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The document is an annual index of the journal "International Affairs" for the year 2023, containing articles on various topics related to international affairs. These topics include injustice and the crisis of international order, climate change, global justice, the invasion of Ukraine, India as a 'civilizational state', the Iraq War, women, peace, and security, and buffer zones in international rivalry. The document provides a range of perspectives on these topics and can be a valuable resource for library patrons conducting research on specific international affairs issues. It consists of three separate sections from different volumes of the journal, each focusing on different themes and regions. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Assistive technology (AT) is like the eyes of visually impaired users (VIUs) and plays a vital role in making them independent in accessing a wide range of library resources and services. It is a revolutionary way to improve the academic performance of VIUs and amalgamate them into mainstream library services. This paper aims to explore the familiarity and understanding of AT among VIUs in accessing library resources and services of three special institutes of Haryana state, India. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a survey method, and data were collected using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of closed-ended questions focused on participants' familiarity, understanding and key barriers VIUs face in accessing existing AT facilities. Scope of the study is to include three special institutions' libraries serving to VIUs in Haryana (India). Purposive sampling technique was adopted for data collection. The data are tabulated and analyzed with descriptive statistics methods using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0, and the results are presented in tables, diagrams and graphs. Findings: The study found that most of the VIUs are highly familiar and reported an expert understanding of Daisy player and digital voice recorder, whereas refreshable Braille display, Braille printer/embosser and scanning and reading devices are least familiar with and reported poor understanding. In the software category, it is noted that VIUs are more familiar with screen reading and speech synthesizer software than other software, and participants confirmed a good understanding of the said software. Practical implications: The literature review revealed that the majority of library staff in the institutions being investigated had limited knowledge about the availability of the most suitable AT tools. So, the study will be beneficial for them to select the most popular AT tools for their libraries to amalgamate VIUs. The study also highlights some barriers VIUs face in using the existing AT facility of their respective libraries that may be helpful for librarians to understand the root cause of low utilization of available AT tools and how to address this problem effectively. The study can also help policymakers in formulating AT policies for academic libraries. Findings will also help to develop a cost-effective AT workstation suiting the needs of VIUs. Originality/value: This study will provide an idea to library professionals about which AT hardware and software are more popular among VIUs and useful for developing/improving cutting-edge AT facilities in their libraries to amalgamate VIUs in the mainstream of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a web-based view of the University library website in India. The study intended to gain some insight into the user access and usability of the University Library website. The University library website is an access point for libraries in this digital era. This Covid-19 pandemic affected the Library usage pattern drastically. The library website gives the user access to library resources and services. Information Architecture examines the flow of Information on a website. A good website has a user-friendly information design and does not just focus on website appearance- 'looks'. The research design involved 40 participants at a given time and space. Testing was conducted on the Bangalore University library website using the post-graduate students studying at the University. The Usability testing was conducted to test the navigation through the Library website. A demographic study of the test subjects was also used to understand the needs and evaluate the homepage of the Bangalore University Library, Bangalore (BUBL) website. User experience and usability of the BUBL website were tested using a set of tasks performed by the library users. The study found the trust level of the BUBL website to be high in users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth of technology change the way of people to search, acquire, arrange and retrieve of information. The impact of technology has greatly affected on information searching pattern of college students. It's a high time for traditional libraries to change their approach as the availability of the digital resources is growing day by day. Librarian has the responsibility to identify what kind of information needed by the users and how it can be provide them effectively. Thus academic libraries need to upgrade their facilities to cope up with the changing needs of users. Library need to implement more technology-based infrastructure to fulfil the growing desires of user. The product of this study would be helpful to gain information seeking awareness among the college students and the study may motivate library professionals to know the existing scenario of college libraries and it may be supportive to implement suitable plan and policy to improve existing library systems in keeping with the changing desire of users. Purpose: The main purpose of the study is to discover the information needs of Maharaja Bir Bikram college library users along with their information seeking behaviour and also establish the existing library scenario of the college. Objectives: To identify the information needs and searching behaviour of concerned college library users. And to discover the obstacles faces by the users while seeking information and provide appropriate suggestions to overcome the situation and to find out the level of user satisfaction. Methodology: For the present study a survey was conducted on Maharaja Bir Bikram College library users by the use of simple random sampling method with a set of questionnaire includes 15 questions. The primary data were collected from 301 respondents and the secondary data were gathered from previously published relevant literature. Collected data were presented in tabular form and Microsoft excel was used to analysed the data. Findings: The findings showed that maximum number of students visit library for access books to achieve academic success. It also discovered that most of the students are not aware about library collections and services as well as library e-resources therefore they preferred print materials as first choice. Problems faces by the respondents are nonavailability of updated study materials, shortage of information searching skill, lack of cooperation from library staff, shortage of current information sources. The investigation enables that user are not more satisfied with their college library resources and services. Originality: The study is an original innovative work which has been created independently and not published anywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingual retrival systems are very important for countries like India, where we have multiple scripts and many languages for verbal and written communication. The creation of a multilingual interface for the retrival, management, and processing of information and knowledge needs systematic efforts and requires related features in the Library Management Software and the availability of bibliographic records in catalogues. This paper is an effort to study various related aspects of multilingual record creation and retrival provisions in Union Datanases. The development of a multilingual environment for accessing and retrieving library resources among the users as well as library professionals is essential. The article is divided into five sections. The first section deals with the introduction. It covers the multilingual system, with reference to multiscript bibliographic control, the objective, and methodology of the study. The second section examines the contours of multilingual bibliographic control, in particular in the Indian context. The third section deals with the multilingual cataloguing procedure and The fourth section deals with the "Situation in India in Terms of Multilingual Bibliographic Database and Issues." issues, challenges, and solutions. The fifth and final section of the article is concerned with the conclusion. The objective of this paper is to analyse the issues and challenges in the Indian multi-lingual and multi-script bibliographic retrieval systems. Through the analysis of available bibliographic data and database interfaces, the authors evaluate the adoption of multilingual and multiscript processes and procedures for bibliographic data creation. The study's findings will aid in understanding the current status of multilingual bibliographic record creation and the need for policy-level intervention to maintain and develop multilingual records for the creation of qualitative bibliographic databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health sector is the largest discipline in the world and relates to all human beings. Hundreds of inventions and research are being carried out by the national and international organizations and scholars on minor to major areas of health sciences for well-being. Several estimates have pointed out that around 30,000 journals are published every year and more than 1000 articles are published per day worldwide in printed and electronic formats. Digital technology has enabled accessibility to the resources to be easy, speedy, and comfortable on 24×7 basis. This article discusses a study pertaining to the satisfaction level about the selected e-resources available in open domain and subscribed e-resources used by the users in the libraries of selected health and family welfare institutions in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal component of this paper is to ascertain the prominent variables of technological, organizational, environmental, and financial constructs that influence library cloud computing (LCC) among the library users and professionals in the selected universities of India. This paper discusses the advantages, opportunities, challenges, and Models of Smart Library in the ICT age library management system. The study also commissioned tools viz. EFA, CFA, and structural equation assess the degree to which selected factors were associated with LCC adoption. Empirical research proposed four hypotheses by selecting the technological, organizational, environmental, and financial constructs and 16 manifests in the specified model. The model was then tested on a sample of 510 respondents of 26 major states, central and private universities of India using SEM-ANN. First, SEM was employed to find out which variables had a meaningful influence on LCC. Secondly, the output of ANN outlined the rank of influencing predictors obtained from SEM. It is evident that technological factors, greater scalability (TF_1), tech-readiness (TF_2), and easier back-up (TF_3), are the most robust antecedents of LCC. Whereas in organizational factors- recognized usefulness (OF_1), are the robust manifest, but in environmental factors-geographical reach (EF_1), administrative support (EF_2), conducive application interface (EF_4), are the significant predictors. Eventually, financial factors- costsaving (FF_1) and better return on investment (FF_2) are the considerable predictors obtained from ANN. The findings further indicate that behavioural intention to adopt the library cloud yielded novel insights that significantly benefit users and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the District library, Lakhimpur, Assam, India, which is an endeavor to highlight the reading habits of users in Pre & Post lockdown period (pre lockdown period refer as April 2019 to 24th March 2020 and post Lockdown as after 30th June 2020 to 20th March 2021) of Lakhimpur District Library (LDL). The aim of the present study is also to find out the time used by the users of the Lakhimpur district library in different age groups. The finding of the study also reveals that there is scope for development of LDL to bring more users. The study highlights the pre & post lockdown period scenario of the library where 150 Nos. of users were surveyed with structured questionnaire as a tool for data collection and collected data has been analyzed and presented in the tables and based on the available data on the Library suggestions have been given to improve the functions of the Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This empirical study aims to measure the performance of electronic service quality and related infrastructure in a state university library and suggests the strategies for further improvement based on this study. Design/methodology/approach: The data collection was done through a survey questionnaire based on the 22 attributes of four e-Service quality dimensions rated on five-point Likert scale. The sample population consisted of 239 respondents comprising of different categories of users of university library. Findings: The results of this study indicated that all four dimensions rated by the users fell between mean score 3 to 4 (good), the highest score was received in dimension online public access catalogue (OPAC) and internet service with followed by Library website, Library electronic equipment's and e-User education. Out of total 22 e-Service quality attributes, none of the attributes received score above 4 (excellent), which indicates that still university library need to improve the current performance of e-Service quality and to take remedial steps to enhance the existing e-services and infrastructure. Practical implications: Findings from this study could assist university library authority to sustain and enhance performance of e-Services that could achieve the core journey of the modern university libraries. Originality/value: This study was the first endeavour for measurement of the performance of e-Service quality and related infrastructure of federal university libraries in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlighted the availability and accessibility of library information resources and services, library user attitude, working hours of library, physical facilities of KIET(Kakinada Institute of Engineering and Technology) Group of Institutions libraries, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The collection, library membership, students and faculty strength, opening and closing timings, library automation, sources and services offered, and accessibility of online resources are also examined. A well-structured questionnaire was circulated to Nine Hundred and seventyseven Under Graduate and Post Graduate students to collect the primary data from respondents. Total number of Nine Hundred and Fifteen filled-in questionnaires were acknowledged, showing on the whole response rate of counterproductive to evaluate dedicated library users. The study highlighted that the best part of users visits the library once a week. The study found that most users visit the library for circulation for lending services. The study identified that the information is vast while retrieving the accessibility of information is the main problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing outbreak of Corona virus Disease (COVID-19) compelled the world to begin a new way of life. Social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of it. Currently, the entire library system around the world is being closed, facing hard choices. Even at this drastic time, the library and its services cannot be completely closed. Libraries are to be reassigned and should reach out to users at the same time as respecting the rules and restrictions around social distancing. Social networking sites (SNSs) provide the library a new and exciting way to reach out to users. SNSs due to their popularity are globally used to exchange various kinds of information. This study was to assess and evaluate the use and awareness of library professionals and students to exchange and share library services during social distancing due to COVID-19 lockdown via SNSs in India. The outcome of the study suggested the necessity of SNSs in the library to exchange and share the services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines the assessing the impact of ICT on the library users and their reading habits. A total of 2463 samples were selected from 11 state universities in Karnataka State, India. A well designed questionnaire was used for the data collection and data has been analyzed using SPSS. The present study consisted of an equal number of males (51.3%) and female (48.7%) respondents and most of the them are from rural (63.0%) areas. It can be seen from the table that the majority of female (71.8%) and male (66.3%) respondents read information sources at their home. It is very interesting to note that majority of the respondents are inspired by themselves to read (68.5%) followed by good books (57.4%) and teachers (42.0%). The study found that 50.3% of male and 49.7% of female respondents opined that the ICT has made an impact on their reading habits. In this regards the result found that, the ICT has made an impact on enhancing the reading habits of the respondents. Further, it is found that, majority of the respondents strongly agreed that they can read more books available online, they can save time in searching information, they can get all information in their fingertips. The result shows that, the students and faculties have faced various problems in using ICT tools. The study recommends that, Higher education council and university authority may provide the latest and updated version of the computers along with continuous electricity supply with UPS connections and high Internet bandwidth facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing outbreak of Corona virus Disease (COVID-19) compelled the world to begin a new way of life. Social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of it. Currently, the entire library system around the world is being closed, facing hard choices. Even at this drastic time, the library and its services cannot be completely closed. Libraries are to be reassigned and should reach out to users at the same time as respecting the rules and restrictions around social distancing. Social networking sites (SNSs) provide the library a new and exciting way to reach out to users. SNSs due to their popularity are globally used to exchange various kinds of information. This study was to assess and evaluate the use and awareness of library professionals and students to exchange and share library services during social distancing due to COVID-19 lockdown via SNSs in India. The outcome of the study suggested the necessity of SNSs in the library to exchange and share the services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the service quality of special libraries in Kerala, India. A modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 800 library users. The analysis revealed that the service quality of the libraries is not up to the expectations of their users. The users have high expectations but they perceived low. The libraries have to update their resources and services regularly in order to meet the changing needs of their users. Proper user orientation programs need to be conducted. The study results suggest the elements to be improved for enhancing the service quality of special libraries in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims to find out the current scenario of library resources and services viz. collection including infrastructure, staff position, library services available in the private university libraries in the state of Assam, India. Methodology: Physical survey of all the five libraries has been conducted for which a questionnaire was designed. Findings: With the increasing number of library users, there should be adequate number of library staff to maintain all the different collections and services of the library. Private university libraries e-books and e-journals facility is not sufficient to cater the increasing demands of the users. Research Limitations: The study is applied to private university libraries within the geographical barrier within the state of Assam. It is applied only on the basic level library resources and services expected from a library. Practical Implications: It will provide an opportunity to the library authority to fill up the gap in providing their basic library services. The method and technique of the study may be applied to any other libraries where the libraries are managed by library science professional with proper library procedures. Originality/value: The study is itself a unique one as no such study was conducted in the area of private university libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of green library is proceeding towards a turning point, giving rise to the green library movement comprising of libraries, librarians, towns, cities, colleges, and university campuses executing to greening libraries and lessening their environmental impact. The paper highlights the conditions of the green library, green library standards, needs, features, buildings, and green library initiatives in India. It also gives an overview of green library programs and courses in the present scenario. There are some environmental changes such as climate change and energy depletion by which it affects the information resources and the programs libraries provide to their users. The main aim of green buildings is to grow and use energy-efficient resources in maintenance, the construction which maintains the overall life of the library building. The paper concludes by saying that Libraries must respond to this increasing focus on the Green library Movement and take initiatives in making a library green. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overwhelming growth of mobile devices has created new challenges of providing access to online content in mobile-accessible formats and providing opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere and also facilitate the practice of bring your own device (BYOD) and accessing library resources The primary purpose of the study discussed in the present article was first to understand the problems of users they face due to the unavailability of mobile-based library services and then figure out user perception of how to enhance the existing library services to mobile-based library services. The findings of the study show that all the surveyed universities/institutions are yet to exploit the full potential of mobile technology. By contrast, other universities/institutions in developed countries are advancing in terms of providing information access/retrieval to the library users through mobile devices. Therefore, considering the possibility of fast information access, mobile computing provides myriad opportunities for libraries to provide access anytime and anywhere. The responses collected indicate that the respondents are willing to access library services through their mobile devices. The study is significant because it represents one of the earliest works to shed light on the current level of use of mobile technology and mobile-based library services in university libraries, which are in primitive nature. The findings of the study can provide guidance to the students, research scholars, faculty members, and others to identify popular mobile library services and access them on the go. The study also provides some practical suggestions for the studied institutions and their libraries to enhance the existing library services into mobile-based library services so that they can be accessed through mobile devices based on the perception of respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Study examined the use of Electronic Resources in Engineering College Libraries in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India. In this study collecting primary data for the present study, the investigator adopted the survey method. The tool employed for collecting data is questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed in such a way to collect the data from the library users (faculty members) of engineering college libraries. Qquestionnaires were circulated among 890 library users out of whom 705 responses were received representing 79% of the total sample to whom the questionnaire was distributed. It is evident from the analysis that 448 (63.54%) majority of respondents are male users, 379 (53.75%) majority of respondent users are Assistant Professors, 259 (36.73%) majority of respondents visit the library on a daily basis, 631 (89.50%) respondents who feel that the library had convenient working hours. The study found that majority of user's visits library for borrowing books, reference books and electronic journals. The study found that majority of users use IEEE, SCOPUS, Springer, NPTEL services. The study found that highly satisfied with IEEE facility, DELNET facility, NPTEL Videos and 419 (59.43%) are not availing the facility of CMIE Prowess. Finally the study suggested that the users are not aware of about some electronic information resources, so the engineering college libraries will conduct information literacy programmes on electronic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was conducted to find out the realistic about the user's utilization and satisfaction level of Central library of Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS), Gangtok, Sikkim, India. The user's satisfaction of a library totally depends upon the utilization of library resources and services. Methodology: For the required queries a questionnaire was prepared for the present study and it was distributed among 120 SMIMS students randomly. Findings: The study exposed that students use the library for browsing e-resources and borrow books as per their need. From the students responses it was clear that users give preferences on accessing e-resources than printed material. Research Limitations: The present study is limited only for the students of the particular medical institution. The students were selected from different disciplines i.e. medical science, nursing and physiotherapy. Though faculties also use the library along with the students of this institution yet the research survey was limited for the students only. Practical Implications: Users were satisfied by using the library services like e-resources accessing, printing & photocopying service, DDS service, SMS alert service etc. Above these services the respondents recommended for digitization of the central library for the better utilization of library services as new information and communication technology are developing day by day so it should be implemented for best practices. Originality: This is the original study as it is absolutely based on primary data from student's survey. Some additional data are also collected personally from the library staff to know the better utilization of library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in India have established new records in the agriculture sector. In 2016-17 food grain production was estimated at record 275.68 million tonnes. In comparison to 2013-14, it was 4% higher. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has played a pivotal role in technological development and its demonstration in the country. The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) has taken a number of initiatives through KVKs such as farm technologies besides refinement, demonstration, and other development programmes. ICAR on its 89th Foundation Day launched National Level Programme in Higher Education in Agriculture (NAHEP) to strengthen agriculture. Majority of the remarkable work in India in agriculture is facilitated by KVK libraries. Primary objective of the current study is to analyse KVK libraries, in terms of their training programme implementations in India and awareness on the part of farmers about KVK libraries. Simple descriptive statistics has been used for carrying out analysis. There are two major findings of the study: (i) KVKs are still facing challenges at the programme implementation and (ii) there is a huge gap in the awareness amongst farmers about KVK libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of advent of electronic information resources on "academic and carrier related core aspects of user performance". Design/methodology/approach: Seven sampled agricultural universities across northern India were surveyed personally by the investigator for collecting data about the questions under investigation through a structured questionnaire. The response of the users for each statement under investigation was collected with simple "Yes"/"No" option. The investigator also resorted to the telephonic and e-mail communication to collect prompt response and had a personal interaction with respondents to substantiate the collected responses and remove any ambiguity thereof. Findings: It is found that the majority of respondents are of the opinion that due to advent of e-resources the users' interest in studies has enhanced (62.90 per cent) and that the e-resources have played a significant role in timely completion/submission of their study related assignments (74.30 per cent). It is also evident that a good proportion of respondents agree that the advent of e-resources has laid a positive impact on performance of users in "academic examinations" (50.80 per cent), "competitive examinations" (52.80 per cent), and the "interviews" (46.18 per cent) they face. Statistically, it is also verified that the performance of users with respect to five aspects investigated in this study is significantly associated with advent of e-resources (p < 0.01), whereas it does not show any association with one aspect i.e. "timely completion of an academic degree". Research limitations/implications: The findings are based on mere opinion of users and need to be verified by devising a well-articulated methodology for verification of the user performance related facts both in print and electronic eras, independent of the users' opinion. Practical implications: The findings of this study shall prompt the budget allocating authorities of the libraries to reformulate their fund allocation policies. Findings of this study shall act as logical basis to enhance budget for improving the volume of e-resources. These also emphasize the fact that a provision of recurring fund needs to be created for facilitating single window based anytime anywhere access to the available e-information base, which may include annual subscription charges for availing (i) proxy software services for remote access and (ii) federated search engine for single window searching. Originality/value: This is first work of its nature in northern Indian agricultural libraries. The findings will be useful for the authorities to decide about the degree of importance the libraries need to endorse with the procurement of information resources in electronic form. The study will really inspire the researchers and librarians to conduct similar studies in other specific domains of knowledge and come out with significant findings and suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed and the use of information skills among the students of Alagappa University Central library users. Simple random sampling technique is used in the study. The scope of the study covered various aspects like awareness in library sources and services, both printed document and electronic documents.; Knowledge about the item usually covered in the catalogue and including Internet; familiarity use ICT and Online Database; Information literacy a determining factor in the development of the information society. The study shows that the majority of the students accessing internet in university central library and the maximum number of students are using various information resources for developing their knowledge and prepare the seminar, conference and writing journal article. The study also analyzed that the main problem of the lack of electricity was the prime barriers to the use of the computer by university library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media is becoming an inseparable part of modern education system. The present study is an attempt to investigate the awareness, use, purposes and major problems faced while using applications of social media in medical colleges. The data for the present study was collected from the 8 medical colleges of Punjab State of India. A self-designed questionnaire was designed and random sampling method was used to collect the data from the target population i.e. 400 (200 teachers and 200 students with a sample of 25 teachers and 25 students from each medical college i.e. 50X8 = 400). Out of 400 distributed questionnaires, 341 (85.25%) including 146 (73%) teachers and 195 (97.5%) students were received back dully filled in. The results of the present survey show that 69.2% of respondents have average knowledge and awareness of social media. 83.3% use social media applications for educational enhancement purposes. The major problem faced by the respondents is privacy issues with 43.9% responses. The study suggested that library services supplemented by social media applications can prove a great boon to the medical library users in getting the right information at the right time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigate the Impact of Information and Communication Technology tools on Information Seeking Behaviour of the Tirunelveli District Central Library Users. This study also investigate, the ICT usage pattern, user needs, and future expectation of ICT based services, of various categories of users in public library system. This study has been taken up in the District central Public Library, Tirunelveli. The questionnaire was given to 125 numbers of various category of users in the library. The analysis revealed that the presently available ICT facility is not sufficient to fulfil the user needs, and also recommends that it needs to be developed, in order to enhance our citizen and develop a knowledge power society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I studied the status and usage of library resources and services and library use opinion about library working hours, library physical facilities, library information sources and service of K L (Koneru Lakshmaiah Educational Foundation) University, Vijayawada. The collection development, library membership, staff position, working hours, library automation, services offered and availability of online resources are also discussed. A well structured questionnaire was managed to 300 faculty members, Research scholars and post graduation students to collect the primary data from respondents. A total number of 270 filled in questionnaires were received showing overall response rate of counterproductive to evaluate library users. The library users fully satisfied with library facilities, library working hours, information sources and library information services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising demand of the new users about technological assistance, the libraries need to change their traditional way of functioning. The present generation is very much attracted towards social networking sites (SNS). It is obvious for the libraries and information centres to tap the opportunity and provide services to the users by using SNS. Since these sites provide quick and free access, the libraries can make good use of it. The present study attempts to find out the awareness of the librarians of management institutions towards SNS and explores how much they are using it. The study highlights that the librarians are much aware of SNS and are using them for their personal and professional purpose, but on the same hand fails to use the SNS in their libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction-This paper discussed the need of performance audit through LibQUAL+ technique in University Library users in West Bengal, India. LibQUAL+ Technique is developed by Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in the year 2000. It is a suite of services that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users' opinions of service quality. In this paper, an attempt has been made to measure the performance of Burdwan University Library and Visva-Bharati Library Users through LibQUAL+ technique. Comparative study of each dimension that is Library as a Place (LP), Information Control (IC) and Affect of Service (AS), Adequacy Gap (AG), Superiority Gap (SG) and Zone of Tolerance has been determined. This technique has been applied to know what library users saying about the performance of the library. Methods-To conduct of this study a large variety of data-gathering and analysis techniques have been adopted such as surveys, interviews, observations, etc. of the users of both the libraries. Findings-Visva-Bharati Library (VBL) performs better in all respect than Burdwan University Library (BUL) specially overall library performance of VBL (3.20 mean score) where as BUL (3.34 mean score) in West Bengal, India. Suggestions-Library authority should concentrate whether minimum service levels are available to users, what their desired service levels are but what they are getting (perceived) at this moment. Faculty, scholars and students opinion (feedback & suggestions) regarding library services have to take regular interval i.e. quarterly, half-yearly or yearly. Besides that, authority of university library should always promote introduction of new services to the academic community through notification as well as put it library website or university website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the study of resources and services provided by Bioinformatics Centre libraries to their users. For the present study 15 libraries have been selected. Out of the fifteen questionnaires distributed to the librarian, fourteen returned the questionnaire (14/15). The response rate is ninety three percent (93%). The basic purpose of this study to identify the resources and services provided by these libraries to their users. The study reveals that UGC financed the maximum number of libraries i.e. ten libraries followed by DBT which financed nine libraries. Major databases users preferred are NCBI, GenBank, Entrez Swiss-Prot, MEDLINE, PDB and EDI. All the major library services are being provided by theses library to support the use of bioinformatics resources. Training programmes are conducted by the library to support the users' information need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major aim of any university library is to support teaching, learning and research activities of its parent institutions, university library must therefore make sure that their resources are fine use of by its users. The study has been conducted to know the available information sources in the Karnataka university library and its usage pattern among the research scholars in different faculties in several Departments of the University. The study shows that how the usage of the information resources changing from print to e-resources and more users are eager to use electronic resources. For this study hypothesis was set and various statistical methods like chi-square test, etc., were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study the current status of the various Assistive Technology facilities available for the people with disabilities in National Capital Region Libraries, India. Design/methodology/approach: Survey methodology has been used as the basic research tool to collect the data with the help of questionnaire from various institutions/libraries serving the people with disabilities. Findings: The study depicts the lack of Assistive Technology facilities in National Capital Region libraries. The study concludes that there are negligible amount of Assistive Technology facilities for the deaf/hearing impaired and locomotor impaired users in the institutions/libraries. Research limitation: The total number of 15 libraries was selected for the study as there were many libraries that do not have the sufficient Assistive Technology facilities to serve the people with disabilities. Research implication: This study will prove useful for the LIS professionals and the research community to provide an insight into the current status of the Assistive Technologies available in National Capital Region Libraries, India. Originality/value: This paper identifies the current status of the Assistive Technology facilities available for the people with disabilities in National Capital Region Libraries as there is almost no literature and research available which is relevant to this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic information sources are computer-based information sources. There are several forms and types of electronic resources which are available on the internet. Some of the popular ones that are gaining ground are the electronic journals, standards, technical specifications, reports, patents, full-text articles, trade reports, and hosts of other document sources. This paper presents the findings of a survey about the awareness and use of electronic resources by medical students available in the medical institute libraries. The subjects chosen for this study were faculty members and medical students of Sher-E-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS), Jammu and Kashmir, India. For evaluating study questions and data collection, the questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 300 faculty members, MD/MS (i.e., PG) and MBB final year (i.e., UG) students. The results of this survey are presented and discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the use of collections and services at Dr B.R. Ambedkar NIT Central Library, Jalandhar. Well-structured 196 questionnaires were distributed among NIT Central Library users during the academic session 2010-11, to find out information seeking behaviour of the users. Out of them, 178 filled questionnaires were received, and 170 (95.51 %) were found fit for analysis. This study demonstrates and elaborates various aspects of the use of collections and services, purpose of visit to the library by the user, adequacy of library hours, infrastructure facilities and use of internet information resources. The paper also identifies the levels of use of various services provided, access of online database services, database search techniques, and users' awareness about different types of library network. It highlights satisfaction with overall functioning of the library. Suggestions have been given to make the collections and services more beneficial for the academic community of the technical institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries are essential since they improve literacy, stimulate imagination and expand personal horizons. They also inform and empower citizens, enable access to a common cultural heritage and support education at all levels. Also, a positive relationship is observed between public library and literacy level, which in turn, contributes to increase in economic productivity. Extensive studies were undertaken to study the role of public libraries in information society, value of services offered and use of the resources. Assessing the effectiveness of libraries is the order of the day. In order to keep up with the current trends, libraries must constantly evaluate its functions. Evaluating through user perspective is result based. Because users are the ultimate beneficiaries and can suggest effective measures to improve the existing facilities in libraries. This study evaluates library services and gives suggestions for the improvement of district central libraries in Tamilnadu, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till 1970s, Indian libraries were mainly dependent upon their own resources to meet their users' information needs. Then came an era of computerisation where libraries started working in a collaborative manner being connected through networks or consortia to utilise the resources of participating libraries also. Now cloud computing is emerging as a new technology which is becoming popular for scholarly communications in different types of organisations, particularly in corporate organisations. In this context, the article reviews how far cloud computing is suitable in libraries and the extent to which its applications and services can be used. The authors believe that India is self-sufficient now as it has the adequate technology and skills to bridge the digital divide. The cloud computing model would enable libraries to maintain better control over the applications and the data stores containing sensitive, private information. In addition, it helps the users to maintain their personalised information. Infrastructure virtualisation and cloud computing are becoming attractive choices being challenged by growth in the size of collection, new formats and dynamic usage. Hence, it is high time for the libraries to focus and avail the advantages of cloud computing to offer user-centered multi-level services to enable them to achieve greater level of satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to provide an overview of online public access catalogue (OPAC) and Law University libraries in Karnataka state. The aim of this study is to learn about OPAC users' affirmative perception, post affirmative perception and level of satisfaction with library OPAC search. This paper deals with the user perception towards the use of OPAC in Law University libraries in Karnataka. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 300 users including LLB students, LLM students, Research Scholars and Teaching Staff. The sample population was chosen by using the convenience sample method and the researcher received only 256 filled - in usable questionnaires. The research questionnaire applied the five point Likert's scale. Statistical tests like mean and standard deviation (SD) were applied for the purpose of accuracy. The results of the survey indicated that users have different levels of perceptions with regard to OPAC search. On the whole, there is a positive perception towards OPAC search, but the survey also underlines that not all users are fully satisfied with the OPAC system's an ability to assist in finding books and with the results of OPAC searches. Only 17.2% users indicated 100% rate of success in locating the document of their interest from the OPAC search. This research paper produces findings of relevance to any law University library to develop and implement a user - oriented or user friendly OPAC service. There have been no previous published research studies of OPAC and user perception in law University libraries in the Karnataka state of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the perception of young adult users towards public library services, to know the purpose for which young adults visit the library, their impression about services, facilities, library staff and factors motivate them to make optimum use of the library. A Survey method was conducted by structured questionnaire which were administered among young adult users between 15 to 35 year of age. The results of these surveys were analyzed in depth applying statistical techniques. The perception of young adult users are positive and satisfied with the services they received from the library. It was found that most of the respondents belong to 21-25 years of age, majority of young adults visit library to use newspapers/magazine and journals for competitive exams and quizzes, and young adult users are satisfied with the public library services. The study focused on young adult users between 15 to 35 years of age in City Central Library of Mysore. This study highlighted the perception of young adults users towards public library services. The study reveals that there is need to improve the basic infrastructure amenities in the public library like separate room for young adults, drinking water, clean toilet facility etc. The paper is of practical value to public library because understanding of young adult users' perceptions is important for the development as well as improvement of public library services and facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the web based information services offered by St. Stephen's College of the University of Delhi. Formed by the Cambridge Brotherhoold who arrived in Delhi in 1877, St. Stephen's College is one of the premier institutions in India and its library has a collection of about 98,000 books, 3,000 online journals and a separate archival section. Aside from the web site maintained by the library for students to access their e-resources collection, it also employs chat-based reference service using Trillon, Meebo and Library H3lp instant messenger aggregator. Based on the study the author conducted on the users of the St. Stephen's College Library, he found that it is time to shift from a traditional library to a teaching library.

The article focuses on the level of Internet awareness among library users. The study conducted by the authors made use of 250 respondents from the Faculty of Arts of the Annamalai University in Tamilnadu, India who were asked to answer a well structured questionnaire. They revealed that, based on the returned questionnaires, Commerce students expressed that 57.50% of them have sufficient knowledge of the World Wide Web and that daily and adequate use of the library did not affect the respondent's Internet awareness. They conclude that there is no linear relationship between library users' library visits and their awareness of the Internet.

Purpose – The present study aims to investigate the experience, contribution and opinions of users of respective institutional repositories (IRs) developed in India. Design/methodology/approach – The survey method was used. The data collection tool was a web questionnaire, which was created with the help of software provided by surveymonkey.com Findings – It was observed that 85.94 percent of respondents (154) were aware of the IR facility/service and 14.05 percent (26) were not aware of IR. More than half of the respondents, i.e. 52.43 percent (97), learned about the IR service through links provided on institutions' websites. About 36.21 percent of the respondents had not contributed to any type of repository, while 25.94 percent of respondents had contributed to their IR. A higher percentage (16.76 percent) of respondents felt it was an "easy and fast way to communicate research results". The majority of the respondents, i.e. 113 (61.08 percent), were willing to deposit symposium/conference/seminar papers. The most important reason for contribution was found to be preservation of documents for the future. Peer review was very much acceptable as a quality control mechanism. More than half of the respondents (57.84 percent) wanted to provide open access without any barrier for their ideal repository. Research limitations/implications – Only users of the respective Indian institutional repositories are studied, and the findings are compared with other studies. Originality/value – This is the first detailed study focusing on the users and their experience of institutional repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to study the impact of internet search engine usage with special reference to OPAC searches in the Punjabi University Library, Patiala, Punjab (India). Design/methodology/approach – The primary data were collected from 352 users comprising faculty, research scholars and postgraduate students of the university. A questionnaire was designed as the data collection tool to obtain information on the impact of the web on OPAC. The data thus collected were analysed with the help of the SPSS (version 14.0) statistical package to present the findings in percentage and ranking formats. Findings – The study revealed that the information-searching behaviour of academicians was changing significantly in the web environment. A large number of users explored the web to garner relevant information for academic purposes. The majority were influenced by search engines because they also used OPAC, like the search engines. It is also clear from the study that internet search engines not only affected OPAC users in developed countries, but also impacted upon the less developed countries like India. Thus, it is more a battle of survival and sustainability for the OPAC vis-à-vis its close contemporary the web-search engine. Originality/value – This is a pioneering work in India studying the impact of web searching on OPAC users. Keeping in perspective the approach of twenty-first century users, the present research suggests recommendations for designing a user friendly OPAC that entails simplistic search strategies for university libraries of India and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to research the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as information technology (IT) in university libraries in India in 2011. The objectives of the study aimed to identify the ICT infrastructure facilities available in the selected universities as well as to identify ICT based software and electronic resources available in the libraries. The study concluded that the application of ICT infrastructure is increasing in university and academic libraries, and recommended that libraries increase the number of computers available to users.

The article examines the role of academic libraries at the University of Delhi's five women's colleges including Gargi College, Institute of Home Economics, and Maitreyi College in Delhi, India as of 2011. The study gathered information on the use of collections and services in the libraries, the infrastructure provided by the libraries, and user satisfaction in the libraries. Other topics include suggestions from users on how the library can better serve them, the need for a larger and more organized collection, and the conclusion that the women's academic library could be improved by heeding users' suggestions.

The article presents a paper about scientists' use patterns of information when doing research at the North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST) in Jorhat, North East India. It states that it is necessary to discover the information needs of scientists so that libraries can provide the resources and services which their users need. Topics include the frequency of library visits, the purpose of the visits, and the library's schedule of holidays. Information is also provided on internet access, the rate of satisfaction, and the level of library automation.

The article presents a user study done at Lala Lajpatrai College in Mahalakshmi, Mumbai, India and the Department of Studies in Library and Information Science at Karnatak University in Dharwad, India of the behavior of people who are seeking information at libraries. It focuses on the differences in print media and electronic media, and discusses research findings which show that only a small percentage of the general public prefer to learn by reading. It also states that a survey was used by the authors to gather data and conduct research.

The article focuses on the National Medical Library in New Delhi, India. It examines factors that have an effect on services including manpower, documents collections, reference services, and physical facilities. It presents a literature review concerning electronic resources, health science research libraries, and library use. It mentions that the National Medical Library has a lack of space facilities and reading seats, with a capacity of 400 seats and requirements for a minimum of 600 seats. It comments that over 60 percent of library users were unsatisfied with uses of bibliographical sources and 35 percent of users were unsatisfied with specific information searches.

The article discusses a study which explores the awareness of researchers about the services offered by the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) in Lucknow, India, and determines the purpose and type of information sought by CDRI researchers. Results reveal that most researchers visit the library weekly, generally to collect reading material. Literature searchers are done using the library's international network. Most researchers use the library's e-journals, and attend conferences often.

The article discusses a survey of medical college libraries in Andhra Pradesh, India, to explore their current conditions, assess the degree of meeting the information requirements of users. Librarians were asked about physical facilities, library staff, library holdings, acquisition, technical processing, circulation and library services. Medical students were asked about frequency of visit to library, library schedule, circulation, technical services and library collection.

The article investigates the information requirements, usefulness of library resources and services, and problems met by faculty members of two arts and sciences colleges in India. These are Government Arts & Science College and Sri Raghavendra Arts & Science College. Results reveal that most faculty in both institutions are lecturers. Over half visit the library every day, or once a week and use books or reference works most frequently. In general, they visit the library to prepare for class.

The introduction of digital information resources on Internet has revolutionised the academic world. The Internet is paving way for a great leap in the field of higher education and research. This paper is an attempt to investigate the use of Internet resources by the academic community of the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), Tirupati. For this purpose a survey was carried out using questionnaire tool. The results show that users from all branches of science are making use of Internet resources better than social sciences and humanities. Providing training to its users at the beginning of each semester will improve its use and reduce the problems faced by the library users. The paper highlighted the various problems and issues involved in handling digital library and has given suggestions to improve the library services to meet the demands of the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]