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Unit 10: Library Information Systems and Networks

Both NISCOM and INSDOC, the two premier institutes of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Notes
Research (CSIR), were devoted to dissemination and documentation of S&T information.
NISCOM had been in existence for the last six decades (first as two Publication Units of CSIR,
which were merged to form the Publications Division, which was later renamed as Publications &
Information Directorate and in 1996, as NISCOM). Over the years, NISCOM diversified its activities,
and through a host of its information products, comprising research and popular science journals,
encyclopaedic publications, monographs, books, and information services, it had been reaching out
to researchers, students, entrepreneurs, industrialists, agriculturists, policy planners and also the
common man.
INSDOC came into being in September, 1951 and was engaged in providing S&T information and
documentation services through myriad activities such as abstracting and indexing, design and
development of databases, translation, library automation, providing access to international
information sources, human resource development, consultancy services in setting up modern
library-cum-information centres.

INSDOC was also host to the National Science Library and the SAARC
Documentation Centre. The first director of INSDOC was B.S. Kesavan.

Now, with the formation of NISCAIR, all the above multifaceted activities have been amalgamated,
making NISCAIR, an institute capable of serving the society using modern IT infrastructure in a
more effective manner and taking up new ventures in the field of science communication,
dissemination and S&T information management systems and services. Broadly, the core activity
of NISCAIR will be to collect/store, publish and disseminate S&T information through a mix of
traditional and modern means, which will benefit different segments of society.
This institute provides the Associateship in Information Science (AIS) Degree.

10.3.1 Activities of NISCAIR

To meet the above mentioned objectives, the following services/activities are organised by the
Institute:
1. Publication of 17 primary and 2 secondary scientific/research journals
2. Publication of CSIR News and CSIR Samachar
3. Raw Material Herbarium and Museum
4. Popular Science Magazines
5. Popular Science Books
6. Information Services
7. Developing and Maintaining Specialised Databases
8. Electronic Publishing
9. Human Resource Development
10. Information Resources
11. Sales and Marketing
12. Consultancy Services
Let us now know about details of some important activities of NISCAIR.

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