Impact of Multimedia Technologies on Library Services

Multimedia is a combination of some or all forms such as text, data, images, photographs, animation, audio and video, which are converted from different formats into an unformed digital media and is delivered by computers. Unlike the analogue media the digital media which allows users to manipulate according to the needs, use at their pace, and interact at any point of the program. Almost three-quarters of Americans, 73% believe that investing in innovation and advanced technology sciences in education is the key to the country’s long-term success relationship to the sounds of spoken language, made writing far easier to learn and manage (Claiborne, 7 The alphabet allowed for coherence within the writing system noted ―employing an alphabet is statistically more efficient for most languages than Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform syllables, or Chinese characters. The same alphabet can be shared by many languages. The alphabet helped develop the notion that written language now stood on a par with spoken language, and it was fundamental to all medieval thought. During the 1800s, Western Civilization increased its demand for paper in order to support general education and government records. By the 1900s, paper had become ― the most important, efficient and totally irreplaceable medium of modern information storage. Economically and intellectually, our society had become a paper society.

The ability of computers to perform high volume error-free repetitive tasks at speeds much faster than human beings, along with the emerging developments in the area of computing; telecommunications, networking and resource sharing, has made access to information anytime, anywhere possible (David, 2001). Several attempts have been made to reinterpret these fundamental laws by others, but they do not encompass the whole of library and information science as achieved by Ranganathan’s laws (Deegan &Tanner, 2002). The biggest challenges facing the library profession today is preparing the professionals to use technology effectively. An academic library professional will be required to serve as an information service consultant with specific information technology skills (Li, 2009). Internet has helped to integrate all library activities like email, discussion through list serves, support reference service through remote databases, avail interlibrary loan, ordering journals and books online, etc. (Singh, 2001). All blogging software create an RSS feed as back end of HTML web pages (Stephens, 2007). RSS feeds is a family of web feed format used to publish frequently updated works such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video in a standardized format. Librarians can place RSS feeds of content on their web sites to build awareness about their new services, forthcoming books, etc.

Theoretical methodological core of the study is created by the disciplines devoted to the phenomena concerning the structure, functions, creation, transfer, affection and effective utilization of documents and information with the emphasis on utilization of modern information technology. We can include here also other disciplines, e.g., sociological, psychological, pedagogical and other humanities of the Faculty. There is a possibility to connect this core of the study with the recommended combination of another discipline that represents different study orientation, e.g. the work with the children, special sources, user’s education, bibliography, design of library and information systems, information marketing and management, retrieval languages, etc. This orientation will enable students to individualize their preparation according to their own interests and possibilities to do well in practice.

In this paper we found that the goal of the early library was to store and preserve recorded knowledge in various formats. The information contained in such documents was strictly for a few privileged users than for dissemination to all. The present day need is how speedily and efficiently information could be communicated to the users. Unless libraries actively keep pace with information revolution and needs of emerging information society, there is a danger of being considered obsolete and become a piece of history. The information referred here is that which is contained in published as well as unpublished documents.

• Singh, N. (2001). Internet: Importance and Usage for Library and Information professionals. DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, 21 (3), 17-28.

• Stephens. (2007). Libraries and the Read/Write Web. In R. S. Gordon (Ed), Information Tomorrow: Reflections on Technology and Future of Public and Academic Libraries (pp. 97-111). New Jersey: Information Today Inc.