modernisation of library services using information technology - Core

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M.S.SRIDHAR*. Abstract: Explains the ... Information Technology (IT) in modernising library services, examines the .... 4.1 Lack of Support and Resources from Authorities/Top ... purposes or for other departments or to seek resources from.
MODERNISATION OF LIBRARY SERVICES USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:GAP BETWEEN POSSIBILITIES AND PRACTICES @ M.S.SRIDHAR* Abstract: Explains the meaning and scope of `modernisation of library services', indicates the unlimited potential of Information Technology (IT) in modernising library services, examines the relation of modernised services to productivity, performance, innovation, etc., identifies a wide gap between what has been said to be possible and feasible in application of IT on services of Indian Libraries on one hand and achievements in application of IT in modernising services on the other hand, explores various reasons for such a gap vis-a-vis ways of bridging the gap and overcoming the implimentation and operational difficulties like over excitement unclear goals, lack of management support, resources, self-supporting approach, technology transfer, indegenisation of IT, technology assessment, IT skills in library personnel, and cooperation between IT specialists and library personnel, and underutilisation of available IT, and finally concludes by pointing out some prospective areas for improvement and modernisaton of library services using IT. 1. Introduction:

A Couple of decades ago a research scholar in a university in India

might have

devoted half or at least a quarter of his

productive career,

time

handwritten thesis. could

afford

a

and energy

Even two

type-written

to produce, probably, a

decades thesis,

ago, though a scholar

he

had

to

spend

several

hundred or even thousand hours in libraries to linearly search, browse, scan and

take

revise

correct typographical

drafts;

follow standard

citation

notes

and

for

relevant errors;

reference patterns,

literature search is a matter of references

from

hours,

literature; learn etc.

Today,

preparing citations

thesis or report or paper

in

any

and

of

and the

standard formats (like that of MLA, Chicago, etc.) is another few hours with a

flexibility

to change formats as he wishes by

stroke of

a

key,

making notes and prolonged stay in libraries

are skipped on several occasions

with exclusive

xerox copies of articles, typing is only

once

possession of

not only

for all

successive drafts of thesis but also to take bye-products papers,

proof reading is minimal and so on.

like

The advantages of

information technology (IT) in information work is multifaceted.

IT covers an array of media, tools and gadgets and the impact of which is felt in many areas of life including libraries. IT may reach libraries product or

a

and their resource

service. As a

fast

users or

is

growing

expanding

Hoping

that

you

and

hear

some

with

more

infrastructure

or

changing technology,

in

enormously

will

the form of technology or a

a facility/

all-pervasive and even unique itself

in

respects.

neck

about

to

is

IT industry

neck

various

IT

a

competition.

components

and

versatalities of IT from others, I would like to restrict myself to problems and prospects of adoption, application and updation of IT

in

modernising

library

services

in

Indian

conditions

based

mainly on observations and personal experiences.

2.

Modernisation of Library Services:

Modernising library services, on the surface of it, means adopting

modern

providing

library

modernisation

methods,

tools,

services.

should

bring

techniques

But

it in

is

and

gadgets

also

increase

implied

in

that

efficiency,

effectiveness, speed and reduction in cost per unit service any

combination of them in library services.

today,

using computer

product printed modernisation examples

of

of

in

or

Unfortunately,

in a library (or even getting information

through computer) has almost become synonymous to library

computer

services.

applications

It to

is

not

library

rare

to

services

find where

neither efficiency nor effectiveness is achieved but an inevitable and

invisible

increase

in

cost

and

delays

are

incurred.

For

example, against

a couple of days or weeks delay for publishing

mimeographed current

awareness bulletins,

awareness bulletins are taking libraries.

In

justifications

large for

majority

evaluated

the

other

of

modernisation

computer applications and

couple

do

of months

cases, of

handful

operational review

theoretical

services

with

not get critically reviewed, tested

many

libraries

state

such implementations are heavily

would

of

On

have

pilot studies. reached

computerisation

Hardly,

the

worth

matured

subjecting

to

and evaluation.

Often,

modernisation

psychological, publicity rather

than

modernisation

using

IT

manual

themselves

defective,

high

does

ways

of

and

services

not

prestigious

of

imitations

better

library

result

services

and

if are has

that efficient information support and an

organisation

productivity,

(Frost

more

It is forgotten that

assure

providing

is

irrelevant and unsatisfactory. It

communication in

performance,

creativity

library

oriented

fairly established

technical

of

absolute necessities.

traditional

been

some

after implementation/operationalisation. hand,

of

current in

the

library

subsidised or labeled as experimental or a

computerised

are associated with

innovation

Whitely.1971;

Hall

Langrish, et. al., 1972; Nagpaul and Pruthi,

and

even

and Ritchie,1975; 1979;

Rothwell and

Robertson, 1975; Shotwell, 1971). But it is not yet clear whether or not modernisation to

performance,

of

library services is positively

productivity,

ultimate benificiaries. A

innovation

and

has

found

that

creativity

of

recent study (Lee and Treacy, 1988) on

how IT can affect the ability of individuals or innovate

related

IT

enhanced

organisations

to

innovation sigificantly

by augmenting individual/ group capabilities through motivation support, the factor.

resources

support

three motivation However,

and

information

support.

Among

support was found to be the strongest

adverse effect

of IT on human values and

habits cannot be ruled out.

For

example, possessing

copies of relevant reading material by a in

complacency

and

consulted them within

a

a

as

library

psychological

against

satisfaction

users

of

having

examine the effect of modernisation of whether or not modernisation

through technology should conform to values. library

also result

notes out of them. It is outside

library services on human values and

of

may

a traditional way of reading them

and making

the scope of this paper to

user

xerox

may not depend on

Ofcourse, creativity

whether

or

not

library

services are provided in a modern way.

I

plead with you not to construe the above narration as

arguments for as

anti-modernisation of library services using IT but

reflections

of

applications of IT

some

in

of

this

the

practical

situations

of

country. Modernisation of library

services using IT should be based on needs and with the objective of increasing the quality of services.

3.

Potential of IT in Modernising Library Services:

Information a

Technology

single technology,

is

but

a

neither a single discipline group

interdisciplinary technologies librarianship Because

of

and stiff

of

multidisciplinary

almost

totally

quickly

understood

for

For

academic

competition,

vast

scope

obsolete

the

even in

before

and

same reasons

exercises

of

innumerable

it

putting

news

from

are

of IT

received,

and underdeveloped

provides enormous scope forth and

expert

advises,

predicting future

IT has virtually unlimited potential for variety of

applications in libraries. IT

they

developing

projecting possibilities of modernisation 'fantasies'.

to

exclusive achievement of advanced countries.

and implemented

countries.

and

external

applications, IT is highly dynamic and new developments become

nor

developed

It has overexcited many professionals. countries

provides

enough

ground

for

visualising services.

ideals

and

even

fantasies

I am reminded of a

in

modernising

fantasy cum

going kid that it might be possible in

library

joke told by a school

next

ten centuries that

after a medical check up, a doctor prescribes to a patient to buy a heart in a medical shop and a pharmacist says 'if you buy two hearts a kidney proposed belts

or

is

free'.

But implementation of what is

forecasted either do not take place like conveyor

system,

lending

system

based

on

magnetic

burglar's alarm, bar code/wand reader based

strips,

lending

and stock

verification, CCTV coverage for the theft detection or miserably fail

(atleast

integrated

partly)

like

costly

evaluation of all alternatives

local constraints and conditions. terms

of

possibilities

time and

experiments on one them

for

access

experiments,

library and information retrieval packages for having

ignored the proper

in

online

There

between fantasies

hand

reaching

academic and

and

is a

the

or

costly

delay

gap

atleast

theoretical

experience-gaining

practical

ultimate beneficiaries.

chaining IT time gap i.e.

wide

as well as

implementation

of

In case of bast

in implementation is more risky

and costly than other shortfalls.

4.

Reasons for Wide Gap Between Possibilities and Practices:

Having using

seen

purposes

IT, stupendous

wide gap in

modernising

library

services

potential of IT in this direction and a

realisation of

services using IT, let

of

possibilities of modernising library

us

explore the reasons for such a gap

with an eye on how to bridge such a gap.

We

are all

fairly

aware of advancements of IT and the modernised library

services

of

We

also

advanced

countries,

fairly convinced

modernising

our

atleast through literature. about

need

library services.

libraries are not able

to

state-of-the-art IT even

after

are

for and possibilities Yet

large majority of our

modernise their several

of

years

services

using

(or decades)

We

need to examine the reasons for not being able to realise

our

thinking and aspirations in modernising library services using IT.

4.1

Lack

of

Support

and

Resources

from

Authorities/Top

Management:

First users

of

all,

of libraries

felt

the

happen

need

the authorities or the top and

not

they

are

of

library

nature

library

and

services.

already exposed

and information services at least once or by

and

just library personnel should have

for modernisation

provided

management

literature

managers,

if

they

It may

to modern library

twice, if

they

are

oriented

academicians,

have

vision

researchers

or

good

and

appreciation

for modernisation of their systems in general, if

they are easily accessible and amicable for selling the idea or educating them on issues.

It may be enough in some circumstances,

even if they just desire modernisation services

of

a

library

are

already

of

library services.

unsatisfactory

or

not

If upto

expectation, proposal to modernise them will meet with hostile environment. without

Reluctant

commitment

advise to manage

clearing

to objectives

within

external

proposal

sources

or

may

on

principles

and resources needed or with

resources already

purposes or for other departments other

of

not

to

provided

for other

seek resources

help

much.

from Further

pressurising on proposal to modernise library services may lead to resorting

to

typical

external experts on

'committee

the committee

and taking off strength and life

There may

not

is

some

reluctant

leading to lot of paper work

of proposal.

to

take

risk

as a leader in the

area

of

library services, but try to safely imitate others in

the environment. faith and

with

also an element of truth in that the management

be willing

modernising

approach

This may

confidence

in

be partly their

justified

due

library personnel

to lack of as

they are

not IT specialists. scarce

resources,

It is also possible, that

the

management

proposals

consideration, commitment

to

modernise

evaluation

to

resources

and needed

do

not

of have

Hence it is quite rare

library

approval except

these days

genuinely

enough resources for such modernisation. that

in

of

services

receive

authorities

possibly

in

institutions and other special library environments.

with

some

R&D

Indirect and

invisible mobilisation of resources and piece meal grants for IT activities are implemented.

waste as IT may become obsolete by the time it is Unless modernising library

done on turn-key-basis

with

stringent

services

using IT is

time targets it is not

worth doing.

4.2

Unclear Goals, Over Excitement and Perpetual Experimental

Approach:

The and

present way of organisation of library services is, by

large, carried

away by immense attraction of media like

microforms, optical disks, tools computers, etc., and the goal

and means like online-access, has

taken secondary position.

Having seen the problem from the angle of authorities/ management and users let us examine some problems which are well within the profession. online

Over

access,

decades

etc.,

are

experimental being

carried

cumulation of experience or improvement in of services in the country. modernise

library

services

computerised out

without

quality

services, much

of

and quantity

Quite often, IT is brought in to without

identifying

the

goal

and

without preparing the ground. There is a clear failure to match goals IT.

and objectives with required level and Mc

Kee

(1988) says

traps of getting carried

sophastication of

that "education falls into the twin away

by techno-fantasy and getting

excited about technology for its own sake, rather than thinking of the basis of educational purpose".

Technology

should

always seen from the perspective

organisational purpose

and

if we lack clear

idea

of what

its importance.

Modernised

no amount of technology can help us we

are trying to accomplish and

library services

extensions of traditional services

taking

should be logical into account

receiptivity of the overall system of which library is and

with

a

definite

technology when

of

proposed

target

date

of

the

a

part

replace

the

it becomes obsolete without disturbing the system

or services.

4.3

Lack

of

Longterm

Self-supporting

Approach

to

Library

Services:

Generally,

information systems are paternalistic and

self-supporting.

Looking

at

the

giant

information

not

systems

in

developed countries it becomes clear that in the long run all information systems should aim to become self-supporting. special

services

organisation/ resources.

and

system

those

should

Otherwise

the

services

be

offered

charged

system

to

outside

generate

degenerate

Atleast the

sufficient

without

having

sufficient justification in terms of cost-benefit analysis and the growth is difficult.

Unlike

industry

versatility

has

the

customer-oriented resources.

products

any

other of

and

industry, information

producing

bye-products

innumerable to

generate

A good example is NTIS which is now covertly aiming at

even profit making.

It

is

peritnent

to

note

increasing both the economic dependence of For

example

indexing

less what

journals

here

that

returns

a

way

of

in

IT

are

of developed countries and

developed countries was

advances

on developed countries.

producing

two decades ago

has

abstracting resulted

in

and an

"Akshaya Patre" called "databases" for them and pushed the printed secondary (abstracting and indexing) journals to a real secondary

byproduct position.

Yet

plan for development

less developed countries have no proper

of

their own "databases" but keep paying

for accessing databases, CD-ROM

or

magnetic

hiring/subscribing to

tape

as

well

as

databases

printed

on

secondary

journals.

4.4

Lack of Technology Transfer and Indegenisation of IT:

Lack

of

attempt

to

transfer

technology

itself

and

indigenisation of the technology are major reasons for our not being able to realise the full potential of IT in the library services. forced

For every component,

to

look

towards

service and

developed

development we are

countries

or

their

representatives.

Unfortunately, importing

a

many

developing

products

and

country

services

like of

IT

generations (and even obsolete ones !)

without

start the necessary R&D in the

The

this

may be in the area of

Heavy this

penalty

soil. computer

India of

has

been

different

any attempt to

only exception

software

to

development.

is being paid and going to be paid by us

for

serious lapse in our long term plans, whether it is in the

area of hardware

gadgets or development of databases or running

online services through networks.

It

is unfortunate that development of (local)

bibliographic

databases which is fairly within means of important libraries is lagging

behind

prospects

of

sound product

from secondary be made

the

local

strategically information

in

country

databases.

inspite It

is a

of

long

neither

to

buy/hire

service

and

even to subscribe

to

term

economic

economical

or

database

document

nor or

supply

and commercial sources where own arrangements can

within the country.

service or product

Even though buying an information

initially looks

attractive

and

easy, it is

derogative in the long

run

and

in

country's self-reliance approach.

the overall

Though initial

interest of cost is

more

for building collection, developing databanks and databases, it is worth and or

attempting

databases. hire

in a phased way to develop own databanks

Even where

an

it

is

essential

outside

cost,

4.5

compatibility/

scrutiny

distribute

us

to

buy

information service/product it should be bought

with least of derogatory conditions recurring

for

and

other

and constraints

suitability,

conditions

of

such as

subjecting lease

so

as

to to

and share the services among different subsystems.

Incomplete

Exploration

of

Available

Options

and

Lack

of

Technology Assessment:

When import

we

face

a

the products

it is a

software

situation where we have

to

inevitably

of IT to modernise library services, whether or hardware

or database, systematic efforts

have rarely been made to

identify key

comparitive

of

assessment

all

technologies

and

for

available technologies

products against needs and requirements.

a and

Usually easy

or free

access/ availability like availability on Rupee payment

dominate

the

CDS/ISIS

decision.

software has

For

example,

free

availability

of

already resulted in hundreds of libraries rushing to

it without proper assessment of their evaluation of other

alternative

about different makes of plain

software requirements and

softwares available.

paper

copiers,

So

is

CD-ROM drives and

different versions of CD-ROM databases and their search softwares being

bought.

source

and

appropriate products and of

these

There

Technology

performance

no single Assessment

technologies, services,

imported

different

is

finds

options, tests,

monitors reviews

to

or

otherwise

which

examines

innovative

new

information about adoption Indian

and

and

Centre

possible

disseminates

technologies

published

conditions,

reports

evaluations

compares

the

results

of

of

adoptions

or

implementations

in

the

country.

In

the

technology assessment centre, we are often

absence

wedded

dead-end or obsolete or incompatible technologies. see

a

of

such

to either

to

I am

to

single comprehensive evaluation report of any

yet of

the

technologies already talked in the country.

4.6

Under-Utilisation of Available Imported IT:

As

imported

IT

products, services, tools and means can be seen everywhere.

I

have

on

today, tremendous under-utilisation of

recently

received

a

computerised

acquisition of library which covering

1-2

year

old

is

documents.

historic or academic interest. places where computers of

computerisation

look at the technology

trends to

list

of

months behind schedule,

Such

a

list

can

only

be

of

It is not difficult to find out

are used like typewriters under the name

and lack in

8

monthly

of

integrated approaches.

If we

information industry right from microfilm

advances

in

expert

systems,

baud

rates

and

electronic document delivery we have often bought 'sword' (instead of knife) and used it to cut apple and called it an 'experiment'.

4.7

Lack of Requisite Level of IT Skills in Library Personnel:

Mentally and technically preparing users and library staff at

all levels for modernisation of library services through IT is

most

fundamental

for

the

Regretfully, the general level

successful

implementation

of

it.

of knowledge, skill and competence

of library personnel in IT is quite low of few personnel worked in advanced

with probable institutions

exception

where ample

opportunities are available to gain hands on experience.

University libraries are the laboratories of library schools. Skills

in IT cannot be imparted in class rooms or by suggesting

to read literature. It can

be

gained

only

when one gets

hand-

on

training

and

experience

conditions or in real life

in laboratories

situations.

These laboratories

library schools do not have worth the name IT facilities. out

Hence

by library

expertise provide

of

schools

even

new

do

gadgets

turned

possess adequate skills with

IT

of

and other

post-graduates

interact

and

specialists

requirements, evaluate what is recommended by IT

A BLR&DD sponsored

technology

information

and

not

to confidently

their

specialists.

the graduates

under simulated

on

the

project to

labour

examine the effects

market

and

services within the UK carried out

demands by

for

Technology

Change Centre (Information Media & Technology, 1985) has concluded that the

demand for

and many

of

the

traditional

traditional skills

future except in small selective some

eleven

schools jobs.

categories

in

skills

India

of

will not be required in the

areas.

information

The

report

jobs

can hardly cater to

and 2-3

identified our

library

categories

of

Another similar investigation on the forces of change in

library

schools

in

United

decline in applications

States,

to

1989).

Canada

and

the

UK

found

library programs in universities due

to lack of introducing students to

technology (Erick,

May/June

Even those professionals who are already on job

severely

handicapped

opportunities

if

they

do

and self-initiation

necessary skills,

4.8

is likely to tail off

expertise

Difficulties

of

not to

have

enough

are scope,

absorb and update the

and knowledge relating IT.

Hiring

IT

Specialists

and

Achieving

Cooperation Between Library Personnel and IT Personnel: Finally, technology, and

IT

is

the team

coordination

multidisciplinary effort

able to hire IT specialists. are hiring librarians.

interdisciplinary

with highest degree of cooperation

between library

is necessary in implementation

and

personnel and IT specialists

phase.

Librarians have not been

On the other hand, IT specialists

This is a serious blow to profession.

Further, even if a specialist is hired it has not only become

difficult

for librarian to have consistent support

(like software engineer) but and

interest

services.

of

also

to

specialists

The degree of such

sustain in

of specialist

the

commitment

modernising

library

cooperation

and coordination

needed is reduced much in a turn-key project as well as adhoc hiring of specialists on specific aspects of IT work.

5.

Conclusion:

I

did

not

go

in

information technologies wish to

stress

yet integrated

for

here that or

digital

about

fax

communication, etc.

prospects

of

various

modernising library services. Yet I

our

prospects of having decentralised

coordinated library

possible by communication networks,

detail

technologies machines,

systems like data

will be made communication

telecommunication satellite

Our document outputs and publications could

be more timely, efficient, elegant and appealing to users than ever before due to graphic arts technologies like laser printers, colour copiers, DTP, etc.

On

the

front

technologies, it study

by

of is

M/s.Coopers

mass-storage, pertinent

mass-copying

and

retrieval

to note a finding of a recent

and Hybrand (Hendley, 1988,p17):

"...of the information that enters an organisation in paper form, only 1% is coded and entered into computer systems, under 5% is converted to microfilm at some stage of its life and 94% remains in paper form throughout its life time. In addition, as the volume of transactions grows the volume of paper handled is rising at the rate of 25% per year". Thus inspite optical But

of many mass-storage devices like microforms,

discs, etc., having

paper form continues to have a major share.

surrogates/

bibliographic

unconventional documents on these

media

databases

may help

in

and

many ways.

We

can

modernise

mundane

current

directed,

timely

library

awareness and

services

services

really

intelligent without

our

dormant

online

public

library

access

ornamental abstracting CD-ROM

version

We our

and

indexing

user

inhouse

by

We

can

providing

databases

and

journals by subscribing

to

or providing online access to these databases.

keeping

in

many

operations

Information

and

information

retrieval

special libraries and information centres. But

there is a lot to be done to

more

current,

in vogue.

catalogues

uptodate

our

have already been able to use computer for quite a few of

house

function

to

card

making

much additional data

entry wherever computerised operations are activise

by

processing

improve and

technologies

also

integrate

them.

offer increasingly

powerful tools like high resolution PCs,

PSS,

etc.,

A

microcomputer

based

on

PLEXUS (of University of London) should not be far

line with

away if

we

insights

expert system for providing referral service

desire and need it. We have to look for serendipitous with

technologies

innovativeness

like

expert

and

system,

ingenuity

in

latest

hypertext,

workstation

technology, optical storage media, OCR, network technology, etc.

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3. Hendley, A.M. "Document image processing systems : Part II Applications". Information Media and Technology 21(1) January 1988,17-18.

4. Jul, Erick. "Treror Haywood investigates library and information science education". OCLC Newsletter, (179) May/June 1989, 13-14. 5. Langrish, L. et Macmillan, 1972.

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6. Mc Kee, B. "Systems astigmatism” ITS News, (17) September 1988, 18-29. Quoted from `Editorial', The Electronic Library, 6 (6) December 1988. 401-403. 7. Nagpaul, P. S. and S. Pruthi. "Problem-solving and idea-generation in R&D : the role of informal communication" R&D Management 9 (3) July 1979: 147-149. 8. Rothwell, Roy and A. B. Robertson. "Contribution of poor communication to innovation failure." Aslib Proceedings 27 (10) October 1975: 393-400. 9. Shotwell, T. K. "Information flow in an industrial laboratory a case study" IEEE Transactions on Engineering Mana-gement EM-18 (1) February 1971: 26-33. 10. Soonchul Lee and technology impact on (3) October 1988, 257-271.

Michael E.Treacy. "Information innovation". R&D Management, 18

-----------------------------------------------------------------@ A paper proposed for presentation in National Seminar on Modernisation of Library Services in University Libraries, 2223 September 1989, Manasa Gangothri, Mysore-6.

About the Author Dr. M. S. Sridhar is a post graduate in Mathematics and Business Management and a Doctorate in Library and Information Science. He is in the profession for last 36 years. Since 1978, he is heading the Library and Documentation Division of ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. Earlier he has worked in the libraries of National Aeronautical Laboratory (Bangalore), Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore) and University of Mysore. Dr. Sridhar has published 4 books, 83 research articles, 22 conferences papers, written 19 course materials for BLIS and MLIS, made over 25 seminar presentations and contributed 5 chapters to books. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] ; Phone: 91-80-25084451; Fax: 9180-25084476.