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This Librarian Spent 41 Years Walking 12 Km Daily To Deliver Books
by Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy 21 Dec '21

21 Dec '21

Amazing professionals are amongst us!! This Librarian Spent 41 Years Walking 12 Km Daily To Deliver Books ============================================= For the last 41 years, one man in Karuvatta in Kerala’s Alappuzha has been walking 12 kilometres, from house to house, every day. His only companions are two bags full of 60-70 books, and lunch packed from home. P Sukumaran is a ‘walking librarian’, who visits about 35 houses in the Karuvatta and Kumarapuram grama panchayats to deliver books to women and children. He works for the Kumarapuram Public Library, where he first began a job as a librarian in his early twenties, in 1979. “I love books, and I find happiness in walking and reaching out to readers, delivering books and periodicals,” the 61-year-old tells The Better India. “I get a lot of perks during my daily walks. For example, I get to enjoy nature and greenery on my way. Also, I am a person who loves to talk a lot about the things I have read, and going to different houses gives me a chance to interact with and share this knowledge with others, including children,” says Sukumaran, who has a Bachelors in Economics from SD College, Alappuzha. This public library, which was established in 1950 and runs in a small two-room building, was once known to be among the finest in the area, but had been in a state of decline for a while, owing to a dwindling number of visitors. That’s when Sukumaran decided to introduce the initiative of walking and reaching out to readers by distributing books. “The library needed people, and the people needed some fine books. So, I thought, why not have the library reach the people? That’s how I began this journey 41 years ago,” he explains. From Monday to Saturday, Sukumaran walks around 12 km daily. He starts his day by going to the library at 8.30 am, and around 10.30, he leaves to start delivering books. He carries his lunch with him and later returns to the library by 4 pm. He says he doesn’t know how to ride a bicycle, and prefers walking over any other mode of transport. “When I was studying in college, I used to work as a newspaper boy and walked long distances everyday to make deliveries every morning. I’ve been used to walking since then, and I never get tired,” he says. Sukumaran says his mission is to inculcate the value of books and the habit of reading. “I am an avid reader and I started reading from a very young age. I used to read around 11 newspapers everyday. I believe that reading makes you wise, it helps you understand the world better and makes you a better human being. So, I am on a mission to do my part as a conscious human being.” Sukumaran’s efforts to reach out to his readers has helped the library thrive through many difficult times, and the number of memberships in the library has increased ever since, he says. Most of Sukumaran’s readers are children and women. He goes to every house to not just deliver books, but also interact with them. He reads all the books that he lends out, and says he tries to give the reader a text that will suit their taste. He says, “I don’t go to these houses just to deliver books. I spend some quality time interacting with readers and discussing the books. I ask them questions or seek their opinions, especially to children, to make sure that they have read the book properly and understood it.” P Sukumaran, the walking librarian from Alappuzha, Kerala, who travels 12 km daily to deliver books for the past 41 years. Life has never been easy for Sukumaran, who has been living in a rented house for the past 15 years with his wife and 12-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with autism. As a librarian, he lives on a meagre monthly allowance of Rs 3,100 from the Kerala State Library Council and a 30 per cent commission he gets from the book sales. “I’ve always wanted to build a house of my own. But my son needs proper treatment and medication, so most of my earnings are spent taking care of him. But I am happy with whatever I have right now.” He adds, “I am very passionate about my work. My daily walks and interactions with the readers make me forget about all my personal struggles. It energises me, and I find happiness in it.” Meanwhile, P Gopalan, secretary of Kumarapuram Public Library and Sukumaran’s elder brother, takes care of the library when the latter goes out every day to deliver books. He says that the building used to house around 20,000 texts at one point, but has since lost about 25 per cent of them. “We lost a lot of books during the 2019 floods in Kerala. A big tree fell over the library building, breaking the roof and destroying around 6,000 books. Now we are in the process of getting new ones, which had been delayed due to the pandemic,” P Gopalan says. “We run our library in a small two-room building, which is not big enough for it to function. We even have a few rare books, and people still come in search of them for reference. But it saddens me that our library doesn’t have enough space or facilities to accommodate them,” Sukumaran adds disappointedly. When asked about his brother’s work, Gopalan says, “He is a very passionate and energetic person. He’s an avid reader and someone who always sticks to his ideologies.” As we conclude our conversation, Sukumaran notes, “The habit of reading could do wonders to people. So, it is essential to read more, get inspired, and build a society that thrives on humility.” Honouring his work and dedication, in 2016, Sukumaran was awarded the I V Das memorial award by the Kerala State Library Council Staff Association. If you want to contact or offer financial assistance, you can call P Sukumaran at 9747451348. ======= https://www.thebetterindia.com/269075/p-sukumaran-walking-librarian-kerala-… Dr P Vyasamoorthy / 9490804278 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Humble request to fill up the questionnaire
by Ratika Shewade 21 Dec '21

21 Dec '21

Dear Sir/Madam, I am Ratika Shewade, a student of Masters in Library and Information Science(MLISc) from SHPT School of Library Science, SNDT Women's University. I am working on a dissertation for *The Understanding of Copyright Laws & Policies among Librarians and it's implementation in Academic Libraries* under the guidance of Dr. Sarika Sawant, Senior Assistant Professor, SHPT School of Library Science. Your participation in this research will be highly appreciated. I assure you that the data collected will be used solely for research and educational purposes only. Please click on the below link to fill up the Questionnaire. https://forms.gle/c83DTfV2GLMNNFhd6 Thank you -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Internship opportunity at Central Library IIT Bombay
by Bhagwan Nagapure 21 Dec '21

21 Dec '21

Dear All, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, an Institute of national importance adjudged as Institute of Eminence, invites applications for 1 year Library Internship. *Post Details* *Number of Internship* *Educational Qualification* Library Intern at Central Library, IIT Bombay 5 Stipend : ₹ 25,000/- month for postgraduates and 20,000/- month ₹ for undergraduates a) 4 interns from Library Information Science field M.L.I.Sc <http://m.l.i.sc/>. or equivalent degree Appt Type : Temporary for a period of 1 year b) 1 intern from Computer Science field MCA/M.Tech or equivalent degree in Computer Science BCA / BE Computer Science Age Limit : 27 yrs Candidates possessing the requisite qualification may submit their application in the prescribed format (at Annexure – I) alongwith self attested documents on or before 31st December 2021 upto 5:30 p.m. to The Chief Library Officer, Central Library, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai – 400 076 For further details visit the Central Library home page : Applications for Library Internship <https://www.library.iitb.ac.in/wp-content/internship/internship-2021/IITB%2…> *With Warm Regards,* *Bhagwan Krishnaji Nagapure (Ph.D., UGC-NET)Sr. Library and Information Assistant* *Central Library, IIT Bombay* *022 25768925* *www.library.iitb.ac.in <http://www.library.iitb.ac.in>* -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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4th LIS Academy Conference LISACON-2021 will be held on Blended Mode at VTU Belagavi
by Pandurang Konnur 16 Dec '21

16 Dec '21

Dear Professional Friends, Greetings from LIS Academy, As scheduled the 4th LIS Academy Conference LISACON-2021 is being held on a Blended Mode at Belagavi in collaboration with Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi, from 6th to 8th January 2022. There will be about 200 participants physically attending the conference and the remaining will be participating in virtual mode. The Inaugural Function of the conference is scheduled on 6th January at 4.00pm physically. RENOWNED EXPERTS FROM LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ALLIED SUBJECTS COMING FROM INDIA AND ABROAD ARE SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS ON OPEN SCHOLARSHIP. SIX PLENARY SPEAKERS, TWELVE THEME SPEAKERS, FIVE PANELISTS TWENTY CONTRIBUTORY PAPER PRESENTERS WILL BE THE PART OF RESOURCE TEAM Now the virtual Participation is open. Those who cannot participate physically may opt for online participation. The Registration details are as under: TYPE OF PARTICIPATION (PHYSICAL) LIS PROFESSIONALS: RS. 2500 LIS ACADEMY MEMBERS: RS. 2000 LIS STUDENTS & RESEARCH SCHOLARS: RS. 2000 ONLINE VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION ON ZOOM PLATFORM: RS. 500 For more details visit Conference Website and download the Conference Brochure and Program Schedule from the following Link: https://www.lisacon2021.org/ Please download the revised Conference Brochure from the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1StOw-x3aDYEHY4ONRuxmz6J-OeHzFzbF/view?usp=… Please use the following link for registering for the Conference: https://www.lisacademy.org/lisacon/online/ PLEASE JOIN US TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE THE CONFERENCE OF DIFFERENCE Thanks & Regards, Dr. P. V. Konnur President - LIS Academy, Bangalore Former LIS Professor, Fulbright Scholar - (UIUC, USA) Adviser - VTU Consortium, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi - 590 018, Mobile : 09449679737 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Open books
by Subbiah Arunachalam 16 Dec '21

16 Dec '21

Friends: Here is a monograph on OA books which may be useful to Indian academics. Members of LIS-Forum may kindly bring this information to the attention of the faculty/other researchers at their institutions. www.oabooks-toolkit.org <https://oabooks-toolkit.org/> Arun -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Required List of Journals - UGC, AICTE, IEEE, BU/BCU
by Common Man 15 Dec '21

15 Dec '21

Dear Professional Friends, Good Evening I need your help. I am looking for the following list of journals- -UGC Approved List of Journals -AICTE recommended Journals -IEEE Journals -Bangalore University OR BCU approved journals (If Any) Please send me a copy or let me know where I can download this list. It helps a lot. Thank you in advance. Regards, Manjunatha.S Librarian | JNC Mail : library(a)jyotinivas.org -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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By refereeing papers, researchers are making a billion-dollar donation (to journal publishers)
by Subbiah Arunachalam 14 Dec '21

14 Dec '21

Friends: Have you read this paper? A billion-dollar donation: estimating the cost of researchers’ time spent on peer review - Balazs Aczel <https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-…> , - Barnabas Szaszi <https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-…> & - Alex O. Holcombe <https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-…> *Research Integrity and Peer Review* <https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/> https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-… On top of it publishers demand and authors give away copyright to the publishers! Arun -- Arun http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4398-4658 http://www.researcherid.com/rid/B-9925-2009 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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What Sci-Hub’s latest court battle means for research
by Subbiah Arunachalam 14 Dec '21

14 Dec '21

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03659-0 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Dr Kurella Vittalacharya: Telangana's 84-year-old marvellous Mr Words
by Temin Thomas 13 Dec '21

13 Dec '21

At the fag end of his selfless life, 84-year-old Dr Kurella Vittalacharya has given up everything he ever earned to establish a library with around two lakh books. https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2021/dec/12/dr-kurella-vittalach… Regards, Temin Thomas Assistant Librarian The New Indian Express Kochi. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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UKRI OA policy
by Subbiah Arunachalam 13 Dec '21

13 Dec '21

<https://twitter.com/UKRI_News> UK Research and Innovation @UKRI_News <https://twitter.com/UKRI_News> To inform implementation of our #OpenAccess <https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpenAccess?src=hashtag_click> Policy, UKRI commissioned an independent report on technical infrastructure to support open access monographs, edited works & book chapters The report is now available to read online: https://orlo.uk/necjZ <https://t.co/OpByJ7aFqH> @OAPENbooks <https://twitter.com/OAPENbooks> @OPERASEU <https://twitter.com/OPERASEU> -- Arun http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4398-4658 http://www.researcherid.com/rid/B-9925-2009 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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