Page 38 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 2: Functions and Requirements of Library Automation

15. In circulation control, make bound time for ……………………. Notes
16. Database creation and maintenance, interactive searching, saving of in house as well as
external databases is the characteristics of …………………… retrieval.

Case Study Library Automation in College Libraries in Goa State,
India

e live in an information age, and libraries are expected to use Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide information more
Wexpeditiously and exhaustively than before. Computerization of library
“housekeeping” operations is an important activity in this context. “Automation,” when
used in a library or similar environment, refers to the computerization or mechanization
of activities (Kumar, 1987; Harinarayana, 1991).
Goa University is the sole university in the Goa state, and is located in Taleigao. There are
three engineering colleges and one medical college in the state. The Goa Engineering
College and Goa Medical College are run by the state, whereas the other two engineering
colleges are run by private organisations. The private engineering colleges are Shree
Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology, Shiroda, and Padre
Conceicao College of Engineering, Verna. There are also colleges offering pharmacy,
architecture, and dentistry, along with numerous private colleges offering law, arts,
commerce, and science.
Library automation began in the late 1970s in a few special libraries and has now reached
most of the university libraries. It has yet to take off in college libraries in India owing to
various problems. Many studies on library automation have been undertaken in the West,
but few have been undertaken in India. This paper tries to identify the status of library
automation in college libraries of Goa State.
Twenty-eight (77.8%) of the college libraries are headed by a Librarian, while the remaining
8 (22.2%) are either headed by Assistant Librarians or by Non-professionals. This generally
owes the post of Librarian remaining unfilled by college administration.

Figure 1: Total Collection of the Library

Twenty-three (63.9%) college librarians have a master’s degree in library and information
science; seven (19.4%) have a bachelor’s of library and information science, and two (5.6%)
Contd...

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