Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 18:14:16 -0700
From: Dr. Ramesh C. Gaur
Sorry for crossposting, if any;
"Reengineering Library and Information Services
Process, People & Technology"
by
Ramesh C. Gaur
Librarian, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
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Allied PublishersPrivate Limited, Mumbai. pp. 304. Price Rs. 500/-
Some Comments About the Book
To me, it is a first research contribution of its kind from India.
Therefore, LIS professionals in academic as well as professional circles
will benefit a great deal, in integrating theoretical as well as practical
aspects of the subject, in their own contexts.
- Dr. Roshan L. Raina, Professor, IIM, Lucknow
The present digital networked environment has changed the whole structure of
'knowledge organizations', i.e., libraries. The pace of such changes is very
fast. To cope up wuth above changes, it requires a radical change in our
thinking, in our organization, in our people, and in the usage of
technologies. And this radical change is possible by way of re-engineering
only. It is a guide book for librarians and library planners and gives us a
very thorough understanding of the reengeeneering process.
- Dr. Jagdish Arora, Coordinator, INDEST Consortium, Librarian, IIT, Bombay
Today's librarian works in a hybrid environment and his role is more of
pulling together the various channels of information, package the relevant
bits and present it to the user. This calls for a totally fresh look at the
professional routes and roadmap. Dr. Ramesh C Gaur is one of the pioneers in
applying the principles of re-engineering in the context of librarianship
in India. I welcome this publication which makes a significant contribution
to professional literature.
- Dr. Mishwara Bhat, Head of Library Services, BITS, Pilani
'Re-engineering Library and information services' by D. Ramesh Gaur is
indeed a welcome addition to the library & information science literature in
the country. The book portrays a vivid and candid picture about the
prevailing status of the libraries under study and gives clear cut BPR as
well as transformation guidelines they should adapt/adopt/absorb if they
want to be relevant, reliable and context sensitive. As such the model could
be emulated by any modern library/information center in the country.
- M G Sreekumar, Librarian & Head, CDDL, IIT, Kozhikode
The author places the responsibility for change in the way of working of
libraries in the context of change in information environment coupled with
changing information seeking patterns of users in the electronic
environment. To cope up with issues posed by evolution and revolution in
Information technology such as Internet and Intranet revolution, Web
publishing, Electronic publishing, and other information technological
innovations, etc. a fine-tuning of the operations and activities of
libraries and their information services is required. This is possible by
way of re-engineering library and information services as explained in this
book. The book provides a step-by-step guide about the re-engineering of
libraries.
- Usha Mujoo-Munshi, Head, Library and Informatics Centre, INSA, New Delhi
About the Book
This study presents a report on the effort to bring forth the transition of
a traditional library service, mainly relying on paper preservation and
local diffusion, to a modern information centre, whose main goal is putting
final users in contact with the information needed, whether it is local or
remote, on paper or stored digitally. To cope up with issues such as
Internet and Intranet revolution, Web publishing, Electronic publishing, and
other information technological innovations, etc. a fine-tuning of the
operations and activities of libraries and their information services is
required. This study describes how this transition may be achieved through a
process of re-engineering that involves staff tasks, available space,
available resources, and choice of tools. The book is a first attempt
towards an indepth study on applications of "Reengineering Management" to
Libraries. This book is focused on the re-engineering of Library and
Information services in which present state of management libraries in India
has been discussed. On the basis of findings of the study, various solutions
have been suggested. A case study of "Re-engineering of library of IMT,
Ghaziabad has been presented. A comparative study of thirteen management
libraries of NCR, has also been undertaken. The suggested "re-engineering
framework" - a model for reengineering of libraries, is a useful outcome of
this study. The primary beneficiary of this book would be the all libraries
and information centers who are planning to improve their library and
information services by way of reengineering. The head of the institutions,
librarians, library staff and all policy planners, who plan, monitor, and
use library and information services should be able to understand the basic
principles of re-engineering management and use the proposed re-engineering
framework to improve their library and information services. The case study
will help librarians to prepare a plan for the reengineering of their
libraries. The academia and researchers will find it as a basis for further
application in other libraries too.
About the Author
- Dr. Ramesh C. Gaur is a Librarian at the Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. A Science graduate, he holds a Ph.D.
in Library and Information Science and has undergone several advanced
training programmes in IT Applications in Libraries and Management of
Libraries. Besides this, he also holds Post B.Sc. Diploma in Computer
Applications. He is visiting Virginia Tech., USA, under Fullbright
Fellowship in Information Science & Technology for year 2003-04.
He began his career as an Information Officer at Eicher Research
Centre, Faridabad. Within a year he shifted to the Central Road Research
Institute, New Delhi and then to Brisk Securities Ltd., a corporate company.
He also worked in RIS, New Delhi. He made his mark at the IMT, Ghaziabad,
where he automated the Library and transformed it to a top class
establishment.
During the 11 years of his professional career over 25 papers have
been contributed by him to various publications. He has edited a book
'Business and Management Libraries: opportunities and challenges in 21st
century' going to be released shortly. He has successfully organized
Management Libraries Network (MANLIBNET) Convention and UPLA Seminar. He
is member of all Library Association in India and some important one in
abroad. His major professional achievements includes the formation of
Ranganathan Research Circle (RRC) along with Late Shri C.V. Subba Rao as the
Founder Convener of RRC. He is Life Trustee and Joint Secretary of
Ranganathan Research Trust (RRT), New Delhi. Dr. Gaur's interests range from
web designing to training programmes on IT in the library and information
field, he has also been affiliated with studies based on management
libraries in India. He developed a computer program entitled, 'Development
of Some Library Applications Using d-Base III +' for Water and Land
Management Institute. His goal is to develop and enhance professional
competence and by virtue of this to serve its clientele the best and to
become the leader in the Library and Information Science Field.
