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 ﻻن 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 1 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.