Impact of Information Technology on Management of
Libraries and
Information Centers
Dr. Veena A.
Prakashe Ramanik S. Lengure Information Scientist Librarian
RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur
Renuka Mahavidyalaya, Nagpur
Abstract
The paper gives an overview of various tools and techniques
of Information Technology as well as those of Information and Communication Technology like
computers, Information networks, Internet etc.
It also discusses the ways in which all these new method have affected
the entire face of the librariesand information centers in term of information
generation, its processing, its storage methods, retrievalof information and
its dissemination. How the traditional forms of information services have been
augmented using computers, world wide web and information networks paving way
to new forms of information services has also been elaborated upon. It also
discusses various advantages offered by ICT and also the challenges being faced
by the information managers in the Digital Era.
Keywords: Information Technology,
Information and Communication Technologies, Information Management, Modern
Libraries.
Introduction
According
to Kemp, “Information is considered as the fifth need of man ranking after air,
water, food and shelter”. The value of information in every human Endeavour
cannot be overstressed. Quick and easy
access to every piece of required information is a supreme importance
especially for information centers and libraries. Application of information technology and the
related techniques are being used by the libraries for information processing, information
storage, information communication, dissemination of information, automation,
etc. Further, origin of internet and the
development of World Wide Web revolutionized the information communication
technology. Recognizing the advantages of application of information technology,
the libraries are applying it to provide the facilities to their user community.
Before elaborating on various aspects of the deployment of information
technology or information and communication technology in libraries and
information resource centre, let us first have a glance at the terms used and
what they stand for.
Information
According to Shannon
and Weaver, “Information is any stimulus that reduces uncertainty”. Another definition by Chin-chin Chen and
Peter Hernon defines information as “all knowledge, ideas, facts, data and
imaginative works of mind which are communicated formally and or informally in
any format”. Its motivations are
inherently utilitarian. It is
instrumental and it usually is communicated in an organized or formalized
pattern, mainly because such formalization increases potential utility.
Communication
Information
communication in a broad sense of the term includes not merely transference of
information in the conventional sense, but also, the expression of feelings,
wishes, commands, desires or whatever it may be. It covers both, the use of natural language
as well as voluntary or involuntary or involuntary feelings, emotions,
gestures, etc.
Technology
It is the purposeful
application of information in the design, production and utilization of goods
and services, and in the organization of human activities. Technology is
generally divided into five categories:
Ø Tangible: blueprints,
models, operate manuals, prototypes.
Ø Intangible:
consultancy, problem-solving, and training methods.
Ø High: entirely or
almost entirely automated and intelligent technology that manipulates even
finer matter and even powerful forces.
Ø Intermediate: semi
automated partially intelligent technology that manipulates refined matter and
medium level forces.
Ø Low: labor-intensive
technology that manipulates only coarse or gross matter and weaker forces.
Information
technology
.
According to the
Webster’s New encyclopedia, “Information Technology is collective term for
various technologies involved in the processing and transmission of information.
They include computing telecommunications and microelectronics.” ALA Glossary says that “Information Technology is the
application of computers and technologies to the acquisition, processing,
storage, retrieval and dissemination of information.” (Singh, 2008)
The various components
of Information Technology include: Data, Information, Computers, Software, Mass
Networking.
Information
and Communication Technology
Information and
Communication Technology, popularly referred to as ICT is one of the biggest
achievements of the present times. It is a term that includes any communication
device, network application, encompassing radio, television, cellular phones,
computer and network, hardware, software, satellite system as well as the
various services and applications associated with them, such as
videoconferencing and distance learning. The human resource is essential to the
success of any technology-based service, and libraries and information centers are
challenged to develop and implement those services while maintaining
traditional services. The support of
electronics services requires special skill sets.
The term ICT
is used in preference to Information Technology, particularly in two
communities, education and government.
Although, in the common usage it is often assumed that ICT is synonymous
with IT, ICT in fact encompasses any medium to record information (magnetic
disc/tape optical disk (CD/DVD), flash memory etc. and arguably also paper resources)
technology for broadcasting information –radio, television; and technology for
communicating through voice and sound or images-microphones, camera,
loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones. Thus ‘ICT’ makes more explicit that
technologies such as broadcasting and wireless mobile telecommunication are
included.
Tools of Information and Communication
Technology
The 21st
century has clearly shown that information provides unforeseen opportunities
that enable multifaceted growth and development. Nobody can deny that the deployment of
information technologies have profoundly altered not only the way we live and
work but also our reading fundamentally altering and redefining our outlook
about information and its modes of dissemination. It is increasingly felt that deploying the
right technologies can go a long way in creating and nurturing human and social
capital. Expanding knowledge has
positive cascading effect by improving productivity, competitiveness, wealth
and prosperity apart from improving the quality of services and their delivery
systems.
The ICT Center of an
academic library is aimed to empower the teaching-learning, research,
consultancy and support operations. The
strategic objectives of the ICT Center is to provide secure, reliable,
efficient network-based services and ensure that all university community has
access to ICT resources. The ICT service delivery process is desired to provide
speedy, effective, demand based and quality ICT support to users, namely,
researchers, instructor, consultants, support staff, managers, data
administrators, member of college, ICT Helpdesk Teams, student representatives,
guests and local community.
ICT Tools
and techniques that have gained popularity in the information centers of late
are: Computers, Internet, Digital Camera, Webcam, Smart Card, Scanner, E-Book, Printer,
Electronic Journals, WEB-OPAC, Animation, E-Mail, CDROM, DVD, RFID Technologies,
etc.
Increasing use of ICT
in libraries and information centers have paved way to many new faces information
services that are more effective in terms of speed and reach like:
Ø Online Public Access
Catalogues and Web OPACs
Ø Information Services
through world wide web
Ø Current awareness
services
Ø Document supply
services e.g. JCCC
Ø Union Catalogues
Ø Audiovisual services
Ø Database Collection
Ø Digital Resources
Ø Online /Off-line
information sources
Ø Electronic reference
desk
Ø User education and
training programmers
Ø Access to
Institutional Repositories, etc.
ICT is one of the
major factors that are causing changes in the field of library and information
Science which the information professionals can use to communicate, retrieve
and disseminate the information.
Libraries and information centers are using ICT based resources and
services to satisfy the diverse information needs of their users. The use of information and communication
technologies has become increasingly important in libraries. The information professionals are switching
over to ICT based resources and services at an accelerated pace. E-Journals, CD-ROM databases for back volumes,
online databases, e-books, web based resources and a variety of other
electronic resources are fast replacing the traditional resources of libraries.
However, these resources and services are not utilized to the fullest. Under utilization of these resources and
services has been a cause of concern to libraries worldwide.
Impact
of ICT
Everyday,
new technological advances affect the way information is handled in libraries
and information centres. The impacts of new technologies are felt by libraries
in every aspect. Computing technology, communication technology and mass
storage technology are some of the areas of continuous development that reshape
the way that libraries access, retrieve, store, manipulate and disseminate
information to users. The academic library has been from its inception an
integral part of institutions of higher learning, rather than just being an
appendix or adjunct.
ICT
has impacted on every sphere of academic library activity especially in the
form of the library collection development strategies and consortia. ICT
presents an opportunity to provide value-added information services and access
to a wide variety of digital based information resources to their clients.
Furthermore, academic libraries are also using modern ICT to automate their
core functions, implement efficient and effective library cooperation and
resource sharing networks, implement management information systems, develop
institutional repositories of digital local contents and digital libraries and
initiate ICT based capacity building programmes for library users.
Information
and Communication Technology has brought unprecedented changes and transformation
to academic libraries and information centres and their services. Conventional user
services such as OPAC, users services, reference services, bibliographic
services, current awareness services, document delivery, interlibrary loan, audio
visual services and customer relations can be provided more efficiently and
effectively using ICT, as they offer convenient time, place, cost
effectiveness, faster and most-up-to-date dissemination and end users
involvement in the library and information services process.
The
impact of ICT characterized on information services by changes in format,
contents and method of production and contents and method of production and
delivery of information products. Emergence of internet as the largest
repository of information and knowledge, changed role of library and
information science professionals from intermediary to facilitator, new tools
for dissemination of information and shift from physical to virtual services
environment, extinction of some conventional information services and emergence
of new and innovation web based are a few instances to cite that have been
brought about due to advances of ICT in information centers..
Impact of ICT on information Services:
Ø Advent of
Printing Technology: Resulted in mass production of print documents and enabled
democratization of information (availability of information to one and all
without any discrimination)
Ø Storage: Help the Libraries to preserve the large
number of information in compact storage.
Ø Reprographic
Technology: Revolutionized the concept of information use as it facilitated to
own a copy of relevant portion of information resource.
Ø Computer:
The advent of computer is the biggest technology revolution so far. It has not
remained as stand alone technology by adopting communication technology as
well.
Ø Collection
development: ICT has made it possible to acquire Information source such as
books, journals, newspapers, etc. easily and speedily. Most of the publications
and their catalogue can be searched easily. The acquisition In charge can place
their order.
Ø OPAC: An
Online Public Access Catalog is an online database of materials held by a
library or group of libraries. Users search a library catalog principally to
locate books and other material physically located at a library.
Ø Circulation:
Using web based OPACs, users can check their issue/overdue status as also the
availability of the documents from anywhere easily. The document can be issued
electronically by making use of bar code strips or more recently RFID
technology.
Ø Resource
Sharing: Due to increasing cost of the document and non-availability of enough
funds, the information professionals were of late unable to provide each and
every reading material to its users.But with the emergence of information
networks and national knowledge networks, the users can access the expensive
information sources too that were earlier not reachable.
Ø Digital
Resources online: various e-resources consortia, information repositories,
online d-spaces of institutions, e-libraries, Web OPAC etc. have actually made
our dream of accessing other resourceful information centers collection a
reality.
ICT reduces labor and
saves time of staff and users too. Local
Area Networks provides cost effectiveness in various services and allows
secured resource sharing through link to a variety of different communication
devices. Internet and E-mail system
enable the students and scholars to remotely access other institutional
repositories. The worldwide communication among library and information science
societies has become easy with the help of E-mail.
ICT has provided new
media as well as new modes of storing and communicating information. ICT brought many services to library to speed
up their activities. It helps to remove
barriers of communication, distance and time.
The advances in technology will continue to improve the effectiveness of
libraries. It helps to transfer data
through communication network like internet anywhere.
Challenges posed by ICT
The every
changing ICT has also been a challenge for the information managers. The forms and format of storage of
information are continuously changing leaving information managers confused at
the time of selecting the information sources and the storage media. The access and dissemination methods are no
way less a trouble when it comes to speed and performance of the internet
connection. The problems have compounded mainly due to:
Ø Information explosion
Ø Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) revolution
Ø Explosive growth and
usage of web resources
Ø High costs and dwindling
Library budgets
Ø Escalating cost of
printed documents
Ø Intensive use of
digital resources
Ø Heightened level of
users expectations
Ø Interactive virtual
learning environment
Ø Evolution of virtual
educational Institutions
Ø Changing nature and
number of information resources
Ø Obsolescence of
technologies
In order to overcome
the above hurdles, there is a great deal of pressure and responsibility on the
information professionals to keep themselves abreast with the new trends in
ICT. They are required to keep on upgrading themselves in terms of functional literacy,
information literacy, computer literacy and ICT literacy as well. As their role
is multidimensional, the expectations from them is higher.
Conclusion
Technology
is here to stay. The information
professionals need to match their pace with it.
No doubt, it calls for a great deal of efforts and resources in terms of
funds and expertise, however, deployment of ICT tools and techniques like
computers, networking and internet will ensure not only speed but also low costs
in form of simultaneous global reach. It is also bringing about lowering
demands in terms of physical spaces required for information storage and
dissemination. ICT has provided new
media and modes of information acquisition, information processing, its
storage, information dissemination, its preservation and conservation while
offering efficiency and ease of use. It
has helped to remove barriers of communication, distance and time. The advances in technology will continue to
improve effectives of information centers.
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