Page 122 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 6: Library Automation in Acquisition

Notes

Case Study Automation of Library at Kendriya Vidyalaya Pattom

Thiruvananthapuram

utomating a school library is the process which restructures its functions and
reinvents its services. By keeping a database as the basis, automation converge
Anew technologies of information storage and retrieval with traditional
housekeeping operations. An automated school library can serve the teaching and learning
community more effectively. A reduction in the time needed for routine operations can be
utilized to give customized services to the users. The process of library automation has a
short history in our country. It needs proper planning and active implementation. Kendriya
Vidyalaya Pattom initiated the automation of its library to cope with the ever changing
needs of the students and staff. The modernization of the library media centre helps the
students to become skilled information users and lifelong learners.
School Library Automation
School libraries started automation in the West in 1960’s. Many schools in the US and
European countries automated their library operations in a large scale in 1980s with the
advent of microcomputers. Nowadays they are integrated with modern information
networks which allow the students to access up-to-date information with ease.

Indian Scenario
In 1962 INSDOC experimented the preparation of a Union Catalogue of scientific serials.
The Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) introduced Docfinder (a computer
used for finding documents) in 1968. The library automation in India was a slow process
and got momentum in 1980s. Research and technical institutions were the forerunners and
academic libraries followed them. New professional library management software
packages entered in to the Indian market and some Indian companies also tried to make it
with Indian flavour. Some libraries run by Public Schools became automated in late 1980s.
More schools entered in the foray in 1990s with more funds and infrastructure. The schools
in Govt. sector those had good libraries had been following the conventional library
concepts and never looked for automation due to lack of funds. New millennium witnessed
tremendous developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and
the concepts of school libraries changed from mere storehouses of books to well-organized
library media centres with variety of services (online and offline). Some educational
institutions were the torchbearers, but most of them are lagging miles behind.

Libraries in Kendriya Vidyalayas
CBSE published a handbook titled “Organising School libraries: Guidelines” in 1997.
Based on it, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has been giving periodical recommendations
for the development of its libraries. KVS charted out a Library Policy in 2007 detailing the
aim, functions and services of school libraries. In Govt. sector, KV libraries stay at the top
with enough infrastructure and professionally trained librarians. Awareness of the
importance of libraries in the academic achievement of the students make the administrators
think about restructuring the libraries with new technologies for information storage and
retrieval. Library automation is the foundation on which all other activities placed. It has
been considered as the starting point of a library’s first meeting with technology.
Contd...

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