Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-Based Services and Resources: Showcasing the Libraries of the Leading Academic Institutions of India

Abstract

During the last few decades, the whole world has observed tremendous changes, especially in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The advent and the continuous advancements in the ICT has brought a technological revolution in almost every sphere of life, the libraries being no exception. Over the last few decades, there has been a paradigm shift in the role of the libraries from the custodians and caretakers of traditional print resources to the providers of service-oriented digital information resources. With the advancement of ICT, increased use of computer networks, rapid growth of information explosion and growth of internet, libraries are in the way of adopting new ways and means for storage, retrieval and dissemination of information for sustenance in this information age. In this milieu, the present study highlights the use of various types of ICT-based library services and resources provided by the leading university libraries of India. The study is also an effort to know about the availability of different e-resources, presence of digital reference service and institutional repositories, availability of web OPACs and remote access to the electronic resources. The top 25 universities of India were selected for the present study according to the “Times Higher Education” Asia University Rankings 2017. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, citations and international outlook.

Keywords: ICT, E-Resources, Library Services, Digital Reference Service, Institutional Repositories, Remote Access

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