IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON OPERATIONS AND SERVICES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES By Prof.Ranjana Vohra, Chairperson, Department of Library and Information Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION Academic library is considered as the ‘Nerve Center of the institution’. It has been largely accepted that a college library forms an important and integral part of the teaching process in the institution. The students who receive education in the institution where libraries render effective service come out with wholesome personality, civic sense and contribute to the democratic process in our country. The college library encourages and fulfills the needs and requirements of an individual. The learning, which takes place in a classroom or laboratory, is supplemented by a variety of reading materials. The library inculcates the habit of reading and develops love for books among students. It also helps to develop the habit of self-study among students.

Information Technology  ALA Glossary defines Information Technology as ‘the application of computers and other technologies to the acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information’.  UNESCO defines Information Technology as ‘The scientific, technological and engineering disciplines and the managerial techniques used in information handling and processing; their applications; computers and their interaction with men and machines and associated social, economic and cultural matters’.

Advantages of Information Technology Helps to avoid duplication of effort and work in library operations. Facilitates cooperation and resource sharing through library networks. Helps to introduce new services and improve existing services. Allows integration of various library operations. Facilitates faster information communication. Helps to increase the quality and range of services. Increases morale and motivation of library staff. Facilitates easy and wider access to all kinds of information sources. Helps to increase efficiency and effectiveness in library operations. Helps to improve productivity and image of the library.

Relevance and Need 1. Advantages like speed, accuracy and reliability in the process of information due to introduction of Information Technology. This also helps customers in performing the search quicker and with precision. 2. Due to escalation of prices of periodicals and books, no library can afford to acquire all the publications. This necessitates an active resources sharing among libraries. 3. Literature in almost all the fields is increasing tremendously in a multidimensional way. It is posing a major problem to have bibliographic control on the basis of manual operations. This is only possible through computer application. 4Information seeking behaviour of the users is also changing. To cater the needs of the users storage capacities of information as well as retrieval techniques should be applied to supply them with modern information. 5.The aim of the modern library services is to provide right information to users in appropriate time, form, cost and place to help them to take right action.

Information Technology in Academic Libraries To capture, store, manipulate and distribute information. To introduce and provide new services, revitalize the existing services by providing faster access to the resources, by overcoming the spare and time barriers; To provide need based retrospective search services to the users. To utilize the staff for providing better information services. To encourage networking and resource sharing at local level. To digitize the documents for preservation and for space saving. To support library functions such as circulation, serials control, acquisition control, stock maintenance and other office works and developing in-house database. To retrieve and disseminate the information in user denied format. To access library catalogues databases of other libraries through library network. To improve the efficiency of library function. To improve the cost effectiveness of library operations.

Application of Information Technology on Operations of Academic Libraries House Keeping Activities Acquisition Cataloguing Circulation Serial Control

Application of Information Technology on Services of College Libraries Information Services Reference Services Indexing and Abstracting Services Current Awareness Services (CAS) Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) Information Retrieval Services Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) CD-ROM Internet

How to make possible use of Information Technology in College Libraries Ø Best use of Information Technology in house keeping operations and information services to users. Ø Adequate funds in the form of special grants should be made available for college libraries to modernize their operations and services Ø Information Technology need to extend and concentrate more on need-based value added user services. Ø College libraries should follow established standards for compatibility, exchange and sharing of resources as well as economy in cost and efforts. Ø Improve the quality of existing service but also make possible a greater range of innovative need based and value added user services with the help of Information Technology. Ø Effective utilization of new technologies in libraries is possible only with the skilled and competent personnel. It has become essential for library to have staff with Information Technology skills. Provide more number of computers exclusively for users to access OPAC, CDROM databases and Internet facilities not only within in the library but also in departments as well as in students hostels.