Page 89 - DLIS101_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SOCIETY

Library and Information Society

Notes at this juncture the option left with the forward looking librarians has been to promote the sharing
of resources by automation and networking. With this objective, in January 1988, the India
International Centre initiated efforts for the establishment of Delhi Library Network (Now
Developing Library Network).

DELNET is the first operational library network in India.
It was started as a project of the India International Centre in January 1988 with the initial, financial
and technical assistance by National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT),
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India. It was registered as a society in
June 1992 under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and is currently being promoted by the National
Informatics Centre (NIC), Planning Commission, Govt. of India and India International Centre,
New Delhi.
The following are DELNET’s main objectives:
• To promote sharing of resources among the libraries by developing a network of libraries, by
collecting, storing and disseminating information and by offering computerized services to
the users.
• To offer guidance to the member libraries on cataloguing database services, circulation, ac-
quisition, serials control, online services, selection of hardware and software, etc.
• To coordinate efforts for suitable collection development and reduce unnecessary duplica-
tion wherever possible.
• To establish a referral centre, to monitor and/or facilitate catalogue search and maintain a
central online union catalogue of books, serials, and non-book materials of all the participating
libraries.
• To facilitate and promote delivery of documents manually and mechanically.
• To develop specialist bibliographic database of books, serials and non-book materials.
• To develop a database of projects, specialists and institutions.
• To possess and maintain electronic and mechanical equipment for fast communication of
information and delivery of electronic mail.
• To coordinate with other regional, national and international networks for exchange of infor-
mation and documents.
• To undertake facilitate and provide for the publication of newsletters/journals devoted to
networking and sharing of resources.

At present, DELNET has Two Hundred and Forty Three libraries as its members,
including both institutional and associate-institutional members: in India 235 and
outside India 8.

7.6.1 DELNET Activities/Services
(I) Promotion of Database Creation

For effective networking, standard bibliographic data should be available in machine readable form
with the libraries. So, efforts were made from the very beginning to promote the standardization of
databases in the DELNET libraries. Experts were sent to the libraries to solve day-to-day problems.

84 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY