IMPACT OF INFORMATION &
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON
LIBRARY & INFORMATION CENTRES
By
Dr. P.LALITHA
Librarian
Kesar SAL Medical College & Research
Institute
Information?
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“An assemblage of data in a comprehensible form capable
of communication” – Harrod’s Librarian’s Glossary and
Reference Book, 7th ed., 1990.
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“Information is knowledge communicated concerning
some particular fact, subject or event” - Oxford English
Dictionary.
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“Information is data recorded, organized, related or
interpreted within context to convey meaning” –
S.C.Blumenthal in ‘Management Information Systems’,
1969
Communication…
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The word ‘Communication’ originated from Latin word
‘Communis’ meaning ‘Common’.
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“Communication is imparting, conveying or exchanging of
ideas and knowledge whether by speech, writing or signs”
– Oxford English Dictionary.
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“Communication is the transfer of thoughts and message
as contrasted with transportation of goods and persons” –
Columbia Encyclopedia of Communication.
Communication…
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Non-Verbal
Signals – Traffic signals, Drum beats
Signs – Traffic signs
Symbols
Gestures – Facial expressions, Body
language
Communication…
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Verbal Communication…
The first phase - origination of languages,
second phase - written communication (record and
store the information)
• Cave paintings,
• clay tablets,
• ink, papyrus etc.
A Babylonian clay tablet from 87 B.C. reports the
arrival of the comet now known as Halley.
Page 96: National Geographic Magazine, December. 1997
Communication… (Verbal)
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The third phase - the printing era began
with Gutenberg and his Bible in 1456.
The
fourth
phase
-the
age
of
telecommunications began with Morse’s
telegraph and was perpetuated by Marconi’s
wireless.
Now we are in fifth phase where
compunication is playing a major role in
interactive communication systems.
Information Technology
revolutions - in computers and
communications transformed the computers
synonymous to Information Technology.
The
two
The
rapid
developments
in
Information
Technology brought revolutionary changes in
information processing, storage, dissemination
and distribution and became a key ingredient in
bringing-up great changes in over all aspects of
society.
Information Technology
Further the advent of low cost computers and
easy-to-use word processing software, computer
based image processing techniques paved way for
‘digitized information’ comprising textual to
multimedia – data consisting of text, images along
with digitized voice and video.
Thus the information stored in libraries has taken a
major shift from volume-limiting paper to limitless
multimedia digital form.
Information & communication Technology
The ease of communication along with the
Internet, has brought a paradigm shift in
information usage from the need to know basis –
information available when and where you need it.
Digital publishing technologies and global
networking have given rise to the development of a
wide variety of digital libraries.
Information & communication Technology
“Ten years ago we saw the convergence of the
human-readable Web with increased connectivity.
Now we are seeing communicating applications
and more pervasive, broadband connectivity. The
world is flatter because computing and
communications is more pervasive of our working
and learning lives: we create, share and use digital
content and services”.
Dempsey, Lorcan. (2006). Ariadne Issue 46 at
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue46/dempsey/intro.html
Implications of ICT in LICs……
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Storage
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Speed
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Ease of use
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Large volume of information
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Interoperability
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Integration
Web-based services
Advantages of web based services:
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Interoperability
Encapsulation
Availability
Self-Description
Modularity
Simplified and High Scalability
-Freemantle, P., et al., Communications of ACM, 2002, 45(10), 77-82.
Technologies in LICs…
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Information capture
• Key board, Scanner, Digital Cameras, Mobiles, etc
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Storage
• PCs, Floppy disks, CDs / DVDs
• Pen drives, Portable HDs, Blu Ray Dis
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Identification
• Barcode, Tattle-tape, RFID, Biometric, etc
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Databases
• Books, articles, reports, aggregators, publishers, IRs
Technologies in LICs…
Digital Library Software
•
Green stone digital Library sw, DSpace, Fedora
etc
 Library automation packages
• WIN/ISIS, SOUL, Libsys, Libsuite, Liberty,
ALICE, etc
• Open Source like KOHA, New Gen Lib, etc
 Networking
• Client-server, P2P, Internet
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Emerging Technologies in LICs…
Library 2.0
Library 2.0
With Library 2.0 library services are constantly updated and
reevaluated to best serve library users. It also attempts to harness
the library user in the design and implementation of library
services by encouraging feed back and participation
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0
“Library 2.0 is the application of interactive, collaborative and
multi media web based technologies to web based library
services and collection”
Maness, 2006
The basic idea of Library 2.0 is to transform library service by
making them more personalize, more interactive, collaborative,
more web-based, driven by community needs
A very different communication environment for providing
more personalized services to users making librarians more competent.
Components of Library 2.0
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Wiki
Blog
RSS
Podcasting
Instant Messaging
SMS
MMS
Social networking
Components of Library 2.0
Wiki - from the Hawaiian wiki, to hurry, swift.
A collaborative website whose content can be
edited by any one who has access to it. It is a
web application that allows users to add content,
as on an Internet forum, but also refers to the
collaborative software used to create such a
website.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikis
Components of Library 2.0
Blog
A blog (WEBLOG) is a website that contains dated entries
in reverse chronological order (most recent first) about a
particular topic.
http://www.answers.com/topic/blog
One person or groups of contributors can write them.
Entries containing commentaries and links to other
websites, images contributed by one person or group of
people. Some times search facility may also be included.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs
Components of Library 2.0
Really simple Syndication
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to
publish frequently updated content such as blog
entries, news headlines and podcasts. An RSS
document (which is called a ‘feed’ or ‘web feed’ or
‘channel') contain either a summary of content
from an associated website or the full text, RSS
makes it possible for people to keep up with
websites in a special programme or filtered
displays.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS
Components of Library 2.0
Podcast
A portmanteau of Apple’s “I Pod” and
“broadcasting” is a method of publishing
files to the Internet allowing users to
subscribe to a feed and receive new files
automatically by subscription, usually at no
cost. It first became popular in late 2004,
used largely for audio files.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
Components of Library 2.0
Social Networking
Social Networking service uses software to build
online social networks for communities of people
who share interest and activities or who are
interested in exploring the interests and activities
of others.
Most services are primarily web-based and provide
a collection of various ways for users to interact,
such as chat, messaging, e-mail, video, voice chat,
file sharing, blogging, discussion groups and so
on.
ICT induced paradigm shift in LICs…..
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Traditional libraries to digital libraries,
print on paper to digital information,
card catalogs to Web OPACs,
chains to RFID tags,
print journals to online or electronic journals,
ownership to access,
in library access to remote and desktop access.
Information availability from libraries - 9 – 5 or 7 to 24X7,
photocopies to digital copies,
DDS being provided through E-mail instead of post or fax.
standalone libraries to Information networks
Real to virtual libraries.
Why Librarians need to embrace Technology?
The information professionals are adopting
technologies like computing, networks, Internet, digital
data etc and getting adapted to the changing
environment because their main focus is the ‘user’ and
the fulfillment of information needs of the users.
“The network evolution of research and learning practices
across disciplines and institutions is what the librarians need to
know more about. Libraries need to understand how best to coevolve with these changes, and need more evidence upon
which to base their planning”.
Dempsey Lorcan, 2006.
Users Attitudes
Users are broadly into two categories:
Users – Information seeking & Techno savvy
“In a flat networked world, where data and content flow
more freely, much of what might have happened in library
is pushed out into network user environment.”
Dempsey Lorcan, 2006.
Users – Not aware of technology
Users information seeking attitudes differs based on their
competencies.
Role of Librarians…………
Traditionally librarians used to
• select,
• search,
• collect,
• organize,
• maintain and preserve the resources
Digital Era - Role of Librarians…………
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Negotiator – a person who should be able to
identify the needs of users
Navigator - Searching the ocean of information
regardless the format
Facilitator – Information and Infra-structure
Educator - being familiar with information in
different formats and should be able to train the
users whenever required
Entrepreneur - Marketing Library Services
Information filter – Able to provide right
information, in right time to the right person from
right resource.
Challenges & Opportunities
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Resource Management – Providing information from
different resources (print, e-resources and online
resources), Resource usage, Usage evaluation and
measuring the impact of usage of the resources
(Research output).
Providing information about Open Access resources
and educating the users about Open Access.
Building Institutional Repositories
Providing seamless integration to different databases,
electronic and online resources.
Knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights
Challenges & Opportunities
Open Access (OA)
• OA literature is digital, free of charge and free of
copyright.
• OA is compatible with copyright, peer review, revenue,
print, preservation, prestige, career advancement, indexing
and supportive services associated with conventional
scholarly literature.
• OA campaign focuses on the literature that authors give to
the world without expectation of payment
• OA literature is not free to produce or publish
• OA literature is compatible with peer review and all major
OA initiative for scientific and scholarly literature insists on
its importance.
Suber, Peter, “Brief Introduction to Open Access”. At
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm
Challenges & Opportunities
Open Access resources
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“While many authors, academic and research organizations including funding
agencies have realized the impact and importance of OA and have made
endeavors to strengthen the movement, the leading publishers have also chipped
in (although at slower pace) to contribute their bit for global good. For instance
For green publishers permit archive pre-print and post-print
For blue ones permit archive only post-print
For yellow permits archive pre-print only (pre-refereeing copy)
While white means archiving not formally supported”.
Usha Mujoo Munshi. (2008). ‘Guest Editorial’, DESISOC Jrl. Lib. Inf. Tecnol, 28(1),
p.4.
Challenges & Opportunities
Institutional Repositories
The Institutional repository (IR) is a contemporary
concept that captures and makes available as much of
institutional research output as possible to the users. It is
a sort of a database of digital information resources,
accessible through Internet or Intranet. In the first
instance this might include electronic versions of
documents such as research papers, project reports,
patents, theses and dissertations
Barton, Mary R. and Waters, Margaret M. (2004). Creating an
institutional repository: LEADIRS workbook. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
<http://dspace.org/implement/leadirs.pdf>
Challenges & Opportunities
Institutional Repositories
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IR is a set of services for researcher and scholarly
community. Its goals are:
Support Open Access
Curate Institutional Intellectual assets
Centralized management of Research Output
Preservation etc.
Challenges & Opportunities
Intellectual Property Rights
“Legal issues, arising from intellectual property law, are
the most serious problems facing digital libraries”.
Lesk, Michael. (2005). Understanding
Digital Libraries, Elsevier Inc. :San Francisco, p.293.
“Managers of digital libraries must not allow accidental or
intentional corruption of information stored in it by
unauthorized users or programs.”
Arora, Jagdish. (2007). Access Management in Digital Libraries, Part I:
Authentication and Authorization”, INFLIBNET Newsletter, 14(4), p.9.
Challenges & Opportunities
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Social Behaviour and attitudinal changes of
users
Digital Divide
Providing Information literacy
Personal counseling and interaction with library
users as well as virtual users of library for
getting feed-back about the services offered and
for proposed improvements.
Challenges & Opportunities
Information Literacy
“Information literacy’ is “the ability to recognize when
information is needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate and use effectively the needed information”
http://en.wikipedia.org.
“Information is a source of instant power as it facilitates
decision-making, problem-solving, and action-taking.
Information Literacy is the ability to make sense of
information for managing success and staying ahead of
change and competition”.
Karisidappa, C.R. (2008). ‘Guest Editorial’,
DESIDOC Jrl. Of Lib. Inf. Technol., 28(2).
Challenges & Opportunities
Information Literacy
The purpose of IL is to develop sense-making
ability among the stake holders.
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Though Information literacy has broader
perspectives and wider applications, it embraces
related concepts like
user education
library instruction
bibliographic instruction
library research
Challenges & Opportunities
Information Literacy - Empowering-8 Model
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Identify—subject, audience, keywords and plan strategy;
Explore—resources required, information available;
Select—relevant information; stages of work, appropriate citations;
Organize—information earlier selected, between fact, fiction and opinion;
Create—information in your own words, revise and edit and create
bibliography;
• Present—share information with appropriate audience; display in
appropriate format;
• Assess—feedback; self-assessment and assessment with teacher;
• Apply—review feedback and apply to next learning activity.
Prof. Russell Bowden, in his keynote address published in the Proceedings of the Information
Skills for Learning: Part II "Empowering-8" International Workshop Sponsored by IFLA
ALP, UNESCO-IFAP5 in 2005
To conclude…….
An incredible fast progress in information and
communication technologies are transforming the
information handling and seeking habits of both
librarians and users.
Inspite of the initiatives taken by INFLIBNET,
NISCAIR, NIC and Refreshers courses provided by
universities, more such kind of training programmes
are to be conducted both to the library and information
professionals as well as to the users.
To conclude…….
“Training influences perception, attitude and
opinion about the information conveyed.
Course curriculum for LIS should be revised
with emphasis on development of the soft skills
as core competencies.”
Vogt, Hannelore., et al., (2008). “Branding and Marketing for Changing the
Image of Libraries in India”. In Executive Summary Workshop Results
Emerging from the International Seminar- Libraries on the Agenda!”, March
13 & 14, 2008, edited by Daum, Marilen and Seth, Renu. Pp 7-8