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(Fwd) [IFLA-L] DigiCULT: Technology Watch Report 3 - Now Avail
by Prafulla Chandra 25 Feb '05

25 Feb '05

<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>------- Forwarded message follows ------- </color>Date sent: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Thu, 24 Feb 2005 14:15:26 +0100</color> From: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>digicult-forum <<digicult-forum(a)digicult.info></color> To: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>IFLA_L <<ifla-l(a)infoserv.inist.fr></color> <bold>Subject: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>[IFLA-L] DigiCULT: Technology Watch Report 3 - Now Available</bold></color> <underline><color><param>0000,8000,0000</param>[ Double-click this line for list subscription options ]</underline></color> DigiCULT: Technology Watch Report 3 - Now Available "Core Technologies for the Cultural and Scientific Heritage Sector", January 2005 As in previous TWRs, this volume examines six core technologies. Those covered here underlie a wide range of future applications, and include: Open Source Software, Natural Language Processing, Information Retrieval technologies, Location Based Systems (especially GIS and GPS), Visualisation of Data, and Telepresence, Haptics and Robotics. This report builds on our earlier two reports: TWR1 (2003) examined Customer Relationship Management Systems, Digital Asset Management Systems, Virtual Reality, Human Computer Interface technologies, Smart Tags and Labels, and Games. TWR2 (2004) examined Application Service Models, the XML family of technologies, Cultural Agents and Avatars, Mobile Access technologies, Rights Management and Payment technologies, and Collaborative Mechanisms and Technologies. Download Technology Watch Report 3: Hi-Res (30 MB) http://www.digicult.info/downloads/TWR3-highres.pdf Lo-Res (6 MB) http://www.digicult.info/downloads/TWR3-lowres.pdf DigiCULT Publications offer a valuable resource of mission-critical information in the selection and use of digital technologies for Europe's heritage organisations: - Thematic Issues: results of expert forums http://www.digicult.info/pages/themiss.php - DigiCULT Technology Watch Reports: in-depth technology evaluation http://www.digicult.info/pages/techwatch.php - DigiCULT.Info Newsletter: articles about services, studies, technologies, and activities http://www.digicult.info/pages/newsletter.php Subscribe to the Newsletter DigiCULT.Info http://www.digicult.info/pages/subscribe.php (c) DigiCULT Forum 2002-2004 <color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>------- End of forwarded message ------- <nofill> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NISC Export Services Pvt. Ltd. (an affiliate of NISC International, Inc. USA) S-1 Ballad Estates, St.Ann's School Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500 017 Andhra Pradesh, India - Tel:+91 40 27001517 Tel/Fax:+91 40 27002538 WWW.NISC.COM A company in service to NISC worldwide. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: Librarian's proficiency in English - Dr Vyasamoorthy's lament
by Jai Haravu 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Friends I would like to expand on Dr Vyasamoorthy's lament somewhat with due apologies to the poet T S Elliot. I think the lack of proficiency in English is only the tip of the iceberg and hence my lament below. Where are the books we have lost in our 'digital libraries'? Where are the users we have lost in our 'library science'? Where is the service we have lost in our 'automation'? Where are the library networks we have lost in 'cyberspace'? Where are the leaders we have lost in our 'library schools'? Where are the scholars we have lost in our 'Ph Ds'? Where is the professionalism we have lost in our 'profession'? Where is the substance we have lost in 'hype'? L J Haravu Trustee, Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge Management [http://www.kiikm.org/] 69 Krishnapuri Colony West Marredpally Sedcunderabad 500 026 Tel: 91-40-27803947 -------Original Message------- From: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Date: 02/23/05 17:40:52 To: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: LIS-Forum Digest, Vol 23, Issue 30 Send LIS-Forum mailing list submissions to lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to lis-forum-request(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in You can reach the person managing the list at lis-forum-owner(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of LIS-Forum digest..." Today's Topics: 1. MSN Search Helpful to Net User (Farooque Shaheen) 2. FW: Special lecture at DRTC (Dr. T.B. Rajashekar) 3. Librarians' proficiency in English (Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com) 4. RE: Librarians' proficiency in English (Aman Jha) 5. Basic English (shantha venkatesan) 6. Communication skills (gayathri sen) 7. Why do we need high proficiency in English language ? (Jayadev P Hiremath) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 11:03:09 +0530 From: Farooque Shaheen <Farooque.Shaheen(a)caritor.com> Subject: [LIS-Forum] MSN Search Helpful to Net User To: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Message-ID: <OFB6070F6A.8B1FE410-ON65256FB1.001DA55F-65256FB1.001F83C2(a)notes.caritor com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The Hindu, The next time you have a query such as "what is seven times 20" or "how high is Mt. Everest" or a complex arithmetic or algebra calculation,simply type the question in the window of MSN Search, Microsoft's latest innovation. A one-line answer would appear in microseconds on the web page, along with the other MSN search results. "How many inches in a mile?" Launched last fortnight in the country, this feature of MSN Search draws its results from the database of 1.5 million answers provided by Microsoft Encarta, the leading encyclopaedia brand. You could ask any question on geographical locations, historical and popular figures, definitions, facts, calculations, conversions, and solutions to equations. Till now, Internet browsers had to type out the key words in the search window and click on the search results to look out for precise definitions. But the one-line Encarta answer is only part of the long list of features offered by the new MSN Search, built from the ground up by Microsoft in about 16 months. Now available in 25 countries and 10 languages, the search service offers a collection of tools to Net users, giving them greater control in targeting and refining searches to get instant,accurate answers to specific questions. http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/23/stories/2005022315510300.htm Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449 -------------- next part -------------- The Hindu, The next time you have a query such as "what is seven times 20" or "how high is Mt. Everest" or a complex arithmetic or algebra calculation,simply type the question in the window of MSN Search, Microsoft's latest innovation. A one-line answer would appear in microseconds on the web page, along with the other MSN search results. "How many inches in a mile?" Launched last fortnight in the country, this feature of MSN Search draws its results from the database of 1.5 million answers provided by Microsoft Encarta, the leading encyclopaedia brand. You could ask any question on geographical locations, historical and popular figures, definitions, facts, calculations, conversions, and solutions to equations. Till now, Internet browsers had to type out the key words in the search window and click on the search results to look out for precise definitions. But the one-line Encarta answer is only part of the long list of features offered by the new MSN Search, built from the ground up by Microsoft in about 16 months. Now available in 25 countries and 10 languages, the search service offers a collection of tools to Net users, giving them greater control in targeting and refining searches to get instant,accurate answers to specific questions. http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/23/stories/2005022315510300.htm Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449 ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:03:49 +0530 From: "Dr. T.B. Rajashekar" <raja(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Subject: [LIS-Forum] FW: Special lecture at DRTC To: <lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Message-ID: <002101c51971$a2f80810$bd481090@Rajashekar> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" -----Original Message----- From: DRTC General [mailto:drtc@ns.isibang.ac.in] Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 10:42 AM To: raja(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Cc: ikrrao(a)yahoo.co.in Subject: Special lecture at DRTC Dear Dr. Rajashekar, Kindly send this circular through lisforum. With regards, I.K. Ravichandra Rao Head, DRTC ======================================================== INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Documentation Research and Training Centre 8th Mile, Mysore Road, Bangalore - 59 Cordially invites you to attend a Special Seminar On "Finding Scholarly Information through the Internet and the WWW" By Prof. Paul Nieuwenhuysen Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel Belgium On Monday, 28th February 2005, at 2 pm. At Documentation Research and Training Centre Indian Statistical Institute 8th Mile Mysore Road Bangalore 560059 Professor and Head, DRTC ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:36:38 +0530 From: <Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com> Subject: [LIS-Forum] Librarians' proficiency in English To: <lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Message-ID: <DBF3A0D52B21954A91869AF702D1A32C083BCF(a)ikpex01.ikp.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear Friends, I am sure that some of you were expecting this. I am really appalled at the lack of any semblance of proficiency in the use of English language among many librarians. I wonder how one could pass through some 17 years of schooling and even after that manage not to learn basics of English Language It is regrettable that our present system of Education does not emphasize the importance of Language abilities. Because of selfish politicians promoting their own agendas at the cost of the nation and because of a tendency to promote or put up with mediocrity everywhere -- the necessity for striving for excellence is once in a way heard from our president, though -- students do not look at Lannguage skills with any concern. Recently we had to recruit an Information Officer for our VIC. Out of about fifteen persons we considered, hardly two or three could measure up as far as basic English Language skills are concerned. On one hand we find the Indian librarians community in India to be prolific writers - even an entry level resume mentions two or three 'papers' published and on the other hand we find that their presentation and communication skills at horribly very low levels. What are reasons? How can this be changed? Who should take action? Is it OK to be where & how we are? What do LIS teachers have to say? In this lamentation I am not bothered about typing errors (may be you are just lazy - not that you do not know), spelling mistakes (heavy dependence on spell checkers), occasional slippages (it happens to everyone), unheard of abbreviations being thrust on everyone by cell phone (or email?) culture and the like. I am concerned with basic English Language skills expected of a tenth class student. Kindly do not take recourse to "It is the same everywhere - in all other preofessions too" type of argument. Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631 ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 14:39:27 +0530 From: "Aman Jha" <aman.jha(a)ciionline.org> Subject: RE: [LIS-Forum] Librarians' proficiency in English To: <lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Cc: Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Message-ID: <677A2BDC87B41F4C9059053630B29736050A7061@ciimail> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear Dr Vyasamoorthy I too feel that English Language proficiency is a problem for many library professionals. This is basically for those who belong to BIMARU states. I myself belong to one of such states where English language is taught from 6th standards onwards and in 10th standard, it is not mandatory to pass in English. This is the case of many state boards. I somehow managed to fill this gap after 10th, may be due to my primary education took place in Delhi. Even in Delhi during 1980s, English was taught not before 6th standard in Govt schools. PROBLEMS: Education systems: State Boards: There is a general practice in many states where passing in English is not mandatory in the State Board examinations. Universities: Many universities allow Hindi speaking students, whose medium of instruction till Bachelor have been in Hindi, to get admission in BLIS course where BLIS is taught in Hindi. There are many other LIS departments where medium of instruction is mentioned English in Prospectus but Hinglish is practised. Attitude: In my case, since I was very weak in English till 10th, I took it very seriously for higher education and started studying basic English books even primary levels, grammar and translation with lot of self-practice at home which boosted my confidence of English language. WHAT TO BE DONE? I think British Council has taken a good lead in developing English language skills in the country. Professionals who feel are weak in English may join a short term course. As an interface between books and users, librarian must have good communication skills in English and should be primary requisite for the recruitment of the post. Employers should also enhance their employees' communication skills by organising an internal training/workshop program. Library associations should come forward, if not, library network centres in India can join hands with the primary employers to organise such programs. There are many other avenues where professionals may try for upgrading their English language skills. I had compiled a comprehensive list of English Language Training Schools/Centres in India last year. I will be happy to share that list. Best regards, Aman Jha Librarian Confederation of Indian Industry Plot No 249-F, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV Sector 18, Gurgaon 122015 (Haryana) Tel: 0124-5014060-67 * Fax: 0124-5014080 -----Original Message----- From: Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com [mailto:Vyasamoorthy@icicikp.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 7:07 AM To: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: [LIS-Forum] Librarians' proficiency in English Dear Friends, I am sure that some of you were expecting this. I am really appalled at the lack of any semblance of proficiency in the use of English language among many librarians. I wonder how one could pass through some 17 years of schooling and even after that manage not to learn basics of English Language It is regrettable that our present system of Education does not emphasize the importance of Language abilities. Because of selfish politicians promoting their own agendas at the cost of the nation and because of a tendency to promote or put up with mediocrity everywhere -- the necessity for striving for excellence is once in a way heard from our president, though -- students do not look at Lannguage skills with any concern. Recently we had to recruit an Information Officer for our VIC. Out of about fifteen persons we considered, hardly two or three could measure up as far as basic English Language skills are concerned. On one hand we find the Indian librarians community in India to be prolific writers - even an entry level resume mentions two or three 'papers' published and on the other hand we find that their presentation and communication skills at horribly very low levels. What are reasons? How can this be changed? Who should take action? Is it OK to be where & how we are? What do LIS teachers have to say? In this lamentation I am not bothered about typing errors (may be you are just lazy - not that you do not know), spelling mistakes (heavy dependence on spell checkers), occasional slippages (it happens to everyone), unheard of abbreviations being thrust on everyone by cell phone (or email?) culture and the like. I am concerned with basic English Language skills expected of a tenth class student. Kindly do not take recourse to "It is the same everywhere - in all other preofessions too" type of argument. Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631 _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 14:17:06 +0530 (IST) From: "shantha venkatesan" <mmslib(a)udct.org> Subject: [LIS-Forum] Basic English To: LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Message-ID: <1225.192.16.4.247.1109148426.squirrel(a)proxy.uict> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1 Kudos to Dr.Vyasamoorthy! Certainly the real culprits are the education system & selfish politicians. You will agree this is an exciting topic. We speak of national integration. We accept or do not accept that English language brings all castes & communities together. Ridiculous indeed! How many universities are conducting interviews for B.L.I.Sc in regional language to see that the mediocrity thrives everywhere. Are the teachers of LIS not responsible for this appalling state? Do the teachers of LIS identify & motivate the would-be prolific writers? Do the teachers speak correct English in the class? Are the teachers simply cynical of students who are better than the teachers? Are the teachers aware of difference between healthy criticism & cynicism? I believe the teachers are right in the centre of the field to mould the academic society. It is just like blaming the government for all ills not knowing that the govt. is of the people, by the people and for the people. As Dr.Radhakrishnan said " a teacher commands respect and not demands respect. Learning is directed both ways teacher-students and students-teachers. Now who is responsible for the poor communication skill : the system of education, the floating politicians or the sacred teachers? This is a food for thought. A proper analysis would bring in the answer. -- Shantha Venkatesan. Senior Librarian Prof.M.M.Sharma Library U.I.C.T.Matunga (East) Mumbai400 019 ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 01:24:43 -0800 (PST) From: gayathri sen <gayatsen(a)yahoo.com> Subject: [LIS-Forum] Communication skills To: LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Message-ID: <20050223092443.12145.qmail(a)web52907.mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Dear friends, I strongly endorse the views of Dr. Vysamoorthy regarding the present day out comes of Libray Schools. I have even spoken about this to some professors teaching in library schools. Librarian or Information Officers position involves dealing with users, managements, government bodies etc. etc. When the library staff or the librarian himself cannot present himself well what respect can you expect in organizations? To improve the situation, like how english classes are introduced in technical courses like B.E., even in library courses english should be made compulsory. This may solve the problem to a small extent. I take english classes for few staff members in my library whenever I have some time, so that they can present themselves better in front of users. Many come from rural back ground and hence this drawback. Gayathri Sen PESIT --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. -------------- next part -------------- Dear friends, I strongly endorse the views of Dr. Vysamoorthy regarding the present day out comes of Libray Schools. I have even spoken about this to some professors teaching in library schools. Librarian or Information Officers position involves dealing with users, managements, government bodies etc. etc. When the library staff or the librarian himself cannot present himself well what respect can you expect in organizations? To improve the situation, like how english classes are introduced in technical courses like B.E., even in library courses english should be made compulsory. This may solve the problem to a small extent. I take english classes for few staff members in my library whenever I have some time, so that they can present themselves better in front of users. Many come from rural back ground and hence this drawback. Gayathri Sen PESIT Do you Yahoo!? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/virus/*http://promotions.yahoo com/new_mail/static/protection.html Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:50:38 +0300 From: Jayadev P Hiremath <jayadevph(a)gmail.com> Subject: [LIS-Forum] Why do we need high proficiency in English language ? To: "Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com" <Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com> Cc: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Message-ID: <f6d4da1f050223015059a3fc56(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII How many Librarians in East Europe, Japan, France, China and Russia and many other countries know English. Haven't these countries progressed ? If the Librarian has studied in Vernacular upto high school, is it his fault ? Library Science teacher's are there to teach Library Science and not English Language skills. When you were recruiting an Information Officer, what was the basic requirement ? Was it his skills in Information Management or English language ? You have a done a great disservice by writing highly unwarranted mail. This will dissuade many Librarians from writing to this forum. They all will develop inferiotity complex. Itis a national shame that when two Indians...Librarians.... from different parts of the country meet they have to communicate in English language. Have you ever thought about conversing in Hindi ? I jolly well know the importance of English language in the world. But that doesn't mean that we have to look down upon our fellow professionals who are not proficient in English. We have all become slaves to English language and take great pride in being so. I as a customer, have received many e-mails from your Organization and I don't think ICICI as such attaches much importance to English language skills and rightly so. Why is it that only you are so keen about it when it is not an Institutional policy. Working knowledge of the languages is more that sufficient for providing the services. Unless ofcourse you are going to write a treatise. Jayadev P Hiremath On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:36:38 +0530, Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com <Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com> wrote: > Dear Friends, > > I am sure that some of you were expecting this. I am really appalled at the lack of any semblance of proficiency in the use of English language among many librarians. I wonder how one could pass through some 17 years of schooling and even after that manage not to learn basics of English Language It is regrettable that our present system of Education does not emphasize the importance of Language abilities. Because of selfish politicians promoting their own agendas at the cost of the nation and because of a tendency to promote or put up with mediocrity everywhere -- the necessity for striving for excellence is once in a way heard from our president, though -- students do not look at Lannguage skills with any concern. > > Recently we had to recruit an Information Officer for our VIC. Out of about fifteen persons we considered, hardly two or three could measure up as far as basic English Language skills are concerned. > > On one hand we find the Indian librarians community in India to be prolific writers - even an entry level resume mentions two or three 'papers' published and on the other hand we find that their presentation and communication skills at horribly very low levels. What are reasons? How can this be changed? Who should take action? Is it OK to be where & how we are? What do LIS teachers have to say? > > In this lamentation I am not bothered about typing errors (may be you are just lazy - not that you do not know), spelling mistakes (heavy dependence on spell checkers), occasional slippages (it happens to everyone), unheard of abbreviations being thrust on everyone by cell phone (or email?) culture and the like. I am concerned with basic English Language skills expected of a tenth class student. Kindly do not take recourse to "It is the same everywhere - in all other preofessions too" type of argument. > > Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, > ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, > RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA > Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com > Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631 > > _______________________________________________ > LIS-Forum mailing list > LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in > http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum > ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum End of LIS-Forum Digest, Vol 23, Issue 30 ***************************************** Friends I would like to expand on Dr Vyasamoorthy's lament somewhat with due apologies to the poet T S Elliot. I think the lack of proficiency in English is only the tip of the iceberg and hence my lament below. Where are the books we have lost in our 'digital libraries'? Where are the users we have lost in our 'library science'? Where is the service we have lost in our 'automation'? Where are the library networks we have lost in 'cyberspace'? Where are the leaders we have lost in our 'library schools'? Where are the scholars we have lost in our 'Ph Ds'? Where is the professionalism we have lost in our 'profession'? Where is the substance we have lost in 'hype'? L J Haravu Trustee, Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge Management [http://www.kiikm.org/] 69 Krishnapuri Colony West Marredpally Sedcunderabad 500 026 Tel: 91-40-27803947 -------Original Message------- From: mailto:lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Date: 02/23/05 17:40:52 To: mailto:lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: LIS-Forum Digest, Vol 23, Issue 30 Send LIS-Forum mailing list submissions to mailto:lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to mailto:lis-forum-request@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum-request(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in You can reach the person managing the list at mailto:lis-forum-owner@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum-owner(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of LIS-Forum digest..." Today's Topics: 1. MSN Search Helpful to Net User (Farooque Shaheen) 2. FW: Special lecture at DRTC (Dr. T.B. Rajashekar) 3. Librarians' proficiency in English ( mailto:Vyasamoorthy@icicikp.com Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com ) 4. RE: Librarians' proficiency in English (Aman Jha) 5. Basic English (shantha venkatesan) 6. Communication skills (gayathri sen) 7. Why do we need high proficiency in English language ? (Jayadev P Hiremath) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 11:03:09 +0530 From: Farooque Shaheen < mailto:Farooque.Shaheen@caritor.com Farooque.Shaheen(a)caritor.com > Subject: [LIS-Forum] MSN Search Helpful to Net User To: mailto:lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Message-ID: < mailto:OFB6070F6A.8B1FE410-ON65256FB1.001DA55F-65256FB1.001F83C2@notes.caritor.com OFB6070F6A.8B1FE410-ON65256FB1.001DA55F-65256FB1.001F83C2(a)notes.caritor.com > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The Hindu, The next time you have a query such as "what is seven times 20" or "how high is Mt. Everest" or a complex arithmetic or algebra calculation,simply type the question in the window of MSN Search, Microsoft's latest innovation. A one-line answer would appear in microseconds on the web page, along with the other MSN search results. "How many inches in a mile?" Launched last fortnight in the country, this feature of MSN Search draws its results from the database of 1.5 million answers provided by Microsoft Encarta, the leading encyclopaedia brand. You could ask any question on geographical locations, historical and popular figures, definitions, facts, calculations, conversions, and solutions to equations. Till now, Internet browsers had to type out the key words in the search window and click on the search results to look out for precise definitions. But the one-line Encarta answer is only part of the long list of features offered by the new MSN Search, built from the ground up by Microsoft in about 16 months. Now available in 25 countries and 10 languages, the search service offers a collection of tools to Net users, giving them greater control in targeting and refining searches to get instant,accurate answers to specific questions. http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/23/stories/2005022315510300.htm http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/23/stories/2005022315510300.htm Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449

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Proficiency in English
by Prabhash Narayana Rath 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear friends What sort of proficiency are we talking about? Is it English as a means of communication or as a literary language? My personal feeling is that (please excuse me if I am incorrect) while selecting librarians, the selectors put more emphasis on communication skills in English (I mean spoken English). We belong to a profession which needs proficiency at least to a certain level, in both spoken as well as written English. Also, we need a fair knowledge of the local vernacular language. I disagree with Mr Jha that LIS schools should teach the course as a professional course and not as an academic discipline. I think this attitude has contributed a lot towards the downfall of the subject as an academic discipline in the country. There has been no basic research in LIS after Dr Ranganathan. Anyway, that is totally a different matter. So knowledge of English is, though an important one, but should not be the sole criterion for judging a better Library professional. Regards.. Prabhash N. Rath, Ph.D. Documentation Officer Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics Pune - 411004 Tel: 91+20-25650287 (O.) 91+20-25678311 (R.) E-mail: prabhashrath(a)yahoo.com

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high proficiency in English language
by ganeshtk 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear All, Being an information professional who has to gather information for the user one should not limit himself to any language, which definitely limit his career to a particular geographical area are culture. Today we are living in a world which has Global Village concept hence a professional need not limit himself to any language or geographical area. Always the user requirement varies and it has no limit of language are geographical area English being a widely used language and much of the literature are available in it. It is better one should learn English and be proficient user and interact in it whenever it is required. From the day one British came to India we have learning resources of English language, let us make better use of it and let us take it as a positive step. I would even go one step further by saying that we should not only limit ourselves to English if it is possible we should try to learn as many languages as possible which are widely used through out the world. It not only improves the efficiency of an individual but also access to information, which is very important for the information professional. This being a positive point in the career development of an Individual let us take this as a postive initiation and let us try to be open and retain our values rather limiting ourselves to any language or confining to a limited area While learning any language we should keep in mind the quote given by our Nations Father Shri. M K Gandhi that �I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and windows to be stuffed. I want the culture of all lands to be blow about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blow off my feet by any of them� Thanking you all, GANESHA T.K. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250

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Article requested
by Yashwant G Kanade 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Respected Lis members, May I request to send the soft/hard copy of the following research paper for our researher? With Warm Regards Yashwant G Kanade CES, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore-12. CENTURY ecosystem model application for quantifying vegetation dynamics in shifting cultivation areas: A case study from Rampa Forests, Eastern Ghats (India) V. Krishna Prasad, Yogesh Kant and K. V. S. Badarinath* Ecological Research Volume 16 Issue 3 Page 497 - September 2001 doi:10.1046/j.1440-1703.2001.00412.x

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English?
by Mrs. Vaishnav 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear All, I can only add that in some of the mails, all these "Mistakes" could have been avoided with simple spellchecker facility..even that has not been done. I am from Vernacular medium where Eng. Started at 8th std., was put to a convent by STD. 5th, where Eng. was introduced from K.G.. I had tough time getting through, was not knowing what teachers were asking in the Eng. period, if majority of the class got up, I would do the same,..etc...by 2nd Sem.I picked up to the level of standing First,did my B.A. with Eng.with first class, then M.A. in Eng. & after 13 yrs of it, did my B.Lib. in Mumbai.All through English was & is needed, the kind of info.level material one can get in Eng. is not available in Vernacular, b'cuz everything does not get translated It is matter of being meticulous or casual about the presentation. This is the case with all , not only with Librarians, I would fully agree with Ms. Vasumathi. With regards, Mrs. Vaishnav (Consulting Librarian-Godrej) ======================================================================= Godrej is now just a call away. Dial our 24 hour toll free number, 1600225511* for all your queries about our products, prices, dealers and service. We will be glad to be of assistance to you. * Toll free number available in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. " Visit our website - http://www.godrej.com " ======================================================================= Dear All, I can only add that in some of the mails, all these "Mistakes" could have been avoided with simple spellchecker facility..even that has not been done. I am from Vernacular medium where Eng. Started at 8th std., was put to a convent by STD. 5th, where Eng. was introduced from K.G.. I had tough time getting through, was not knowing what teachers were asking in the Eng. period, if majority of the class got up, I would do the same,..etc...by 2nd Sem.I picked up to the level of standing First,did my B.A. with Eng.with first class, then M.A. in Eng. & after 13 yrs of it, did my B.Lib. in Mumbai.All through English was & is needed, the kind of info.level material one can get in Eng. is not available in Vernacular, b'cuz everything does not get translated It is matter of being meticulous or casual about the presentation. This is the case with all , not only with Librarians, I would fully agree with Ms. Vasumathi. With regards, Mrs. Vaishnav (Consulting Librarian-Godrej) ======================================================================= Godrej is now just a call away. Dial our 24 hour toll free number, 1600225511* for all your queries about our products, prices, dealers and service. We will be glad to be of assistance to you. * Toll free number available in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. " Visit our website - http://www.godrej.com " =======================================================================

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Librarians' proficiency in English
by Vyasamoorthy＠icicikp.com 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear Friends, I am sure that some of you were expecting this. I am really appalled at the lack of any semblance of proficiency in the use of English language among many librarians. I wonder how one could pass through some 17 years of schooling and even after that manage not to learn basics of English Language. It is regrettable that our present system of Education does not emphasize the importance of Language abilities. Because of selfish politicians promoting their own agendas at the cost of the nation and because of a tendency to promote or put up with mediocrity everywhere -- the necessity for striving for excellence is once in a way heard from our president, though -- students do not look at Language skills with any concern. Recently we had to recruit an Information Officer for our VIC. Out of about fifteen persons we considered, hardly two or three could measure up as far as basic English Language skills are concerned. On one hand we find the Indian librarians community in India to be prolific writers - even an entry level resume mentions two or three 'papers' published and on the other hand we find that their presentation and communication skills at horribly very low levels. What are reasons? How can this be changed? Who should take action? Is it OK to be where & how we are? What do LIS teachers have to say? In this lamentation I am not bothered about typing errors (may be you are just lazy - not that you do not know), spelling mistakes (heavy dependence on spell checkers), occasional slippages (it happens to everyone), unheard of abbreviations being thrust on everyone by cell phone (or email?) culture and the like. I am concerned with basic English Language skills expected of a tenth class student. Kindly do not take recourse to "It is the same everywhere - in all other preofessions too" type of argument. Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631

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please forward to forum...Why should we be proficient in English?
by A.V. Nagarathna 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear All, This has reference to the advice of Dr. P. Vyasamoorthy. I strongly feel that it is essential to have proficiency in English (to the extent where we will be able to communicate exactly what we want to), since it has already become an universal language all over the world. Why one need to know the English language is for the simple reason that we (being information professionals) have to convey / deliver / disseminate the information properly to others. ---------------------------- For eg.: I am based at an academic institution where the majority of the scientific community include visitors from all over the world. The students based at the Centre are selected on an all India selection basis. They will not know our regional language. If we do not know english properly how do we communicate and help them in locating any document or reference materials etc. How are we expected to interact with them, just like dumb people...with actions ? ---------------------------- It is essential and depends on where you are? what your job specifications? how are you are expected to execute your work etc..etc. Knowing a language which is universal is always good not only for LIS professionals but for all who want to communicate efficiently. --------------------------- I always welcome any suggestions (from this forum) which may help to execute our job in a more fruitful way (instead of taking it as an insult, why not take it as an advice from the experienced professionals to improve ourselves? ). It is left to the other members whether to take the suggestions or ignore it. But, why deny any one on this forum to express their views. After all, ours is a democratic country! ---------------------------- Since all of us able to communicate in English we are on this forum and take advantage of it. otherwise, can we ask NCSI to translate all our communication in regional languages and forward it to the forum ?????? Instead of blaming any language (for its universality), we need to appreciate that we have a language through which we can exchange our views/information all over the world ! I have read several articles in conference proceedings in the field library science, it is really horrible. I do not comment on the authors (of that particular article) proficiency in English ! but for the responsibility of the Editors/conference organisers who bring out the publications without editing it! At the same time I have read excellent articles by Dr. Rajashekar (NCSI), Prof. Shalini (Mysore univ.) to name a few, who always maintain high standards in their writings. Please accept suggestions with open mindedness. Thank you for your patience. Regards, A.V. Nagarathna

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Google Unveil Movie Show Time Search
by Farooque Shaheen 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Google has added yet another offering to its long list of custom Web searches: movie reviews. By including the "movie:" operator within a search query, Google brings up organized reviews of a flick from across the Web. The new service even calculates a movie's combined rating out of five stars. Google has also created dedicated pages for each movie, which give an overview of reviews and allow for searching of related terms, such as actors in the film. Much like its Google News service, the search giant indexes the review and displays its source and critic, along with a snippet of text. All of the content aggregation is done automatically and sorted by computers. Furthering its strategy of building a complete ecosystem of search tools, the new feature integrates with ?Google Local? to provide show times of nearby movies. Users can then utilize ?Google Maps? to bring up directions to the theater. Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449 Google has added yet another offering to its long list of custom Web searches: movie reviews. By including the "movie:" operator within a search query, Google brings up organized reviews of a flick from across the Web. The new service even calculates a movie's combined rating out of five stars. Google has also created dedicated pages for each movie, which give an overview of reviews and allow for searching of related terms, such as actors in the film. Much like its Google News service, the search giant indexes the review and displays its source and critic, along with a snippet of text. All of the content aggregation is done automatically and sorted by computers. Furthering its strategy of building a complete ecosystem of search tools, the new feature integrates with “Google Local” to provide show times of nearby movies. Users can then utilize “Google Maps” to bring up directions to the theater. Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449

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RE: [LIS-Forum] Why do we need high proficiency in English language ?
by Aman Jha 24 Feb '05

24 Feb '05

Dear sir, I think library science teachers are to teach library science as a professional subject not as an academic subject. I give you an example: When I was doing my computer course from NIIT, they not only taught us computer skills but also how to present and behave in the professional environment. They taught us about perfect personality which included communication skills and application of TQM. YOU NEED TO RECONSIDER YOUR FIRST STATEMENT. I firmly believe that even Govt colleges and universities while recruiting librarians look for candidates having good communications skills in English. ICICI is a corporate organisation. I would not have been selected as a librarian of CII, if I had a weak background in English. Dr Chandra would not have got ISO 9002 certificate for his library, if he had a weak command over English. Similarly, Dr Ranganathan would not have got chance to study abroad for the upliftment of library science in India. There are so many examples. Those who have excelled their name in libaray science in India had very good command over English. Whereas the case of speaking in Hindi is concerned, it is really a shame for us that even in the Parliament, MPs prefer to speak in English. And we make fun of those who speak in Hindi. I remember a case when I was working in Eureka Forbes to support my study expenses in Delhi, the immediate boss of mine and other colleagues made fun of my signing appointment letter in Hindi. There is no question of looking down upon our fellow professionals but to raise their standards to cop with the present demand of professional requirements. I am sorry if I have hurt your feelings. My personal views pl. Best regards, Aman Jha Librarian Confederation of Indian Industry Plot No 249-F, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV Sector 18, Gurgaon 122015 (Haryana) Tel: 0124-5014060-67 * Fax: 0124-5014080 -----Original Message----- From: Jayadev P Hiremath [mailto:jayadevph@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 9:51 AM To: Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Cc: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: [LIS-Forum] Why do we need high proficiency in English language ? How many Librarians in East Europe, Japan, France, China and Russia and many other countries know English. Haven't these countries progressed ? If the Librarian has studied in Vernacular upto high school, is it his fault ? Library Science teacher's are there to teach Library Science and not English Language skills. When you were recruiting an Information Officer, what was the basic requirement ? Was it his skills in Information Management or English language ? You have a done a great disservice by writing highly unwarranted mail. This will dissuade many Librarians from writing to this forum. They all will develop inferiotity complex. Itis a national shame that when two Indians...Librarians.... from different parts of the country meet they have to communicate in English language. Have you ever thought about conversing in Hindi ? I jolly well know the importance of English language in the world. But that doesn't mean that we have to look down upon our fellow professionals who are not proficient in English. We have all become slaves to English language and take great pride in being so. I as a customer, have received many e-mails from your Organization and I don't think ICICI as such attaches much importance to English language skills and rightly so. Why is it that only you are so keen about it when it is not an Institutional policy. Working knowledge of the languages is more that sufficient for providing the services. Unless ofcourse you are going to write a treatise. Jayadev P Hiremath On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:36:38 +0530, Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com <Vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com> wrote: > Dear Friends, > > I am sure that some of you were expecting this. I am really appalled at the lack of any semblance of proficiency in the use of English language among many librarians. I wonder how one could pass through some 17 years of schooling and even after that manage not to learn basics of English Language. It is regrettable that our present system of Education does not emphasize the importance of Language abilities. Because of selfish politicians promoting their own agendas at the cost of the nation and because of a tendency to promote or put up with mediocrity everywhere -- the necessity for striving for excellence is once in a way heard from our president, though -- students do not look at Language skills with any concern. > > Recently we had to recruit an Information Officer for our VIC. Out of about fifteen persons we considered, hardly two or three could measure up as far as basic English Language skills are concerned. > > On one hand we find the Indian librarians community in India to be prolific writers - even an entry level resume mentions two or three 'papers' published and on the other hand we find that their presentation and communication skills at horribly very low levels. What are reasons? How can this be changed? Who should take action? Is it OK to be where & how we are? What do LIS teachers have to say? > > In this lamentation I am not bothered about typing errors (may be you are just lazy - not that you do not know), spelling mistakes (heavy dependence on spell checkers), occasional slippages (it happens to everyone), unheard of abbreviations being thrust on everyone by cell phone (or email?) culture and the like. I am concerned with basic English Language skills expected of a tenth class student. Kindly do not take recourse to "It is the same everywhere - in all other preofessions too" type of argument. > > Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, > ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, > RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA > Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com > Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631 > > _______________________________________________ > LIS-Forum mailing list > LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in > http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum > _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum

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