ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN INFORMATION AGE

(ABSTRACT)
Dissertation Submitted to ALAGAPPA UNIVERSITY in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the Degree of

MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE
Submitted By
MUKUL KUMAR
(Enrolment No. 066081149)

Research Guide

Dr. H.V.MOTE
Secretary,
Ranganathan Society for book culture
Library & Informatics Studies (RAS),
Lucknow 226 016.
DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
ALAGAPPA UNIVERSITY
KARAIKUDI - 630 003

JUNE - 2007

ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN INFORMATION AGE

(ABSTRACT)
Libraries are the social institutions which collect the information, process it,
and make available to the society for human benefaction i.e. for better social order,
political order, economic order and for all that is essential for the prosperity and
happiness of men and society. Since the ancient times, libraries have been
functioning as lighthouses for those who wanted to read. In ancient India,
Panchala, Kuru, Videha, Matrya, Taxila and Nalanda etc. were great libraries.
Libraries can be divided in three broad groups as per their services, users
and document collection. : (A)

Academic

(B)

Public(C)

Special

Academic libraries are established to support its educational institutions.

They support learning; teaching, research and other educational functions
appropriate to their parent institutions.
Library of an academy should attempt to provide information services to an
individual or groups of individuals that may encourage cultivation of curiosity,
intellectual energy, intuitive thinking and lifelong learning. Some of the goals of an
academic library are: (i) To improve the quality of education at every level.
(ii) To increase the research output through effective provision of
information resources.

(iii) To increase the value of information and help in its maximum use
through support services.
Various types of educational institutions are established. Libraries attached
with them have different functions. As per the user groups and services given by
these academic libraries, we can classify them in three subgroups: (i) School Library

(ii)

College Library

(iii)

University Library

Today we are living in information age. Each and every human activity is
information based. As higher education has evolved through recent decades ,
school, college and university libraries also have forged pathways to serve faculty
and students more effectively.
In the 21st century academic libraries confront the need to re-conceive and
reconstruct the means by which they support faculty and students in research and
education. The changes that are occurring in technology, research , teaching and
learning have created

a very different contest for the missions of academic

libraries.
In the modern age , information is available in various resources and in
various forms. How to use these resources for obtaining information is problem for
users. There is the need of learning to use these resources. It is termed as
information literacy. On the other hand, knowledge management is used to create ,
capture and use knowledge to enhance organizational performance.

In the age of information, IT is playing a dominant role in academic libraries. The

rise of electronic information resources freely accessible through the internet has
changed the learning process fully, but there is no clear and defined role for library
with regard to the selection, preservation and provision of access in regard to the
digital resources accessible through net. Additionally, students and faculty have a
need to learn how to use and evaluate these new information resources.
On the other side, availability of information in e-book form is also affecting the
services of academic libraries. E-books are electronic or digital files of a written
work that can be read using either hardware or software based e-book device. They
can be transferred and viewed electronically. If e-books are preferred in an
academic library, a lot of space can be saved. But e-books do not fit into traditional
acquisitions, processing or lending system. E-book as a product, do not physically
exist at all. So , they must be selected electronically and lent electronically. There
is a need of educating users on the benefits of e-book.
The explosion of information now being produced in digital form has dramatically
changed expectations about the production as well as the use of knowledge. It is
said that in the long term almost all information will be published in digital form.
In this situation, the services of the academic libraries will be based mainly on
digital , networked information rather than on printed information or off-line
digital products i.e. CD-ROMs. In todays information age, a lot of books are

published throughout the world, the prices of books are increasing day-by-day..
While there is the availability of e-books, it is not possible to ignore fully the
conventional books. There is a lot of pressure for valuable information from the
teachers, scholars and students. On the other side, the available fund for the library
is insufficient. Library is a non-profit organization in which profit can not be
gained in terms of money. But libraries serve the society for betterment of
mankind. In present condition, there is the need of marketing of library products
and services. It is very important specially in the academic library environment.
Present research tries to analyze the position and role of academic libraries in
information age.

Chapter 1. Academic Libraries: A support system for education

Chapter 2. Objective and functions of various types of academic libraries.
Chapter 3. Information Literacy, Knowledge Management and academic libraries.
Chapter 4. Information Technology and its use in academic libraries.
Chapter 5. Marketing of Information and its use in academic libraries.
Chapter 6. Conclusion
Bibliography

CHAPTER
SEQUENCE
1
2
3
4
5
6

CHAPTER TITLE
ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: A SUPPORT SYSTEM
FOR EDUCATION
OBJECTIVE AND FUNCTIONS OF VARIOUS
TYPES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES.
INFORMATION LITERACY, KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC LIBRARIES.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS USE IN
ACADEMIC LIBRARIES.
MARKETING OF INFORMATION AND ITS USE
IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES.
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the dissertation entitled Academic Libraries in

Information Age submitted for the M.Phil. degree is my original work and the
dissertation has not formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma,
associateship, fellowship or any other similar title.

Place :
Date :

(MUKUL KUMAR)

Dr. H.V.Mote
Secretary,
Ranganathan Society for book culture,
Library & Informatics Studies(RAS),
Lucknow 226 016.
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

IN INFORMATION AGE is the bonafide research work carried out by Mr.
Mukul Kumar student of M.Phil.(Library & Information Science) , distance
education , Alagappa University, Karaikudi, during the year 2006-2007, in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of
Philosophy and that the dissertation has not formed the basis for the award
previously of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or any other similar
title.

Place :
Date :

(Dr. H.V. Mote)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

History of all great works is to witness that no great work was ever done
without either the active or passive support of a person's surroundings and one's
close quarters. Thus it is not hard to conclude how active assistance from seniors
could positively impact the execution of a project. I am highly thankful to our
learned guide Dr. H.V. Mote , Secretary, Ranganathan Society for book culture,
Library & Informatics Studies (RAS), Lucknow, for his active guidance throughout
the completion of project. Last but not the least , I would also want to extend my
appreciation to those who could not be mentioned here but have well played their role
to inspire me behind the curtain.

Mukul Kumar
(Enrolment No.: 066081149)