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Rural Library Collection
by Appasaheb Naikal 08 Feb '05

08 Feb '05

Dear All, We are in the process of setting up a School Library at kudiganur (A remote village in Gulbarga Dist Karnataka State) This village is having school only till 7th std. But children's attendance at school is very poor due to poor infrastructure and other things like shortage of staff etc. One of my friend who was born and brought up in that village is now working in China as Mechanical Engineer and has approached me with the idea of starting a library. Using this library, we think we can provide a better Platform for rural kids to gain good knowledge and build confidence to come up in life. Apart from books we are planning to add some indoor games to attract children to school. So may I request you all to suggest what kind of books we can add and some good games as well along with supplier's name and address. Since He is paying everything from his pocket the initial budget will be Rs. 10,000 to 15, 000/- which may go up later. In second phase we are even thinking of donating some second hand PC with CD drive and give some good educational CD's to them Looking forward for your valuable suggestions Thanks in advance With regards Appasaheb Naikal MBT Mumbai Library Tel: 022- 56792000 Ext. 7438 Fax: 022-28478959 Cell: 91-9820524320 Visit us at: www.mahindrabt.com ********************************************************* Disclaimer: The contents of this E-mail (including the contents of the enclosure(s) or attachment(s) if any) are privileged and confidential material of MBT and should not be disclosed to, used by or copied in any manner by anyone other than the intended addressee(s). In case you are not the desired addressee, you should delete this message and/or re-direct it to the sender. The views expressed in this E-mail message (including the enclosure(s) or attachment(s) if any) are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views of MBT. This e-mail message including attachment/(s), if any, is believed to be free of any virus. However, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free and MBT is not responsible for any loss or damage arising in any way from its use ******************************************************** Dear All, We are in the process of setting up a School Library at kudiganur (A remote village in Gulbarga Dist Karnataka State) This village is having school only till 7th std. But children's attendance at school is very poor due to poor infrastructure and other things like shortage of staff etc. One of my friend who was born and brought up in that village is now working in China as Mechanical Engineer and has approached me with the idea of starting a library. Using this library, we think we can provide a better Platform for rural kids to gain good knowledge and build confidence to come up in life. Apart from books we are planning to add some indoor games to attract children to school. So may I request you all to suggest what kind of books we can add and some good games as well along with supplier's name and address. Since He is paying everything from his pocket the initial budget will be Rs. 10,000 to 15, 000/- which may go up later. In second phase we are even thinking of donating some second hand PC with CD drive and give some good educational CD's to them Looking forward for your valuable suggestions Thanks in advance With regards Appasaheb Naikal MBT Mumbai Library Tel: 022- 56792000 Ext. 7438 Fax: 022-28478959 Cell: 91-9820524320 Visit us at: http://www.mahindrabt.com www.mahindrabt.com ********************************************************* Disclaimer: The contents of this E-mail (including the contents of the enclosure(s) or attachment(s) if any) are privileged and confidential material of MBT and should not be disclosed to, used by or copied in any manner by anyone other than the intended addressee(s). In case you are not the desired addressee, you should delete this message and/or re-direct it to the sender. The views expressed in this E-mail message (including the enclosure(s) or attachment(s) if any) are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views of MBT. This e-mail message including attachment/(s), if any, is believed to be free of any virus. However, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free and MBT is not responsible for any loss or damage arising in any way from its use ********************************************************

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The Library of Everything
by Farooque Shaheen 08 Feb '05

08 Feb '05

?The Library of Everything?, an article published in Business Standard, 8 Feb 2005. It talks about issues relating to Digital Libraries,Publishing Industries, mp3 file sharing, services offered by Amazon and Google etc. You can access the same article on http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?hpFlag=Y&chklogin=N&a… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Bangalore-04 Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449 “The Library of Everything”, an article published in Business Standard, 8 Feb 2005. It talks about issues relating to Digital Libraries,Publishing Industries, mp3 file sharing, services offered by Amazon and Google etc. You can access the same article on http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?hpFlag=Y&chklogin=N&a… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Bangalore-04 Tel. 080-26678388 # 4105 Mobile-9342507449

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Major CDS?ISIS databases
by Francis Jayakanth 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

Dear Member: I'm urgently in need of information or pointers related to major CDS/ISIS databases being maintained across the world. The databases could be on any subject domain. Its all the more better, if such databases are accessible on the web. Thanks very much for your attention. With regads, - Francis

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Approaches to make CDS/ISIS Databases OAI-Compliant
by Francis Jayakanth 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

Dear Members: For those of us using CDS/ISIS, we know how good this package is in handling textual data. This package is in use for decades now and the number of databases being maintained world-wide, using this package must be substantially high! Could somebody please let me know the major initiatives of CDS/ISIS world-wide? In the present day context of interoperability of DLs through the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH), http://www.openarchives.org/ , wouldn't it be wonderful, if CDS/ISIS databases could be made OAI-compliant, too? We have done just that and are happy to share the information with fellow members. The National Centre for Science Information (NCSI), IISc., Bangalore, and the Digital Library Research Group (DLRG) at the Old Dominion University (ODU), Norfolk, Virginia, USA, have jointly developed and successfully demonstrated, two approaches to make CDS/ISIS databases OAI compliant: static and dynamic. This has been reported on the UNESCO site as well and can be reached at: http://www.unesco.org/isis The papers resulting from our work are also available from the above link. For the present, only our first paper, entitled "Approaches to make CDS/ISIS Databases Interoperable With other Digital Libraries" is available from the site. Our second paper, entitled "Interoperability of Legacy Bibliographic Database Systems over Internet - A Case Study with CDS/ISIS" will be available from the above URL shortly. We believe that our work has a tremendous potential and CDS/ISIS community can happily continue to use this excellent package without having to worry about migrating to other software packages in order to be OAI-compliant. You may like to have a look at the test bed federation of a few sample CDS/ISIS databases that we have been able to build. Its available at: http://hutch.cs.odu.edu:9875/arc upon reaching this site, you may enter terms like, digital library, ocean, or information and the system will return a list of databases holding records matching the query string. Please note that Arc is an OAI service provider for DL federation. Its an open source software developed by the DLRG, ODU. For more details about Arc, visit http://dlib.cs.odu.edu With regards, - Francis Visiting Fulbright Fellow Old Dominion Univ Norfolk, VA

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Webology: Call for Papers
by AliReza Noruzi 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

Dear All, [Apologies for cross-posting.] Webology, an international online journal, is a scholarly journal in English devoted to the various fields of Library and Information Science and the World Wide Web. It serves as a forum for discussion and experimentation. Webology publishes scholarly articles, essays and reviews, and encourages the participation of academics and practitioners alike. Volume 2, Number 1 will focus on Web Search, including but not limited to, the following topics: - Web Searching - Web Search Behaviour - Web Search Trends - Web Information Retrieval - Search Engines We welcome and encourage all contributions on these or other aspects of the World Wide Web before the deadline on March 20, 2005. Saeid Asadi in the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Queensland will act as special editor of this issue. For further information, please visit our web site, contact our special editor Saeid Asadi: asadi(a)itee.uq.edu.au or other Editors. Regards, AliReza Noruzi Department of Information Science University of Paul Cezanne, France noruzi(a)crrm.u-3mrs.fr www.webology.ir --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. Dear All, [Apologies for cross-posting.] Web o logy , an international online journal, is a scholarly journal in English devoted to the various fields of Library and Information Science and the World Wide Web. It serves as a forum for discussion and experimentation. Webology publishes scholarly articles, essays and reviews, and encourages the participation of academics and practitioners alike. � Volume 2 , Number 1 will focus on Web Search , including but not limited to, the following topics: - Web Searching - Web Search Behaviour - Web Search Trends - Web Information Retrieval - Search Engines � We welcome and encourage all contributions on these or other aspects of the World Wide Web before the deadline on March 20 , 2005 . � http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~asadi/ Saeid Asadi in the http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/ School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Queensland will act as special editor of this issue. For further information, please visit our http://www.webology.ir/callforpapers.html web site , contact our special editor Saeid Asadi : asadi(a)itee.uq.edu.au �� or other http://www.webology.ir/editors.html Editors . � Regards, AliReza Noruzi Department of Information Science University of Paul Cezanne , France mailto:noruzi@crrm.u-3mrs.fr noruzi @ crrm.u-3mrs.fr � http://www.webology.ir/ www.webology.ir Do you Yahoo!? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/mobile/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/mai… Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.

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delivery of books act-amendment
by Prof. N. Laxman Rao. 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

hello friends every one of know that the publishers have to send one copy of ech published document act. to National library and other national level libraries (delhi, chennai, Mumbai). at present only 30% of published documents re sent under the act. manly it is due to lack punitive action and loopholes in the act. recently the publishers proposed the govt to reduce the no to TWO. the govt put up the proposal to consultative committee. it is beig examined. we know that the publishers give 40 to 60% discount on the books. may i seek opinion of the professionals in regard to the implementation of the act and suggested proposal by the publishers? further u may also suggestt the punishment, what is the fate of the similar acts in other countries. it will be highly appreciative if evey can participate and send their feelings, opinions and suggested actions. laxman rao ===== Prof.N.LAXMAN RAO, Dept.of Library & Information Science, Osmania University, HYDERABAD- 500 007 (INDIA) President, Indian Association of Teachers in Library and Information Science (IATLIS). Ph:+91-40-27171565 (res): +91-40- 27682290 (off) 9246547599 (Mobile) e:mail-- naglaxman(a)yahoo.com OR naglaxman(a)indiatimes.com ___________________________________________________________ ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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ILL request - National Institute of Communicable Diseases Report
by Tomas Allen 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

My dear colleagues, We are seeking the following document and wonder if you would be able to supply a copy to our library. The document being sought is : Verghese T., Kumari S, Ichhpunjni RL Meningococcal Meningitis. Delhi : National Institute of Communicable Diseases 13-20 1990. While an electronic copy is desirable, paper would also be much appreciated. Any assistance would be much appreciated. We also share in your grief that has hit India due to the Tsunami. It has touched many people here as to how life can so quickly change. My best regards and support, Tomas Allen Librarian Library and Information Networks for Knowledge (LNK) World Health Organization Avenue Appia 20 CH-1211 Geneva 27 Switzerland _________________________________________________________________ Die MSN Suche - Kategorien helfen Ihnen dabei, präzise Ergebnisse zu erhalten. http://search.msn.ch/

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Seminar on ZING Standard for IR
by ravi inder 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Documentation Research and Training Centre 8th Mile, Mysore Road, Bangalore - 560059 DRTC Seminar on ZING STANDARD FOR INFORMATION RETRIVAL by Amit Jha Abstract Z39.50 is a standard that defines a protocol to support search and retrieval of information across networks. It is much used in libraries, working 'behind the scenes' to enable complex searches and multiple database searches carried out by users in a user-friendly way, where the complexity of search and retrieval is hidden from them. This seminar offers an overview of the Z39.50 specification, what it is, how and why it has been developed, how it works and where future developments might lead. The seminar also discusses ZING (Z39.50 International: Next Generation) and the experimental work occurring within the Z39.50 community, to determine what might become the future generation of the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol. In addition, the seminar explains terminology associated with ZING standards. Venue : DRTC Classroom Date : 10.02.2005 (Thursday) Time : 03:45 pm All are cordially invited. Seminar Coordinator DRTC, ISI INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Documentation Research and Training Centre 8th Mile, Mysore Road, Bangalore - 560059 DRTC Seminar on ZING STANDARD FOR INFORMATION RETRIVAL by Amit Jha Abstract Z39.50 is a standard that defines a protocol to support search and retrieval of information across networks. It is much used in libraries, working 'behind the scenes' to enable complex searches and multiple database searches carried out by users in a user-friendly way, where the complexity of search and retrieval is hidden from them. This seminar offers an overview of the Z39.50 specification, what it is, how and why it has been developed, how it works and where future developments might lead. The seminar also discusses ZING (Z39.50 International: Next Generation) and the experimental work occurring within the Z39.50 community, to determine what might become the future generation of the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol. In addition, the seminar explains terminology associated with ZING standards. Venue : DRTC Classroom Date : 10.02.2005 (Thursday) Time : 03:45 pm All are cordially invited. Seminar Coordinator DRTC, ISI http://clients.rediff.com/signature/track_sig.asp http://ads.rediff.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.rediffmail.com/inbo…

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(Fwd) [iatlis] Re: [nmlis] Reconition of Library professionals
by Prafulla Chandra 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>------- Forwarded message follows ------- </color>To: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Syed Md Shahid <<smshahid2003(a)yahoo.co.in>,</color> <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>iatlis(a)yahoogroups.com,</color> <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>nmlis(a)yahoogroups.com</color> Priority: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>normal</color> From: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>"Prafulla Chandra" <<prafulla(a)nisc.co.in></color> Date sent: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Mon, 7 Feb 2005 11:22:56 +0530</color> <bold>Subject: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>[iatlis] Re: [nmlis] Reconition of Library professionals</bold></color> Send reply to: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>prafulla(a)nisc.co.in</color> <underline><color><param>0000,8000,0000</param>[ Double-click this line for list subscription options ]</underline></color> Dear All, This has reference to Mr Shahid's communication reproduced at the end of my communication: What Mr Shahid pointed out is true and reflects the sorry state of affairs regarding the status of library staff. My feeling is that this is an issue which the new body of ILA should take up immediately. There is an urgent need to have a cell in ILA which could take care of the issues relating to promotional avenues, recruitment rules, status, etc. Also, I have a feeling that there is a discrimination between the status accorded to the university librarian on the one hand and the Deputy Librarians and Asst Librarians on the other. I understand that while the University Librarians are accorded full academic status, with provision for extension of service even after the age of retirement, the same is not the case in respect of DLs and ALs. Gross injustrice has been done to DLs and ALs in recent years. For instance, because of the recent withdrawal of full academic status to ALs & DLs, even their age of retirement has been reduced. I can cite at least one case of an honest Deputy Librarian who suffered most because of this development. Mr NV Jagga Rao (Dy Librarian of the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad) was retired so suddenly that he is not receiving even a single rupee as pension. He joined the LIS profession in 1957 having served the Andhra University, CLRI, Chennai, BHEL and the American Studies Research Centre. Is this the treatment we mete out to honest LIS professionals who serve the profession with dedication and utmost integrity? My strong feeling is that ILA needs to play a key role in protecting the interests of LIS professionals at all levels. It should act as a clearinghouse for info on all Govt of India/Institutional orders relating to recruitment, promotion policies, etc. My experience at CIEFL reveals that recruitment rules/promotional policies are framed in secrecy, changes made in secrecy and the staff are not informed properly. Only the university librarian is kept informed and he does not disclose it to all his subordinate nor did he take the staff into confidence or consult them. We came to know of the changes only when they were implemented and that too with disastrous consequences. When we wrote to the Registrar for copies of the promotional policy document, we could not get. When we said that we would approach the National Human Rights Commisssion for redressal, he gave permission to do so. This is the state of affairs to get a copy of a document which does not fall under the category of Official Secrets. Finally, we preferred an appeal to the Honourable High Court of Andhra Pradesh and the case is pending. Also, all ALs and DLs should be once again declared as full- fledged academic staff and accorded parity with University Librarians in terms of retirement age, extension of service after retirement, etc. Another serious anomoly is promotional avenues for Professional Assistants working in libraries. The present hierarchy is as follows: Junior Library Asst Semi-Professional Asst Professional Asst Assistant Librarian Deputy Librarian University Librarian Of all the above categories, only Professional Assts cannot be promoted to the level of Asst Librarian. As a result, they are struck at the level of Professional Asst and there are hundreds of PAs stagnating without any promotional avenues. This issue also needs the attention of ILA. We would appreciate if all the office bearers of ILA join these discussion lists and respond to the points raised regularly. Thank you Sincerely T.V. Prafulla Chandra Senior Editor To: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>iatlis(a)yahoogroups.com, nmlis(a)yahoogroups.com<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param> From: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Syed Md Shahid <<smshahid2003(a)yahoo.co.in><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param> Date sent: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Sat, 5 Feb 2005 12:25:00 +0000 (GMT)<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param> <bold>Subject: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>[nmlis] Reconition of Library professionals</bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param> Dear All, Dear Sir, My feeling is that all library staff from the cadre <underline><color><param>0000,8000,0000</param>[ Double-click this line for list subscription options ]</underline><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param> Dear Sir, Though in your state They are called as lect in lib sc. the univ staff have been designated as prof,associ prof and asst prof.but this is not the ame in other places. as long as status is concerned What I have seen in Jammu that though asst. Librarian h aving the same qualification as a lecturer there is a very wide gap between them. At the time of selection both the post are equivalent but service condition and status wie this is totally different as at the time of status the authorities called Asst. Libra rians a non teaching employee. It is not that we (library professional) lack talent and skills it is the mindset of authorities and teaching community thet they think themselves more superior and efficient. How long one can perform if he/he can not get proper training, promotions and recognition etc. Most of the top positions of Library field are occopied by the people who have good political links and they do not think or discus about the plight of their junior staff. It i not that uer not give us proper reponse or not happy with our ervice etc. but they can not make much for our status and service conditions. as I was working prior this job at NCTE, New Delhi as LDPOand before that Asst. Librarian at British Council Library, Patna. Users were so satisfied by our kill and services that at the time in 2001 when british Council decided to close the Patna branchon pretext of downsizingthe uer made strong protet agint the closer. They even formed user forum and thet is stil l fighting a case in court against Britih Council's closure of the library. So ultimately, it i due to some of us and our ILA like bodies that we don't have still library legislation in big states like UP and Bihar etc. and proper recognition for the profession. Thanks Regards, Syed Mohd Shahid Asst. Librarian "Prof. N. Laxman Rao." <<naglaxman(a)yahoo.com> wrote: hi it is a big issue. in our state, the college librarians have been designated as lect in lib sc. the univ staff have been designated as prof, associ prof and asst prof. earlier ugc had given equivalent status, now the age of retirement is differrent. it is unfortunate. the lirarians responsibility had been enormously increased in the context of distance education and they should be in better recognition than teachersand otherr staff. it is also unfortunate, in spite of all the new developments, librarians are unable to prove that they are essential and nothing can happen with out them. they are also swimming in the same stream like teachers,other employeees leaving their responsibilities to the air. ofcourse, every one is not like. i am only stating majority. when the government does ot have the responsibility or accountability except the authority and power, how we can expect support from the govt to rectify, the education system. prvate orgns are doing better, as no out side involvment and therefore, they play with employees. however, please understand that i am not interested to criticise are comment on any one. what r the reasons? it may be parents non-involvement, politicians involvments, caste, religion and regional feelings--what not many? who has to bell the cat? i think the profession as a whole has to show to the world like in other countries- that librarians are essential services, and nothing less than that. it is possile with our services and recognition. i know that the facilities are not given but expectations are high. we have to do our best with in the given environmet. take associations, did they do anything except conf and seminars. except politics in its activities did we do develop any software, or standrds or any thing like assons in other countries. we have talent and skill and knowledge, but nothing happens and if some one want to do something, others put spokes? i leave further to others for comments. please do not comment personally or any one. it is a general issue. STILL I FEEL THE LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS ARE GREAT AD THE NEED COMPLETE RECOGNITION, AND IT CAN NOT E DENIED BECAUSE OF FEW PROFESSIONAL FRIENDS. sorry if i have hurted any one. LAXMAN RAO --- sushil sharma wrote: <color><param>7F00,0000,0000</param>> > Respected sir, > > I am working with Pvt Engg college in Punjab sir my > question is library staff is non teaching and teaching > staff which is the diffrence with the teaching or non > teaching every thing is diffrent by management this is > not write sir my thinking sir > > Sushil Sharma > From Patiala > > --- nmlis Moderator > wrote: > > > > > > HI > > HAPPY NEW MILLENNIUM. > > > > Welcome my dear fellow Library/ Information > > professionals from the GLOBAL VILLAGE to this > > egroup. We have named this group as NMLIS = NEW > > MILLENIUM LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE GROUP. This > > group is initiated from Hyderabad (India) with an > > objective to link the professionals (both teachers & > > practioners) having a progresive thoughts for the > > next millennium. I will appreciate all the > > professional friends to inform other professional > > friends / colleagues to join this egroup. They can > > join at the address www.egroups.com/register and > > then look for -- nmlis --. Further, I will > > appreciate if you could fill in the table in > > database for thedetails of the members. I thought > > probably we may need another week time to start > > functioning as the members are just sending the > > acceptance. THANKS LAXMAN RAO > > > > > > This is a Mailing List of INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS > > to exchange views, ideas and opinions relating to > > the Library and Information fields. This is > > basically to develop inter-relationship and help > > this professional group in getting updated. This > > group is also interested in sharing the knowledge > > and experience among the information professionals > > between developing and developed countries. The > > interaction may also lead to initiation of > > collaborative projects. > > > > I will be happy and appreciate you, if you could > > join in this group. Please participate actively for > > the benefit of profession. > > > > Prof.N.Laxman Rao, > > Dept. of Library & Information Science, > > Osmania University, HYDERABAD -500 007 (India). > > Phone +91-40-7171565, 7176647 (res) > > +91-40-7018951 ext 290 (off) > > email naglaxman(a)yahoo.com > > > > > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________ ____________________ > Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online > Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony > > > > <color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>===== Prof.N.LAXMAN RAO, Dept.of Library & Information Science, Osmania University, HYDERABAD- 500 007 (INDIA) President, Indian Association of Teachers in Library and Information Science (IATLIS). Ph:+91-40-27171565 (res): +91-40- 27682290 (off) 9246547599 (Mobile) e:mail-- naglaxman(a)yahoo.com OR naglaxman(a)indiatimes.com Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- <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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Manipur State Central Library in Shambles
by Vyasamoorthy＠icicikp.com 07 Feb '05

07 Feb '05

Dear Friends: Please read the news below. Here's another disturbing scenario of Public Library System. If lack of books due to funds crunch is a concern, I think a drive seeking donation 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 of books might also help. Vyasamoorthy, P =============================================== State Central library yearns for visitor Source: The Sangai Express http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=7.14.060205.feb05 Imphal, February 05: Unlike the past when staffs of the Manipur State Central Library had little time for relaxation due to constant thronging of readers and necessity to keep tap of book hirers and returners the library employees are these days literally yawning their time away as number of book readers have dwindled substantially. At the present juncture number of visitors, book hirers and returners that could reach upto ten in a single day can be described as the busiest day for the employees as many days pass without a single visitor showing up at the library. According to a frequent visitor the chief factor for dissuading readers are books at the library shelves that are comparatively irrelevant and outdated to the present day requirement for commoners while students keep distance from the library due to lack of reference books that could commiserate with the prescribed syllabus. When a group of higher secondary students were urged to justify visit to the library, they conveyed of coming to study only with books brought from their own homes or exchange views with friends. Neither are national newspapers, weeklies and monthly magazines nor foreign magazines and books capable of providing competition examination feedbacks available at the library, highlighted the students. Subject-wise magazines could also not be found at the library, they said while lamenting that even the reading rooms are congested with only one medium size table dotted by 15 chairs in the reference section. Moreover, desks and benches provided at the children's section of the library are also gathering dust and spider web all over clearly indicating that children were seldom present in the room unlike in the past when parents used to encourage children cultivate habit of book reading. Even worse is the general section where the book shelves are laying empty and the few available there hardly of any use these days. Established in 1958 the Central library is the first of its kind in the state. Painting a pitiable picture an employee observed that rather that expand knowledge of readers the library itself is on the verge of extinction unless prompt action is taken to woo back book enthusiasts. When queried the Chief Librarian attributed the deplorable condition to financial problem that had besieged the State Govt that ultimately curbed maintenance, purchase of new books and other necessary arrangements. Due to financial crunch for the past many years development activities not only fell behind but even office management had become an arduous tasks, said the Chief Librarian On the brighter side, the official expressed confidence of reviving the library as Government attention had been earned resulting in release of funds to purchase new books, said the official. Among the new purchases include encyclopedia, books for reference, guide, law and children, added the officials who informed that due to necessity of following official procedure the public will have to wait for some more time in gaining access to the fresh arrivals. The Chief Librarian also endorsing complaints of the reading rooms being too congested said the problem could be addressed once the new library building construction has been completed. ==============================

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