Dear Friends, Lot of seminars in national level announced recently. Announcement appeared in most of the discussion forums, blogs and social networking sites for library professionals. Paper presentation is the attraction of the seminar. Invitation mainly for attending the conference and inviting papers for presentation. Both participants and those who submit papers are need to register and pay the fee. Often, seminar registration fee is between Rs. 500 and 5000. Organisers also receiving fund from other agencies. Unfortunately, seminar organisers are not ensure the quality and content of the seminar. Most of the papers are equivalent to class assignment. All papers are accepted without peer reviewing. And no provision for plagiarism checking. It seems that main aim of the organisers are collect money by receiving maximum number of registration. Seminars should encourage the advancement of knowledge. Such events should act as a platform for showcasing current trends in the topic and participants can brush up their existing knowledge. Seminar organisers must ensure the quality of the event by receiving papers only after strict checking. And organisers should not receive registration fee from participants who like to submit papers. Prize for best paper is ideal for encourage authors to prepare quality publications. Separate prizes should distribute for best paper from student and working professionals. Organisers should send certificate to authors who could not attend the seminar. I request seminar organisers to rethink about existing practices followed in scholarly communication events. -- Vimal Kumar V. Mahatma Gandhi University Library Kottayam, Kerala- 686 560 Web: www.vimalkumar.org Blog: http://linuxhalwa.blogspot.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I have learnt" -Patrick White -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.