An Investigation Upon Various Services and Information Resources In Public Library Systems In India

Public libraries are essential since They improve literacy, stimulate imagination and expand personal horizons. They also inform and empower citizens, enable access to a common cultural heritage and support education at all levels. Also, a positive relationship is observed between public library and literacy level, which in turn, contributes to increase in economic productivity. Extensive studies were undertaken to study the role of public libraries in information society, value of seivices offered and use of the resources. Growth of public libraries in India has been traced by several authors. Great attention was received by public libraries in India during independence struggle, and their struggle for fluids, space and trained staff at present to sieve multilingual and multicultural needs of their community are discussed by Abraham. Use of public libraries in different States in India has been studied extensively. Libraries for children are necessary for most of the reasons that they are necessary for grown-ups. The chief of these is that few people can afford, in any way other than by borrowing from libraries, to obtain even a small part of the books they could usefully read. Most of the adults in this world would have to go without most of the books that would benefit them if there were no libraries, although some adults can and fortunately do buy some books. But very few children could buy many, if any, books. The fortunate children who can should be encouraged to buy some books of their own, but such book-buying could at best represent only a very small fraction of the book needs of the children of the world. Even more than their elders, therefore, children are de-pendent upon the existence of good libraries if they are to read books of the kind and in the numbers that they need. Children are voracious readers; those who read at all often read a geat deal. They need an ample supply. They read many books that would not justify individual purchase. Some of these will, naturally, be books of comparatively little merit; even were it possible for these to be bought for any individual child it would be senseless and uneconomical to buy them. The great virtue of a library is that it is the most economical way of providing books—both good and less good—because they can be shared by the many. Information services are the part of public library supports a wide range of users. Librarians are involved in the process of marketing and they have to be very active in the marketing of information services. Marketing of information services in any library is most significant in a competitive environment and the librarians and information professionals are responsible for enhancing the use of their resources and services. In 1930s, five laws of library science were formulated by Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, father of library science based on the marketing approach on library services. Libraries are playing important role to market their information services for the benefit for their users to use new technologies, to anticipate the trends. Competencies are integral part of promoting marketing of library services to be realized by the libraries and information professionals. Librarians and information services. They should be played a vital role to have awareness on using internet, web-based electronic resources and online retrieval techniques. Nowadays digitization of resources plays modern role to satisfy the user community.

The first thing to do when considering services to adults with special would need to create a plan. Some advance planning and preparation can go a long way in helping a library make wise programming choices. Because resources are limited, staff of public libraries needs to identify priorities and offer those services that will meet a community need and deliver the greatest benefit. The planning process and the planning document do not need to be lengthy or involved. The extent of the planning effort depends on the staff and budget resources the library is willing and able to devote. Planning is a continual cycle of assessment, forecasting, goal setting, implementation, and evaluation. A library that maintains a regular planning cycle can emphasize various aspects at different times. Or, after examining community demographics and talking to others in the community, a library may decide to focus on one particular special needs group. The amount of work to be invested in every step depends on library resources and past planning efforts. The library should be able to recognize success when it happens and make midcourse corrections when necessary. Written plans help clarify ideas that in turn provide the information needed for good communication with the library staff and the community.

E-learning technology is a recent development and a wonderful gift provided by the present day technological advancement and innovation. Most of the advanced and developed countries are imparting teaching through computer and internet. Information technology has given a new shape to the learning process. Sitting a far distance, an Indian student can be taken Mathematical lession from teacher sitting in U.S.A. A student in a remote area of Bihar village taking his MLIS Course from Tamil Nadu. That is the power of e-learning which is one of the benefits, information technology offers to the mankind. E-learning is the convergence of Learning and the internet and it has brought about profound changes world over in the way people learn and train. The web user can access contents from any point. E-learning means learning that takes place by means of computer and the internet. In other words is comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and Communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as technology to facilitate learning. It has many benefits and it allow one to get the knowledge one’s needs, when he needs and where he needs it. The world today is engrossed by the web revolution which is strongly influencing all aspects of life including education. India is no exception. Learning will shift its focus from “Teacher centric to learner centric” education system. E-learning grew out of the distance learning programmes offered by open universities and correspondence courses. Traditional libraries are being threatened by web technology.

As early as 1944, the library movement in India was accelerated under the dynamic leadership of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan who is regarded as the Father of Library Sciences in India. His vision of an integrated library system is described in his book published that year, entitled, ‘Post War Reconstruction of Libraries in India’. His main thrust was on Public Libraries, both rural and urban. He advocated the formation of a primary library at each typical demographic unit with a population of not less than 50,000. He conceived the development of branches and delivery stations around these primary units so that ‘nobody needs to walk more than a mile to get his book supplied’. He advocated the setting up of a coordinating regional reference library to service the primary libraries in the region. Upward in the hierarchy, he conceived the setting up of a Provincial Central Library facilitating inter-library loan, reference library support and a Central Archive. For the entire country, he recommended the setting up of a National Central Library at Calcutta by converting the then existing Imperial Library so that by a statute, the library will receive a copy of every Indian Publication. He conceived integration as follows: ‘The Library edifice of Post-war India should be so planned that the primary libraries are attached to the regional centres, regional centres to the provincial central libraries, these again to the National Central Libraries, these finally to the National Central Libraries of other countries and international library centres’. Depending upon the initiatives taken by others and the kind of support and patronage received from local governmental and non-governmental sources, his grandoise vision was translated into practice to different degrees - from the setting up of the Indian National Bibliography at the Central Reference Library of Calcutta which received publications under the Delivery of Books Act (1954, 1956) to half-hearted efforts in setting up district libraries. All the States and Union Territories have set up State Central Libraries.

Below the District, one-third of the Development Blocks numbering 2000 have set up Block Libraries. Out of about 600,000 villages, around 50,000 have Village Libraries. Nearly half the 3000 towns in India have Town Libraries. Not only the Central Government, but also the State Governments like Tamil Nadu (1948), Andhra Pradesh (1960), Kamataka (1965), Maharashtra (1967). West Bengal (1979), etc. have brought out legislations for enabling the setting up of a network of public library services. The Union Territory of Delhi established the Delhi Public Library in 1951 through the joint efforts of the Government of India and UNESCO.

Marketing of information services is immense and wide with diversity of attributes. In recent years, with advent of new technologies demand for information is widely increasing. The application of information technology and ICT based approach is quite radical and dynamic in marketing of information services. Email, Internet and Web-based information products are playing vital role in libraries nowadays and the library users should have awareness about these services. Libraries are forced to market their information services to create a strong association with society and to anticipate trends and to use web based information technologies. The marketing effort of every individual library includes acquire resources for use, availability of resources in a suitable location, saving the time of the readers, publicize of its products to create demand and satisfy the needs of users at minimum cost, thereby providing “every reader his book” and “every book its reader” in the ultimate approach.

Marketing of information services is immense and wide with diversity of attributes. In recent years, with advent of new technologies demand for information is widely increasing. The application of information technology and ICT based approach is quite radical and dynamic in marketing of information services. Email, Internet and Web-based information products are playing vital role in libraries nowadays and the library users should have awareness about these services. Libraries are forced to market their information services to create a strong association with society and to anticipate trends and to use web based information technologies. The marketing effort of every individual library includes acquire resources for use, availability of resources in a suitable location, saving the time of the readers, publicize of its products to book” and “every book its reader” in the ultimate approach. Public library system efforts to support resource sharing have greatly contributed to the development of system. Public library system members serve library and Information professionals. Public library system compatibility has greatly improved the library user’s ability to access materials not available locally, but held by other public library system members. E-learning is important aspect for extending access and changing learning behaviour and academic research work. A large portion of population of India can make educated through this innovative system of education. The contents of documents can always accessible regardless time or place to be read on PC through internet. Digitization of library holdings will help the academician as well as students by providing wide range of references they needed worldwide.

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