Best Library Practices of Navjeevan Law College, Nashik

INTRODUCTION

The Navjeevan Law College is one of the leading college in Nashik City affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune. It Accredited B Grade College by NAAC Committee. The Library has adopted so many best practices, by consider user as a centric point, these practices will help to inculcate good environment among the user community. The aim of discussing best practices is to market the library activity to the reader community. The use of ICT has changed the process: library is no exception for the same. Library has to adopt the new changes, educate the reader community and lead for the building the nation. According to changing environment library has to adopt the changes and try to give maximum services that are possible. Law students need up-to-date and recent services for upgrading themselves.

PRACTICES:-

ODLIS (Online dictionary of Library and Information Science) describes best practices as follows. ―In the application of theory to real-life situations, procedures that, when properly, applied consistently yield superior results and are therefore used as reference points in evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative methods of accomplishing the same task. Best practices are identified by examining empirical evidence of success.‖

NAVJEEVAN LAW COLLEGE:-

Knowledge of law is the demand of time. In view of growing need in the region for Law students. Navjeevan Education Society has accepted this challenge of providing high profile law students, and therefore started Navjeevan Law College at CIDCO in New Nashik area, in the year 1999. The premises is situated at clean, calm, peaceful and pollution free environment. The College is recognized by Bar Council of India and Government of Maharashtra. Navjeevan Law College offer Five years integrated Law Course leading to B.A.LL.B. (after completion of 12th standard) Three years law degree course LL.B. (After completion of graduation ) and Diplomas like D.L.L.& L.W. and D.T.L.

MISSION OF COLLEGE:-

―To offer to society, makers and upholders of law, instilling into them the virtues of integrity, Loyalty and Social values.‖To achieve this mission Library plays an important role through its various services.

NAVJEEVAN LAW COLLEGE LIBRARY:-

Library establish in 1999. It is centrally located and having collection of Law books, Reference books, Journals its bound volumes from 1950, Databases and News Papers. The role of libraries in higher education promoting the education to the masses is very important. The college library facilitates all its resources to meet the educational goal of the

1) The teaching, research and extension activities of the college by providing to students, faculty and staff, information and documentary resources and services, relevant to their needs- 2) The Library is committed to play a proactive role in the empowerment and dissemination of information and knowledge.

COLLEGE LIBRARY:-

Following are the best practices followed in our college Library, such as –

It is one of the best practice is to create awareness among the students about the library resources, the library services , good reading habits, creative programmes and activities for maximum utilization of the Navjeevan Law Library. Through orientation programme fresh students enlighten by introducing library collection, staff and various sections of the library. It is the best activity for Educating the User. The academic libraries have a great role and responsibility in creating awareness among its users which will help to make use of the library resources, facilities, services, more effectively and efficiently.

In today‘s scenario librarians need to change their traditional approach of custodian in the library. Public relations are an important factor which results into creating the feeling of togetherness in the society. Navjeevan Law Library started personal interactions with the students. Library staffs were trained to understand the real aim of library profession and it resulted into positive personal interaction with the library users. The Law degree is a professional degree. So Law students have different kinds of background. They are coming from different streams of education. They may have science background, commerce or Arts background. Some students came from Engineering branch, we have some doctors and Charter Accountant and even police and administrative officers with company employees. Librarian must understand their reading needs and guide them accordingly. In our college teaching faculties are not available after lecture time then Librarian is the only source for students to get any type of information regarding college, university, syllabus, pattern, internal exams, Equivalence and anything related to students. Library develop that kind of relations to its users that students fell free to website updation and also involve in each activity of college. It became more useful to give proper information to students. Librarian personally had law background it became useful to explain the students for writing their journals and moot-court cases. Therefore all students automatically attract towards library and thereby library can provide best library services towards its users.

Law students have library period in their time-table. So they have to come in library for completion of their assignments given by their concern teachers. Through this activity students reach to the reference collection of library. They go through various kinds of reading material and it is became useful to inculcate reading habits into them.

Navjeevan Law Library develop computer Lab in which twenty students can use computer at a time. A Law student needs legal databases. As per rule of Bar Council of India we have Manupatra and Click Judgments legal databases in our library for our students. Every year we conduct practical training session in library by the supplier of databases and IT experts. Students get hands on practice in different batches and learn to search cases from databases which will became useful in their future also. We have internet connection to all computers and it gives facility to students for fill up their exam forms, Scholarship forms and they can download their syllabus and previous question papers from university website. They can use computers for preparing their power point presentations for various subjects and competitions. They can search E-books and other material for preparation of their moot-court cases.

To create awareness about their collection Navjeevan Law Library organizes book exhibition. It is known fact that maximum students remain present in college during cultural days so library organize book exhibition during cultural days. So that more students visits to the book stall and get information about collection of library. Sometime it may arrange on various occasions like 15 October Reading Day, Librarian Day on 12 Aug , Book week and other occasions also. Students remarks became useful to develop library collection and it develop the relationship between students and library. Sometime students need e-mail service for their preparation of moot-court cases, on demand library provide them e-mail service for sending particular judgment or any other e-material. This facility is also provided to its ex-students as well as members from management those who wants previous judgments library sent them e-mails on demand. This facility is also provided to the college faculty also to keep them aware in their subjects and recent changes if any.

G) PARTICIPATE AND PROVIDE HELP IN SISTER INSTITUTES:-

We have Various institutions run by our society. In our campus we have M.B.A. College, English Medium School, Child Lind only one centre in District, Free Legal Aid Centre only one in City. All these institution have its own objectives. These institutions needs library services from time to time. Navjeevan Library also maintains very well relations with thesesister institutes and take active participation in their activities and provide them related services also. In our campus we have Management college library from this library law students get access to its collection and M.B.A. students also get access in law library. Students can refer any reading material from library with the prior permission of concern librarian. Child Line Centre which organize seminar on child laws and women laws many times. For this seminar and workshops our libraries provide them books, Journals and articles on related subjects. Amendment in Juvenile Justice Act and some Bare Acts are also available for their reference in library. Librarian its staff and its users participate actively in their functions also. This centre work for Social cause. 24x7 they are providing help to children‘s below 18 years and they also provide help to the needy women‘s too. In this noble work Library support them and thereby it helps to students for becoming more responsible citizens. Free Legal Aid Clinic - Legal aid authority sanction only one centre of city in our college. It is prestigious centre for us. This centre provide free legal aid to the needy people without discrimination on any ground. One retire Judge is sitting regularly in this centre. Law students are present there as a Legal Volunteer. All reading material is provided them from our library. To understand the case history legal officer needs previous Judgments, from our library databases we are providing case laws and related material to them within time. It becomes very helpful to the needy client to get justice in time and without any expenditure. Many people have visited to this centre and our library also. In this way we are performing our social duties towards common man. Satisfaction on the faces of our clients is the rewards for our for all these kinds of activities.

Following are additional practices conducted in our Library as a routine practice :- 1) Newspaper Clipping 2) Regular Library Advisory Committee Meetings. 3) Display of New arrivals in Library 4) Binding of Periodical Volumes 5) Suggestion Box 6) Reading Room Facility 7) CCTV for Library Security 8) Book Bank Facility 9) Intercom facility for easy communication among various departments 10) Previous Question papers and Syllabus folder on Computers 11) To take the help of Earn and Learn students through which students handle library collection and inculcate reading habits in them. 12) Use of pesticides for keeping away book warm and damage of books. 13) Display information regarding Job Opportunities in Legal Fields and other. 14) Employment News Paper for students.

The role of library among higher education is indisputable. The Navjeevan Law College Library is no exception for the same. By adoption of the best practices in the Navjeevan Law College Library there will be continuous improvement and overall performance. The best practices adopted should bridge the gap between library and Users for maximum utilization of the resources.

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2. NAAC-Best practices I Library and Information Services, case presentations, best practices series –NAAC-2006. 3. Kulkarni, S. A. (2009, January). Best practices in College Libraries. In National Seminar on Library and Information Services in Changing Era. 273-281. 4. Vyas, S. D. (2009). Best Practices in Academic Libraries in India: a Study. In proceeding of International Conference on Academic Library, pp. 5-8. 5. Dhimam , A.K. and Sinha S.C. ( 2002). Academic libraries. New Delhi, Ess Ess publication, pp. 4-5. 6. Gnanam, A. and Stella, A. (2001). Assessment and Accreditation in Indian Higher Education: issues of policy and prospect .New Delhi, Book plus, pp. 20-21.

B.S.L., LL.B, D.L.W., M.A., M .Lib & I.Sc., NET, Librarian – Navjeevan Law College Nashik