Kesar SAL Medical College & Research Institute IMPACT OF INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON LIBRARY & INFORMATION CENTRES By Dr. P.LALITHA Librarian Kesar SAL Medical College & Research Institute

Information? “An assemblage of data in a comprehensible form capable of communication” – Harrod’s Librarian’s Glossary and Reference Book, 7th ed., 1990. “Information is knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact, subject or event” - Oxford English Dictionary. “Information is data recorded, organized, related or interpreted within context to convey meaning” – S.C.Blumenthal in ‘Management Information Systems’, 1969

Communication… The word ‘Communication’ originated from Latin word ‘Communis’ meaning ‘Common’. “Communication is imparting, conveying or exchanging of ideas and knowledge whether by speech, writing or signs” – Oxford English Dictionary. “Communication is the transfer of thoughts and message as contrasted with transportation of goods and persons” – Columbia Encyclopedia of Communication.

Signals – Traffic signals, Drum beats Signs – Traffic signs Symbols Communication… Non-Verbal Signals – Traffic signals, Drum beats Signs – Traffic signs Symbols Gestures – Facial expressions, Body language

A Babylonian clay tablet from 87 B.C. reports the Communication… Verbal Communication… The first phase - origination of languages, second phase - written communication (record and store the information) Cave paintings, clay tablets, ink, papyrus etc. A Babylonian clay tablet from 87 B.C. reports the arrival of the comet now known as Halley. Page 96: National Geographic Magazine, December. 1997

Communication… (Verbal) The third phase - the printing era began with Gutenberg and his Bible in 1456. The fourth phase -the age of telecommunications began with Morse’s telegraph and was perpetuated by Marconi’s wireless. Now we are in fifth phase where compunication is playing a major role in interactive communication systems.

Information Technology The two revolutions - in computers and communications transformed the computers synonymous to Information Technology. The rapid developments in Information Technology brought revolutionary changes in information processing, storage, dissemination and distribution and became a key ingredient in bringing-up great changes in over all aspects of society.

Information Technology Further the advent of low cost computers and easy-to-use word processing software, computer based image processing techniques paved way for ‘digitized information’ comprising textual to multimedia – data consisting of text, images along with digitized voice and video. Thus the information stored in libraries has taken a major shift from volume-limiting paper to limitless multimedia digital form.

Information & communication Technology The ease of communication along with the Internet, has brought a paradigm shift in information usage from the need to know basis – information available when and where you need it. Digital publishing technologies and global networking have given rise to the development of a wide variety of digital libraries. of interest to the scholarly community.

Information & communication Technology “Ten years ago we saw the convergence of the human-readable Web with increased connectivity. Now we are seeing communicating applications and more pervasive, broadband connectivity. The world is flatter because computing and communications is more pervasive of our working and learning lives: we create, share and use digital content and services”. Dempsey, Lorcan. (2006). Ariadne Issue 46 at http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue46/dempsey/intro.html

Implications of ICT in LICs…… Storage Speed Ease of use Large volume of information Interoperability Integration

Advantages of web based services: Interoperability Encapsulation Availability Self-Description Modularity Simplified and High Scalability -Freemantle, P., et al., Communications of ACM, 2002, 45(10), 77-82.

Technologies in LICs… Information capture Key board, Scanner, Digital Cameras, Mobiles, etc Storage PCs, Floppy disks, CDs / DVDs Pen drives, Portable HDs, Blu Ray Dis Identification Barcode, Tattle-tape, RFID, Biometric, etc Databases Books, articles, reports, aggregators, publishers, IRs

Technologies in LICs… Digital Library Software Green stone digital Library sw, DSpace, Fedora etc Library automation packages WIN/ISIS, SOUL, Libsys, Libsuite, Liberty, ALICE, etc Open Source like KOHA, New Gen Lib, etc Networking Client-server, P2P, Internet

Emerging Technologies in LICs… Library 2.0

Library 2.0 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0 With Library 2.0 library services are constantly updated and reevaluated to best serve library users. It also attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feed back and participation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0 “Library 2.0 is the application of interactive, collaborative and multi media web based technologies to web based library services and collection” Maness, 2006 The basic idea of Library 2.0 is to transform library service by making them more personalize, more interactive, collaborative, more web-based, driven by community needs A very different communication environment for providing more personalized services to users making librarians more competent.

Wiki Blog RSS Podcasting Instant Messaging SMS MMS Social networking Components of Library 2.0 Wiki Blog RSS Podcasting Instant Messaging SMS MMS Social networking

Wiki - from the Hawaiian wiki, to hurry, swift. Components of Library 2.0 Wiki - from the Hawaiian wiki, to hurry, swift. A collaborative website whose content can be edited by any one who has access to it. It is a web application that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also refers to the collaborative software used to create such a website. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikis

Components of Library 2.0 http://www.answers.com/topic/blog Blog A blog (WEBLOG) is a website that contains dated entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first) about a particular topic. http://www.answers.com/topic/blog One person or groups of contributors can write them. Entries containing commentaries and links to other websites, images contributed by one person or group of people. Some times search facility may also be included. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs

Components of Library 2.0 Really simple Syndication RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines and podcasts. An RSS document (which is called a ‘feed’ or ‘web feed’ or ‘channel') contain either a summary of content from an associated website or the full text, RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with websites in a special programme or filtered displays. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

Components of Library 2.0 Podcast A portmanteau of Apple’s “I Pod” and “broadcasting” is a method of publishing files to the Internet allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost. It first became popular in late 2004, used largely for audio files. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Components of Library 2.0 Social Networking Social Networking service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interest and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most services are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, e-mail, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups and so on.

ICT induced paradigm shift in LICs….. Traditional libraries to digital libraries, print on paper to digital information, card catalogs to Web OPACs, chains to RFID tags, print journals to online or electronic journals, ownership to access, in library access to remote and desktop access. Information availability from libraries - 9 – 5 or 7 to 24X7, photocopies to digital copies, DDS being provided through E-mail instead of post or fax. standalone libraries to Information networks Real to virtual libraries.

Why Librarians need to embrace Technology? The information professionals are adopting technologies like computing, networks, Internet, digital data etc and getting adapted to the changing environment because their main focus is the ‘user’ and the fulfillment of information needs of the users. “The network evolution of research and learning practices across disciplines and institutions is what the librarians need to know more about. Libraries need to understand how best to co-evolve with these changes, and need more evidence upon which to base their planning”. Dempsey Lorcan, 2006.

Users Attitudes Users are broadly into two categories: Users – Information seeking & Techno savvy “In a flat networked world, where data and content flow more freely, much of what might have happened in library is pushed out into network user environment.” Dempsey Lorcan, 2006. Users – Not aware of technology Users information seeking attitudes differs based on their competencies.

Role of Librarians………… Traditionally librarians used to select, search, collect, organize, maintain and preserve the resources

Digital Era - Role of Librarians………… Negotiator – a person who should be able to identify the needs of users Navigator - Searching the ocean of information regardless the format Facilitator – Information and Infra-structure Educator - being familiar with information in different formats and should be able to train the users whenever required Entrepreneur - Marketing Library Services Information filter – Able to provide right information, in right time to the right person from right resource.

Challenges & Opportunities Resource Management – Providing information from different resources (print, e-resources and online resources), Resource usage, Usage evaluation and measuring the impact of usage of the resources (Research output). Providing information about Open Access resources and educating the users about Open Access. Building Institutional Repositories Providing seamless integration to different databases, electronic and online resources. Knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights

Challenges & Opportunities Open Access (OA) OA literature is digital, free of charge and free of copyright. OA is compatible with copyright, peer review, revenue, print, preservation, prestige, career advancement, indexing and supportive services associated with conventional scholarly literature. OA campaign focuses on the literature that authors give to the world without expectation of payment OA literature is not free to produce or publish OA literature is compatible with peer review and all major OA initiative for scientific and scholarly literature insists on its importance. Suber, Peter, “Brief Introduction to Open Access”. At http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm

Challenges & Opportunities Open Access resources “While many authors, academic and research organizations including funding agencies have realized the impact and importance of OA and have made endeavors to strengthen the movement, the leading publishers have also chipped in (although at slower pace) to contribute their bit for global good. For instance For green publishers permit archive pre-print and post-print For blue ones permit archive only post-print For yellow permits archive pre-print only (pre-refereeing copy) While white means archiving not formally supported”. Usha Mujoo Munshi. (2008). ‘Guest Editorial’, DESISOC Jrl. Lib. Inf. Tecnol, 28(1), p.4.

Challenges & Opportunities Institutional Repositories The Institutional repository (IR) is a contemporary concept that captures and makes available as much of institutional research output as possible to the users. It is a sort of a database of digital information resources, accessible through Internet or Intranet. In the first instance this might include electronic versions of documents such as research papers, project reports, patents, theses and dissertations Barton, Mary R. and Waters, Margaret M. (2004). Creating an institutional repository: LEADIRS workbook. Massachusetts: MIT Press. <http://dspace.org/implement/leadirs.pdf>

Challenges & Opportunities Institutional Repositories IR is a set of services for researcher and scholarly community. Its goals are: Support Open Access Curate Institutional Intellectual assets Centralized management of Research Output Preservation etc.

Challenges & Opportunities Intellectual Property Rights “Legal issues, arising from intellectual property law, are the most serious problems facing digital libraries”. Lesk, Michael. (2005). Understanding Digital Libraries, Elsevier Inc. :San Francisco, p.293. “Managers of digital libraries must not allow accidental or intentional corruption of information stored in it by unauthorized users or programs.” Arora, Jagdish. (2007). Access Management in Digital Libraries, Part I: Authentication and Authorization”, INFLIBNET Newsletter, 14(4), p.9.

Challenges & Opportunities Social Behaviour and attitudinal changes of users Digital Divide Providing Information literacy Personal counseling and interaction with library users as well as virtual users of library for getting feed-back about the services offered and for proposed improvements.

Challenges & Opportunities Information Literacy “Information literacy’ is “the ability to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information” http://en.wikipedia.org. “Information is a source of instant power as it facilitates decision-making, problem-solving, and action-taking. Information Literacy is the ability to make sense of information for managing success and staying ahead of change and competition”. Karisidappa, C.R. (2008). ‘Guest Editorial’, DESIDOC Jrl. Of Lib. Inf. Technol., 28(2).

Challenges & Opportunities Information Literacy The purpose of IL is to develop sense-making ability among the stake holders. Though Information literacy has broader perspectives and wider applications, it embraces related concepts like user education library instruction bibliographic instruction library research

Challenges & Opportunities Information Literacy - Empowering-8 Model Identify—subject, audience, keywords and plan strategy; Explore—resources required, information available; Select—relevant information; stages of work, appropriate citations; Organize—information earlier selected, between fact, fiction and opinion; Create—information in your own words, revise and edit and create bibliography; Present—share information with appropriate audience; display in appropriate format; Assess—feedback; self-assessment and assessment with teacher; Apply—review feedback and apply to next learning activity. Prof. Russell Bowden, in his keynote address published in the Proceedings of the Information Skills for Learning: Part II "Empowering-8" International Workshop Sponsored by IFLA ALP, UNESCO-IFAP5 in 2005

To conclude……. An incredible fast progress in information and communication technologies are transforming the information handling and seeking habits of both librarians and users. Inspite of the initiatives taken by INFLIBNET, NISCAIR, NIC and Refreshers courses provided by universities, more such kind of training programmes are to be conducted both to the library and information professionals as well as to the users.

To conclude……. “Training influences perception, attitude and opinion about the information conveyed. Course curriculum for LIS should be revised with emphasis on development of the soft skills as core competencies.” Vogt, Hannelore., et al., (2008). “Branding and Marketing for Changing the Image of Libraries in India”. In Executive Summary Workshop Results Emerging from the International Seminar- Libraries on the Agenda!”, March 13 & 14, 2008, edited by Daum, Marilen and Seth, Renu. Pp 7-8

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