PG Academic Council – 2013’-14
Workshop on Meeting Users
Expectations
Nihal, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MTech(2yr), IITB
Executive Member (MTech-Core Academic Council)
&
Eranki L.N.Kiran, IDP Educational Technology, Research Scholar, IITB,
Executive Member (PhD-Core Academic Council)
(May 28 2013, Central Library, IIT Bombay)
Contents
1
2
• Why need Libraries
• Impact of Electronic resources
• Student Suggestions and recommendations
3
• RFID Pros and Cons
• Efficient WiFi Access
4
• Course Textbook Requirements
• Revamped Library Portal
5
6
7
8
• Library Services and Computer Center
• Plagiarism Software
• Services for Physically Challenged and Other Suggestions
• Libraries of the Future
Why need Libraries?
Why need Libraries?
Why need Libraries?

Books are for use.

Every book has a reader.

Every reader has a book.

Save the time of the reader.

Library is a growing organism.
 Libraries are not
measured by people
visiting but rather
by contributions
they make to the
library.
Our Suggestions
 RFID
 Enhanced Wi-Fi access.
 Multiple Laptop Charging points
 Digital kiosk/ panel on library blocks.
 Increased number of Course textbooks.
 Revamped library portal.
 Better online portal for journal and e-books
 Better access to library for physically handicapped.
 Computer center
Our Suggestions
 Coffee Vending and Snacks vending machines
 Better study rooms
 Alerts of new issues of journals and conferences for students
 Awareness and access to plagiarism software for students
 Maintaining of a visual books online.
 More computer for CD room and more CDs related to software-
learning.
 Library map with the numbers of books, available online and also
pasted in the library.
 Feedback from students every semester.
 UG TA’s in the library for maintenance purposes
Why RFID is required
Helps the user to:
 Check the availability of books and order status
 Automated bookshelf reading
 Lost/Misplaced book searching
 Efficient book inventory
 Automated alert on book shortage and procurements.
Advantages




Implementing RFID will considerably reduce the amount of time
required to issue, receive ,transport ,sort & shelving library
material.
Library staff alerted immediately on un-authorized issues of books
The RFID book drop system provides provision to return books
even during off hours of the library.
Low cost tagging options available through RFID.
Disadvantages

Cost of Initial investment and recurring expenditure for
tagging, maintenance.

More chances for Physically damage /tearing of tags.

Possibility of receiving damaged return books in drop box
Efficient Wi-Fi Access
 Well distributed Wi-Fi network needs to be established
throughout the library.
 Use additional routers or router with high capacity.
 Extended WiFi hotspots to support more access points
covering all sections of the library.
Multiple charging points
 Now the charging points are around 1 per 3-4 single desks.
 This problem becomes extremely severe during the exams,
i.e midsems and endsems.
 We can either increase the number of charging points or use
spike-guards to compensate the deficiency.
 We can even station plug points on the ground everywhere,
where people can remove the cap in the ground and plug the
power chord of the laptop.
Increased number of Course textbooks
 Each professor indicated a prescribed textbook for a course.
But either there is no copy of the textbook or the textbook is
already issued by the prof itself or the copies are very less
 We can take a list of textbooks from each prof for their
respective courses and make sure their availability in the
library. If a prof has issued a textbook, he/she should ensure
that there is another copy of the textbook or should not issue
the textbook.
Revamped library portal
Revamped library portal
Revamped library portal
Revamped library portal
Revamped library portal
Existing Library Portal
Revamped library portal
 As we seen in the above portals, these portals are more
interactive and eyeful to watch.
 News and events are posted in the library.
 The search of the library portal should be categorized
according to the branches and departments in IIT.
 It should indicate all the libraries existing in the campus and
should also indicate the books present in that library and also
the timings and location of the library.
Revamped library portal
Revamped Library Portal
 More better search in the e-books and E-journals.
They should also be categorized alphabetically (currently
existant) with back to top option at each alphabet and an
option of journals of specific domain (eg. Mechanical,
management, CSE, etc).
 There should be a map of the library with the numbers range
of the books, so it is easy to locate beforehand.
 Every top notch college is affiliated with worldCAT online
book store, so is IITB but we are not aware of how to utilize
this.
Revamped Library portal
 Students should have their own page where their library
history will get stored and also they can select which book
they have read to starred (i.e. important like in gmail).
 Students should also specify their domain of research which
helps them to get journal alerts on all updates.
 We should have an option in the portal which indicates where
the books pertaining various statistical datas or databooks are
kept in the library.
Library services
 Current library reminders only through mails.
We can send the reminders through sms on the cell phone.
 Videos of how to use the library, about the library portal and the
etiquettes required by the library can shown in the site.
 A specified time where a live interaction with the librarian or
library staff is done through various online system like Google
hangout.
 24 x 7 library made available to the users. This is done in all ivy –
league and top-crass colleges of the world and even India.
Computer Center
 Top 10 colleges of the world have a computer center in the
library itself.
 We should also provide a computer center, i.e. a room in the
library with 20-25 PCs, such that students without laptop
can also study in the library.
 It can also be used by students who loan CD’s from the
library, to practice.
 Software-learning CDs should also be made available.
Physically handicapped
 We don’t have any special
arrangements for physically
challenged people, if they need to go and search on the top
floors of the library.
 Ours being a premier institute, we should provide sufficient
facilities to support physically challenged people accessing
library as a equal opportunity in the campus.
Plagiarism Software
 At least one license of plagiarism software should be made
available to every department library or computer labs .
 Students need to educated on usage and availability of this
software, especially the research scholars and all other
students aspiring to publish work in conferences or journal
papers.
Other suggestions
 Coffee vending machine and snacks vending machine should be
made available. This will help especially during the exams season.
 Study room is open 24x7, but the infrastructure in study room is
poor. The study room should be made bigger with increase plug
points, centralized AC and computers.
 Feedback should be taken from students every semester.
 UG TA’s should be kept for updating and maintenance of the
library website and portal.
Libraries of the future
 ..\Documents\Camtasia
Studio\library3D\VirtualLibraries\VirtualLibraries.mp4
 JISC - Libraries of the Future.mp4(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjoJd_uN-7M