Telang in the memory of his father, Justice K.T. Telang in 1917. The
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present building was founded and built on the pattern of British Museum, London in 1927, with a generous donation of Rs. 2 lakh from Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda, after whom this library was named. As the years passed by, the library kept pace with the development of the University and ultimately metamorphosed itself in a system of libraries belonging to various institutes, faculties and departmental libraries to serve the students, faculty, researchers and technical staff (BHU, 2017b). 6.8.1.1 Library Collection Presently the BHU Library System consists of the Central Library at apex and 3 Institute Libraries, 8 Faculty Libraries, 25 Departmental Libraries with a total collection of over 15 lakhs volumes, apart from subscription to more than 1361 online journals, 56,010 e-books, databases, and a huge collection of digitized rare manuscripts. The library collection consists of:
Table 6.8 Library Collection of BHU S.No. Documents Numbers 1. Books 11,17,589 2. Journals (Bound Vols.) 1,33,792 3. Current journals 447 4. Ph. D. Theses 14,748 5. Manuscripts 7,233 6. UN Govt. Publications, staff publications, 3,632 Rare & Out of Print Books, Local history collection, University and its founder collection. 7. Online Journals 1361 8. Databases 05 9. E-Books 56,010 10. CD/DVDs 500+ Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 6.8.1.2 Library Timing The central library of BHU remains open for its readers from 9.00 am to 9:00 pm on all working days and from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sundays and holidays.
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6.8.1.3 Library Membership The central library caters to the needs of a total of 18695 members, comprising of: Students 11,589 Faculty members 1,222 Other staff 5,884 6.8.1.4 ICT Infrastructure The University has 100 kilometer long fiber optic backbone of Campus wide LAN, connecting all academic and administrative buildings providing high end computing facilities. The University has been provided three 1 Gbps nodes of the National Knowledge Network (NKN) under NME-ICT. The central library has a well - established Wi-Fi network. The library has 4 windows servers and 304 systems running various operating systems such as Windows 7, XP and Linux 6. It has 3 photocopying machines, 50 printers, 5 barcode readers, 1 LCD projector, 2 overhead scanners, 10 flatbed scanners and about 550 CDs/DVDs. The library installed CCTV systems almost in all the sections of the library. 6.8.1.5 ICT Based Library Services The central library (BHU) provides the following ICT based library services: 1. Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) The library provides OPAC services to its users via SOUL 2.0 software which provides various search techniques like Simple Search, Boolean Search and Advanced Search using author, title, subject headings, keywords, class number, series name, accession number or combination of any of two or more information regarding the item. 2. Electronic Document Delivery With the availability of the Internet and access to a large number of online resources to the users, the mode and request of this service have changed drastically. Now the library uses the Internet as a medium to provide this service. Document procurement services are made available through DELNET and INFLIBNET Maulana3. Database Azad Service Library,s Aligarh Muslim University The BHU central library has access to about 13000 online journals and 10 databases through UGC-INFONET, INDEST and ERMED consortia. The main databases are Web of Science, Scifinder Scholar, MathSci Net, CAB Abstract, Indian Citation Index, Annual Review and GALE.
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4. Photocopying Service In order to meet the photocopying requirements of the users’ community, the library is having photocopying facility at subsidized rates to its members. 5. Electronic Reference Service The library provides various asynchronous tools such as e-mail, subject gateways, FAQ’s, chat rooms, virtual reference desk, and Ask the Librarian. Reference staff is always ready to help its users to understand how to use online resources by organizing workshops and vendors' presentations. 6. Cyber Library The cyber library of BHU is started in a fully air conditioned hall with about 400 computers for access to online resources, e-books and various digital libraries of the world for academic and research purposes. It provides facility to access online information resources round the clock in a networked environment. 7. Digital Library The library has Mahamana Digital Library, which has a very large collection of the founder of the university. It consists of photo gallery, digital archive and life sketch of Mahamana Pandit Madanmohan Malviyaji. 6.8.1.6 ICT Based Library Operations The library has introduced ICT in library operations in a phased manner. The beginning was made in 1995 by adopting CDS/ISIS software. In 2005, the library adopted NewGenLib software for library automation. Today the library uses Soul 2.0 software which was installed in 2012. It comprised all the modules namely: Acquisition, Circulation, Cataloguing, OPAC, Serial control and Administration. 6.8.1.7 Library Staff Central library of BHU has 142 sanctioned posts of professional staff as follows: Designation Number 1. University Librarian 01 Maulana2. Deputy Azad Librarians Library, Aligarh Muslim06 University 3. Assistant Librarians 13 4. Professional Assistants 34 5. Semi Professional Assistants 58 6. Library Attendants 30
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6.9 Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow was established by the Uttar Pradesh State Government in 1989. The university was notified as a central university in January 1996 and renamed as Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) under the university Act of 1994. This residential University named ‘Vidya Vihar’ is located on the Raebareli road about 10 kms south of the railway station, (Charbagh) Lucknow. The university was given this name in the Honour of Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was a lawyer, politician, social reformer and the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution. The main objective of the university is to cater and promote the educational needs of the people in general and SC/ST communities in particular, by providing instructional and research facilities in key areas of Science, Technology and other allied disciplines. At present there are nine schools each of which has a maximum of four departments under its control to offer courses in different subjects. In total, there are 17 departments that offer non-traditional and innovative courses at the Post Graduation level. In addition to PG courses in different subjects, some of the departments offer research facilities leading to the award of Ph. D. in appropriate subjects (BBAU, 2017a). Schools: i. School for Information Science and Technology ii. School for Bioscience and Biotechnology iii. School for Legal Studies iv. School for Ambedkar Studies v. School for Environmental Science vi. School for Home Science vii. School for Education viii. School for Management Studies ix. School for Physical Sciences Maulana6.9.1 Gautam Azad Buddha Library, Library (Central Aligarh Library) Muslim University The Gautam Buddha library, the central library of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University was established in 1998. The library is situated at the first floor of the Block IVth of the Administrative building having an area of about 500 sq. mts. Keeping with the vision and mission of the University, the library was established "to promote knowledge generation and application through its effective dissemination".
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The library, therefore, acts as the main learning resource center of the University to supplement educational and information needs of the faculty and students of the university and provides information services and facilities to meet the requirements of the University’s teaching, training and research programs. The library has approximately 41,914 collections of books, reference books, print journals, e-journals, newspapers, etc. (BBAU, 2017b). 6.9.1.1 Library Collection Library collection plays an important role in meeting the requirements of the University's academic and research programs. The central library of BBAU procures books and other information resources to satisfy the information needs of the library patrons. BBAU has a centralized library system which consists of central library and other departmental libraries with a total collection of 41,914 volumes of books, reference books, journals, CD/DVDs etc. The collection of the central library comprises of the following: Table 6.9
Library Collection of BBAU S.No. Documents Numbers 1. Books 31,993 2. Reference Books 1000 3. Print Journals 40 3. E-Journals 8,257 4. Databases 14 5. Newspaper/magazines 27 6. E-newspaper 84 7. CD/DVDs 500+
6.9.1.2 Library Opening Hours The Library remains open for its readers from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on all Maulanaworking days. However, Azad on Library,Saturdays and Sundays Aligarh it opens from Muslim 9:30 am to 6University:00 pm. 6.9.1.3 ICT Infrastructure The central library of BBAU introduced ICT in the year 2011 in a phased manner. In 2014, KOHA library automation software was introduced for housekeeping operations. The library has a well-established Wi-Fi network. The library WEBOPAC
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page was started in the year 2015. RFID with self-check in or checks out facilities were introduced in 2016. The library has installed CCTV’s in all the stacks, reading rooms and at service points. As far as the ICT based infrastructure of the central library is concerned, it consists of the following tools: Table 6.10 ICT based tools
S.No. Name Total Number 1. Server 1 2. Systems 10 3. Printers 2 4. Barcode Readers 2 5. Flatbed Scanner 1
6.9.1.4 ICT Based Library Services The central library is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and provides the following ICT based services to its users: 6.9.1.4.1 Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) The central library offers OPAC facility to its users for searching the documents on campus or outside it. Since the entire campus is Wi-Fi enabled, it helps the users to search a particular document with the help of various search techniques available in OPAC. 6.9.1.4.2 Internet Search Services The central library of BBAU provides a limited number of computer systems to its users, for utilizing internet facilities within the library. Elsewhere, laptops may be used for searching. 6.9.1.4.3 Reference Services The library provides Reference services through various reference tools such as MaulanaBibliographies, Azad Data Library, books, Dictionaries Aligarh (General Muslim and Special), University Directories, Encyclopedias, Guides to literature, Handbooks, Thesauri etc. Inspite of these general services, the library provides online reference service through ‘Ask a librarian tool’.
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6.9.1.4.4 Photocopying Services Photocopy facility is available at the library from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on all working days. This service is provided through a private party at the subsidized rate to the library clientale.
6.9.1.4.5 Database Services The central library has access to about 14 databases which include both full text databases and bibliographic databases under the UGC-INFONET consortia. Some of the full text databases are Emerald, Science Direct, American Chemical Society, JSTOR, Springer Link, Taylor and Francis, Wiley-Blackwell publishing and Economic & Political Weekly, etc. The bibliographic databases are JCCC and Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID). 6.9.1.4.6 Email Services Central library uses email service to provide to its users alert services such as Book reservation, overdue books, provision articles on demand etc. 6.9.1.4.7 Document Delivery Service The Document Delivery Service was implemented by the central library of BBAU in July 2009. The library caters to the demand of the documents through resources available within the library, through library consortia such as UGC- INFONET, DELNET etc. through library websites or document delivery centers (BBAU, 2017c). 6.9.1.5 ICT Based Library Operations The central library used KOHA software for in-house keeping operations. It was introduced in 2014 and upgraded in 2016. The library uses the modules of KOHA software as Cataloguing, Serial Control and OPAC. 6.9.1.6 Library Staff The central library of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University has 7 sanctioned posts of professional staff as given below: Designation Number Maulana1. University Azad librarian Library, Aligarh1 Muslim University 2. Assistant Librarian 2 3. Professional Assistant 1 4. Library Attendant 3 Total 7
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6.10 Conclusion Developments in ICT during the last decade of 20th century and first decade of 21st century have brought significant changes in library and information systems and services around the Globe with India forming no exception. All the central university libraries selected for the study have implemented ICT for the management of various library operations and services, including computerized library circulation systems, acquisitions, cataloguing, serial controls, access to electronic resources and web based services. All the libraries have e-journals, online databases, OPAC and online reference services. While collecting Data for studying the attitude of Librarians towards implementation of ICT, the investigator found a vibrant interest and enthusiasm among the librarians and other higher authorities for adopting new technologies in their respective libraries.
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7.1 Introduction The aim of this study is to investigate the attitude of the library professionals towards the library operations and services using ICT. This chapter contains the analysis and interpretation of data collected from the University librarians and other library professionals spread over six Central Universities of Delhi and U.P. The data were collected using set of questionnaires administered both directly and online. The investigator personally met the respondents and administered the print questionnaires in all the university libraries understudy. The digital copy of the same questionnaire was distributed online via e-mail. For the sake of the research the primary data was obtained through analysing at least six valid duly filled questionnaires returned by the university librarians and 416 questionnaires returned by the library staff working in select central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16 and Microsoft Excel software were used to do the computation of the data and all appropriate analysis. For the collection of relevant data, two sets of questionnaire were prepared with a view to examine various aspects of variables under study. a) Questionnaire-1: Administered among the university librarians/ library in- charges in each university libraries under study. b) Questionnaire-2: Administered among the library professionals-including University Librarian, Deputy Librarians, Assistant Librarians, Professional Assistants, Semi-Professional Assistants and others to examine their attitude and perspective towards the application of ICT in the central university libraries under study. Table 7.1 Administration of total questionnaire and response rate
Respondents Number of Number of Number of Response questionnaires questionnaires questionnaires Rate Maulana Azadadministered Library, AligarhReceived MuslimAnalysed University
University 6 6 6 100% Librarian
Library 496 462 416 83.87% Professionals
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This chapter has been divided into two parts: Part 1 dedicated to analysis and interpretation of data collected from university librarian on different aspects of availability of ICT in their libraries; Part 2 deals with the library professionals’ perception, attitude, experience towards the implication of ICT in different library operations and services in the libraries under study.
PART- 1
7.2 Data Regarding the Profile of the Libraries The following factors were examined to elicit the information regarding the establishment of university libraries, collection, library staff size, budget and expenditure on ICT. These variables are used to understand the characteristics of central university libraries. 7.2.1 Establishment The central university libraries act as a hub of entire academia and provides conducive environment for research and study. All the six central university libraries under study were established with the common aim of promoting study and research in all the disciplines. To cope with the latest technologies these libraries are providing the latest ICT infrastructure and various ICT based services to their patrons. Following are the libraries selected for the study of purpose: Table7.2 Library Establishment Year of Establishment S.No. Name of the University Libraries University Library 1. Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi 1916 1917
2. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh 1920 1920
3. University of Delhi (DU), Delhi 1922 1922
4. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi 1969 1969
5. Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi 1988 1988 Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 6. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University 1997 1998 (BBAU), Lucknow
The respondent libraries were asked to mention the year of establishment of central university libraries. Data in the above table reflects the year in which all the six central university libraries were established. Out of the six central university libraries
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understudy, three libraries those of University of Delhi (DU) Delhi, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Aligarh, were established during the pre-independence period and three central university libraries i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) Lucknow, were established during post- independence era.
Fig. 7.1: Year of library establishment 2020 1998 2000 1988 1980 1969 1960 1940 Year of library 1920 1922 1917 establishment 1920 1900 1880 1860 BHU AMU DU JNU JMI BBAU
7.2.2 Library Collection The size of the library collection is very important as it forms a sound foundation for efficient library services. It depends upon number of factors such as the type of library, number and category of users, year of establishment, aim of library for which it has been established, budget of the library, etc. these factors determine the size and quality of the collection. Library authorities have to strive continuously to get enough funds for developing a worthwhile collection of research value. The details of the total collection of the respondent libraries are presented in the Table 7.2. (a), Delhi University Library System (DULS) possess the largest collection of about 18,40,090 volumes of print as well as non-print materials, followed by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) with around 18,00,000 collection; Jawaharlal Nehru University has a total collection of 16,70,000 volumes, and Banaras Hindu MaulanaUniversity Azad (BHU) libraryLibrary, has about Aligarh 15,00,000 collection. Muslim On theUniversity other hand Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) has the smallest collection of books and other materials (41914 volumes). The same has been vividly explained through a bar graph given in Fig. 7.2.
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Table 7.2 (a) Library Collection (as on 2015-16) S.No. University Total Library Collection 1. JNU 16, 70,000 2. DU 18, 40,090 3. JMI 3,87,212 4. AMU 18,00,000
5. BHU 15, 00,000 6. BBAU 41,914
Fig.7.2 Library Collection 2000000 1670000 1840090 1800000 1800000 1600000 1500000 1400000 1200000 LIBRARY COLLECTION 1000000 800000 600000 387212 400000 200000 41914 0 JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU UNIVERSITIES
7.2.2.1 Item Wise Library Collection The detailed item wise collection of six central university libraries have been given in Table 7.2 (b) which gives an overview of different types of materials available in the libraries under study. Delhi university library system possess the largest number of books in its collection with more than 16 lakhs as shown in the below table followed by JNU and BHU. DU also has the most number of print journals; 1296 when Maulanacompared to other Azad libraries. Library, All the university Aligarh libraries have Muslim access to consortia University wise subscription to electronic journals through UGC INFONET. DU has the largest number of e-journals; 45,339 followed by JNU; 20,000 and JMI; 9,000. JMI also has the largest collection of e-book; 1,50,000 followed by JNU; 1,22,252. The theses collection includes 23,842 in JNU, followed by 22,670 in DU and 14,748 in BHU. AMU has the
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largest number of manuscript collection; 16,788 followed by BHU; 7,233. In the non- book material collection, DU has a significant collection of CD/DVDs. All the university libraries except JNU have good collection of CD/DVDs i.e. 1972 in AMU, 1475 in DU, 1200 in JMI and 550 in BHU. All the six central university libraries subscribed online databases, 48 in DU, 33 in JNU, 10 in JMI, 14 in BBAU, 05 in BHU and 04 in AMU.
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Table7.2 (b) Item Wise Library Collection (as on 2015- 2016)
S.No. University Books Print E-books E-journals Ph.D. thesis Manuscripts Subscribed CD/DVDs E- Journals Databases Newspapers
1. JNU 5,83,686 254 1,22,252 20,000 23,842 NA 33 380 10,00,000
2. DU 16,33,823 1296 NIL 45,339 22,670 700 48 1475 NA
3. JMI 3,70,000 345 1,50,000 9,000 2600 2230 10 1200 47
4. AMU 13,07,879 580 1,20,948 7,372 9,369 16,788 4 1972 Nil
5. BHU 11,17,589 447 56,010 1,361 14,748 7,233 05 500+ Nil
6. BBAU 31,993 40 Nil 8,257 Nil Nil 14 500 84
151 Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Chapter-7 Data Analysis and Interpretation
7.2.3 Availability of Library Staff Human resources play an important role in the successful management of the libraries. The details of sanctioned posts of library staffs in university libraries are presented in Table 7.3. The table, as per the study, demonstrate that out of the six libraries BHU has the largest number of staff presently working, followed by DU library system and JNU. All the six libraries are headed by University Librarians. The largest number of Deputy Librarians is in DU, followed by BHU and JNU, whereas the largest number of Assistant Librarians is found in BHU followed by JNU and DU. BHU also has the largest number of Professional and semi-professional Assistants. As compared to other libraries, BBAU is still in take-off stage as far as the number of library staff is concerned and therefore it will take some time to build up requisite library staff.
Table 7.3 Number of Library Professionals S.No. Designation JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU 1. University librarian 1 1 1 1 1 1 2. Dy. Librarian 3 7 1 1 6 - 3. Assistant Librarian 12 10 6 5 13 2 4. Professional Assistant 24 19 12 16 34 1 5. Semi-professional Assistant 27 49 9 43 58 -
6. Other Professionals 26 34 19 20 30 1 7. Total 93 120 48 86 142 7
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Fig. 7.3 Total number of Library Staff 160 142 140 120 120
100 93 86
80 total number of staff 60 48 40
20 7
0 JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
7.2.4 Status of Library Staff as per UGC Staff Formula
A required number of staff is very important for managing different activities of libraries. Different staff formulas are developed for different types of libraries in order to solve the conflict of manpower. Staff formula as recommended by the library committee set up by the UGC for the university and college libraries in 1958 (Investigator has described staff formula in Chapter-4 ‘Staff formula for university libraries’). Clearly states that university libraries must have one library staff per six thousand collections. If we evaluate the portion of library staff in selected university libraries under study, it was found that in JNU actual number of staff is 93 and 5,83,686 volumes of books this shows shortage of staff as there should be about 97 staff on this collection. Similarly, other university libraries such as DU (actual number of staff is 120, total no. of books - 16,33,823, required staff should be 272), JMI (actual number of staff is 48, total no. of books - 3,70,000, required staff should be 61), AMU (actual number of staff is 86, total no. of books - 13,07,879, required staff should be 216), BHU (actual number of staff is 142, total no. of books - 11,17,589, required staff should be 186) and BBAU (actual number of staff is 7, total no. of books - 31,993, no. of staff on this collection should be 5). MaulanaThis shows Azad shortage Library,of staff in all the Aligarhlibraries under studyMuslim except BBAU University rather it is a recently established as compared to other libraries and also it has small collection. The shortage of staff also effect on the attitude of the staff due to over work load. The administration should take much interest to appoint more staff in order to develop the library routine work and provide good services to the users.
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Table no. 7.4: Libraries’ staff pattern
S.No. University Total no. of Actual Staff Staff pattern recommended as Books per UGC (one person/6000 volumes) 1. JNU 5,83,686 93 97 2. DU 16,33,823 120 272 3. JMI 3,70,000 48 61 4. AMU 13,07,879 86 216 5. BHU 11,17,589 142 186 6. BBAU 31,993 7 5
7.2.5 Availability of ICT Trained Library Staffs For any job to do with efficiency and perfection there is a need of trained professionals. In this ICT era, the university libraries also require ICT trained library professionals in order to cope up with the latest technologies emerging in library sectors. An attempt was made to find out to what extent the university libraries have deployed professionally trained and skilled staffs in different sections of the libraries. Table 7.5 shows that DU library system has 100% ICT trained library staff working in periodical and reference sections whereas more than 50% ICT trained library staffs working in acquisition, technical and circulation sections of the library. In JNU, more than 50% ICT trained library staffs are working in all the sections of the library. JMI library have 100% ICT trained library staff working in three sections of the library i.e. in acquisition, technical and circulation whereas more than 50% ICT trained library staffs are working in periodicals and reference sections. In case of AMU, 100% ICT trained library staffs are working in all the sections of the library except in reference section. BHU library has 100% ICT trained library staffs working in all the sections of the library whereas in BBAU less than 50% ICT trained library staffs are working in all the sections. Out of these six central university libraries, BHU library has maximum sections Maulanawhere 100% ICT Azad trained library Library, staffs are working. Aligarh Muslim University The results demand an urgent consideration of the authorities to start formal ICT training programs for working library staffs for shaping them into future professionals.
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Table 7.5 Availability of ICT Trained Library Staff DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
Section(s)
100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100
<50 % <50 % <50 % <50 % <50 % <50 % <50
> 50 % 50 > % 50 > % 50 > % 50 > % 50 > % 50 >
Acquisition _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Technical _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Circulation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Periodicals _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Reference _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Any other ______
Total 00 3 2 00 5 00 00 2 3 1 00 4 00 00 5 5 00 00 (50) (33.34) (83.34) (33.34) (50) (16.67) (66.67) (83.34) (83.34) (Figures in parentheses denotes percentage)
155 Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Chapter-7 Data Analysis and Interpretation
Fig.7.4: Availability of ICT trained Library staff 6 5 5 5 5 4 100% 4 3 3 <50% 3 2 2 2 >50% 1 1
Number of library Numbersections 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
7.2.6 Expenditure on Libraries’ ICT Library budget is one of the important factors that help to examine the availability of financial resources to meet various library expenses. In order to examine the expenditure on ICT, the libraries under present study were asked to provide the information regarding the amount spent on ICT implementation and maintenance under regular plan and five year plan. Some Librarians stated that they did not receive regularly any separate budget for ICT implementation from University and UGC; rather they made ICT expenditure from the library budget according to their need. The data in Table 7.6 reflects that there is a fluctuating growth pattern (increasing/decreasing) of budgetary allocation of all the libraries except AMU and BBAU. JNU library received fluctuating trend in budget allocation Rs 15 lakhs had been allocated in the two financial years i.e. in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. The same was reduced to Rs 5 lakhs in the year 2012-13. Since 2013 annual regular grant is increased to Rs 10 lakhs. Under Xth plan the library did not get any grant for ICT expenditure. However the library received Rs 10 crore in XIth Plan and Rs 2 crore in XIIth Plan. DU library system received no separate budget for ICT expenditure except in the year 2011-2012 i.e. Rs 62 lakhs under regular plan. MaulanaJMI library Azad received Library, a continuous declineAligarh in the budgetary Muslim allocation University from Rs 54 lakhs in the year 2011-12 to Rs 3 lakhs in the year 2014-15. However, the library received increased growth of budget under five year plan i.e. from Rs 70 lakhs in Xth Plan to Rs 1.2 crore in XIIth Plan.
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The budget allocation for AMU Library demonstrates a consistent growth of budget under regular plan i.e. Rs 15 lakhs from the year 2010 to 2015. Whereas under five year plan the library received an increased growth of budget from Rs 32,60,000 in Xth Plan to Rs 72,90,000 in XIIth Plan. BHU library shows fluctuating budget allocation under five year plan. The library received Rs 3 crore in Xth Plan and came down to Rs 50 lakhs in XIth Plan. However, it peaked up to Rs 5 crore in XIIth Plan whereas the university released Rs 10 lakhs every year for ICT implementation and maintenance during 2010 to 2015 under regular plan budget. BBAU library received increased budget allocation of Rs 15 lakhs in the year 2013-14 to Rs 32 lakhs in 2014-15 under non plan budget. As far as the total budget allocation for the ICT expenditure in all the six university libraries is concerned, AMU got the maximum followed by JMI under the non-plan budget. Whereas under five year plan budget, JNU got the maximum amount followed by BHU library.
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Table 7.6 Library Budget for ICT Implementation and Maintenance Regular/Non Plan Under Five Year Plan
S.No. University 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2002-07 2007-12 2012-17 Xth Plan XIth Plan XIIthPlan Libraries 1. JNU 15,00,000 15,00,000 5,00,000 10,00,000 10,00,000 NIL 10,00,00,000 2,00,00,000
2. DU NIL 62,00,000 NIL NIL NIL NIL 6,20,00,000 NIL
3. JMI NIL 54,00,000 10,00,000 6,00,000 3,00,000 70,00,000 1,00,00,000 1,20,00,000
4. AMU 15,00,000 15,00,000 15,00,000 15,00,000 15,00,000 32,60,000 69,00,000 72,90,000
5. BHU 10,00,000 10,00,000 10,00,000 10,00,000 10,00,000 3,00,00,000 50,00,000 5,00,00,000
6. BBAU NIL NIL NIL 15,00,000 32,00,000 25,00,000 NIL NIL
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7.2.7 Phase wise Budgetary Allocation of Library Automation Development and management of library automation involves high commitment as well as regular financial support. With this aspect knowing the budgetary allocation for library automation is very important. Therefore the investigator asked the respondent libraries to provide the information regarding the phase wise budgetary allocation of automation in their libraries. After analysing the data the investigator found that there is an increase budget allocation in each phase of library automation in all the libraries except AMU. In Phase I, JNU library allocated Rs 14 Lakhs in 1995, in Phase II the library allocated Rs 40 Lakhs in 2005 and in Phase III it allocated Rs 50 Lakhs in 2008. JMI library allocated Rs 20 Lakhs in phase I of library automation in the year 1998. In Phase II, in the year 2004 the library allocated Rs 30 Lakhs, while in 2009 the library allocated Rs 60 Lakhs in Phase III. AMU library shows fluctuating (increasing/ decreasing) budgetary allocation i.e. in Phase I of library automation in the year 2001, it allocated Rs 10 Lakhs. In Phase II the library allocated Rs 80 Lakhs, while in 2012 it allocated Rs 14 Lakhs for the purchase of LibSys7.0 software. DU library system and BHU library did not share their budget statistics. BBAU library allocated Rs 15 Lakhs, Rs 32 Lakhs and Rs 45 Lakhs in Phase I, II and III of library automation respectively (i.e. in the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively). Table 7.7 Phase wise Budgetary Allocation of Library automation Phase I of Library Phase II of Phase III of S.No. University automation Library Library automation automation Year Amount Year Amount Year Amount 1. JNU 1995 14 Lakhs 2005 40 Lakhs 2008 50 Lakhs 2. DU NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL
3. JMI 1998 20 Lakhs 2004 30 Lakhs 2009 60 Lakhs
4. AMU 2001 10 Lakhs 2009 80 Lakhs 2012 14 Lakhs Maulana5. BHU Azad Library,NIL NIL AligarhNIL NILMuslim NIL UniversityNIL 6. BBAU 2014 15 Lakhs 2015 32 Lakhs 2016 45 Lakhs
7.3 Data Regarding Level of ICT Availability
The following factors were examined to elicit the information regarding the year of ICT implementation, library software, Hardware availability in respondent libraries,
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Information access technologies, availability of subscribed electronic databases and ICT based services. These variables are used to understand the availability of ICT in the central university libraries under study. 7.3.1 Implementation of ICT in Libraries Table 7.8 provides the information regarding the year of implementation of ICT and their mode of introduction in the central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. After analysing data it is revealed that ICT activities were initially implemented in JNU and BHU libraries in the year 1995 followed by DU and JMI. All the libraries followed step by step manner for introducing ICT in their house keeping operations. JNU library first introduced ICT in their processing unit in 1995, followed by circulation and acquisition sections in the year 2001 and 2003 respectively. In the 1st step of application of ICT, BHU library introduced ICT in technical section in 1995. In 2nd step the library introduced it in circulation section in 2012 and in 2013-14 the library introduced ICT in acquisition section. DU library system firstly introduced information communication technologies in technical section and in next step they introduced it in circulation and acquisition sections. JMI library introduced ICT in technical section in 1998 and in the same year the library introduced it in the circulation section whereas in 2002 it introduced ICT in acquisition and periodical sections. In 1st step of the implementation of ICT the BBAU library introduced library automation software, in 2nd step, they started library WEBOPAC and in next step library initiated retro conversion and shelf check in and checkout. Table 7.8 ICT implementation S.No. Name of the Year of ICT Introduction of ICT University implementation Simultaneously Step by Step 1. JNU 1995 _ 2. DU 1998 _ 3. JMI 1998 _ Maulana4. AzadAMU Library,2001 Aligarh Muslim_ University 5. BHU 1995 _ 6. BBAU 2011 _
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Fig. 7.5: Year of ICT implementation 2015 2011 2010
2005 2001 Series1 1998 1998 2000 1995 1995 1995
1990
1985 JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
7.3.2 Library Management Software (LMS) The software plays very significant role in the success of ICT in libraries. The different types of software tools like operating system and networking software indicate the quality and performance of technology being used by the library. Efficient library application software reveals the effective operations and procedures of the library. The multi-user, multifunctional, modular, integrated and user-friendly library software having the facility of incorporation with RFID technology are found more beneficial to the libraries. The following table indicates the information regarding the LMS which are being used in the University libraries under present study. After analysing the data collected from different university libraries, the investigator found that all the libraries are automated but they are not using the same library management software. Linux is the most prominent operating system which is used by the university libraries for running LMS. Regarding the using of library automation software by different libraries it was found that DU library system are using Troodon library software which was installed in 1998 and now they are using 3.0 version of Troodon. JNU library are using Virtua software which was installed in 1995 whereas JMI and AMU libraries are using LibSys software which they installed in the year 1998 and 2001 respectively for in-house keeping operations and both the libraries are using 7.0 versions of LibSys. It is also found that before Maulanathe use of LibSys Azad automation Library, software JMI Aligarh central library Muslimwas using Virtua University software for library automation. The information provided by the BHU library regarding the using of library automation software it was found that the library was using CDS/ISIS software since 1995 and from 2005 the library was using NewGenLib software, after that they shifted to SOUL software in 2012 for library automation activities. BBAU library established recently
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in comparison to others selected libraries and it implemented ICT in 2011, the first LMS being used by the BBAU library is KOHA 16.5 version which was installed in year 2014. So it may be concluded that majority of the university libraries preferred to purchase readymade library management software available through various software agencies. Majority of the libraries mentioned that they made agreement with software vendors for the maintenance of library software on Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC). Table 7.9 Library Management Software S.No. University Automated Name of the Operating Latest Year of Software System version LMS (installed installation on) 1. JNU YES VIRTUA Linux 5.4 1995
2. DU YES TROODON Linux 3.0 1998
3. JMI YES LIBSYS Linux 7.0 1998
4. AMU YES LIBSYS Linux 7.0 2001
5. BHU YES SOUL Linux 2.0 2012
6. BBAU YES KOHA Linux 16.5 2014
Fig 7.6: Year of LMS installation 2020 2014 2015 2012 2010
2005 2001 1998 1998 2000 1995 Year of installation 1995 1990 1985 Maulana AzadVIRTUA TROODON Library, LIBSYS LIBSYS Aligarh SOUL KOHA Muslim University JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
7.3.3 Use of Library Software Modules To determine the extent of automation of university libraries in Delhi and U.P. respondents were asked to indicate the levels of operations of various modules i.e.
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acquisitions, catalogue, circulation, serials and article indexing activities. Table 7.10 indicates that the four modules of LMS i.e. acquisition, circulation, cataloguing and OPAC are the priority areas. JNU and DU library are using all modules provided by library management software. In addition, JNU library also used institutional repository (IR) and electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) modules provided by VIRTUA software. Out of six modules provided by library software, JMI and AMU use all modules except article indexing module. BHU library has four automated modules i.e. acquisition, circulation, cataloguing and OPAC. BBAU library use catalogue, OPAC and library webpage modules of KOHA software. Table 7.10 Modules of library software used by the library S.No. Modules JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU 1. Acquisition 2. Circulation 3. Cataloguing 4. Article indexing 5. Serial control 6. OPAC 7. Any other (IR, Library webpage ETD)
7.3.4 Hardware Availability in Respondent Libraries No ICT activity is possible without computer and associated ICT hardware. The available number and variety of hardware in a university library can easily indicate the status of development of ICT infrastructure in libraries. A comparative study of the hardware available in central university libraries is shown in Table 7.11. As evident from the table there is no shortage of computer systems in all university libraries except BBAU library, as it is in the early stages of development. The hardware details show that DU library system has the better facilities than other libraries. The library has five server machines followed by JMI, JNU, AMU, BHU has 03, 02, 01 and 01 Maulanarespectively. All Azad university Library,libraries have wired Aligarh network except Muslim BBAU and Universityall have Wi-Fi networked facility. In the case of printer BHU has the largest number of printer followed by DU and JNU. Barcode readers are used in all university libraries with JMI having 8 barcode readers.
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With the exception of BBAU, all university libraries have one LCD projector each while DU has 6 LCD projectors. All libraries have CD/DVDs with AMU has the largest number of CD/DVDs; 7320 followed by DU; 2000 and JMI; 1200. Overhead scanners are used in DU; 4, AMU; 2 and BHU; 2. Flatbed scanners are used in all university libraries with DU having 36 scanners for scanning documents. Except BBAU, all libraries are using CD as data backup equipment which provides sufficient backup to all systems in the library while JNU and BHU also use Hard Disk Drive (HDD) for data backup. DU, JMI and AMU are using tattle tape and magnetized/demagnetized machine for security purpose. While JMI and AMU libraries use RFID technology for theft controls. All the university libraries have installed CCTV at various places in their libraries for security purpose. It is concluded after analysing data that all university libraries under this study have basic ICT infrastructure facilities, but some of these equipment’s are not in good working condition due to lack of proper maintenance. Table 7.11 Hardware Availability S.No. Items DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU 1. Server 05 02 03 01 01 01 2. Systems 250 360 200 187 200 07 3. Wired network - 4. Wi-Fi network 5. Printers 41 35 18 15 50 02 6. Barcode reader(s) 07 06 08 04 05 02 7. LCD projector(s) 06 01 01 01 01 01 8. CD/DVD (rough figure: just exact) 2000 380 1200 7320 550 500 9. Overhead Scanner 04 - - 02 2 - 10. Flatbed Scanner 36 30 06 02 10 05 11. Data backup CD - Equipment Mirror server 2 - - -
Any other - HDD - - HDD - Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 12. RFID - - - - 13. Tattle tape - - - 14. Magnetize/demagnetize machine - - -
15. CCTV
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7.3.5 Infrastructure of Library Network As indicated in Table 7.12, it was found that all university under present study are fully equipped with Local Area Network (LAN) and Internet, whereas Campus Wide Network is available in all university except BBAU. All these central universities also provide Wi-Fi facility to its patron to use internet facility within library as well as within campus. Inspite of these facilities JNU, JMI and BBAU libraries are also providing remote login facility to their patrons. The increasing cost of electronic resources specially the electronic databases and international research journals is exerting ever-increasing financial pressure on the university libraries. In order to overcome such financial pressure, the university libraries prefer the consortia based subscription to the journals and other resources available in electronic form everywhere in the world. For this purpose all university libraries under study are the members of INFLIBNET, in addition with this JNU, DU and AMU are also member of DELNET. UGC INFONET and INDEST consortium are found as the most preferred library consortium for the central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. Table7.12 Network Infrastructure Networking Infrastructure Library Network Library Consortium Libraries LAN Campus WIFI WIFI Any INFLIBNET DELNET Wide Within Within Other Network Library Whole Campus JNU Remote UGC- login INFONET* DU UGC- INFONET* JMI Remote _ UGC- login INFONET, INDEST- AICTE AMU _ UGC- INFONET, INDEST* BHU _ _ UGC- INFONET, INDEST* and ERMED BBAU _ Remote _ UGC- login INFONET* MaulanaTotal 6(100) Azad 5(83.34) Library,6(100) 6(100) Aligarh _ 6 (100) Muslim 3(50) University _ (Figures in parentheses denote percentage)
The UGC-INFONET, INDEST and N-LIST have been merged into e-ShodhSindhu Consortium. 165
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7.3.6 ICT based library services Among the ICT based library services, the study considered the reader based services. The sole purpose of establishment of libraries is to provide required information to its patrons and it largely depends upon the services provided by the libraries. Merely the availability of ICT in a library is not enough unless new technologies are put to use for providing better library services. The respondents were asked to indicate ICT based library services in their libraries. As Table 7.13 shows that automated issue/return service is provided by all the libraries except BBAU. All university libraries offer OPAC service to their users. All the libraries provide ICT based services to their patrons. They offer automated issue/return, OPACs, access to electronic resources (e-books, e-journals, online databases etc.), CD/DVD based services, Reprographic Services, Newspaper scanning service, Reference service and Electronic document delivery service. Current awareness services are provided by all University Libraries except BHU and BBAU. SDI services especially for research scholars are given by JNU. Table 7.13 ICT based reader services S.No. Type of services JNU DU JMI AMU BHU BBAU 1. Issue/Return 2. OPAC 3. E-Books 4. E-Journals 5. Online Databases 6. CD/DVD based service 7. Current awareness services 8. SDI services 9. Electronic document delivery 10. Reprographic service 11. Newspaper scanning service Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 12. Any other
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7.3.7 Obstacles in the Implementation of ICT in Libraries As per the aforesaid study, it was noticeable that at least four libraries out of six provide 80% of the total ICT based library services. It was therefore interesting to know about the obstacles faced by different libraries in the implementation phase of ICT based library services. In order to find out the obstacles involved in the implementation of ICT in libraries, six problems were broadly identified and librarians were requested to identify the problems faced in the application of ICT in libraries. Data was collected from the six libraries under study. The result indicated that inadequate training of library staff was the most common problem in implementing ICT based library services. The same has been investigated in earlier studies by Husain & Nazim (2015) and Tiwari & Sahoo (2013). The next problem generally faced by different libraries is non-availability of sufficient funds, lack of interest on the part of library staff and internal resistance to change. Laxity on the part of library authorities and Lack of support from university authorities were also identified by librarians as the barriers of ICT implementation. Table 7.14 Obstacles in the implementation of ICT in libraries S.No. Problems Ranking 1. Inadequate training of library staff 1 2. Non availability of sufficient funds 2 3. Resistance to change 3 4. Lack of interest on the part of library staff 4 5. Laxity on the part of library authorities 5 6. Lack of support from university authorities 6
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Fig 7.7 : Level of Obstacles
Lack of support from university authorities Level of … Laxity on the part of library authorities
Lack of interest on the part of library staff
Resistance to change
Non availability of sufficient funds
Inadequate training of library staff
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
PART – 2 7.4 Demographic Variables Pertaining to different demographic variables of library professionals in the select central university libraries ultimately influence the findings of the study. That is why demographic variables have been examined in the following paragraphs: 7.4.1 Gender In India, the male group dominates the library field as data in Table 7.15 reflects that more than 68% respondents were male and 31.5 % were female respondents. This indicates that there was no gender balance in the surveyed university libraries.
Table 7.15 Gender of the Respondents S.No. Gender Frequency Percentage
1. Male 285 68.5%
2. Female 131 31.5%
3. Total 416 100%
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Fig 7.8: Gender of the Respondents
31.5 %
Male Female
68.5 %
7.4.2 Age Age is an important factor that affects the behaviour and attitude of professionals to different tasks, jobs and technologies. Table 7.16 shows that most of the library professionals at the time of survey, fall in the age group of 25-35 years (32.69%) followed by the respondents in the age group of 36-45 years (33.45 %). Only 22.35% of the professionals, who responded, are above 46 years of age. The remaining 12.5% are below 25 years of age.
Table 7.16 Age of the Respondents S.No. Age of the Respondents Frequency Percentage
1. Below 25 years 52 12.5%
2. 25-35 years 136 32.69%
3. 36-45 years 135 32.35%
4. Above 46 years 93 22.35%
Maulana5. Total Azad Library, Aligarh416 Muslim University100%
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Fig 7.9: Age wise distribution of library professionals
13% 22% below 25 years 25-35 years 33% 36-45 years above 46 years 32%
7.4.3 Designation The present study identified the position of the respondents in the library management among their organizations. The Table below indicates that most of the respondents were working in the lower management (61%) – semi-professional and other professionals. 33% were in middle management – assistant librarian and professional assistant librarian. In all the six central university libraries few respondents (5%) were working in the top management i.e. Librarian and Deputy Librarian, as it is normal chain of command that less people work with the top management. Similar results was shown by earlier study of Rehman (2010). Table 7.17 Designation wise distribution of library professionals S.No. Designation Frequency Percentage
1. Top management 22 5%
2. Middle management 139 33%
3. Lower management 255 61%
4. Total 416 99%
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Fig 7.10: Official Designation of the Respondents
5%
33% top management middle management 61% lower management
7.4.4 Highest Professional Qualification Professional qualifications are the qualifications that the respondents have acquired in the field of library and information science. The study tried to find out the present highest educational qualifications of the respondents and the details are given in the following table. It was observed that majority of library professionals’ pursued higher degrees i.e. 29% M.Lib.I.Sc., 21% obtained B.Lib.I.Sc. degree while 19 % and 14 % obtained NET/JRF and Ph.D. in their professional life. Table 7.18 Highest Professional Qualification of the Respondents
S.No. Qualification Frequency Percentage
1. Certificate 39 9%
2. B.Lib.I.Sc. 87 21%
3. M.Lib.I.Sc. 122 29%
4. M.Phil. 39 9%
5. Ph.D. 58 14%
6. NET/JRF 74 18% Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 7. Total 416 100%
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Fig 7.11: Highest Professional Qualification
9% 18% cerificate 21% BLISC 14% MLISC M PHIL PHD 9% NET/JRF 29%
7.4.5 Total Experience as Library Professionals In order to examine the relationship between the professionals experience and attitude towards ICT, data on the overall experience in libraries was collected as depicted in the below table. Most of the library professionals (35%) have 5-15 years of experience. Of the professionals (22%) have less than 5 years of experience, 29% have 16-25 years of experience and 14% have above 26 years of experience. Table 7.19 Total work experience as library professionals S. No. Experience Frequency Percentage
1. Less than 5 years 90 22%
2. 5-15 years 147 35%
3. 16-25 years 122 29%
4. Above 26 years 57 14%
5. Total 416 100%
7.4.6 Knowledge about ICT
Library professionals working in the central university libraries under study were asked about knowledge of ICT in general, how that knowledge was acquired and what Maulanamethods were usedAzad to keep Library, abreast with the Aligarh latest developments Muslim in ICT. AsUniversity evident from Table 7.20, 58.2 % of library professionals were fairly knowledgeable about ICT, 27.2 % were reported to be less knowledgeable whereas 14.7 % considered themselves very knowledgeable. About 72 % of the participants indicated that they are very or fairly knowledgeable about ICT.
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Table 7.20 Knowledge about ICT S.No. Knowledge level Frequency Percentage
1. Very knowledgeable 61 14.7
2. Fairly knowledgeable 242 58.2
3. Less knowledgeable 113 27.2 4. Total 416 100
Fig 7.12: Knowledge about ICT
14.7 27.2
Very knowledgeable Fairly knowledgeable Less knowledgeable
58.2
7.4.6.1 Acquisition of ICT knowledge
By asking respondents to select among four methods of knowledge acquisition regarding ICT, they were able to choose as many items as was appropriate for their situation, data was thus tabulated using multiple responses frequency analysis. Table 7.21 indicates that gaining experience on job and part of the syllabi of the course were the most common methods used by professionals to enrich their knowledge about ICT. The least common methods selected were attending in-service courses. Table 7.21 ICT Knowledge Acquisition S.No. Methods Frequency Percentage Maulana1. Part Azad of the syllabi Library, of the course Aligarh Muslim117 University27.6 2. Formal ICT training program 97 22.9
3. Gaining experience on job 147 34.7
4. Attending in-service courses 63 14.9
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Fig 7.13: ICT Knowledge Acquisition
14.90% Part of the syllabi of the 27.60% course Formal ICT training program Gaining experience on 34.70% job 22.90% Attending in-service courses
7.4.6.2 Keeping abreast with the latest developments in ICT
As indicated by figure no.15, that about 69% library professionals were keeping abreast with new developments in ICT. This shows that majority of the professionals having positive attitude towards ICT and they acquire various methods for keeping themselves aware with new developments. The respondents were asked to select among five methods to keep abreast with new technologies they were able to choose as many items as was suitable for their situation and data was thus analyzed by using multiple responses frequency analysis. The result of the data as shown in the Table 7.22 revealed that attending workshops/training (27.7%) was most common method acquired by the professional for keep abreast with new developments followed by surfing internet (23.7%). 18.9 % and 19.7 % library professionals were interested in discussion with experts and conference participations respectively for keep themselves up to date with new developments in ICT. Only 16 % professionals adopt reading latest literature related with ICT as a method for gaining knowledge about ICT.
Fig 7.14 : keeping abreast with latest development in ICT
31%
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim UniversityYes No
69%
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Table 7.22 Methods to Keep Abreast
S.No. Methods Frequency Percentage 1. Reading latest literature related with ICT 113 16.0% 2. Discussion with the experts 133 18.9% 3. Attends workshop/training programs 153 27.7% 4. Attends conferences/ seminars 139 19.7% 5. Surfing internet 167 23.7%
Fig 7.15: Methods to Keep Abreast
16.00% Reading latest literature 23.70% related with ICT Discussion with the experts 18.90% Attends workshop/training programs 19.70% Attends conferences/ seminars Surfing internet 27.70%
7.5 Level of Expertise in ICT
7.5.1 Level of ICT Awareness
It is well-known that ICT based technologies have revolutionized the library services in the modern era. It is therefore important to find out the level of awareness about the use of technological devices right from simple equipments like laser printer, barcode scanner, E- book reader, RFID technologies etc. to library databases and online services. Maulana The equipments Azad that areLibrary, generally used Aligarh for ICT applications Muslim are laser printer,University barcode scanner, Image scanner, E-book reader, LCD/Multimedia, RFID technology, CD/DVD and computer networking. It is though expected that the library staff must be fully aware of these IT equipments, yet it was quite revealing that fairly good percentage of staff have extremely low level of awareness about them, as given in the Table 7.23. Amongst the well-known
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equipments barcode scanner is the most well-known followed by image scanner and laser printer. There appears to be least awareness with regard to LCD/Multimedia followed by computer networking and RFID technology. The results obtained were similar to those of Susan Mathew & Baby (2011) whose research also revealed that RFID technology was least familiar among library professionals. Table 7.23 Level of awareness of ICT based resources S.No. ICT based resources Extremely Below Average Above Excellent Mean Poor Average Average 1. Laser printer 44 75 143 97 57 3.12 (10.6%) (18%) (34.4%) (23.3%) (13.7%)
2. Barcode scanner 64 100 134 89 3.46 29 (15.4%) (24.0%) (32.2%) (21.4%) (7.0%)
3. Image scanner 39 55 123 104 95 3.39 (9.4%) (13.2%) (29.6%) (25%) (22.8%)
4. E-book reader 134 87 79 63 3.03 53 (32.2%) (20.9%) (19%) (15.1%) (12.7%) 5. LCD/Multimedia 97 123 76 63 2.98 57 (23.3%) (29.6%) (18.3%) (15.1%) (13.7%) 6. RFID technology 126 77 86 47 2.86 80 (30.3%) (18.5%) (20.7%) (11.3%) (19.2%) 7. CD/DVD 51 50 140 104 71 3.23 (12.3%) (12%) (33.7%) (25%) (17.1%)
8. Computer 54 103 111 81 67 3.01 Networking (13%) (24.8%) (26.7%) (19.5%) (16.1%) (N=416) 7.5.2 Use of web based ICT services Implementation of new web based services in libraries can be affected by the attitude and perceptions of library professionals towards it. Technologies provide more opportunities for the librarians to communicate with their staff, users and other libraries. It is therefore, important to find out the frequency of use of web based services from the very simple web tools like email, social networking sites to complex blogging and social book marking. MaulanaIt can be Azad drafted from Library, the literature Aligarh that commonly Muslim used web based University services are email/instant messages/chat, social networking sites, audio/video sharing, webcasting, discussion groups, list serves, wikis, social bookmarking and blogging. It is though expected that the library staff must be familiar with the most popular web based tools as they help in shaping them to support library services. Present study addresses the level of familiarity with
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the most common web based tools and the frequency of use of these tools by the respondents. The results from the Table 7.24 reveal that well-known web based services including email/instant messaging /chat are frequently used, followed by social networking sites, discussion groups and wikis. Similar results were also found in the previous study of Okonedo, Azubuike, & Adeyoyin (2013). As it is highlighted from the result, social book marking was the ‘least used service’ followed by blogging and list serves. AlKindi, Al- Suqri, & Al-Sarmi (2014) also found that social book marking was least used by information professionals. The research results show that the web based services are yet to be popularized in university libraries as the use of social book marking, blogging, list serves and wikis are not fully utilized by majority of library professionals.
Table 7.24 Use of web based ICT services
Web based ICT Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always Mean S.No. services Email/instant 1. messaging/Chat 42 50 109 80 135 3.52 (10.1%) (12%) (26.2%) (19.2%) (32.5%) Social networking (e.g., 2. Orkut, Face book, 75 71 86 63 121 3.15 twitter, etc.) (18%) (17.1%) (20.7%) (15.1%) (29.1%) Audio/video 3. 109 88 96 63 60 2.70 sharing/webcasting (e.g., Flickr, Skype,YouTube) (26.2%) (21.2%) (23.1%) (15.1%) (14.4%) Discussion groups (e.g. 4. 80 108 76 85 67 2.88 Google/Yahoo! Group) (19.2%) (26%) (18.3%) (20.4%) (16.1%) Listservs (e.g., 5. 112 89 98 63 54 2.66 Lisforum) (26.9%) (21.4%) (23.6%) (15.1%) (13%) Wikis (eg. Wikipedia , 6. 97 78 88 89 64 2.87 LISWiki ) (23.3%) (18.8%) (21.2%) (21.4%) (15.4%) Social book marking 7. 148 120 85 35 28 2.22 (e.g., Delicious, FriendFeed) (35.6%) (28.8%) (20.4%) (8.4%) (6.7%) Blogging (e.g., Twitter, Maulana8. Azad Library,102 Aligarh107 87 Muslim66 University54 2.67 weblogs) (24.5%) (25.7%) (20.9%) (15.9%) (13%) (N=416)
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7.5.3 Proficiencies for managing ICT based library services In present scenario, the applications of ICT enabled library services have expanded the role of library professionals. It has become necessary for them to possess certain ICT skills for managing ICT based services from simple data feeding to complex online indexing, abstracting and to the development of ‘Institutional Repositories’. It is though expected that library staff must be proficient in managing ICT enabled library services. As it is clearly indicated from Table 7.25 maximum number of respondents possessed average level of skills for managing ICT based library services. Fairly good percentage of library professionals have an average level of skills for managing current awareness services followed by Online indexing and abstracting services, Selective dissemination of information and online databases. In contrast to this below average skills were shown for interlibrary loan through networking followed by online bibliographic services. Seena & Pillai (2014) also revealed that library professionals had a low level of skills in interlibrary loan.
Table 7.25 Skills for managing ICT based library services
S.No. ICT based library Extremely Below Average Above Excellent Mean services Poor Average Average
1. Online databases 59 55 114 105 83 3.24 (14.2%) (13.2%) (27.4%) (25.2%) (20%) 2. Digital reference 35 81 142 81 77 3.20 services (8.4%) (19.5%) (34.1%) (19.5%) (18.5%)
3. Inter library loan 65 117 106 74 54 2.84 through networking (15.6%) (28.1%) (25.5%) (17.8%) (13%) 4. Online bibliographic 69 120 109 56 62 2.81 services (16.6%) (28.8%) (26.2%) (13.5%) (14.9%) 5. Online indexing and 40 98 127 76 75 3.12 abstracting services (9.6%) (23.6%) (30.5%) (18.3%) (18%) 6. Current awareness 51 79 145 97 44 3.01 service (12.3%) (19%) (34.9%) (23.3%) (10.6%)
7. Selective dissemination 67 67 121 96 65 3.06 Maulanaof information Azad Library,(16.1%) (16.1%)Aligarh (29.1%) Muslim (23.1%) (15.6%)University 8. Development of 77 85 116 94 44 2.86 institutional repository (18.5%) (20.4%) (27.9%) (22.6%) (10.6%) 9. Data feeding 32 57 96 119 112 3.53 (7.7%) (13.7%) (23.1%) (28.6%) (26.9%) (N=416)
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7.6 Attitude of library professionals towards ICT In the present study, attitude is defined as the belief, perception and opinions of library professionals towards the impact of ICT applications in university libraries of Delhi and U.P. In order to measure the attitude variables, respondents were asked to point out their level of agreement or disagreement on 30 attitude statements on five point likert scale. Out of 30 ICT statements, 8 statements were used to elicit attitudes of library professionals towards general ICT attitudes, 11 statements deals with the impact of ICT, 7 concerning attitudes toward ICT training of library professionals and 4 statements regarding the barriers of ICT applications in libraries. The findings for each part are described in the text and presented in tables carrying respondent’s responses on a five-point likert scale against each statement. 7.6.1 Attitude towards General ICT Statements Table 7.26 deals with the attitude of library professionals with regard to some general statements towards the use of ICT. Data collected from library professionals to know about the applications of ICT as an essentiality in the present information scenario reveals that only 38.5% agreed strongly while only 41.2% just agreed with the statement. Even 4% to 7% of the respondents disagreed with the statement. With regard to the query that repetitive and clerical functions are eliminated through computers, 39.4% just agreed with the statement, while 32.5% agreed very strongly. However, about 10% disagreed completely while the rest were indecisive. Similarly about the query that users of today are better informed then the users in the past, a total of about 71% users agreed with the statement while 18% have disagreed, the remaining being indecisive. With regard to the query that training should be an essentiality for library staffs, majority 67.7% of respondents agreed with statement while only 19.2% disagreed and rest were uncertain. In the same way with regard to the statement that frequent inter library transfer is good for the individuals, majority (48.3%) of respondents disagreed with the statement while Maulana32.9% respondents Azad agreed, Library, the remaining beingAligarh indecisive. Muslim The findings University also show the negative attitude of the library staff. In response to the statement that Library automation will enhance the reputation of library staff, a good number of respondents (66.3%) agreed and 19.4% disagreed while 14.2% were undecided with the statement.
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In the light of the statement that Library staff faced difficulties in learning new modules if they are frequently transferred from one section to another, a sum of 38.5% agreed while majority 51.9% of the respondents’ disagreed with the statement, the remaining being undecided. With response to the query that repeated inter library transfer is good for the library, a total of about 38.7% agreed while majority of respondents i.e. 48.3% disagreed with the statement. This indicates negative attitudes of library professionals about this statement.
Table 7.26 Attitude toward General ICT Statements
S.No. Statements SDA DA NA/ND A SA
In the present information scenario the 18 34 32 171 160 1. application of ICT is essential (4.3%) (8.2%) (7.7%) (41.2%) (38.5%)
Computers help eliminate repetitive and 27 31 59 164 135 2. clerical functions. (6.5%) (3.5%) (14.2%) (39.4%) (32.5%)
The library users of today are better informed 20 55 44 164 133 3. about the existence of information resources (4.8%) (13.2%) (10.6%) (39.4%) (32%)
Library staff training should be a regular 30 50 54 154 130 4. feature. (7.2%) (12%) (13%) (36.5%) (31.2%)
Frequent inter library transfers are good for the 109 92 78 74 63 5. individual (26.2%) (22.1%) (18.8%) (17.8%) (15.1%)
Switching over from manual to automated 6. system has enhanced the prestige of library 26 55 59 149 127 staff (6.2%) (13.2%) (14.2%) (35.8%) (30.5%) If transferred from one section to another it is 125 91 44 97 59 7. difficult to learn the working of other modules (30%) (21.9%) (10.6%) (23.3%) (14.2%) by the individuals
119 82 54 109 52 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good for the (28.6%) (19.7%) (13%) (26.2%) (12.5%) library
This section presents, the analysis concerning the relationship between the independent variables (namely Gender, age, designation, qualifications, experience, and Maulanadifferent university Azad libraries Library, as per the scope Aligarh of the topic) and Muslim one dimension University of attitude of library professionals i.e. attitude towards general ICT statements. The investigator has used Independent T-Test and One Way ANOVA to determine the statistically significant differences.
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Respondents were asked to point out their level of agreement or disagreement on five point likert scale [1=Strongly Disagree (SDA), 2=Disagree (DA), 3=Neither agree nor disagree (NA/NDA), 4=Agree (A), 5=Strongly Agree (SA)]. In order to summarize the data, the median value is calculated and shown along with its interpretation. 7.6.1.1 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Gender Table 7.27 shows the attitude of male and female respondents towards general ICT. Majority of male and female respondents show positive attitude towards the importance of ICT applications. As to the statement that “Computers help eliminate repetitive and clerical functions” most of the respondents of both the genders were positive, thereby underlying the importance of computer and ICT in libraries, as supported by male as well as female library professionals. A good number of male and female respondents agree that the present users of library are better informed about the library resources. In the same way, library professionals of both the genders have positive attitude towards the importance of staff training. This shows that male and female library professionals have the positive opinion that only trained staff can fulfill the dynamic needs of the present users. Regarding the inter library transfer, majority of male respondents disagreed while female respondents remained undecided with the statement. This indicates that male professionals feel that inter-library transfer negatively impacts the individuals’ performance. Majority of male as well as female respondents were found to be positive for the transformation from manual to automated system, probably because they realize the importance of library automation in present digital era. Majority of male and female respondents disagreed on the issue of inter-library transfer because learning the new module of library automation package will take time. Similarly, most of the male and female respondents have negative perception regarding the advantage of library during inter-library transfer.
Table no.7.27: Gender and Attitude towards general ICT statement (N=416, Male=285, Female=131) MALE MaulanaS.No. Statements Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim UniversityFEMALE MEDIAN MEDIAN 1. In the present information scenario the application 4 4 of ICT is essential 2. Computers help eliminate repetitive and clerical 4 4 functions.
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3. The library users of today are better informed 4 4 about the existence of information resources 4. Library staff training should be a regular feature. 4 4 5. Frequent inter library transfers are good for the 3 2 individual 6. Switching over from manual to automated system 4 4 has enhanced the prestige of library staff 7. If transferred from one section to another it is 2 2 difficult to learn the working of other modules by the individuals 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good for the 2 2 library
With regard to the application of scores pertaining to gender and attitude towards general ICT, an independent sample t-test was conducted. Table 7.27 reveals the results that no statistically significant mean difference (f=0.137, p=0.167, i.e. p>0.05) between both the genders [i.e. male library professionals (M=27.44, SD=3.809) and female library professionals (M=26.88, SD=3.897)] and the attitude towards general ICT statements. Table 7.28 Summary of Independent Sample t-test S.No. Gender N Mean Std. T Df F P Deviation Value value value 1. Male 285 27.44 3.809 1.385 2. Female 131 26.88 3.897 1.373 247.408 0.137 0.167 3. Total 416
7.6.1.2 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Age Majority of the respondents in four age group (i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years, 36-45 years and above 46 years) showed their agreement with the importance of ICT applications in the present information scenario. Similarly, most of the respondents belonging to the first three age group (i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years and 36-45 years) agreed that the introduction of computers in libraries for repetitive type of work has increased the efficiency of library in terms of saving of time and energy. However, the respondents in the fourth age group i.e. above 46 years neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement. MaulanaThe median Azad value of Library, different age group Aligarh being 4, clearly Muslim indicates that University majority of the respondents in all the age groups showed their positive attitude towards the awareness of library users about the existence of information resources. Similarly, most of the library professionals in all the age groups were in favour of training programs to be conducted regularly in libraries.
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Inter-library transfer is a routine feature in most of the libraries to redistribute the workload of various sections of a library. This feature helps library professionals in enhancing their ICT skills and knowledge. The median value 4 showed that most of the respondents under the age group ‘below 25 years’ and those from ‘25-35 years’ agreed that frequent inter library transfer are good for them whereas the respondents in the age group ‘36-45 years’ were neutral. However, the respondents with ‘above 46 years’ of age disagreed with the statement. Respondents of the age group ‘below 25 years’ agreed that switching over from manual to computerized system has improved the reputation of library professionals whereas majority of respondents of the age group ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ neither agreed nor disagreed with it. In contrast to this, respondents in the age group ‘above 46 years’ disagreed with this statement as the senior library staff is not very much comfortable with the computerized system. Majority of the respondents with ‘below 25 years’ and ‘above 46 years’ of age agreed with the transfer policy of the library, this reveals their positive attitude. While respondents in the age group ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. When respondents were asked that “Frequent inter-library transfers are good for the library” most of the respondents ‘below 25 years’ showed positive attitude regarding the benefit of inter-library transfer for library whereas respondents under the age group ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ showed neutral behaviour while respondents ‘above 46 years’ disagreed with this statement and which indicated their negative attitude toward inter- library transfer. Table 7.29 Age and Attitude towards general ICT statements (N=416, Below 25 years=52, 25-35 years=136, 36-45 years=135, above 46 years=93) Below Above 25-35yrs 36-45yrs S.No. Statements 25yrs 46yrs Median Median Median Median 1. In the present information scenario the 4 4 4 4 application of ICT is essential Maulana2. Computers Azad help in eliminate Library, repetitive Aligarh4 Muslim4 University4 3 and clerical functions. 3. The library users of today are better 4 4 4 informed about the existence of 4 information resources 4. Library staff training should be a regular 4 4 4 4 feature.
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5. Frequent inter library transfers are good 4 3 2 4 for the individual 6. Switching over from manual to 4 3 3 2 automated system has enhanced the prestige of library staff 7. If transferred from one section to another 2 3 3 4 it is difficult to learn the working of other modules by the individuals 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good 4 3 3 2 for the library
With regard to the application of scores pertaining to four age groups and attitude towards general ICT, an ANOVA test was conducted. Table 7.30 reveals that the mean difference (f= 6.974, p=.000 i.e. p< .05) between the library professionals belonging the four age groups ( i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years, 36-45 years and above 46 years) and the attitude towards general ICT statements are statistically significant. This reveals that age has a direct effect on the above mentioned statements.
Table 7.30 Summary of ANOVA Results ANOVA Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Attitude towards Between 295.882 3 98.627 6.974 .000 general ICT statement Groups Within Groups 5826.558 412 14.142 Total 6122.440 415
7.6.1.3 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Designation An analysis of the data collected from the respondents as per Table 7.31, reveals that most of the top, middle and lower level of library professionals agreed with the basic statement that “In the present information scenario the application of ICT is essential”. In response to the statement that computer reduces repetitive and clerical work, majority of the respondents belonging to the top and middle level library staff agreed with the statement, while respondents belonging to lower order neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement. MaulanaA good numberAzad of respondentsLibrary, belong Aligarhing to all level sMuslim show their positive University perception regarding the knowledge of information resources by the library patron. Similarly, in response to the statement that library staff training enhances their performance, majority of the respondents belonging to all the levels also showed their positive attitude about the staff training as a regular feature in libraries.
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Majority of the respondents under the top level of management showed their disagreement regarding the frequent inter-library transfer whereas respondents under middle and lower management were neutral with this statement. Most of the respondents under top and middle library management showed their positive attitude about the library automation as it helps in enhancing the prestige of library professionals, while lower management showed neutral opinion with the statement. With regarding to the transfer of library staff from one section to another, most of the top management was found to be in favour of learning of various modules of the integrated library software of other sections it is not that difficult. However, respondents of lower management agreed with the statement. In response to the statement that “Frequent inter-library transfers are good for the library”, majority of the respondents under the top level of management agreed with it whereas the middle and lower management did not. As the top management is the decision making authority therefore their attitude regarding ICT is different to some extent in comparison to middle and lower management. Table 7.31 Designation and Attitude towards general statement (N=416, Top management=22, Middle management=139, lower management=255) Top S.No. Statements Managemen Middle Lower Management Management t Median Median Median 1. In the present information scenario the 4 4 4 application of ICT is essential 2. Computers help eliminate repetitive and 4 4 3 clerical functions. 3. The library users of today are better 4 3 informed about the existence of 4 information resources 4. Library staff training should be a regular 4 4 3 feature. 5. Frequent inter library transfers are good 3 3 2 for the individual 6. Switching over from manual to automated 4 4 3 Maulanasystem hasAzad enhanced Library,the prestige of Aligarh Muslim University library staff 7. If transferred from one section to another 2 3 4 it is difficult to learn the working of other modules by the individuals 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good 4 2 2 for the library
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Table 7.32 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.975 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 0.026, p=0.975 i.e. p>0.05). Hence, no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals under different levels of designation (i.e. top, middle and lower level management) with the attitude of general ICT statements. Therefore, it indicates that designation has no effects on the attitude of respondents towards general ICT statements.
Table 7.32 Summary of ANOVA Results ANOVA Sum of Mean
Squares Df Square F Sig. Attitude towards Between Groups .766 2 .383 0.026 0.975 general ICT statement Within Groups 6121.674 413 14.822 Total 6122.440 415
7.6.1.4 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Highest Library Qualification
The study was conducted to find out the attitudes of library staff with highest library qualification towards the general ICT statements on five point likert scale. The median is calculated and the same is shown in Table 7.33. Majority of the respondents having different qualifications (like Certificate, B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., NET/JRF) agreed with the essentiality of ICT in the present scenario. Similarly, most of the respondents in each course also agreed upon the statement that “Computers help eliminate repetitive and clerical functions”. This reveals the positive attitude of respondents having different degrees in library science towards the importance of ICT in libraries. In response to the statement that ‘library users are more up-to-date about the information resources’, majority of the respondents having B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. as well as those who qualified NET agreed to it, while respondents who have done certificate courses were indecisive. MaulanaA significant Azad number Library, of respondents inAligarh each group of coursesMuslim showed Universitytheir agreement with the statement that training should be a regular feature in libraries for library staff so that they can enhance their performance and provide better services to their users. In contrast to this, most of the respondents who have only certificate in library science showed neutral behaviour towards this statement.
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Library professionals were divided over a statement that “Frequent inter-library transfers are good for the individual”, most of the respondents who have done certificate courses disagreed while respondents having B.Lib.I.Sc. and M.Lib.I.Sc. degree showed their neutral behaviour about this statement. In contrast to this, majority of respondents having M.Phil., Ph.D. and qualified NET showed positive opinion towards the benefits of inter- library transfer of library staff. The median value 3 is calculated with respect to the level of opinion who have certificate and B.Lib.I.Sc. courses were indecisive regarding the importance of automation in enhancing the prestige of staff whereas those who have M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D. degrees and qualified NET test agreed that library staff should switch themself from manual to automated system so that their work performance should be improved. With regard to the statement that “If transferred from one section to another it is difficult to learn the working of other modules” most of the respondents who have done certificate and B.Lib.I.Sc courses agreed to it. While respondents having M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree disagreed with the statement, whereas most of the respondents who have qualified NET were undecided about it. This reveals that highly qualified respondents have positive attitude that learning new modules is not an uphill task for library professionals as and when they are transferred from one service point to another in a library. Regarding the statement that “Frequent inter library transfers are good for the library”, most of the respondents in each course disagreed except those who have done M.Lib.I.SC. and NET. This indicates negative attitude of respondents towards this statement. Table 7.33 Highest library qualification and Attitude towards general ICT statement (N=416, Certificate=39, B.Lib.I.Sc.=87, M.Lib.I.Sc.=122,M.Phil=39,Ph.D=58,NET/JRF=74)
S.No. Statements Certificate BLISc MLISc M.Phil. Ph.D. NET/ JRF Median Median Median Median Media Media n n 1. In the present information scenario 4 4 4 4 4 4 the application of ICT Maulanais essential Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 2. Computers help eliminate repetitive and 4 4 4 4 4 4 clerical functions. 3. The library users of today are better 3 4 4 4 4 4 informed about the
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existence of information resources
4. Library staff training should be a regular 4 4 4 4 4 4 feature. 5. Frequent inter library transfers are good for 2 3 3 4 4 4 the individual 6. Switching over from manual to automated system has enhanced 3 3 4 4 4 4 the prestige of library staff 7. If transferred from one section to another it is difficult to learn the 4 4 2 2 2 3 working of other modules by the individuals 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good for 2 2 3 2 2 3 library
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals under different courses of library science (i.e. Certificate, B. Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D. and NET/JRF) and the attitude of general ICT statements, Table 7.33 found that the calculated p value is 0.038 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (f= 1.879, p=0.038 i.e. p< 0.05). This indicates that qualification has a direct effect on the above mentioned attitude statements.
Table 7.34 Summary of ANOVA Results
ANOVA Sum of Mean Squares df Square F Sig. Attitude towards Between 164.230 6 27.372 1.879 .038 Maulanageneral ICT statement Azad Groups Library, Aligarh Muslim University Within Groups 5958.210 409 14.568 Total 6122.440 415
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7.6.1.5 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Experience Experience is an important factor for analysing the attitude of library professionals towards ICT. Table 7.35 reveals the views of library professionals about various ICT statements having different work experience. In response to the statement that “In the present information scenario the application of ICT is essential” most of the respondents having work experience of ‘less than 5 years’, ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 year’ agreed whereas the respondents ‘above 26 years’ were undecided with this statement. This shows that library staff have positive attitude that ICT is an essential tool for library management. Similarly, most of the respondents having different work experience showed positive opinion about the significance of computer in removing the repetitious library work. Majority of the respondents having different job experience had positive attitude towards the statement that today’s library users are very much ICT aware and know about various information resources available offline as well as online. Likewise, library professionals having working experience of ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ agreed that library staff training should be a regular feature while newly joined professionals and senior staff having experience of ‘above 26 years’ remained undecided with this statement. Inter-library transfer is a routine feature of library, sometimes it is a policy of library and sometimes it is essential to overcome temporary work load of library. After analysing data it was revealed that most of the professionals having different job experience had negative attitude about the statement that interlibrary transfer are good for individuals. Most of the professionals having different job experience agreed that moving from manual to computerized library system is good for the library. This shows the positive attitude of respondents towards the library automation. In response to the statement that “If transferred from one section to another it is difficult to learn the working of other modules” majority of respondents having job experience of ‘less than 5 years’, ‘15-25 years’ and ‘above 26 years’ disagreed while Maulanaprofessionals h avingAzad ‘5-15 years’Library, experience Aligarhwere undecided Muslimwith this statement. University This clearly shows that most of the respondents having different working experience have positive attitude towards this negative statement, while respondents have more or less negative attitude about the benefits of inter-library transfer.
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Table 7.35 Experience and Attitude towards general ICT statement (N=416, less than 5 years=90, 5-15 years=147, 16-25 years=122, above 26 years=57)
Less 5-15 16- Above S.No. Statements than 5 years 25years 26 years years Median Median Median Median 1. In the present information scenario the 4 4 3 4 application of ICT is essential 2. Computers help eliminate repetitive and 4 4 4 4 clerical functions. 3. The library users of today are better 4 4 3 informed about the existence of 4 information resources 4. Library staff training should be a regular 4 4 3 3 feature. 5. Frequent inter library transfers are good for 2 2 3 3 the individual 6. Switching over from manual to automated 4 4 4 4 system has enhanced the prestige of library staff 7. If transferred from one section to another it 2 3 2 2 is difficult to learn the working of other modules by the individuals 8. Frequent inter library transfers are good for 2 3 2 3 the library
Table 7.36 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated Maulanavalue is 0.289 which Azad is more Library, than the significance Aligarh level of 0.05 Muslim (i.e. f= 1.239 ,University p=.285, i.e. p> .05). Hence, that no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals with different working experience (i.e. below 5 years, 5-15 years, 16-25 years and above 26 years) as far as the attitude of general ICT statements is concerned. This indicates that experience has no effects on the above mentioned attitude statements.
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Table 7.36 Summary of ANOVA Results
ANOVA Sum of Mean
Squares Df Square F Sig. Between Groups 109.260 6 18.210 1.239 .285 Attitude towards general Within Groups 6013.180 409 14.702 statement Total 6122.440 415
7.6.1.6 Attitude towards General ICT Statements vs. Central University Libraries All the central university libraries under the study are well-established and well prestigious libraries in India having vast collections in print as well as in digital format. They also use different library management software for doing their in-house operations and subscribe various national and international databases. Respondents of all the libraries were asked their perception on the general ICT based statements on five points likert scale and median value is calculated in order to summarize the data. In response to the statement that application of ICT is an important component in libraries; most of the respondents in all the libraries agreed with the statement, which shows their positive attitude. Likewise, majority of library staff in all the libraries also showed their positive perception concerning the importance of computer in various library activities. A good number of library staff in all libraries except BBAU library agreed that present day users are very much up to date with the existence of various types of information resources. They also had positive attitude towards the importance of staff training for developing the competent skills and abilities in their profession. Majority of library staff of DU and JMI disagreed with the statement that “frequent inter-library transfer is good for the individuals”. This indicates their negative opinion with respect to the inter library transfer. In contrast to this the staff of BBAU had positive attitude while rest were indecisive. A good number of respondents in all libraries showed their positive attitude regarding the improvement of reputation of library staff who works under Maulanacomputerized environment. Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University In response to the statement that it is a tough job to learn the working of new modules, if transferred from one section to another, majority of respondents in DU, JMI, AMU and BHU disagreed, while rest were indecisive. This shows positive attitude of staff with this negative statement. Only the respondents of BHU and BBAU library agreed with the
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statement that “Frequent inter library transfers are good for the library”, while the rest were indecisive with this statement. Table 7.37 University libraries and Attitude towards general ICT statement (N=416, DU=92, JNU=75, JMI=38, AMU=73, BHU=131, BBAU=7)
S.No. Statements DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU Median Median Median Median Median Median 1. In the present 4 4 4 4 4 4 information scenario the application of ICT is essential 2. Computers help 4 4 4 4 4 4 eliminate repetitive and clerical functions. 3. The library users of 4 4 4 4 4 3 today are better informed about the existence of information resources 4. Library staff 4 4 4 4 4 4 training should be a regular feature. 5. Frequent inter 2 3 2 3 3 4 library transfers are good for the individual 6. Switching over from 4 4 4 4 4 4 manual to automated system has enhanced the prestige of library staff 7. If transferred from 2 3 2 2 2 3 one section to another it is difficult to learn the working of other modules by Maulanathe individuals Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 8. Frequent inter 2 3 2 3 4 4 library transfers are good for the library
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7.6.2 Attitude about the Impact of ICT Data in Table 7.38 provides description of library professional’s input on their opinion and belief towards the impact of ICT on libraries. In response to the query that applications of ICT encourage speedy access to current information, a large part of 45% respondents agreed with it while about 5% to 8% disagreed with the statement and the rest were undecided. In response to a statement that every year ICT offers more effective ways to complete library operations, a total of 71.3% respondents agreed strongly while 18.7% disagreed with the statement. In the light of the statement that Quality of library services will be improved by the application of ICT, 40.1% respondents agreed while 34.1% strongly agreed with the statement. Only 8.2% disagreed. 10.8% respondents stayed undecided with the statement. About the query that it is easy to retrieve information through online resources than print resources, 40.4% respondents agreed while 36.1% agreed strongly. However about 13% disagreed completely with the statement while the rest were indecisive. With regard to the statement that Data retrieval through print resources is more reliable and authentic as compared to data retrieval through online resources, 19.2% respondents agreed strongly while 30.3% respondents agreed with the statement. Conversely 12.5% respondents strongly disagreed while 23.6% respondents disagreed whereas the rest were unsure. With regard to the query that Information in online databases is more up to date in comparison to traditional catalogue and indexes, a large part of 41.6% agreed strongly while 34.6% just agreed with the statement. Even 6% to 9% of the respondents disagreed with the statement. Similarly with regard to the query that OPAC can be utilized more effectively than a card catalogue, a total of about 77.2% respondents (A-35.1% + SA-42.1%) agreed with the statement while 5% disagreed, the remaining being indecisive. In response to the query that Library professionals realized that with the help of ICT Maulanatheir workload inAzad the librar yLibrary, reduced gradually, Aligarh majority of Muslimrespondents i.e. University68.3% showed agreement with the statement however only 6% to 9% respondents showed disagreement. The rest of the respondents (16.3%) were neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. In response to the statement that in libraries data storage on computer is very unsafe than print resources, a large number of respondents i.e. about 54% showed agreement while 30.5% respondents showed disagreement with the statement, the rest were indecisive. 193
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In response to the statement that library professionals feel difficulties in upgrading their skills with the fast evolving technologies, a sum of about 51% (A-28.1%+SA-22.8%) showed agreement whereas about 28% (DA-12%+SDA-15.9%) showed disagreement with the statement, the remaining being undecided. With regard to the query that while working with ICT, interests of library professionals go on reducing if there is slow speed of internet and erratic power supply, majority i.e. 46% of the respondents showed agreement whereas 38% showed disagreement with this statement. This shows positive attitude of library staff regarding the problems associated with ICT.
Table 7.38 Attitude towards Impact of ICT in Libraries S. Statements SDA DA NA/ND A SA No. ICT applications facilitate quick access 19 34 44 187 132 1. to current data. (4.6%) (8.2%) (10.6%) (45%) (31.7%) ICT offers more efficient ways to carry 23 55 39 157 142 2. out library operations. (5.5%) (13.2%) (9.4%) (37.2%) (34.1%) Applications of ICT improve quality of 28 34 45 167 142 3. library services. (6.7%) (8.2%) (10.8%) (40.1%) (34.1%) Information retrieval is much easier 26 28 44 168 150 4. through online resources than printed (6.2%) (6.7%) (10.6%) (40.4%) (36.1%) resources. Information retrieved through printed 52 98 60 126 80 5. resources is more authentic than online (12.5%) (23.6%) (14.4%) (30.3%) (19.2%) resources An online database gives more up-to- 25 39 35 144 173 6. date information than the traditional (6%) (9.4%) (8.4%) (34.6%) (41.6%) catalogue and indexes. OPAC can be used more easily than a 21 21 53 146 175 7. card catalogue. (5%) (5%) (12.7%) (35.1%) (42.1%) Application of ICT reduces workload of 27 37 68 175 109 8. library professionals. (6.5%) (8.9%) (16.3%) (42.1%) (26.2%) Data storage on computer is highly risky 52 75 65 131 93 9. in libraries compared to print resources (12.5%) (18%) (15.6%) (31.5%) (22.4%) It is difficult for library professionals to 50 66 88 117 95 10. cope with ever-changing technologies (12%) (15.9%) (21.2%) (28.1%) (22.8%) and innovations MaulanaSlow speed Azad internet Library, and interrupted Aligarh Muslim University power supply reduces the interest of 62 96 69 105 84 11. library professionals while working with (14.9%) (23.1%) (16.6%) (25.2%) (20.8%) ICT.
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The present following paragraphs, analysis concerning the relationship between the independent variables (namely Gender, age, designation, highest library qualifications, experience, and different university libraries under the scope of the study) and another dimension of attitude of library professionals i.e. attitude about the impact of ICT. The investigator has used Independent T-Test and One Way ANOVA to determine the statistically significant differences. The findings are explained in the text and presented in tables carrying users responses on five points likert scale [1=Strongly Disagree (SDA), 2=Disagree (DA), 3=Neither agree nor disagree (NA/NDA), 4=Agree (A), 5=Strongly Agree (SA)] against each statement. The median value of five point likert scale is calculated in order to summarize the data. 7.6.2.1 Attitude about the Impact of ICT vs. Gender Data in Table 7.39 shows the attitude of male and female library professionals towards the impact of ICT in libraries. Majority of male as well as female professionals agreed that use of ICT helps in accessing the current information. Similarly, both the genders showed their positive attitude towards the efficiency of ICT in providing the easy ways to carry out library operations and also help in improving the quality of library services. In response to the statement that information retrieval is much easier through online resources as compared to print resources, majority of male as well as female respondents showed positive attitude towards online resources. Majority of the male respondents agreed that printed resources are more authentic than online resources whereas female respondents were indecisive with this statement. This reveals that male professionals have negative perception towards the authenticity of online resources. A good number of respondents of male and female agreed that in comparison to conventional catalogue and indexes, online databases provides more current information. Similarly, both the genders also agreed that “OPAC can be used more easily than a card catalogue”. The finding reveals that male and female respondents have positive attitude towards the online databases and feasibility of OPAC. MaulanaThe median Azad value 4 Library,clearly indicates Aligarhthat male and female Muslim respondents University have positive perception regarding the importance of ICT in reducing the workload of library staff. Library professionals were divided on the statement that data in print resources is safer as compared to data on computers. The level of agreement of both the genders showed negative attitude towards the security of data on computers.
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Majority of male professionals disagreed that it is a challenge for professionals to keep abreast with the new developments of ICT whereas female respondents were undecided with this statement. This reveals their positive attitude towards training and orientation programs which helps professionals in developing new efficiencies in library staff to cope with the changing technologies. Whereas, male and female staff agreed with the statement that “slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the interest of library professionals while working with ICT”. Table 7.39 Gender vs. Attitude about the impact of ICT (N=416, Male=285, Female=131)
S.No. Statements MALE FEMALE 4 4 1. ICT applications facilitate quick access to current data.
4 4 2. ICT offers more efficient ways to carry out library operations.
4 4 3. Applications of ICT improve quality of library services.
Information retrieval is much easier through online resources than 4 4 4. printed resources. Information retrieved through printed resources is more authentic 4 3 5. than online resources An online database gives more up-to-date information than the 4 4 6. traditional catalogue and indexes. 4 4 7. OPAC can be used more easily than a card catalogue.
4 4 8. Application of ICT reduces workload of library professionals.
Data storage on computer is highly risky in libraries compared to 4 4 9. print resources It is difficult for library professionals to cope with ever-changing 4 3 10. technologies and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the 4 4 11. interest of library professionals while working with ICT.
MaulanaWith regard Azad to the application Library, of scores Aligarh pertaining to genderMuslim and attitude University about impact of ICT, an independent sample t-test was conducted. Table 7.40 reveals the results that no statistically significant mean difference (f=0.403, p=0.525, i.e. p>0.05) between both the genders [i.e. male library professionals (M=40.11, SD=5.051) and female library professionals (M=39.77, SD=5.149)] with the attitude about impact of ICT.
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Table 7.40 Summary of independent sample t-test S.No. Gender N Mean Std. T Df F P Deviation Value Value Value 1. Male 285 40.11 5.051 .636 2. Female 131 39.77 5.149 .632 414 .403 .525 3. Total 416
7.6.2.2 Attitude about the Impact of ICT vs. Age Data in Table 7.41 provides description of library professionals’ feedback on their personal belief and opinion towards the impact of ICT on libraries. In response to the statement that application of ICT helps in fast access to up-to-date information, majority of responses belonging to each age group agreed with this statement. Similarly, most of the library professionals in each age group have positive opinion that ICT innovation offer more efficient ways to manage library operations. The median value of 4 under the age group of ‘below 25 years’, ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ clearly indicates that most of the library professionals have the positive attitude that the implementation of ICT in libraries had develop the quality of library services. In response to the statement that “information retrieval is much easier through online resources than printed resources”, majority of the respondents under the age group of ‘below 25 years’ strongly agreed while rest agreed with this statement. The agreement of majority of respondents with this statement showed that respondents have positive attitude towards the online resources. In response to the statement that online databases provide latest information than the conventional catalogue and indexes, most of the respondents under the age group ‘below 25 years’, ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ agreed whereas the library staff ‘above 46 years’ disagreed with this statement. This reveals that a significant number of library professionals have positive perception towards the impact of ICT in getting current information through online resources in comparison to manual catalogue. MaulanaA good numberAzad of responsesLibrary, under theAligarh age group ‘ belowMuslim 25 years’ stronglyUniversity agreed and ‘36-45 years’ agreed while staff ‘above 46 years’ were undecided with the statement that OPAC can be used, modified and updated more easily than the card catalogue. The findings indicate that most of the library professionals have the positive attitude towards the benefits of OPAC.
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Library professionals were divided over the statement that application of ICT in libraries has reduced the workload of all level of staff. Respondents under the age group of ‘below 25 years’ and ‘25-35 years’ agreed whereas respondents under the age group of ‘36- 45 years’ and ‘above 46 years’ disagreed with this statement. This clearly shows that senior library staff is not comfortable with their existing ICT skills. Majority of library professionals under the age group ‘below 25 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ agreed with the statement that data storage on computer is highly risky as compared to print resources. In contrast to this, the respondents ‘above 46 years’ neither agreed nor disagreed with it. This reveals that library professionals have negative perception regarding the storage of information on computers. Various new technologies have been developed at a very fast pace and it becomes difficult for library staff to cope up with this fast changing technologies and innovation. The disagreement with this negative statement clearly showed the positive attitude of professionals towards the ability of library professionals in overcoming the barriers which comes due to the ever changing technologies. Majority of professionals agreed with the statement that while working with ICT slow speed of internet and erratic power supply reduces interest of library professionals. This shows the positive attitude of professionals towards the barriers associated with ICT. Table 7.41 Age vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT (N=416, Below 25 years=52, 25-35 years=136, 36-45 years=135, above 46 years=93) BELOW 25-35 36-45 ABOVE S.No. Statements 25 YRS YRS YRS 46 ICT applications facilitate quick 4 4 4 4 1. access to current data. ICT offers more efficient ways to 4 4 4 4 2. carry out library operations. Applications of ICT improve quality 4 4 4 3 3. of library services. Information retrieval is much easier 5 4 4 4 4. through online resources than printed resources. MaulanaInformation Azad retrieved Library, through printed Aligarh4 Muslim4 3 University3 5. resources is more authentic than online resources An online database gives more up-to- 4 4 4 2 6. date information than the traditional catalogue and indexes.
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OPAC can be used more easily than a 5 4 4 3 7. card catalogue. Application of ICT reduces workload 4 4 2 2 8. of library professionals. Data storage on computer is highly 4 4 4 3 9. risky in libraries compared to print resources It is difficult for library professionals 2 2 3 4 10. to cope with ever-changing technologies and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted 4 4 4 3 power supply reduces the interest of 11. library professionals while working with ICT.
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals with different age group (i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years, 36-45 years and above 46 years) and the attitude about impact of ICT, Table 7.42 found that the calculated p value is 0.045 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (f= 0.883, p=0.045, i.e. p< 0.05). This indicates that age has a direct effects on the above mentioned attitude statements. Table 7.42 Summary of ANOVA Results
Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 68.402 3 22.801 .883 .045
Within Groups 10635.588 412 25.815 Total 10703.990 415
7.6.2.3 Attitude about the Impact of ICT vs. Qualification The present study was carried out to find out the various levels of perceptions of library professionals towards the impact of ICT in libraries on five point likert scale by highest library qualification. Majority of respondents having M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree Maulanastrongly agreed Azadthat through Library, ICT it has become Aligarh easy to access Muslim up-to-date information University while those staff who have done B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc. and NET/JRF agreed whereas professionals having certificate courses were undecided with this statement. In response to the statement that through ICT the working of various library operations has become easy and time saving, most of the respondents having different library
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qualifications showed their positive attitude towards this statement except those who have done certificate courses. Similarly, with response to the statement that quality of library services has also improved with the help of ICT, a good number of respondents having different qualifications showed their positive attitude towards the importance of ICT in libraries. A significant number of library professionals having different degrees in library science showed their positive attitude towards the statement that “information retrieval is much easier through online resources as compared to print resources”. Whereas, majority of respondents also agreed that print resources are more authentic as compared to online resources. This shows the negative opinion of respondents towards the authenticity of online resources. Majority of respondents having M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees strongly agreed that online databases provide more pin pointed and exhaustive information than conventional catalogue and indexes whereas respondents having certificate disagreed with this statement. In the same way, majority of respondents having different library qualification showed their positive attitude towards that OPAC can be easily modified and more used than card catalogue. This reveals that most of the library professionals having high level of qualification in library science have positive attitude towards the online databases and OPAC. In response to the statement that “application of ICT reduces workload of library professionals” majority of respondents strongly agreed and agreed with this statement. This shows their positive perception regarding the importance of ICT for library staff. Respondents were divided on the statement that it is unsafe to store information on computer, most of the respondents having various qualifications in library science agreed with this statement. The agreement with this negative statement showed their negative attitude towards the safety of data on computers. In response to the negative statement that it has becomes a challenge for library professionals to keep themselves abreast with the ever changing technologies and innovations. Respondents having certificate course agreed while those having B.Lib.I.Sc. and MaulanaM.Lib.I.SC. were Azad indecisive Library, with this statement. Aligarh In contrast toMuslim this, most of theUniversity respondents having M.Phil, Ph.D. and NET/JRF showed their disagreement with this statement. The findings indicate that professionals having high qualification in library science show their positive attitude towards the competent skills and abilities of library professionals in overcoming the hindrances of new developments in ICT.
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Whereas, most of the professionals having different degrees in library science agreed with the statement that “Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the interest of library professionals while working with ICT”. Table 7.43 Qualification vs. Attitude about the impact of ICT (N=416, Certificate=39, BLISc=87, MLISc=122,M.Phil=39,Ph.D.=58,NET/JRF=74) S.No. Statements Certificate BLISC MLISC M.PHIL PH.D. NET/JRF ICT applications facilitate 1. quick access to current 3 4 4 5 5 4 data. ICT offers more efficient 2. ways to carry out library 2 4 4 4 4 4 operations. Applications of ICT 3. improve quality of library 3 4 4 5 5 4 services. Information retrieval is much easier through 4. 3 4 4 4 4 4 online resources than printed resources. Information retrieved through printed resources 5. 3 3 4 4 4 4 is more authentic than online resources An online database gives more up-to-date 6. information than the 2 4 4 5 5 4 traditional catalogue and indexes. OPAC can be used more 7. easily than a card 3 4 4 4 5 4 catalogue. Application of ICT 8. reduces workload of 3 4 4 4 5 4 library professionals. Data storage on computer is highly risky in libraries 9. 3 4 4 4 4 4 compared to print resources It is difficult for library professionals to cope with 10. ever-changing 4 3 3 2 2 2 technologies and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply 11. reduces the interest of 3 3 4 4 4 4 Maulanalibrary professionals Azad while Library, Aligarh Muslim University working with ICT.
Table 7.44 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.021 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 1.389, p=0.021, i.e. p<0.05). Hence, that there is a statistically significant mean difference exists between the
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library professionals under different courses of library science (i.e. Certificate, B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D. and NET/JRF) with the attitude about impact of ICT. This indicates that qualification has a direct effect on the above mentioned attitude statements.
Table 7.44 Summary of ANOVA Results
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 213.797 6 35.633 1.389 .021
Within Groups 10490.194 409 25.648 Total 10703.990 415
7.6.2.4 Attitude about the Impact of ICT vs. Designation The below Table 7.45 shows the agreement level of library professionals on various statements framed by the investigator in order to calculate the attitude of library professionals having different level of designations towards the impact of ICT. The table indicates the median value of their level of agreement or disagreement. With regard to the statement that “ICT applications facilitate quick access to current data” most of the professionals agreed with the statement. This clearly shows their positive attitude of library staff towards ICT in libraries. Library professionals are the backbone of library their positive attitude towards the library infrastructure improves their proficiency. The median value 4 in top, middle and lower level library professionals clearly indicates that most of the professionals agreed with the statement that “ICT offers more efficient ways to carry out library operations”. Now a days most of the library services are performed with the applications of technology. It is clear from the responses received from the respondents that library professionals were in favour of applications of ICT in libraries as a measure to improve the quality of library services. Easiness of accessibility is an important aspect in libraries. Users of library need Maulanaquick information Azad this is possible Library, through online Aligarh resources. InMuslim response to the University statement that “Information retrieval is much easier through online resources than print resources”, most of the top, middle as well as lower level of library staff have positive attitude towards online resources. In contrast to this, regarding the perception of library staff towards the authenticity
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of online resources most of the respondents of top and middle level of management were uncertain while lower level respondents agreed with this statement. In response to the statement “An online database gives more up-to-date information than the traditional catalogue and indexes”, most of the respondents of top and middle level of library staff agreed while respondents of lower level of management were undecided with this statement. Use of OPAC is very common in central university libraries, all the select central university libraries provides OPAC for searching library materials. Agreements of most of the respondents having different level of designations were shown with the statement that “OPAC can be used more easily than a card catalogue” show their positive attitude towards OPAC. It is a real fact that ICT reduces the repetitive wok in the libraries. Library professionals of different level of designation showed their positive attitude with regard to the statement that “Application of ICT reduces workload of library professionals”. Investigator asked the respondents about their opinion reading the statement that “Data storage on computer is highly risky in libraries compared to print resources”, most of the top level respondents agreed while rest were indecisive with this statement. Technology is moving very fast and new changes are taking place every day. Libraries are also affected by these changing technologies. Keeping pace with the technology is, therefore, very necessary for library professionals. Most of the respondents of top and middle level of management had neutral behaviour while lower order respondents agreed with the statement that “It is difficult for library professionals to cope with ever-changing technologies and innovations”. Majority of respondents of top, middle and lower level of library staff agreed that while working with ICT certain problems like internet connectivity and power supply have reduced the interest of professionals. This shows their positive attitude regarding the problems associated with ICT.
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Table 7.45 Designation vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT (N=416, Top management=22, Middle management=139, Lower management=255) TOP MIDDLE LOWER S.No. Statements Management Management Management
ICT applications facilitate quick access 1. 5 4 4 to current data. ICT offers more efficient ways to carry 2. 4 4 4 out library operations. Applications of ICT improve quality of 3. 4 4 3 library services. Information retrieval is much easier 4. through online resources than printed 4 4 4 resources. Information retrieved through printed 5. resources is more authentic than online 3 3 4 resources An online database gives more up-to- 6. date information than the traditional 4 4 3 catalogue and indexes. OPAC can be used more easily than a 7. 5 4 4 card catalogue. Application of ICT reduces workload of 8. 4 4 4 library professionals. Data storage on computer is highly risky 9. 4 3 3 in libraries compared to print resources It is difficult for library professionals to 10. cope with ever-changing technologies 3 3 4 and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the interest of 11. 4 4 4 library professionals while working with ICT.
Table 7.46 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.531 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 0.634, p=0.531i.e. p>0.05). Hence, that no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals under different levels of designation (i.e. top, middle and lower level Maulanamanagement) with Azad the attitude Library, about impact ofAligarh ICT statements. Muslim It shows that Universitydesignation has no direct effect on the attitude of respondents towards the above mentioned ICT statements.
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Table 7.46 Summary of ANOVA Results
ANOVA Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 32.774 2 16.387 .634 .531
Within Groups 10671.217 413 25.838 Total 10703.990 415
7.6.2.4 Attitude about Impact of ICT vs. Experience In response to the statement that with the help of ICT, it becomes easy to access recent and up-to-date information, majority of respondents having work experience of ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ strongly agreed whereas respondents with experience of ‘below 5 years’ and ‘above 16 years’ agreed with this statement. This shows their positive attitude of library professionals having different job experience towards the importance of ICT in accessing the information. With regard to the statement that working conditions of different library operations have become more efficient with the help of ICT, majority of respondents belonging to different age group agreed, while library staff having experience ‘above 26 years’ were undecided with this statement. This clearly shows the positive attitude of respondents towards benefit of ICT in library operations. Similarly, respondents having different experience showed their positive attitude with the statement that “applications of ICT improve quality of library services”. A significant number of respondents having different working experience showed their positive attitude about the easiness of information retrieval through online resources as compared to print resources. On the other hand, most of the respondents having work experience of ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ showed their agreement that information are more authentic in print resources than online resources while respondents having work experience ‘below 5 years’ and ‘above 26 years’ had neutral behaviour with this statement. MaulanaIn response Azad to the statement Library, that “online Aligarh databases gives Muslim more up-to- dateUniversity information than the traditional catalogue”, most of the respondents having different working experiences showed their positive attitude towards the importance of online resources. Similarly, majority of respondents also showed their positive perception with the statement that OPAC can be used and modified more easily than card catalogue.
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Majority of respondents having work experience ‘below 5 years’, ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ agreed that the application of ICT has reduced various repetitive works of library professionals whereas respondents with experience ‘above 26 years’ neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. Similarly, most of the respondents having work experience below ‘5 years’, ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ agreed that it is not safe to store data on computer compared to print resources. While those having experience ‘above 26 years’ were undecided with this statement. The level of agreement shows the negative attitude of library staff towards the security of data on computer. With regard to the negative statement that “It is difficult for library professionals to cope with ever-changing technologies and innovations”, most of the professionals except those who have working experiences of ‘5-15 years’ agreed with this statement. The agreements of respondents show their positive attitude towards the ability of library staff to cope up with the latest development in ICT. In the same way, in response to the statement that “Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the interest of library professionals while working with ICT”, majority of library professionals except those having job experience of ‘above 26 years’ agreed with this statement. This shows their positive attitude about the problems associated while working with ICT. Table 7.47 Experience vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT (N=416, less than 5 years=90, 5-15 years=147, 16-25 years=122, above 26 years=57) BELOW 5-15 YRS 16-25 ABOVE S.No. Statements 5YRS YRS 26 ICT applications facilitate quick 4 5 5 4 1. access to current data. ICT offers more efficient ways to 4 4 4 3 2. carry out library operations. Applications of ICT improve quality 4 4 4 4 3. of library services. Information retrieval is much easier 4 4 5 4
4. through online resources than printed Maulanaresources. Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Information retrieved through printed 3 4 4 3
5. resources is more authentic than online resources
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An online database gives more up-to- 4 4 4 4
6. date information than the traditional catalogue and indexes. OPAC can be used more easily than a 4 4 4 4 7. card catalogue. Application of ICT reduces workload 4 4 4 3 8. of library professionals. Data storage on computer is highly 4 4 4 3
9. risky in libraries compared to print resources It is difficult for library professionals 4 3 4 4
10. to cope with ever-changing technologies and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted 4 4 4 3 power supply reduces the interest of 11. library professionals while working with ICT.
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals with different working experience (i.e. below 5 years, 5-15 years, 16-25 years and above 26 years) and the attitude about impact of ICT. Table 7.48 found that the calculated p value is 0.060 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (f=2.036, p=0.060 i.e. p>0.05). This indicates that experience has no effects on the above mentioned attitude statements.
Table 7.48 Summary of ANOVA Results Sum of Mean
Squares Df Square F Sig. Between 310.392 6 51.732 2.036 0.060 Groups Within Groups 10393.598 409 25.412 MaulanaTotal Azad Library,10703.990 Aligarh415 Muslim University
7.6.2.5 Attitude about Impact of ICT vs. University Libraries Data in Table 7.49 reveals that most of the respondents in all the central university libraries agreed to the easy access to current information with the help of ICT. Similarly,
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majority of the respondents showed their positive attitude that the application of ICT in libraries provides efficient ways to carry out the various library operations. In response to the statement that the qualities of library services have also improved due to the use of ICT in library, most of the respondents of JNU and BHU strongly agreed while rest only agreed with this statement. This shows their positive attitude towards the use of ICT in libraries. A good number of respondents showed their positive perception towards the easy retrieval of information through online resources as compared to print resources. In response to the statement that “Information retrieved through printed resources is more authentic than online resources”, most of the respondents of DU, JMI, AMU and BHU agreed while respondents of JNU disagreed and library staff of BBAU were indecisive with this statement. The level of agreement in most of the libraries indicates the negative attitude towards the authenticity of online resources. A significant number of respondents in all the university libraries strongly agreed and agreed that in comparison to conventional catalogue and indexes, online databases give more recent information. This indicates the positive attitude of the respondents towards online resources. Similarly, majority of respondents in all university libraries showed positive attitude towards the statement that “OPAC can be used more easily than a card catalogue”. In response to the statement that data is more secure in print resources than data stored on computer, majority of respondents of DU, JNU, AMU and BHU libraries agreed whereas the rest were indecisive with this statement. This shows the negative attitude of respondents in most of the university libraries regarding the security of data on computer. A significant number of respondents in university libraries of DU, JNU, AMU and BHU disagreed that it is difficult for library professionals to keep pace with the changing technologies while respondents of JMI and BBAU were undecided with this statement. This indicates their positive attitude towards the efficiency of library professionals in this digital era. Whereas respondents of DU, JNU and BHU agreed that “Slow speed internet and interrupted power supply reduces the interest of library professionals while working with ICT” while rest were indecisive. This clearly shows their positive attitude towards the Maulanadisturbance of internet Azad connectivity Library, and power Aligarh supply while working Muslim with ICT University.
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Table 7.49 University Libraries vs. Attitude about Impact of ICT (N=416, DU=92, JNU=75, JMI=38, AMU=73, BHU=131, BBAU=7) DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU S.N Statements o. Median Median Median Median Median Median 1. ICT applications facilitate quick access to 4 4 4 4 4 3 current data. 2. ICT offers more efficient ways to carry out library 4 4 4 4 4 4 operations. 3. Applications of ICT improve quality of 4 5 4 4 5 3 library services. 4. Information retrieval is much easier through 4 4 4 4 4 3 online resources than printed resources. 5. Information retrieved through printed resources is more 4 2 4 4 4 3 authentic than online resources 6. An online database gives more up-to-date information than the 5 4 4 5 4 4 traditional catalogue and indexes. 7. OPAC can be used more easily than a card 4 4 4 5 4 4 catalogue. 8. Application of ICT reduces workload of 4 4 4 4 4 3 library professionals. 9. Data storage on computer is highly risky 4 4 3 4 4 3 in libraries compared to print resources 10. It is difficult for library professionals to cope with ever-changing 2 2 3 2 2 3 technologies and innovations Maulana11. Slow speed Azad internet andLibrary, Aligarh Muslim University interrupted power supply reduces the interest of 4 4 3 3 4 3 library professionals while working with ICT.
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7.6.3 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff Data in Table 7.50 indicates the perception of library staff regarding the influence of training on the use of ICTs in libraries, with regard to the query that training would leave a greater impact on the attitude of library staff to implement ICT in their libraries. Majority 72.1% of respondents agreed and only 12.3% disagreed whereas 15.6% had no opinion about this statement. Likewise, in response to the query that ICT training programs would enhance their knowledge and skills in the use of computers. 72.6% of respondents agreed and only 11.5% disagreed completely, while the rest had no opinion about this statement. In response to the statement that attitudinal barriers of library staff can be reduced through ICT training programs, about 45% respondents showed agreement whereas 23.3% respondents showed disagreement with the statement while the rest were indecisive. In the same way, with regard to the query that Training helps the library professionals in promoting the usage of ICT in libraries, a large part 72.1% of respondents showed agreement and only 15.1% showed disagreement while 12.7% respondents were undecided. With regard to the query that ICT training helps the library professionals to change their mindset for the acceptance of new technologies in their libraries, about 65% of respondents agreed on the other hand about 15% of respondents disagreed with the statement while the rest were indecisive. A total of 70.4% respondents agreed with the query that ICT Training was essential in overcoming any barrier that might come while using it in libraries, whereas about 12% of respondents disagreed and 17.8% had no opinion about the statement A significant 62.4% of respondents agreed with the statement that ICT training influences the library professionals’ involvement, satisfaction and confidence with new technologies whereas 14% disagreed while 23.6% respondents had no opinion with this statement.
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Table 7.50 Attitude towards ICT training of library staff
S.No. Statements Disagree Neutral Agree
Training influences the attitude of library professionals 51 65 300 1. to use ICT in their library (12.3%) (15.6%) (72.1%) Training enhances the computer skills of library 48 66 302 2. professionals (11.5%) (15.9%) (72.6%) Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library 97 133 186 3. professionals to the acceptance of ICT. (23.3%) (32%) (44.7%) Training of library professionals may promote the usage 63 53 300 4. of ICT. (15.1%) (12.7%) (72.1%) Training of library professionals is essential in 62 83 271 5. introducing positive change in the library (14.9%) (20%) (65.1%) Training is a key strategy in overcoming any resistance 49 74 293 6. to change. (11.8%) (17.8%) (70.4%) Training influences the library professionals’ 58 98 260 7. involvement and satisfaction with ICT (14%) (23.6%) (62.4%)
The below section presents the analysis concerning the relationship between the independent variables (namely Gender, age, designation, qualifications, experience, and different university libraries under the scope of the study) and one more dimension of attitude of library professionals i.e. Attitude towards ICT training of library staff. The investigator has used Independent sample T-Test and One Way ANOVA to determine the statistically significant differences. The findings are explained in the text and presented in tables carrying users’ responses on three points likert scale (1=Disagree, 2=Neutral, 3=Agree) against each statement. The median value of three points likert scale is calculated in order to summarize the data. 7.6.3.1 Attitude towards ICT training of Library Staff vs. Gender Table 7.51 described that majority of male as well as female professionals agreed that training affects the perception of library staff to the application of ICT in libraries. In the Maulanasame way, both Azad the gender Library,s showed positive Aligarh attitude about Muslim the computer University competencies acquired through training. In response to the statement that “Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals to the acceptance of ICT” majority of male respondents agreed while female respondents were undecided with this statement.
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Majority of male as well as female respondents agreed that usage of ICT in various library operations and services can only be promoted through adequate training. Similarly, both genders showed positive attitude towards the essentiality of training in introducing new technologies in libraries. In response to the statement that any barriers associated with the application of ICT can only be overcome through regular training, most of the male and female respondents agreed with this statement. Whereas in response to the statement that library professionals’ confidence and satisfaction can only be acquired through adequate training, most of the male respondents showed positive attitude while female respondents were undecided with this statement. Table 7.51 Gender vs. Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff (N=416, Male=285, Female=131) MALE FEMALE S.No. Statements
Training influences the attitude of library professionals to use 1. 3 3 ICT in their library
2. Training enhances the computer skills of library professionals 3 3
Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals 3. 3 2 to the acceptance of ICT. Training of library professionals may promote the usage of 4. 3 3 ICT. Training of library professionals is essential in introducing 5. 3 3 positive change in the library Training is a key strategy in overcoming any resistance to 6. 3 3 change. Training influences the library professionals’ involvement and 7. 3 2 satisfaction with ICT
With regard to the application of scores pertaining to gender and attitude towards ICT training of library staff, an independent sample t-test was conducted. Table 7.52 reveals no statistically significant mean difference (f=0.143, p=0.707, i.e. p>0.05) between both the Maulanagenders [i.e. maleAzad library Library, professionals Aligarh(M=17.54, SD= Muslim2.195) and University female library professionals (M=17.63, SD=2.338)] with the attitude towards ICT training. This indicates that gender has no effect on the attitude of respondents towards ICT training.
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Table 7.52 Summary of independent sample t-test S.No. Gender N Mean Std. T Df F P Deviation Value Value Value 1. Male 285 17.54 2.195 -0.377 2. Female 131 17.63 2.338 -0.368 414 0.143 0.707 3. Total 416
7.6.3.2 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff vs. Age Data in Table 7.53 shows the level of opinion of respondents belonging to different age groups about the attitude of library staff towards the need and importance of ICT. Majority of respondents belong to different age groups agreed that training is a key factor in influencing the attitude of library professionals to use and implement ICT in libraries. Whereas respondents belonging to the age group of ‘above 46 years’ were undecided with this statement. Similarly, most of the respondents in all the age groups showed their positive attitude that training improved the skills of library staff in handling the computer and other related technologies. Respondents were asked to show their agreement and disagreement with the statement that training helps in reducing all level of attitudinal barriers of library professionals in implementing new technologies in libraries, majority of respondents belong to the age group of ‘below 25 years’ and ‘25-35 years’ agreed, whereas respondents belong to the age group of ‘36-45 years’ neither agreed nor disagreed; while respondents ‘above 46 years’ disagreed with this statement. Majority of respondents belonging to the age group of ‘below 25 years’, ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ agreed that regular and adequate training helps in more usage of ICT in libraries whereas respondents ‘above 46 years’ were indecisive. This indicates positive attitude of library staff towards the need and importance of training in promoting various ICT resources in libraries. With regard to the statement that ICT training is very essential in introducing new and Maulanapositive changes Azad in libraries, Library, majority of respondentsAligarh belong Musliming to different University age groups showed their positive attitude about the significance of training in transforming the library system from conventional to digital. Similarly, most of the library staff showed their agreement that training helps in overcoming barriers while implementing new technologies in libraries.
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Respondents were divided over the statement that “ The training influences the library professionals’ involvement and satisfaction with ICT”, most of the respondents belonging to the age group of ‘below 25 years’, ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’ agreed while respondents ‘above 46 years’ were undecided with this statement. This indicates the positive perception of young library professionals that ICT training improved their satisfaction and confidence with ICT. Table 7.53 Age vs. Attitude towards ICT training of library staff (N=416, below 25 years=52, 25-35 years=136, 36-45 years=135, above 46 years=93) BELOW 25-35 36-45 ABOVE S.No. Statements 25 years years years 46 years Training influences the attitude of library 1. 3 3 3 2 professionals to use ICT in their library Training enhances the computer skills of 2. 3 3 3 3 library professionals Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of 3. library professionals to the acceptance of 3 3 2 1 ICT. Training of library professionals may 4. 3 3 3 2 promote the usage of ICT. Training of library professionals is essential 5. 3 3 3 3 in introducing positive change in the library Training is a key strategy in overcoming any 6. 3 3 3 3 resistance to change. Training influences the library professionals’ 7. 3 3 3 2 involvement and satisfaction with ICT
Table 7.54 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.894 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 0.204, p=0.894 i.e. p>0.05). Hence, no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals under the age group (i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years, 36-45 years and above 46 years) with the attitude ICT training. This reveals that age has no direct effect on the attitude of professionals towards importance of ICT training
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Table 7.54
Summary of ANOVA Results
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 3.080 3 1.027 0.204 0.894
Within Groups 2077.167 412 5.042 Total 2080.248 415
7.6.3.3 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff vs. Designation Due to changing technologies library professionals need regular and adequate training in order to cope with ever changing technologies. Respondents having different level of designation were asked to show their agreement or disagreement towards the importance of ICT training. The median value 3 of top, middle and lower level respondents showed the agreement of library professionals towards the statement that “training influences the attitude of library professionals to use ICT in their library”. On the other hand respondents belonging to different level of designation had positive opinion that training enhances the computer skills of library staff. Positive attitude of library staff towards ICT is very required for free flow of library services. In response to the statement “Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals to the acceptance of ICT”, most of the professionals having different level of designation showed neutral behaviour with this statement. A significant number of respondents have positive opinion that training improves the understanding level of ICT among professionals. It is necessary for the promotion of ICT that every library professional must be aware of new technologies used in libraries and training help in achieving this target. With regard to the statement that training brings various positive changes in libraries, majority of top and middle level respondents agreed while lower order respondents were undecided with this statement. MaulanaMajority Azad of top, middle Library, and lower Aligarh level respondents Muslim had positive University perception that training is a very important factor in overcoming any barrier in the acceptance of new technologies. Similarly, most of the respondents belonging to different level of designations also had positive attitude that regular and adequate training improves the confidence and satisfaction level of professionals with ICT.
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Table 7.55 Designation vs. Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff (N=416, Top management=22, Middle management=139, Lower management=255) Top Middle Lower S.No. Statements Management Management Management Training influences the attitude of library 1. 3 3 3 professionals to use ICT in their library Training enhances the computer skills of 2. 3 3 3 library professionals Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of
3. library professionals to the acceptance of 2 2 2 ICT. Training of library professionals may 4. 3 3 3 promote the usage of ICT. Training of library professionals is essential 5. 3 3 2 in introducing positive change in the library Training is a key strategy in overcoming 6. 3 3 3 any resistance to change. Training influences the library
7. professionals’ involvement and satisfaction 3 3 3 with ICT
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals under different levels of designation (i.e. top, middle and lower level management) and the attitude towards ICT training, Table 7.56 found that the calculated p value is 0.040 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 3.232, p=0.040i.e. p<0.05). Hence it shows that designation has a direct effect on the attitude of respondents towards the above mentioned ICT statements. Table 7.56 Summary of ANOVA Results
Sum of
Maulana Azad SquaresLibrary, dfAligarh Mean Square Muslim F UniversitySig. Between Groups 32.058 2 16.029 3.232 0.040
Within Groups 2048.190 413 4.959 Total 2080.248 415
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7.6.3.4 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff vs. Highest library qualification Respondents having different library qualifications were asked to give their opinion regarding the importance of ICT training on 3 point likert scale through seven statements. Median values were calculated in order to summarize the data. As shown in Table 7.57 most of the respondents having different degrees in library science agreed that attitude of library professionals towards the use and application of ICT in libraries is very much effective by training/knowledge about ICT. Whereas respondents having certificate courses were undecided. Similarly, majority of professionals showed their positive opinion that training about ICT has enhanced the performance of library staff with computer. In response to the statement that “Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals to the acceptance of ICT”, most of the library professionals having M.Lib.I.Sc., Ph.D. and NET/JRF agreed with the statement while rest were indecisive. A significant number of respondents have different library qualifications showed their level of agreement that adequate training of library professionals is required for the successful implementation and usage of ICT in libraries. Whereas those respondents having certificate courses were undecided. Majority of respondents having different library science qualifications agreed that training helps in acquiring new and positive changes in libraries which ultimately enhance the personal productivity and organizational stability. Similarly, with regard to the statement that training is a fundamental solution for eliminating any resistance of change, most of the respondents having different library qualifications agreed except those who have done certificate courses. This shows positive opinion of respondents regarding the importance of training. In response to the statement that library staffs are more satisfied and comfortable with their job due to the influence of ICT training, majority of respondents having different library qualifications showed their positive attitude towards this statement.
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Table 7.57 Qualification vs. Attitude towards ICT training of library staff (N=416, Certificate=39, BLISc=87, MLISc=122, M.Phil=39,Ph.D=58,NET/JRF=74) S.No. Statements Certificate BLISC MLISC M.Phil Ph.D. NET /JRF Training influences the attitude 1. of library professionals to use 3 3 3 3 3 3 ICT in their library Training enhances the computer 2. 3 3 3 3 3 3 skills of library professionals Training reduces the attitudinal 3. barriers of library professionals 2 2 2 2 2 2 to the acceptance of ICT. Training of library professionals 4. 3 3 3 3 3 3 may promote the usage of ICT. Training of library professionals 5. is essential in introducing 3 3 3 2 3 3 positive change in the library Training is a key strategy in 6. overcoming any resistance to 3 3 3 3 3 3 change. Training influences the library 7. professionals’ involvement and 3 3 3 3 3 3 satisfaction with ICT
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals under different courses of library science (i.e. Certificate, B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.SC., M.Phil, Ph.D. and NET/JRF) and the attitude towards ICT training, Table 7.58 found that the calculated p value is 0.031 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (f= 2.340, p=0.031, i.e. p<0.05). This indicates that qualification has a direct effect on the above mention attitude statements. Table 7.58 Summary of ANOVA Results Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 69.043 6 11.507 2.340 0.031
MaulanaWithin Groups Azad Library,2011.205 Aligarh409 4.917Muslim University Total 2080.248 415
7.6.3.5 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff vs. Experience Respondents having different work experience were asked to give their opinion on the importance of ICT training in libraries. In response to the statement that training played an
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important role in influencing the attitude of professionals for the use and application of ICT, majority of respondents having different working experience showed their positive attitude towards this statement. Similarly, library professionals having different job experience also agreed that regular training of professionals helps them in using and handling computer and other technologies. In response to the statement that “Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals to the acceptance of ICT”, most of the respondents having work experience ‘below 5 years’ and ‘5 -15 years’ agreed while rest were indecisive. A significant number of respondents agreed except those having work experience ‘above 26 years’ that training is essential for full utilization of ICT in libraries. Various new changes have been introduced in libraries due to the advancement of ICT. Library professionals need to accept these positive changes. Majority of respondents showed positive attitude towards the importance of training in introducing positive changes in libraries. Similarly, most of the respondents expressed their agreement that training is an important component in overwhelming constraints that come while implementing ICT in libraries. A good number of respondents having working experience of ‘below 5’ and ‘5-15 years’ agreed that library professionals’ level of satisfaction and confidence with ICT can only be boosted through adequate training, while rest were indecisive. Table no. 7. 59 Experience vs. Attitude towards ICT training of library staff (N=416, less than 5 years=90, 5-15 years=147, 16-25 years=122, above 26 years=57) S.No. Statements BELOW 5-15 16-25 ABOVE 5 YRS YRS YRS 26 YRS 1. Training influences the attitude of library professionals to 3 3 3 3 use ICT in their library 2. Training enhances the computer skills of library 3 3 3 3 professionals 3. Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library 3 2 2 2 professionals to the acceptance of ICT. 4. Training of library professionals may promote the usage 3 3 3 3 of ICT. 5. Training of library professionals is essential in 3 3 3 3 Maulanaintroducing Azad positive change Library, in the library Aligarh Muslim University 6. Training is a key strategy in overcoming any resistance to 3 3 3 3 change. 7. Training influences the library professionals’ 3 3 3 3 involvement and satisfaction with ICT
Table 7.60 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.255 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f=1.302, p=0.255i.e.
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p>0.05). Hence, there is no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals with different working experience (i.e. below 5 years, 5-15 years, 16-25 years and above 26 years) with the attitude towards ICT training. This indicates that experience has no effects on the above mentioned attitude statements. Table 7.60 Summary of ANOVA Results
Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 38.981 6 6.497 1.302 0.255
Within Groups 2041.267 409 4.991 Total 2080.248 415
7.6.3.6 Attitude towards ICT Training of Library Staff vs. Central University Libraries. Respondents in all the central university libraries were asked to give their opinion on the importance and significance of training in framing the attitude of library professionals towards the application of ICT. With regard to the statement that training is a key factor in influencing the attitude of professionals towards the use of ICT, majority of respondents in all the university libraries agreed while respondents of BBAU library were undecided with this statement. Majority of respondents in all the university libraries showed their positive attitude that the proficiency in using computer can only be improved through adequate training. Whereas in response to the statement that training is a key component in reducing the attitudinal barriers of professionals for the acceptance of new technologies, most of the respondents of JMI and BHU libraries agreed while rest were undecided with this statement. A significant number of respondents in all the university libraries agreed that regular and adequate training helps in proper utilization of ICT in libraries. Similarly, respondents of all the university libraries showed positive attitude towards the essentially of training for the acceptance of new technologies which brings various positive changes in libraries. MaulanaIn response Azad to the Library, statement that “Training Aligarh is a key Muslim strategy in overcomingUniversity any resistance to change”, majority of respondents in all university libraries agreed with it. In the same way, respondents also showed their positive attitude towards the importance of training in encouraging the confidence and satisfaction with ICT.
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Table 7.61 Central University libraries vs. Attitude towards ICT training of library staff (N=416, DU=92, JNU=75, JMI=38, AMU=73, BHU=131, BBAU=7) S.No. Statements DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU
Median Median Median Median Median Median Training influences the attitude of library 1. 3 3 3 3 3 2 professionals to use ICT in their library Training enhances the 2. computer skills of 3 3 3 3 3 3 library professionals Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of 3. 2 2 3 2 3 2 library professionals to the acceptance of ICT. Training of library professionals may 4. 3 3 3 3 3 3 promote the usage of ICT. Training of library professionals is 5. essential in introducing 3 3 3 3 3 3 positive change in the library Training is a key strategy in overcoming 6. 3 3 3 3 3 3 any resistance to change. Training influences the library professionals’ 7. 3 3 3 3 3 3 involvement and satisfaction with ICT
7.6.4 Attitude towards Barriers of ICT Applications Table 7.62 provides the data showing agreement and disagreement of library staff regarding the obstacles of ICT implementation in libraries. In response to the statement that extensive use of ICT has created a threat to job security for those library staff who are lacking in ICT skills, a total of 26.7% agreed whereas 46.9% respondents disagreed with the Maulanastatement while Azadthe rest had Library,no opinion about Aligarhit. Muslim University Similarly, the query that increasing use of ICT has created health problems among library professionals, 30.5% respondents showed their agreement whereas 44.7% respondents showed disagreement while the rest were indecisive. The findings indicate that fairly good percentage of library staff shows positive attitude regarding the use of computers for library
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operations as well as for home use, irrespective of the fact that computers may create health problems including mental health. A total of 42.3% of respondents showed their disagreement with the argument that increasing cost of technological gadgets is the major hindrance in the implementation of ICT in libraries whereas 36.8% agreed with it. The findings indicate positive attitude of respondents that the process of application of new technologies in Libraries is hindered by the rising cost of ICT. With regard to the query that higher authorities were not fully supportive for the application of new technologies in libraries, a total of 47.8% respondents disagreed while 29.1% agreed with it, while 23.1% remained undecided. It simply shows that library authorities were in favour of implementation of new and advanced technologies in libraries.
Table 7.62 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application
S.No. Statements Disagree Neutral Agree Extensive use of ICT has created threats to job 195 110 111 1. security among library professionals. (46.9%) (26.4%) (26.7%) Library professionals have fears of the effect of ICT 186 103 127 2. on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc. (44.7%) (24.8%) (30.5%) High cost of ICT tools is a major hindrance for 176 87 153 3. implementing ICT in library. (42.3%) (20.9%) (36.8%) Lack of support from higher authorities for 199 96 121 4. implementing ICT applications in library. (47.8%) (23.1%) (29.1%)
The following section presents the analysis concerning the relationship between the independent variables (namely gender, age, designation, highest library qualifications, experience in different university libraries under study) and the last dimension of attitude of library professionals i.e. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application. The investigator has used Independent sample T-Test and One Way ANOVA to determine the statistically significant differences. The findings are explained in the text and presented in tables carrying users responses Maulanaon three points Azad likert scale Library, (1=Disagree, 2= AligarhNeutral, 3=Agree) Muslim against each University statement. The median value of three point likert scale is calculated in order to summarize the data. 7.6.4.1 Attitude towards Barriers of ICT Applications vs. Gender Data in Table 7.63 reveals the male and female library professionals’ agreement and disagreement regarding the obstacles in ICT implementation. Majority of male respondents
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agreed that extensive use of ICT can create a fear psychosis that library professionals with lack of ICT skills may be replaced by ICT savvy persons. Female respondents were, however, undecided with this statement. In contrast to this, majority of male and female respondents disagreed that the use of ICT can affect the health of library staff. This indicates positive attitude of library staff in the usage of ICT in libraries. Similarly, male and female respondents showed their level of disagreement regarding the increasing cost of technology as the major obstacle for the implementation of ICT in libraries. This shows the positive attitude of respondents. Similarly, majority of the male and female respondents indicated their positive perception towards the full support of higher authorities in the implementation of ICT in libraries.
Table 7.63 Gender vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application (N=416, Male=285, Female=131) Male Female S.No. Statements Median Median Extensive use of ICT has created threat to job security 2 2 1. among library professionals. Library professionals have fear psychosis of the effect of 2 2 2. ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches etc. High cost of technology is a major hindrance for 2 2 3. implementing ICT in library. Lack of support from higher authorities for implementing 2 1 4. ICT applications in library.
With regard to the application of scores pertaining to gender and attitude towards barriers of ICT application, an independent sample t-test was conducted. Table 7.64 reveals no statistically significant mean difference (f=0.137, p=0.167, i.e. p>0.05) between both the genders [i.e. male library professionals (M=27.44, SD=3.809) and female library professionals (M=26.88, SD=3.897)] with the attitude towards barriers of ICT application. Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Table 7.64 Summary of Independent Sample T-Test S.No. Gender N Mean Std. T Df F P Deviation Value Value Value 1. Male 285 27.44 3.809 1.385 2. Female 131 26.88 3.897 1.373 247.408 0.137 0.167 3. Total 416
7.6.4.2 Attitude towards Barriers of ICT Application vs. Age Majority of the respondents belonging to somewhat senior age groups, such as ‘25-35 years’, ‘36-45 years’ and ‘above 46 years’ had opined that with the use of ICT several manual works have been automated, resulting in the reduction of the manpower in libraries, whereas respondents ‘below 25 years’ of age disagreed with this opinion. This reveals that most of the senior professionals have negative attitude towards the extensive use of ICT, because they consider it as a threat to job security in libraries. Regarding the perception that the excessive use of ICT has created several environmental and health problems, most of the respondents belonging to the age groups: ‘below 25 years’, ‘25-35 years’ and ‘36-45 years’, disagreed while respondents ‘above 46 years’ of age, show positive perception towards this statement. Similarly, with regard to the increasing cost of ICT tools as one of the causes of not implementing new technologies, most of the respondents showed their agreement except the respondents ‘above 46 years’ of age. This reveals positive attitude of library staff. In response to the perception that there is lack of support from higher authorities when new technologies are to be implemented in libraries, respondents belonging to the age group of ‘above 46 years’ showed their neutral behaviour, while those in other age groups disagreed with the statement.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Table 7.65 Age vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application (N=416, Below 25 years=52, 25-35 years=136, 36-45 years=135, above 46 years=93) Below 25-35 36-45 Above S.No. Statements 25 years years years 46 years Median Median Median Median Extensive use of ICT has created threats to 1 3 3 3 1. job security among library professionals. Library professionals have fears of the 1 1 1 3 2. effect of ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc. High cost of ICT tools is a major hindrance 1 1 1 3 3. for implementing ICT in library. Lack of support from higher authorities for 1 1 1 2 4. implementing ICT applications in library.
The results of One Way ANOVA as per Table 7.66 indicate the calculated value as 0.518, which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f= 0.759, p=0.518 i.e. p> 0.05). Hence, there is no statistically significant mean difference between the library professionals between the age groups (i.e. below 25 years, 25-35 years, 36-45 years and above 46 years) regarding their attitude towards barriers of ICT applications. This reveals that the age has no bearing with the attitude of professionals towards the above mentioned statements. Table 7.66 Summary of ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 7.841 3 2.614 0.759 0.518 Within Groups 1419.044 412 3.444 Total 1426.885 415
7.6.4.3 Attitude towards barriers of ICT application vs. Designation Opinions of library staff towards the barriers of ICT application statements were put Maulanato three points Azadlikert scale Library, by different levelsAligarh of designations Muslim. The median University value was calculated as shown in Table 7.67. The table depicts that the majority of middle and lower level respondents agreed that library professionals with little or no ICT know how, have lost their jobs to ICT skilled
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persons. Majority of top level respondents were, however, uncertain with this statement. This shows negative attitude of library staff. Most of the respondents of top and middle level of library staff disagreed with the statement that the excessive use of ICT generally results in health and environmental problems, while lower order respondents were undecided. This amounts to the positive attitude of library staff regarding the use of computers at their home and work place. Majority of top and middle level of respondents agreed that cost is the major factor for not implementing ICT in libraries, whereas respondents of lower level were undecided. This shows negative attitude of library staff towards the high cost of ICT tools. With regard to the query that there is lack of support from higher authorities for implementing ICT in libraries, most of the respondents of top and middle level disagreed with it while lower order respondents were indecisive. This again amounts to the positive attitude of library staff that higher authorities generally facilitate implementation of new technologies in libraries.
Table 7.67 Designation vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application
(N=416, Top management=22, Middle management=139, lower management=255)
Top Middle Lower S.No. Statements management management management Median Median Median Extensive use of ICT has created 2 3 3 1. threat to job security among library professionals. Library professionals have fears of 1 1 2 2. the effect of ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc. High cost of ICT tools is a major 3 3 1 3. hindrance for implementing ICT in library. Lack of support from higher 1 1 3 4. authorities for implementing ICT Maulanaapplications Azad in library. Library, Aligarh Muslim University
On applying ANOVA test for checking significant differencebetween the library staff(forming top, middle and lower levels of management) and their attitude towards barriers of ICT applications,Table 7.68demonstrates that the calculated p value is 0.984which is more
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than the significance level of 0.05 (f= 0.016, p=0.984 i.e. p>0.05). It means that designation has no direct effect on the attitude of respondents towards the above mentioned statements.
Table 7.68 Summary of ANOVA Test
Sum of
Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 0.112 2 0.056 0.016 0.984
Within Groups 1426.773 413 3.455 Total 1426.885 415
7.6.4.4 Attitude towards Barriers of ICT Application vs. Highest Library Qualification Table 7.69 shows that the Library professionals with different library qualifications were asked to give their opinion regarding the under mentioned four statements: Regarding the query that extensive use of ICT has created fear psychosis among the library staff for their jobs, most of the respondents having certificate course, or degree courses like B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., NET/JRF agreed with it, while respondents having M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees disagreed with the statement. Majority of library professionals with varied library qualifications disagreed that the continuous use of ICT creates health problems. This indicates positive attitude of library staff regarding the usage of computers at home and at workplace. While respondents with Certificate course agreed that the regular use of computers is harmful for health. In response to the statement that high cost of library related technology is a major hindrance for implementing ICT in libraries, most of the respondents who have done certificate and B.Lib.I.Sc. courses agreed while rest disagreed with this statement. Thus the opinion of majority of library professionals is that it may not be the cost of technology but other factors which hinder the implementation of ICT in libraries. A significant number of respondents possessing B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees disagreed with the Maulanastatement that there Azad is lack Library,of full support from Aligarh the higher authoritiesMuslim for the University application of ICT in libraries while rest were indecisive. This indicates that library professionals, in general, have positive attitude about the implementation of ICT in libraries.
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Table 7.69
Qualification vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application (N=416, Certificate=39, BLISc=87, MLISc=122,M.Phil=39,Ph.D=58,NET/JRF=74) Certificate BLISc MLISc M.Phil Ph.D. NET/JRF S.No. Statements Median Median Median Median Median Median Extensive use of ICT 3 3 3 1 1 3 has created threats to 1. job security among library professionals. Library professionals 3 1 1 1 1 1 have fears of the 2. effect of ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc. High cost of ICT tools 3 3 2 1 1 1 is a major hindrance 3. for implementing ICT in library. Lack of support from 2 1 1 1 1 2 higher authorities for 4. implementing ICT applications in library.
On applying ANOVA test for checking the presence of any significant difference between the library professionals with varied qualifications (i.e. certificate, B.Lib.I.Sc., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D. and NET/JRF) and the attitude towards barriers of ICT statements, the calculated p value is 0.031 which is less than the significance level of 0.05 (f= 2.335, p=0.031i.e. p<0.05) as per Table 7.70. This indicates that qualification has a direct bearing on the above mentioned attitude statements. Table 7.70 Summary of ANOVA
Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
MaulanaBetween Groups Azad Library,47.254 Aligarh6 7.876Muslim 2.335 University0.031 Within Groups 1379.630 409 3.373 Total 1426.885 415
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7.6.4.5 Attitude towards barriers of ICT applications vs. working Experience Respondents having different work experience were asked to give their opinion about the statement concerning their attitude towards barriers of ICT application. Data in Table 7.71 reveals that majority of respondents having working experience of ‘16-25 years’ and ‘above 26 years’ agreed that extensive use of ICT in libraries has created fear among library staff that the people with lesser IT skills may be replaced with those who well versed with IT, whereas respondents having work experience ‘less of than 5 years’ and ‘5-15 years’ disagreed with this statement. Most of the respondents with working experience of ‘less than 5 years’, ‘5-15 years’ and ‘16-25 years’ disagreed with the two statements that: use of computer has created health problems among professionals, and also with the negative statement that increasing cost of ICT tools is the major constrain in applying new technologies in libraries. This shows their positive attitude towards the usage of computers and application of new technologies in libraries. However, respondents having working experience of ‘above 26 years’ did agree with the statement regarding the creation of health problems. Respondents having different work experience of ‘5-15 years’, ‘16-25 years’ and ‘above 26 years’ disagreed with the negative statement that higher authorities are not fully supportive for implementing ICT in libraries. This shows their positive attitude.
Table 7.71 Experience vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT application (N=416, less than 5 years=90, 5-15 years=147, 16-25 years=122, above 26 years=57) Less than 5-15 16-25 Above 26 S.No. Statements 5 years years years years Median Median Median Median Extensive use of ICT has created threats to 1. 1 1 3 3 job security among library professionals. Library professionals have fears of the 2. effect of ICT on their health such as eye 1 1 1 3 strain, headaches, etc. High cost of ICT tools is a major Maulana3. hindrance Azad for implementing Library, ICT Aligarh in 1 Muslim1 1 University2 library. Lack of support from higher authorities 4. for implementing ICT applications in 2 1 1 1 library.
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Table 7.72 reveals the results of One Way ANOVA which shows that the calculated value is 0.198 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 (i.e. f=1.439, p=0.198i.e. p>0.05). Hence, no statistically significant mean difference exists between the library professionals with different working experience (i.e. below 5 years, 5-15 years, 16-25 years and above 26 years)as far as the attitude towards barriers of ICT applications’ statements is concerned, which indicates that the length of working experience has no effects on the above mentioned attitude statements. Table 7.72 Summary of ANOVA
Sum of Df Mean Square F Sig. Squares Between Groups 29.493 6 4.916 1.439 0.198 Within Groups 1397.391 409 3.417 Total 1426.885 415
7.6.4.6 Attitude towards barriers of ICT applications in Central University Libraries The university libraries under study are well equipped with ICT, therefore the opinion of the respondents in university libraries do not vary considerably. As to the query that extensive use of ICT creates fear psychosis among library professionals regarding the job security, most of the respondents of DU, AMU and BHU libraries agreed while the respondents from JNU disagreed to it, while the remaining respondents were indecisive. Majority of respondents from DU, JNU, JMI and BHU disagreed with the negative statement that use of ICT has created health and environmental problems, while respondents from AMU and BBAU were undecided. This again indicates positive attitude of library professionals towards ICT applications. A significant number of JNU, AMU, BHU and BBAU disagreed that increasing cost of ICT tools and resources are the major obstacles in the application of ICT in libraries, whereas respondents of DU and JMI were undecided. MaulanaIn response Azad to the Library, statement that higherAligarh authorities Muslim are not fully Universitysupportive for implementing ICT, most of the respondents from all university libraries, except AMU showed their disagreement, which in turn, indicates their positive attitude towards the helpful nature of higher authorities in the application of new and innovative technologies in libraries.
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Table 7.73
Central University Libraries vs. Attitude towards barriers of ICT Applications (N=416, DU=92, JNU=75, JMI=38, AMU=73, BHU=131, BBAU=7) DU JNU JMI AMU BHU BBAU S.No. Statements Median Median Median Median Median Median Extensive use of ICT 3 1 2 3 3 2 has created threats to 1. job security among library professionals. Library professionals 1 1 1 2 1 2 have fears of the effect 2. of ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc. High cost of ICT tools is 2 1 2 1 1 1 a major hindrance for 3. implementing ICT in library. Lack of support from 1 1 1 2 1 1 higher authorities for 4. implementing ICT applications in library.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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CHAPTER 8 Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion As the scope of the study was pertaining to six central university libraries namely Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), University of Delhi (DU), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) and the data was collected to find out responses from Librarians and the users of the said libraries, the major findings have been divided into two parts: 8.1 FINDINGS Part- A Major Findings derived from the Responses of Librarians The major findings of the study conducted among the librarians/librarian- in-charges of the central university libraries under study are enunciated below: Profile of libraries 1. Out of the six central university libraries under study, three libraries those of University of Delhi (DU) Delhi, New Delhi, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Aligarh, were established during the pre-independence period and three central university libraries i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) Lucknow, were established during post-independence era. 2. Delhi University Library System (DULS) possesses the largest collection of about 18, 40,090 volumes of print as well as non-print materials, followed by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) with around 18,00,000 collection; Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has a total collection of 16, 70,000 volumes, and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) library has about 15,00,000 collection. On the other hand Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) has the smallest collection of Maulanabooks Azad and other Library, materials i.e. 41914 Aligarh volumes. Muslim University 3. Total number of sanctioned posts of library professionals (which includes Librarians, Deputy Librarian, Assistant Librarian, Professional Assistant, Semi Professional Assistant, Library Attendant) in JNU; 93, DU; 120;
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JMI;48, AMU; 86; BHU; 142 and BBAU; 7. BHU has the largest number of staff, followed by DU library system and JNU. 4. As far as staffing position in the six libraries under study are concerned, there seems to be shortage of staff. This is because of the fact that many library positions are lying vacant. The UGC Staff Formula 1958, though outdated and obsolete in the present era of Automated Libraries, yet going by just one parameter i.e. One person per 6000 volumes, we find that JNU library should have 97 staff as against the present strength of 93. Similarly, the present strength of staff in DU library system and JMI library is 120 and 48 as against the required number 272 and 61 respectively. As per UGC Staff Formula, both AMU and BHU libraries should have 216and 186 total library staff but the present strength is 86 and 142 respectively. The shortage of staff in university libraries is directly related to their attitude due to excessive work load and anxiety. 5. Budgetary allocations under Regular/Non Plan budget (i.e. from the year 2010-2015) in the libraries under study show a sort of fluctuating pattern except in AMU and BHU which had almost constant allocation of budget. 6. Budgetary allocation under five year plan budget (i.e. under Xth, XIth & XIIth five year plan) all libraries under study show fluctuating pattern except JMI and AMU. Availability of ICT facilities 1. Implementation of ICT facilities in all the six libraries under the purview has undergone a gradual evolution. Almost all of them started with the development of Database of Books/Online Catalogues using the software packages then in use. For the purpose, D-Base and CDS-ISIS were mainly used by the libraries in early 90s. Both AMU and BHU developed computer labs with a few interconnected systems for developing their respective databases during the same period. ICT facilities in other MaulanaUniversity Azad libraries Library, have also Aligarh grown in the Muslim similar way. HoUniversitywever, implementation of UGC’s INFLIBNET programin late 1990s and early years of 21st century, sanctioning sufficient grants for Library automation and a post of Computer Operator/ Programmer to each library under its
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purview has actually provided the much needed flip in the development of ICT facilities. 2. Presently, all the six libraries under study are automated using different library management software (LMS). However, Linux operating system is invariably used by the libraries. Regarding LMS, it was found that DU library system is using Troodon since 1998. While JNU library has been using Virtua software since 1995, JMI and AMU libraries installed LibSys software in the year 1998 and 2001 respectively. BHU which had been using CDS/ISIS since 1995, switched over to NewGenLib from 2005. They however, shifted to SOUL software in 2012 for library automation. AMU has switched over to LibSys 7.0 since 2012. BBAU library being the youngest of all the libraries under study implemented ICT in 2011 using KOHA 16.5 version for automation. 3. All university libraries under study are fully equipped with Internet, Local Area Network (LAN), Campus Wide Network (except BBAU) and Wi-Fi facility to their patrons within the library as well as within campus. In addition, JNU, JMI and BBAU libraries are also providing remote login facility to their users. All the university libraries under study are the members of INFLIBNET. JNU, DU and AMU are also members of DELNET. UGC INFONET and INDEST consortium are found to be the most preferred library consortium for the selected central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. 4. All the libraries provide ICT based services to their patrons. They offer automated issue/return, OPACs, access to electronic resources (e-books, e-journals, online databases etc.), CD/DVD based services, Reprographic Services, Newspaper scanning service, Reference service and Electronic document delivery service. Current awareness services are provided by all University Libraries except BHU and BBAU. SDI services especially for Maulanares Azadearch scholars Library, are given by JNU Aligarh. Muslim University 5. Inadequate training of library staff continues to be the most common problem in implementing ICT based library services, as earlier studies by Husain & Nazim (2015) and Tiwari & Sahoo (2013) point towards the same.
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Other problems generally faced by different libraries are non- availability of sufficient funds, lack of interest on the part of library staff and internal resistance to change. Laxity on the part of library authorities and Lack of support from university authorities were also identified by librarians as the barriers of ICT implementation.
PART – 2 Major Findings derived from the Responses of Library Professionals The major findings of the study conducted amongst the library professionals of the central university libraries under study are enunciated below: Demographic Variables Male staffs were found in significant majority in the libraries, under study. Majority (32.69%) of the respondents were between 25-35 years of age.61% of the staff belongs to the lower management group of library. The study also found that 29% of the respondents had a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. 35% respondents were having 5-15 years of working experience. Level of Expertise in ICT 1. The data revealed that most of the respondents had moderate levels of knowledge in ICT, of which 69% were keeping themselves abreast with new developments. 2. Amongst the well-known equipments barcode scanner is the most well- known followed by image scanner and laser printer. There appears to be least awareness with regard to LCD/Multimedia followed by computer networking and RFID technology. The results obtained were similar to those of Susan Mathew & Baby (2011) whose research also revealed that RFID technology was least familiar among library professionals. 3. With regard to the level of familiarity with the most common web based Maulanatools Azad and the Library, frequency of their Aligarh usage by the Muslim library staff, theUniversity study reveals that the well-known web based services include: email/instant messaging /chat are most frequently used, followed by social networking sites, discussion groups and wikis. Similar results were also found in the previous study conducted by Okonedo, Azubuike, & Adeyoyin (2013).
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Social book marking was the ‘least used service’ followed by blogging and list serves. AlKindi, Al-Suqri, & Al-Sarmi (2014) also found that social book marking was least used by information professionals. The research results show that the web based services are yet to be popularized in university libraries as the use of social book marking, blogging, list serves and wikis are not fully utilized by majority of library professionals. 4. Fairly good percentage of library professionals have an average level of skills for managing current awareness services followed by online indexing and abstracting services, selective dissemination of information and online databases. In contrast to this, below average level skills were shown for inter-library loan through networking followed by online bibliographic services. Seena & Pillai (2014) also revealed that library professionals had a low level of skills in inter-library loan. Attitude of Library Professionals towards ICT The library professionals do possess an overall positive attitude towards the use of ICT in libraries, for 416 respondents measured on 3 or 5 points likert scale on 30 attitude’s statements. They generally had positive attitude towards ICT applications. The logic behind this outcome seems availability of comfort and support on ICT among library staff. However, they showed negative attitude towards some library services such as frequent inter-library transfers, difficulty in learning new modules because of transfer from one section to another etc.
1. Finding of the survey shows that most of the library professionals (about 71%) have positive attitude towards the importance of computer and ICT in libraries as it helps in removing the repetitious library work and increase the efficiency of library with regard to the saving of time and energy. 2. The finding reveals that majority of library professionals have positive Maulana Azadperception Library, regarding the knowledge Aligarh of information Muslim resources University by the library patron. They positively feel that today’s library users are very much ICT aware and know about various information resources available offline as well as online.
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3. Large numbers of library professionals (68%) are in favour of training programs which should be conducted regularly in libraries. They positively think that only trained staff can fulfill the dynamic needs of the present users. 4. The finding of the study shows that most of the library professionals are in favour that the use of ICT helps in accessing the current information. They have positive attitude towards the efficiency of ICT in providing the easy ways to carry out library operations and also help in improving the quality of library services. 5. A significant number of library professional (76%) have positive attitude towards the easiness of information retrieval through online resources as compared to print resources. On the other hand, most of the respondents have negative opinion towards the authenticity of online resources; they feel that information are more authentic in print resources than online resources. 6. The finding reveals that a significant number of library professionals have positive perception towards the impact of ICT in getting current information through online resources. They strongly agreed that online databases provide more pin pointed and exhaustive information than conventional catalogue and indexes. 7. Most of the library professionals (77%) have positive attitude towards the benefits of OPAC as it can be modified and used more easily than the card catalogue. 8. The finding of the survey shows that most of the professionals have positive perception regarding the importance of ICT for library staff as the application of ICT in libraries has reduced the workload of library staff. 9. Majority of library staff (52%) showed negative attitude towards the Maulana Azadsecurity of Library,data on computers Aligarh as they feel thatMuslim data in print Universityresources is safer as compared to data on computers. This is due to lack of awareness among staff regarding various data backup systems such as hard disk, DVDs and USBs. They required training and education about such data backup system so that their attitude towards data storage on computers could be improved significantly. 237
Chapter-8 Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion
10. The finding shows that most of the library staff face problems while working with ICT like slow speed of internet connectivity and interrupted power supply reduce the interest of professionals. This shows that above mentioned problems make their attitude negative towards ICT. 11. The findings reveal that library professionals have positive attitude towards the importance of ICT training in library as they feel that ICT training enhances the computer skills of library staff, which helps introducing positive change as well as to promote the usage of ICT in libraries. 12. The findings indicate that fairly good percentage of library staff shows positive attitude regarding the use of computer for library operations as well as for personnel use, irrespective of the fact that computers may create health problems. 13. It is found after analyzing the relevant data that Library staff’s professionals characteristics (knowledge about ICT, level of ICT awareness and skills of managing ICT tools) positively influence library staff’s attitude regarding their confidence for ICT applications. 14. The findings further reveal that senior library professionals feel more comfortable in manual library operations such as cataloguing rules, classification schemes and print resources. They feel that any change in the existing system requires conversion of current and archival records both in physical and soft format. This shows that senior library professionals are not so much comfortable in accepting new technologies. Another significant contribution of this study is the findings regarding relationship between the dependent and independent variables as given here under: Maulana1. AzadGender showed Library, no statistically Aligarh significant mean Muslim difference with University all the four dimensions of library professionals’ attitude. This indicates that gender as a factor does not put any effect on attitude of library staff. 2. However, age showed statistically significant mean difference with attitude towards general ICT applications (Table no. 7.30) and attitude about impact of ICT (Table no. 7.42). This show that age as a factor 238
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effects the professionals’ attitude regarding the above mentioned dimension. On the other hand, age did not show statistically significant mean difference with attitude towards ICT training (Table no. 7.54) and barriers of ICT applications (Table no. 7.66). This indicates that age has no effect on the attitude of library staff towards these dimensions. 3. Designation showed statistically significant relationship with attitude towards ICT training (Table no. 7.56). This shows that designation as a factor affects the attitude of professionals on this dimension, whereas it did not show a significant relationship with attitude towards general ICT statements (Table no. 7.32), attitude about impact (Table no. 7.46) and attitude towards barriers of ICT applications (Table no. 7.68). This indicates that designation has not affected the professionals’ attitude towards the above mentioned dimensions. 4. A statistically significant relationship existed between library professionals’ qualifications and all the four dimensions of attitude. This indicates that qualification as a factor has direct effect on the attitude of professional towards all the dimensions. In contrast to this, no statistically significant relationship existed between experience and the four dimensions of library professionals’ attitudes. This shows that experience has not affected the attitude of library professionals. 8.2 DISCUSSION It is worth relating the findings of the present study with at least some of the earlier researches conducted on the attitude of library professionals towards ICT elsewhere in the world. Research results of certain studies as included in Chapter 2 ‘Review of Related Literature’ may be compared / correlated with the major findings of the present study as given below: Maulana1. The Azad present stud Library,y found that most Aligarh of the library Muslim professionals Universityunder the purview had moderate level of knowledge about ICT (58.2%), followed by the library staff having low level of ICT knowledge (27.2%). Similar
239
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results were obtained by Umeji, Ejediru & Oghenetya (2013)1 who found that most of the librarians in Madonne University Library, Ohio has moderate or low level of ICT literacy/Skills. 2. As per the findings of the present study, most of the library staffs frequently used email/instant messaging/chat followed by social networking sites, discussion groups and wikis. In a similar way, Shamshad & Rahman (2016)2 found that professional librarians in Public Sector Universities of Khyber PakhtunKhwa (Pakistan) possessed good knowledge of using email for library service, search engines, bibliographic databases and internet for reference queries. The study also found that library professionals additionally have fair level of knowledge in social media networks, wikis and video conferencing software. 3. The present study found the importance of training in increasing the performance and efficiency of library professionals in providing ICT based services to their users. Ali, Yakub, Nweke & Makintami (2014)3 also found the benefits of training of librarians for providing electronic library services. 4. The present study identified six major problems faced in the application of ICT in libraries. The most common problems in implementation of ICT was inadequate training followed by non-availability of sufficient funds, resistance to change, lack of interest, laxity of library authorities and lack of required support of higher authorities. The same result was obtained by Saxena & Dubey (2014)4 who discussed the obstacles and factors affecting the use of digital technologies in academic libraries of India.
1 Umeji, E. C., Ejedafiru, E.F., Oghenetega, L.U., (2013). Information /ICT Literacy Levels and Skills among Librarians in Madonna University Library, Okija.IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS, 15(3). Retrieved from www.Iosrjournals.Org 2 Ahmed, S., & Rehman, A. U, (2016). Perceptions and Level of ICT Competencies: A Survey of Librarians at Public Sector Universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. MaulanaPakistan Azad Journal of InformationLibrary, Management Aligarh & Libraries (PJIM&L), Muslim 18(1), 1–11. University 3 Ali, A. A., Yakub, M., Nweke Prince, O., & Makintami, A. (2014).Training librarians for electronic library services in state university libraries in Nigeria. Scholarly Journal of Education, 3(5). Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/download/35273673/Influence_of_Training_University_Librarian .pdf 4 Saxena, A., &Dubey, T. N. (2014). Impact of Digital Technology on Academic Libraries of India: Problems and Prospects. International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), 3(3), 308–325. 240
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Their investigations found such problems like: inadequate finance; lack of effective planning, lack of IT trained staff and lack of willingness of staff. 5. The results of the present study tend to match with some previous studies conducted by a number of scientists. Adekunle, Omoba&Tella (2007)5 reveal that the librarians have a positive attitude towards the use and implementation of ICT in their libraries. Similarly, Sivakumaran, Jeyaprakash, GopalKrishnan & Geetha (2011)6 also found positive attitude of library professionals towards the implementation of ICT. 6. As per this study, gender has no significant relationship with all the four dimensions of Library professionals’ attitude. Similar results have also been identified by Verma & Dahiya (2016)7 who have concluded in their study that gender did not affect students and faculty opinions towards ICT awareness. 7. The present study reveals that qualification has significant relationship with the attitude of library staff. The study conducted by Adeyinka (2009)8 revealed a significant difference in the librarians’ attitude based on their qualifications. 8. The study also found that experience has no effect on the attitude of library professionals towards ICT. Somewhat similar results have been identified by Arif and Mahmood (2010)9 & Oluwajuwon (2012)10 who also found that length of professionals’ experience and place of work have
5 Adekunle, P.A., Omoba, R.O &Tella, A. (2007). Attitudes of librarians in selected Nigerian universities toward the use of ICT. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/tella3.pdf 6 Sivakumaren, K.S., Jeyaprakash, B., Gopalakrishnan, S. & Geetha, V. (2011).Attitudes towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among library professionals in and around Chennai. International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology, 1(2). 61-68. Retrieved from http://ijidt.com/index.php/ijidt/article/viewFile/18/14 7 Verma, C., & Dahiya, S. (2016). Gender difference towards Information and Communication Technology awareness in Indian universities. SpringerPlus, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-2003-1 8 Adeyinka, T. (2009).Attitudinal correlates of some selected Nigerian librarians towards the use of ICT. International Journal of Information Science and Management, 7(1), 15-30. 9 Arif, M., &Mahmood, K. (2012). The changing role of librarians in the digital world: MaulanaAdoption Azad of Web 2.0Library, technologies by PakistaniAligarh librarians. Muslim The Electronic Library, University 30(4), 469–479. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471211252184 10 Oluwajuwon, O. M. (2012). Attitude Of Library Staff Towards The Efficient Use Of ICT Facilities, A Case Study Of Kenneth Dike Library Of University Of Ibadan, Oyo State (Project No. 2007/1/28580bi). Niger State: Federal University of Technology Minna. Retrieved From Http://Webcache.Googleusercontent.Com/Search?Q=Cache:Http://Dspace.Futminna.Edu.N g/Jspui/Bitstream/1/395/1/OGUNTADE%2520MICHEAL%2520OLUWAJUWON.Pdf&G ws_Rd=Cr&Ei=Vaqpwb-Oopucvqtlqibgcq 241
Chapter-8 Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion
no effect on the frequency of use of ICT, perceived skills, level of internet use and perceived ease of web 2.0. Some of the studies were however not found to be in line with the findings of the present study as given below: 1. The present study found that qualification has significant relationship with the attitude of library staff, whereas the study concluded by Yoo (1998)11 found no statistically significant difference between qualification and attitude. 2. The present study found that gender has no significant relationship with library professionals ICT attitude. Whereas Adeyinka (2009) and DeYoung & Spence (2004)12 found in their studies that there was a significant difference regarding ICT attitudes in male and female librarians’. 3. This study found significant negative relationship between ICT attitudes of library professionals and experience, whereas Idowu (1999)13 and DeYoung & Spence (2004) in their studies found a significant positive relationship in librarians IT attitudes and experience in computer use and IT training. 8.3 TENABILITY OF HYPOTHESES The tenability of hypothesis, checked in the light of the above findings, is presented below: Hypothesis 1: Library professionals in all the select central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. have knowledge about ICT: As shown in Table 7.20, about 58% of library professionals were fairly aware of ICT applications in libraries, whereas 27.2 % were reported to be less aware about it. 14.7 % library staff, however, considered themselves having good
11 Yoo, J (1988). An exploratory study of academic librarians' attitudes toward computer Maulanatechnology Azad and their Library, relationship to libraryAligarh science education Muslim (Doctoral Dissertation). University University of Pittsburgh, USA. 12 DeYoung, C. G., & Spence, I. (2004). Profiling information technology users: en route to dynamic personalization. Computers in Human Behavior, 20(1), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(03)00045-1 13 Idowu, A.O (1998). Relationships Between Training/Experience, Knowledge of Computer Usage and Attitudes of Nigerian Librarians Towards Computers. The International Information & Library Review, 30(4), 303-309. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1006/iilr.1998.0100 242
Chapter-8 Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion
knowledge of ICT. It therefore follows that about 72% of library professionals in all the six libraries under study are fairly knowledgeable about ICT applications. Thus, the hypothesis is accepted. Hypothesis 2: On the job, training increases efficiency and performance of library professionals. Table 7.50 indicates the perception of library staff regarding the influence of training on the use of ICTs in libraries. On applying the chi-square test on Table 7.50, it was revealed that the value of level of significance is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. Therefore, it is confirmed that there is significant difference in the attitude of library staff regarding the importance of training in increasing the efficiency and performance of professionals. Therefore, the hypothesis #2 stands proved. Hypothesis 3: Attitude of library professionals are positive towards ICT. The Tables 7.26, 7.38, 7.50 and 7.62 indicate the attitude of library professionals towards the general ICT statements, attitude about impact of ICT, attitude towards ICT training and attitude towards barriers of ICT application respectively. On applying chi- square test regarding the positive attitude of library professionals towards ICT, the results revealed that the value of level of significance is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. Therefore, it is confirmed that there is significant difference in the attitude of library staff towards ICT. Thus, the hypothesis #3 is accepted.
Hypothesis 4: There is a significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their level of ICT awareness. It was evident from Table no. 7.23 that amongst the well-known ICT gadgets used for handling information in libraries; barcode scanner is the most Maulanawell-known Azad equipment Library, followed by Aligarh image scanner Muslim and laser printer. University Their awareness with regard to LCD/Multimedia followed by computer networking and RFID technology was found to be the least among all. On applying One-way ANOVA test to know the significance difference between the attitude of library professionals and their level of ICT
243
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awareness, it was found that the calculated p value is 0.324 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 i.e. (p>0.05), indicating no significant difference amongst the attitude of library professionals and their level of ICT awareness. The hypothesis #4 is, thus, rejected. Table 8.1 One-Way ANOVA Test Results for level of ICT awareness Sum of
Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
Between 1696.821 24 70.701 1.114 0.324 Groups Within Groups 24814.169 391 63.463 Total 26510.990 415
Hypothesis 5: There is significant relationship between the attitude of library professionals and their frequency of using web based services. The results from the Table 7.24 reveal that the library staff frequently use well-known web based services such as; email/instant messaging /chat followed by social networking sites, discussion groups and wikis. The outcome of the present research shows that the use of social book marking, blogging, list serves and wikis in university libraries are not fully utilized by majority of library professionals. On applying One-way ANOVA test to know the significance difference between the attitude of library professionals and frequency of using web based services, it was found that the calculated p value is 0.130 which is more than the significance level of 0.05 i.e. (p>0.05), indicating no significant difference between the attitude of library professionals and their frequency of using web based services. The hypothesis #5 is, thus, rejected. Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Table 8.2 One-Way ANOVA Test Results for frequency of use of web based services Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between 1726.474 20 86.324 1.376 0.130 Groups Within Groups 24784.516 395 62.746 Total 26510.990 415
8.4 SUGGESTIONS Based on the outcome of the present research, following suggestions may be made in order to develop and improve positive attitude of library staff towards ICT:- 1. The study found that the library professionals were not uniformly aware of various types of technologies used in libraries. They seem to be more familiar with the ICT equipments used frequently but have little or no knowledge about those, which are sparingly used or yet to be implemented in their libraries, although as professionals they were supposed to keep themselves abreast of the most recent technologies being adopted in libraries around the world. Thus a significant effort is essential to increase awareness of newly developed technologies. The study also found that social book marking; blogging and list serves were used least frequently by the library staff. Hence the present study suggests that graduate students should complete a certain period of internship (as provided in BHU and agreed to in AMU) before entering into the library profession, which help them understand the practical aspects of the librarianship and gain confidence about ICT applications. Similarly, in- Maulanaservice Azad training Library, of working staff Aligarh is essential to Muslimkeep them professionally University alive. 2. No library under study provides a separate budget for in-service training of staff. It is suggested that some provisions should at least be made for
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the purpose, especially when new technologies are acquired by the library. 3. Orientation programs for library professionals may be initiated for newly implemented technologies and systems in libraries. For example, every software vendor offers to train a limited number of Library staff whenever a new version is purchased by the Library. Services of trained staff may thus be obtained to train other staff members, as was done in AMU during the tenure of Prof. Shabahat Husain as Librarian In-charge during the period 2008 to 2012. 4. Adequate ICT infrastructure should be made available, so that the trained library staff can put their knowledge and skills of ICT into practice. Library authorities should provide such an atmosphere in the library, wherein the staff may further enrich their ICT knowledge. 5. Attitude of library professionals is the major factor for the full utilization of technologies in libraries. In fact top Library Management should continually strive to reduce the negativity and increase the positivity amongst the library staff towards ICT by giving them opportunity to work or practice more in technology related functions. 6. The top management itself should be positive for the application of new technologies in libraries so that the lower and middle management may feel encouraged while working with technology related assignments and other employee development activities. Their comfort level and positive attitude will go a long way in developing proper attitude in the lower and middle management with regard to ICT. 7. It is suggested that ICT applications should be adopted cautiously. It is important that there should be an evaluation and assessment before the implementation of new technologies. 8. Library professionals should subscribe to professional journals personally, Maulanaparticipate Azad in Library, professionals’ activitiesAligarh and also Muslim take part inUniversity internet discussion groups. All these may help in updating their knowledge and develop positive attitude towards new technologies. 9. It was found that senior library professionals sometimes show resistance to change. Therefore, they require regular training of ICT that may help change their attitude towards ICT positively. 246
Chapter-8 Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion
10. Library’s top management should organize development and training programs on: proprietary and non-proprietary software; Open Archiving and Digital Library Development, etc. This may be done in association with agencies like UNESCO, IFLA, INFLIBNET, research institutions, Library Associations etc. 11. Library professionals need to acquire several other professional competencies such as language, communication, presentation skills, public relation, project management, purchase management, etc. for developing positive attitude among library professionals towards new technologies. 12. LIS education in India need be totally ICT oriented while discussing theory or practice of each aspect of the subject as it is the need of the hour. 8.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH The present research was undertaken to study the attitude of library professionals towards the application of ICT in libraries and to explore the factors affecting their attitude and suggest remedial measures. Further investigations and inquiry may be conducted as per the following suggestions: 1. The present study was conducted with regard to the six central university libraries of Delhi and U.P. The scope of further studies may be enhanced taking into consideration other Central / State University libraries of India, so that an overall picture may emerge at the national level. 2. Further studies may, as well, focus upon other types of libraries such as National Libraries, Special Libraries and Public Libraries. 3. With regard to the Standards for ICT applications in Indian libraries, little or no substantial work has been undertaken, although standards were developed for almost all library practices under the direction of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, father of Library Science in India. Maulana4. To Azad study the Library,attitude of Library Aligarh Professionals Muslimtowards ICT applications University five factors viz. gender, age, qualification, designation and experience were taken into consideration. Further research may correlate with more factors. 5. Cross-cultural studies on regional basis may be undertaken to examine the levels of attitude of librarians towards ICT. 247
Chapter-8 Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion
8.6 CONCLUSION In the process of measuring the attitude of library professionals towards ICT, the objectives of the study as set out in the first chapter have been achieved. The present study identified the nature of relationship between attitudes of library staff towards ICT with different demographic variables. The study also found that some demographic variables influenced library professionals’ ICT attitude. The findings of this study have implications for education as well as future research in LIS. It is earnestly hoped that the findings will add value to the national and international literature on the attitude of library professionals towards ICT based services and operations in libraries.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Retrievedfromhttp://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/7261/1/ALIS%2056%284% 29%20236-241.pdf Wedgeworth, R. (2010). ALA World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. 2nd Ed. American Library Association: Michigan Weiner, S. G. (2003). Resistance to change in libraries: Application of communication theories. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 3 (1), 69-78. Retrieved January 17, 2015,fromhttp://web.simmons.edu/~weigle/INNOVATION/Weiner_Resistance%20to%2 0Change.pdf Yoo, J. (1988). An exploratory study of academic librarians' attitudes toward computer technology and their relationship to library science education (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, USA. Younis, A. R. M. (2005). Local online information systems in Jordanian university libraries. Online Information Review, 29 (1). 54-74. DOI 10.1108/14684520510583945 Zhang, P. Alikman, S. N. & Heshan, S. (2008). Two types of attitudes in ICT acceptance and use. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 24(7), 628-648. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10447310802335482
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APPENDIX – I
IFLA codes of ethics of Library professionals
IFLA codes of ethics have been discussed below: IFLA is the international professional association which recommends the Code of Ethics to all its member associations and institutions and to individual librarians and information workers for these purposes. IFLA undertakes to revise this code whenever appropriate1. 1. Access to Information The core mission of librarians and other information workers is to ensure access to information for all for personal development, education, cultural enrichment, leisure, economic activity and informed participation in and enhancement of democracy. Librarians and other information workers reject the denial and restriction of access to information and ideas most particularly through censorship whether by states, governments, or religious or civil society institutions. Librarians and other information workers offering services to the public should make every endeavor to offer access to their collections and services free of cost to the user. If membership fees and administrative charges are inevitable, they should be kept as low as possible and practical solutions found so that socially disadvantaged people are not excluded. Librarians and other information workers promote and publicize their collection and services so that users and prospective users are aware of their existence and availability. Librarians and other information workers use the most effective ways to make the material accessible to all. For this purpose they seek to ensure that the websites of libraries and other information institutions comply with international standards for accessibility and access to them is not subject to barriers. 2. Responsibilities towards Individuals and Society In order to promote inclusion and eradicate discrimination, librarians and other information workers ensure that the right of accessing information is not denied and Maulanathat equitable Azad services Library, are provided Aligarh for everyone whateverMuslim their age,University citizenship, political belief, physical or mental ability, gender identity heritage, education, income,
1 IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians (2018). Retrieved on July 23, 2018 from https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/faife/news/ICoE-Draft-111208.pdf
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immigration and asylum seeking status, marital status, origin, race, religion or sexual orientation. Librarians and other information workers respect language minorities of a country and their right to access information in their own language. Librarians and other information workers organize and present content in a way that allows an autonomous user to find the information s/he needs. Librarians and other information workers help and support users in their information searching. Librarians and other information workers offer services to increase reading skills. They promote information literacy including the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and create, use and communicate information. And they promote the ethical use of information thereby helping to eliminate plagiarism and other forms of misuse of information. Librarians and other information workers respect the protection of minors while ensuring this does not impact on the information rights of adults. 3. Privacy, Secrecy and Transparency Librarians and other information workers respect personal privacy, and the protection of personal data, necessarily shared between individuals and institutions. The relationship between the library and the user is one of confidentiality and librarians and other information workers will take appropriate measures to ensure that user data is not shared beyond the original transaction. Librarians and other information workers support and participate in transparency so that the workings of government, administration and business are opened to the scrutiny of the general public. They also recognize that it is in the public interest that misconduct, corruption and crime be exposed by what constitute breaches of confidentiality by so-called ‘whistleblowers’. 4. Open Access and Intellectual Property Librarians and other information workers' interest are to provide the best possible access for library users to information and ideas in any media or format. This includes support for the principles of open access, open source, and open licenses. MaulanaLibrarians and Azad other information Library, workers Aligarhaim to provide fair,Muslim swift, economical University and effective access to information for users. Librarians and other information workers have a professional duty to advocate for exceptions and limitations to copyright restrictions for libraries. Librarians and other information workers are partners of authors, publishers and other creators of copyright protected works. Librarians and other information workers
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recognize the intellectual property right of authors and other creators and will seek to ensure that their rights are respected. Librarians and other information workers negotiate the most favorable terms for access to works on behalf of their users and seek to ensure that access is not unnecessarily prevented or hindered by the mode of administration of intellectual property laws and that licenses do not override exceptions for libraries contained in national legislation. Librarians and other information workers encourage governments to establish an intellectual property regime that appropriately respects balance between the interests of rights holders and individuals and the institutions such as libraries which serve them. Librarians and other information workers also advocate that copyright terms should be limited and that information that has fallen in the public domain remains public and free. 5. Neutrality, Personal Integrity and Professional Skulls Librarians and other information workers are strictly committed to neutrality and an unbiased stance regarding collection, access and service. Neutrality results in the most balanced collection and the most balanced access to information achievable. Librarians and other information workers define and publish their policies for selection, organization, preservation, provision, and dissemination of information. Librarians and other information workers distinguish between their personal convictions and professional duties. They do not advance private interests or personal beliefs at the expense of neutrality. Librarians and other information workers have the right to free speech in the workplace provided it does not infringe the principle of neutrality towards users. Librarians and other information workers counter corruption directly affecting librarianship, as in the sourcing and supply of library materials, appointments to library posts and administration of library contracts and finances. Librarians and other information workers strive for excellence in the profession by Maulanamaintaining Azad and enhancing Library, their knowledge Aligarh and skills. Muslim They aim University at the highest standards of service quality and thus promote the positive reputation of the profession. 6. Colleague and Employer/Employee Relationship Librarians and other information workers treat each other with fairness and respect.
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Librarians and other information workers oppose discrimination in any aspect of employment because of age, citizenship, political belief, physical or mental ability, gender, marital status, origin, race, religion or sexual orientation. Librarians and other information workers promote equal payment and benefits for men and women holding comparable jobs. Librarians and other information workers share their professional experience with colleagues and they help and guide new professionals to enter the professional community and develop their skills. They contribute to the activities of their professional association and participate in research and publication on professional matters. Librarians and other information workers strive to earn a reputation and status based on their professionalism and ethical behavior. They do not compete with colleagues by the use of unfair methods.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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APPENDIX - II Attitude of library professionals towards library operations and services using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in select central university libraries in Delhi and U.P Questionnaire for Librarian
I seek your kind cooperation in filling the questionnaire and help to assess your opinions, observations and experience on the topic. Your confidentiality is assured. Whatever information you provide will be held in confidence and used only for the purpose it is intended.
Thanking you, Sincerely Zeba Khanam Research Scholar Dept. of Library & Information Science Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P.
Q. 1. (I) Name and Address of the library
(II) Year of establishment
Q.2. When did you introduce ICT in your library? Please give year Q.3. (I) Introduction of ICT was a decision from: (a) University authorities (i.e. Vice Chancellor, Executive Council, etc) [ ] (b) Library authorities (University Librarian, Deputy Librarian, etc.) [ ] (c) Library committee [ ] Maulana (d) Azad Any other Library, Aligarh Muslim University [ ] (II) If university authorities, whether funds for the purpose were provide in time. (a)Yes [ ] (b) No [ ] Q.4.Please give details of the hardware available in your library.
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Items Details Server with configuration Systems Network Wired Wifi Printers Barcode reader(s) LCD projector(s) CD/DVD (rough figure: just exact) Scanners Overhead Scanner Flatbed Scanner Data backup CD equipments Mirror server Any other
Q.5. (I) Whether your library uses any automated security check system? (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (II) If yes, which technology is used for automated security check system? Technologies Please tick Year of Equipments (√) establishment Tattle tape Magnetize/Demagnetize machine RFID Any other
Q.6 (I) Whether your library has installed CCTV? Maulana (a)Yes Azad [Library, ] Aligarh Muslim University (b)No [ ] (II) If yes, where CCTV is installed in your library? S.No Location Yes No 1. In all reading rooms
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2. In stacks 3. At service points 4. In technical sections
Q.7. (I) whether your library has website? (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ] (II)If yes, how often it is updated?
Duration Please Tick (√ ) Monthly
Quarterly
Bi annually
Annually
Q.8.Which operating system is being used in your library? (a) Windows with version……………………… (b) Linux with version…………………………. (c) Any other…………………………………… Q.9. (I) Name the library automation software used in your library ………………………. (II) In which year the library automation software was installed/ implemented in your library ………………………….. Maulana (III) WhenAzad it was Library,upgraded Aligarh Muslim University Year 1………………. 2………………. 3……………….
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(IV) Please tick (√ ) the modules of library automation software being used in your library Modules Please tick (√ ) Acquisition Circulation Cataloguing Article indexing Serial control OPAC Any other
Q.10. (I) How did you introduce ICT in your library? (a) Simultaneously in all the sections [ ] (b) Step by step [ ] (II) If step by step, please give details: S.No Section(s)/Service(s) covered Year Step I Step II Step III
(III) What problems did you face while implementing ICT in your library (in the beginning)? (a) Non availability of sufficient funds [ ] (b) Lack of interest on the part of library staff [ ] (c) Inadequate training of library staff [ ] (d) Resistance to change [ ] (e) Lack of support from university authorities [ ] (f) Laxity on the part of library authorities [ ] Maulana(g) Any OtherAzad (please Library, specify) Aligarh Muslim University Q.11. (I) The library automation software is maintained in your library through? (a) Software vendor [ ] (b) Library staff [ ] (c) Any other [ ]
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(II) If by vendor, what is the mode of payment? (a) By AMC [ ] (b) By Onetime payment [ ] (c) Payment for service [ ] (d) Any other method………….. [ ] (III)Are you satisfied with your vendor by his services? (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (IV)If No, which method of maintenance of software is best in your opinion? ……………………………………………………………………………... Q.12. (I) Whether the library software vendor provides required training to library professionals? (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (II) If yes, whether the training provided by them is: (a) Sufficient [ ] (b) Insufficient [ ] (III) If insufficient, whether your library provides further training to library professionals regarding library automation software (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (IV) If yes, which method of training is provided by your library to the staff (tick all that apply) Training method Please tick(√) In house training provided by senior trained staff Training by software vendor on extra payment Sponsored workshops: (a) within the institution Maulana Azad Library,(b) Aligarhoutside the institution Muslim University Any other
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Q.13.Please tick (√) the percentage of present ICT trained library staff in each section. Section(s) 100% 50% less than 50% Acquisition Technical Circulation Periodicals Reference any other
Q.14. (I) Details of budget allocation during: Phases Year Amount Phase I of library automation Phase II of library automation Phase III of library automation
(II) Funds released by the University for ICT implementation and maintenance (for the last five years) (Annual grant) Year Amount 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 (III)Funds released by the UGC for ICT implementation and maintenance (under 5 Year Plan) Five year plan Amount Xth Plan (2002-2007) XIth Plan (2007-2012) MaulanaXIIth Plan Azad (2012-2017) Library, Aligarh Muslim University
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Q.15. (I) Please give details about the type of services provided by your library using ICT. Type of services Please tick (√) Issue/Return OPAC E-Books E-Journals Online Databases CD/DVD based service Current awareness services SDI services Any other
(II) Please give details about the number of E-books, E-journals and online databases subscribed by your library (for the last five year). E-books E-journals Online databases Year Number Year Number Year Number
(III) Please give details about the number of free E-books, E-journals and online databases loaded on the server (for the last five year) Free E-books Free E-journals Free online databases Year Number Year Number Year Number
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Appendices
(IV) Online database services provided by your library are made available through: Modes Please tick (√) Please give name of databases INFLIBNET Any other consortia Subscription Q.16. (I) Database services to the students and faculty members are provided through: (a) LAN (within library) [ ] (b) Campus wide network [ ] (c) Through WIFI within Library [ ] (d) Through WIFI in whole Campus [ ] (e) Any other………………… [ ] (II)What is the role of library staff in the provision of database services?
Q.17. (I) Does the library maintain the data, pertaining to the use of various online databases? (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (II) If yes, which method is adopted?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (III) Is the users’ statistics notified? (a) Within the library [ ] (b) To the university authorities [ ] Q.18.Number of library professionals posted in the library: Level Designation Number Top Management Librarian Deputy Librarian MaulanaMiddle Management Azad Library,Assistant Aligarh Librarian Muslim University Professional Assistant Lower Management Semi Professional Assistant Library Attendant
Appendices
Q.19. (I) Please give details of library staff in each section: Section Designation of Section No. of Library Staff ICT has been In charge (DL/AL) Working Under the Applied in the Section In charge Section Acquisition AL Yes No PA SPA Others Technical AL PA SPA Others Circulation AL PA SPA Others Periodicals AL PA SPA Others Reference AL PA SPA Others Any other AL PA SPA Others (DL=Deputy Librarian, AL=Assistant Librarian, PA=Professional Assistant, SPA=Semi Professional Assistant, other technical staff) Maulana (II) If no Azad ICT application Library, in a given section, Aligarh what are theMuslim reasons? University Please tick all that apply (a) Cost of ICT tools [ ] (b) Inadequate funding [ ] (c) Lack of support from higher authority [ ]
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(d) Lack of coordination among staff [ ] (g) Lack of skilled human resources [ ] (III) Is the top administration of the library is satisfied with the ICT implementation in the sections (a)Yes [ ] (b)No [ ] (IV)If no, give reasons
(Thank you very much for your kind consideration)
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University
Appendices
APPENDIX - III Attitude of Library Professionals towards Library Operations and Services Using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Select Central University Libraries in Delhi and U.P
Questionnaire for Library Professionals
I seek your kind cooperation in filling the questionnaire and help to assess your opinions, observations and experience on the topic. Your confidentiality is assured. Whatever information you provide will be held in confidence and used only for the purpose it is intended.
Thanking you, Sincerely Zeba Khanam Research Scholar Dept. of Library & Information Science Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P.
Q.1.Name of the parent organization: ………………….. Q.2. Designation (a) Librarian [ ] (b) Deputy Librarian [ ] (c) Assistant Librarian [ ] (d) Professional Assistant [ ] (e) Semi Professional Assistant [ ] (f) Other technical staff [ ] Q.3. General Information I. Gender: (a) Male [ ] Maulana(b) Female Azad Library, Aligarh[ ] Muslim University II. Age: (a) Below 25 Years [ ] (b) 25-35 Years [ ] (c) 36-45 Years [ ] (d) Above 46 Years [ ]
Appendices
Q.4. Please tick (√ ) the highest library qualification that you possess. (a) Certificate [ ] (b) BLISC [ ] (c) MLISC [ ] (d) M Phil [ ] (e) Ph.D (Library & Information Science) [ ] (f) NET/JRF [ ] (g) Any other……… [ ] Q.5. Please tick (√) your total experience as library professional. (a) Less than 5 years [ ] (b) 5-15 years [ ] (c) 16-25 years [ ] (d) Above 26 years [ ] Q.6. Do you have knowledge about Information Communication Technology (ICT)? (a) Very Knowledgeable [ ] (b) Fairly Knowledgeable [ ] (c) Less Knowledgeable [ ] I. If yes, from where did you get the knowledge about ICT? (a) Part of the syllabi of the courses done [ ] (b) Formal ICT training programs [ ] (c) Gaining experience on the job [ ] (d) Attending in-service course(s) [ ] (e) Any other………….. [ ]
i. How would you rate your level of awareness/skill for the use of following technologies?
S.No ICT based Extremely Below Average Above Excellent Maulanaresources/services Azad Library, poor Aligarhaverage Muslimaverage University 1. Laser printer 2. Barcode scanner 3. Image scanner 4. E- book reader
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5. LCD/Multimedia Projector 6. RFID Technology 7. CD/DVD writing 8. Computer networking
ii. How often do you use the following web based ICT services? S.n Web based ICT services Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always o 1. Email/instant messaging/Chat 2. Social networking (e.g.,Orkut, Face book, twitter, etc.) 3. Audio/video sharing/webcasting (e.g., Flickr, Skype,YouTube) 4. Discussion groups (e.g. Google/Yahoo! Group) 5. Listservs (e.g., Lisforum) 6. Wikis (eg. Wikipedia , LISWiki ) 7. Social book marking (e.g., Delicious, FriendFeed) 8. Blogging (e.g., Twitter, weblogs)
iii. How would you rate your skills for managing ICT based library services? S.No. ICT based Extremely Below Average Above Excellent library Poor Average Average services 1. Online Maulana databasesAzad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 2. Digital reference services
Appendices
3. Inter library loan through networking 4. Online bibliographic services 5. Online indexing and abstracting services 6. Current awareness service 7. Selective disseminatio n of information 8. Development of institutional repository 9. Data feeding
II. If you do not have the knowledge about ICT, please indicate the reasons. (a) Not interested [ ] (b) Not the part of the syllabi [ ] (c) No need of ICT for the present position [ ] (d) Any other: ………………. [ ] MaulanaQ.7. Do you constantly Azad keep Library, abreast with the Aligarhlatest developments Muslim in ICT? University (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ] I. If yes, what do you do to keep abreast? (a) Reading latest literature related with ICT [ ]
Appendices
(b) Discussion with the experts [ ] (c) Attend workshop/training programs [ ] (d) Attend conferences/seminars [ ] (e) Surfing internet [ ] * tick all that apply Q. 8. What difficulties you faced while implementing ICT in your library. (a) Inadequate training of library staff . [ ] (b) Non availability of sufficient funds [ ] (c) Resistance to change [ ] (d) Lack of interest on the part of library staff [ ] (e) Laxity on the part of library authorities [ ] (f) Lack of support from university authorities [ ]
Q.9. Were you interested in the application of ICT? (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ] I. If no, please give reason
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………… III. If yes, did you find motivation from your section in-charge or other higher authorities? (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ] Q.10. How do you rate your levels of perception on the following statements? (SDA= strongly disagree, DA= disagree, NA/ND=neither agree nor disagree, A= agree, SA= strongly agree) S.No Statements SDA DA NA/ND A SA In the present information scenario the Maulana1. Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University application of ICT is essential Computers help eliminate repetitive and 2. clerical functions. 3. The library users of today are better
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informed about the existence of an information resource Library staff training should be a regular 4. feature. Frequent inter library transfers are good 5. for the individual Switching over from manual to 6. automated system has enhanced the prestige of library staff If transferred from one section to another 7. it is difficult to learn the working of other modules Frequent inter library transfers are good 8. for the library Q.11.Below are the statements concerning your attitudes towards application of ICT in your library. Rate your perception on five point scale (SDA= strongly disagree, DA= disagree, NA/ND=neither agree nor disagree, A= agree, SA= strongly agree)
S.no. Statements SDA DA NA/ND A SA
ICT applications facilitate quick access to 1. current data.
ICT offers more efficient ways to carry out 2. library operations.
Applications of ICT improve quality of 3. library services.
Information retrieval is much easier 4. through online resources than printed resources. Information retrieved through printed 5. resources is more authentic than online Maulanaresources Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University An online database gives more up-to-date 6. information than the traditional catalogue and indexes.
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OPAC can be used more easily than a card 7. catalogue.
Application of ICT reduces workload of 8. library professionals.
Data storage on computer is highly risky in 9. libraries compared to print resources
It is difficult for library professionals to 10. cope with ever-changing technologies and innovations Slow speed internet and interrupted power 11. supply reduces the interest of library professionals while working with ICT.
Q.12.What is your opinion regarding the following statements? (Rate your opinion on three point scale: (i) Agree (ii) Neutral (iii) Disagree) S.no Statements Agree Neutral Disagree 1. Extensive use of ICT has created threats to job security among library professionals.
2. Library professionals have fears of the effect of ICT on their health such as eye strain, headaches, etc.
3. High cost of ICT tools is hindrance for implementing ICT in library.
4. Lack of support from higher authorities for implementing ICT applications in library.
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University Q.13. Do you regularly attend workshops/ICT training programs in order to enhance your ICT skills? (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ]
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I. If yes, what is the impact of ICT on your performance in the library? A=agree, N=neutral, DA=disagree S.No. Statements Agree Neutral Disagree
1. It improves my technical skills 2. Regular workshops/training is necessary to upgrade my ICT knowledge 3. It increases my efficiency and performance
I. If No, what are the reasons for not attending the workshops/ ICT training programs? (a) Lack of time [ ] (b) Lack of awareness [ ] (c) Not interested in ICT [ ] (d) Financial problems [ ]
Q.14. Do you think training of library professionals in ICT is essential for the use of ICT in your library? (a) Yes [ ] (b) No [ ]
I. If yes, how does the training of library professionals influence the use of ICT? (Rate your opinion on three point scale: (i) Agree (ii) Neutral (iii) Disagree) S.no Statements Agree Neutral Disagree 1. Training influences the perception of library professionals to use ICT in their library 2. Training enhances the computer skills of library Maulanaprofessionals Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University 3. Training reduces the attitudinal barriers of library professionals to the acceptance of ICT. 4. Training of library professionals may promote the usage of ICT.
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5. Training of library professionals is essential in introducing positive change in the library 6. Training is a key strategy in overcoming any resistance to change. 7. Training influence the library professionals’ involvement and satisfaction with ICT
Q.15. Please gives your valuable suggestions: …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… ………
(Thank you very much for your cooperation)
Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University