New IIT Libraries to Strengthen Resource Sharing

IIT Gandhinagar initiated and hosted a first meeting of the new IIT Librarians’/Library Representatives from 29th to 31st Oct, 2012. This meeting was attended by the senior staff members heading the libraries in these new institutions. Senior officials from INDEST –AICTE Consortium, New Delhi and INFLIBNET Centre, Ahmedabad also attended this meeting.

Prof. Sudhir K. Jain, Director IIT Gandhinagar gave an inaugural address and Prof. R. Sharan, Chairman, Library Committee at IIT Gandhinagar gave the opening remarks. In his inaugural address Prof. Jain suggested that, it is important that librarians from these new IITs come together, interact, work towards building new work culture, implementing state-of-the –art technology, introducing innovative& new services, and promoting resource sharing. Our libraries have to compete and cooperate to meet the challenges of present era.

The main objectives of this three day meeting was to understand various e-resources subscribed by each IIT, discuss the mechanisms to avoid overlap, identify means to optimize the existing resources and also discuss about the future requirements. During the meeting, librarians came up with a consolidated list of new resources required for 2013 and decided to take it up with INDEST and INFLIBNET Consortia. Librarians also shared the best practices followed in their respective libraries.

Besides discussing various issues of mutual interest and concern, demonstration of number of new and innovativeproductswere also held. At the end, the group gathered for this meeting identified major tasks and decided to work together for successful implementation of the same in near future. This group also decided to meet at least twice in a year in different locations and continue the interactions.

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