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Developments in ICT:
Training Needs of the Library
professionals
Mamata.
Mestri
Assistant
Librarian (Sr)
Karnataka
Abstract:
The present paper explained about the
techniques that have developed in Information Communication Technology and also
described the applications of these techniques to libraries and information
centres. The library professionals are
in the state of confusion regarding the use and application of these
technologies to their libraries. They
need knowledge and skills so as to apply these techniques to their
libraries. For this purpose, the paper
listed different areas and techniques such as Library Automation, Computer
Software, Computer networking, Information collection, storage and retrieval in
digital format, Virtual Technology, electronic information services etc in
which the present library professionals need training. The paper concluded with the emphasis to
train the library professionals using appropriate methods depending the extent
of use of ICT in their libraries.
Key Words: Training,
Library Professionals, Information and Communication Technology.
Introduction:
The impact of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) developed library science techniques, tools and
functions. Printed documents are of no
use in the forthcoming years. In
library, Card Catalogue will also become obsolete in future. The emergence of ICT developed its
applications to library in the form of computer networks, digital storage formats,
institutional repositories, subject gateways, online information services, web
technology and search technology and so on.
Applications of ICT Techniques to
Libraries:
The Information and Communication
Technology is a dynamic and its techniques and applications are developing at a
faster rate. Nadia Caidi1 stated that “there are big
changes. Five or ten years ago,
libraries were traditional places to read materials, to get some
information. Now they are places to find
information, act more and more like gatekeepers. Society is changing well: the users think
more and more of reading as other than for leisure. They need specific information and more
leaders.
Developments in Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs), the libraries have been integrated at the
electronic frontier to facilitate rapid transfer of information on a global
scale. Advances in Computer Storage and
Telecommunication methods, online access to databases, electronic journals,
electronic knowledge banks, direct document delivery, teletext,
teleconferences, bulletin boards, CD-ROMs, networks etc., have been the
revolutionary developments in the last two/ three decades that have brought a
great change in communication, storing and handling of information. The digital or electronic resources are
dynamic in nature to share information globally and there has been an increased
scope for automated delivery mechanism.
Libraries today are termed as Digital Libraries and Hybrid Libraries. Knowledge preservation and dissemination have
rapidly changed. Unlike simply providing
access to holdings in print format, the electronic resources are procured to
meet the information needs of the clientele.
In the light of Information Bill 2002, it must be the fundamental
professional concern of the Librarians to endeavour to predict, grasp, analyze
and materialize such expectations and needs2.
The ICT developments transformed
and developed the library services as under:
Training
Needs of Library Professionals:
The continually changing world of
library and information management practices requires that modern library and
information professionals continually update their skills through continuing
education. Educators say that the skills
developed from a Master of Library and Information Science degree remain
relevant for approximately five years.
With the seemingly endless wave of information and other new
technologies to consider, how are library and information professionals to keep
up once their formal education is completed?
Learning generates greater community and a sense of confidence for the
community’s participants. The resulting
strength of the community and its individuals yields advocates for change and
experts in the value of the community3.
Considering the developments in ICT, Ramzan4 studied the IT
applications in libraries in
Considering the large volume of information
generated and communicated through the web, there is confusion of getting
accurate information for a specific need of the users. There is frequent and faster change in
technological applications in information sector. The high rate of technological change within
the information and library sector, the constantly changing demands of users
and the ever increasing amount of information available, means that the staff
needs to update and develop their professional skills5.
The Training
programmes and Continuing Education Programmes help the information
professionals to cope up with technological convergence (change). The Training programmes are designed with the
aims to develop the skills of the library and information professionals.
In developing skills for managing,
creating and providing services in the digital environment, training and
education will become ever more important. There will be increased need for
educational organizations to inform students of the new realities and the new
skills that they will need in the digital environment6.
Training Needs of the Library
Professionals:
Based on the Information and
Communication Technology developments and its applications to libraries, the following
key areas, in which the working library professionals are, needed training:
1. Basic
Computer and Networking Knowledge:
For
working library professionals, who does not know about computer and information
technology, there is need to know about basics of computers and networking. The
course module covers fundamentals of computers, hardware, software, input,
output devices, Linux (Red hat), software such as MS-Office, database
management systems, Knowledge about LAN, MAN, WAN, INTERNET, Web publishing,
Electronic Mail, etc.
2.
Library Automation:
Computerization and automation of the
library was started in the 1990s. There are many software packages and library
automation packages developed by software vendors. To quote a few libsys, Alice,
Librarian, Netlib, Libsoft, SOUL (Software of University Libraries) New Gen Lib
etc. It is a problem for library professionals to choose an automation
packages, which suit the needs of different libraries. For this purpose, there
is need to study these packages and choose the best for their library needs. It
is necessary to study the library automation package in detail with
applications to different sections/activities/services of the library.
3. Strategic Management:
Strategic management is
defined as the set of decisions and actions that result in the formulation and
implementation of plans designed to achieve a library objectives. Managing Activities internal to the library
in only part of the modern librarians, the modern librarians also must responds
to the challenges posed by the library immediate and remote external
environments. The immediate external
environment includes competitors, suppliers, government agencies
(state/central) and their ever more numerous regulations, and information
seekers whose preferences often shift inexplicably, the remote external
environment comprises economic and social conditions, management priorities,
and technological developments all of which must be anticipated, monitored,
assessed and incorporated in the librarians decision making7.
4. Digitization and Retrospective Conversion:
Now-a-days, many of the libraries are
digitizing their printed collections. Digitization refers to the conversion of
an item-be it printed text, manuscript, image, or sound, film and video
recording-from one format (usually print or analogue) into digital. The process
basically involves taking a physical object and essentially making an
‘electronic photograph’ of it. An image of the physical object is captured-using
a scanner or digital camera-and converted to digital format that can be stored
electronically and accessed via a computer.8
It is necessary to have knowledge of
conversion of documents to digital form, different types of scanners, cameras
and processes of digitization for the library professionals.
5. Digital
Libraries:
Wendy Lougee9 describes how libraries are changing, partly in
response to new technologies and partly in anticipation of new opportunities
for leadership that technology provides. Rather than being defined by its
collections or the services that support them.
Digital library is system providing a
community of users with coherent access to a large, organized repository of
information and knowledge. The digital library is not just one entity, but
multiple sources seamlessly integrated. The digital libraries endow with a
structural and planned entrance to information stuffing in a dispersed
environment and assist users in searching evaluating and utilizing resources
irrespective of their format. Improved information retrieval and enhanced
document delivery capabilities are widely acclaimed strength of digital library
in a networked environment through internet and internet in library and information
center.10
The
·
The digital library is not a single
entity;
·
The digital library requires technology
to link the resources;
·
Linkages between digital libraries and
information services are transparent;
·
Universal access to digital library must
be a goal;
·
Digital library collections are
restricted to document surrogates but include
digital
artifacts that have no printed
equivalent .11
It is essential for the library
professionals to know about the concept of digital libraries, their
architecture, models, digital library software, e-publications, multimedia
applications, multimedia packages, portals.
6. Information
Systems and Networks:
Information systems and
networks plying an important role in collection, storage, retrieval
communication and sharing of information in a specialized subject discipline.
It is essential to know about different information systems and networks for
the library professionals, so as to collect the information requirements from
the systems through networks and provide the same to the needy users.
7. Information
Collection, Storage and Retrieval:
The information here refers to
the digital information. It is necessity of every library professional to know
about collection, storage retrieval, sharing and communication of information.
For these purpose, various software formats such as HTML, PDF, XML, TEXT and Images
formats are used. Similarly for accessing the digital documents there is
necessary to know software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Real Page Plug in
HTML, PDF, and Text formats etc.
8. Information
Management and Control Techniques:
Today every organization is built and
maintaining and managing their own information system for their information
needs. Best12 defined Information Management as the economic,
efficient and effective co-ordination of the production, control, storage and
retrieval and dissemination of information from external and internal sources,
in order to improve the performance of the organization.
Information Systems are becoming of ever
greater interest in progressive and dynamic organizations. The need to obtain access conveniently,
quickly and economically makes it imperative to devise procedures for the
creation, management and utilization of databases in organizations.
It is necessary to know various modern
techniques in digital information management such as Meta data harvesting,
Preservation and Conservation of the
9.
Organizational Change and related Issues:
The organizational change transformed the
libraries and digital libraries and there are four areas in which the library
professionals should be exploring new developments and opportunities. ‘New patterns of library service,
organization and management are being required by a number of factors,
including: the variety, cost and numbers of publications; the changing face and
the need of the library’s clientele; closer scrutiny of library budgets;
growing expectations to do more with less; and increasing diversity in our
clientele…In fact, technology has been one of the key factors influencing the
pace of change, often driving change itself while making it possible to do more
with less, allowing the distribution of value added services to the users’13.
10. Digital
Rights Management:
For information management, there is
a necessary to know about different information sources. i.e., printed
copyright Acts of different computers. To retrieve, collect, disseminate, share
and communicate the information, there is a need to know about of copyright
issues pertaining to these materials. Hence education and Knowledge about
Digital Rights and Intellectual Property Rights is essential for library
professionals.
11. Virtual Technology and
Artificial Intelligence:
The developments in Information and
Communication Technology applications transformed the Libraries into Electronic
Library, Digital Library, Hybrid Library and Virtual Library. Depending on the level of ICT applications in
the libraries these libraries were classified.
Virtual Reality technology transformed the libraries into Virtual
Libraries.
Sangam
and Kulkarni14 stated that
the terms Virtual Library, Electronic Library and Digital Library are used
synonymously. But there is difference
between these terms as under:
Electronic Library is a library
that has wide spread use of computers and such other activities as online
databases and automated record keeping and computer based decision making. Digital Libraries are libraries in which all
information exists in digital format.
The information itself may however reside on different storage media
such as electronic memory magnetic or optical disks, but user will not
necessarily perceive any difference between them. Virtual Libraries use the technologies of
Virtual Reality (VR). This is known as
tele-presence in its simplest form. In a
Virtual environment, one would be able to browse without having to physically
go to it. Using Virtual Reality
equipment and facilities one would be able to enter virtual library, browse
around its rooms and shelves, use index or catalogue, select a book (by
pointing to it and touching it).
Virtual Reality is an oxymoron,
where Virtual means the existing or resulting in essence or effect though not
in actual fact, form or name and Reality means the quality or state being
actual or true. i.e. both these are self-contradictory words. The term Virtual Reality refers to an
environment or object simulated by computer hardware and software in such a way
that the viewer experience the environment or object as though it were real.
The virtual library exists independently of the amount or nature of the
electronic information to which it provides access. There are no limits on the
size, content or value of data in a virtual library. Its definition is shaped
by individual or organizational need15.
Virtual library may be defined as
“a library with little or no physical collection of books, periodicals, reading
space or support staff, but one that disseminates selective information
directly to distributed library, usually electronically”16. Virtual
library is a library without walls, spread across the globe from where one is
able to retrieve the whole world of information through a properly networked
workstation. Here the user gets
impression as if he is moving through a large library though library does not
physically exist, yet the user is able to retrieve the information needed by
him17.
According to Patterson18,
Artificial Intelligence is a “branch of computer science with the study and
creation of computer systems that exhibits some form of intelligence, system
that can learn new concepts and tasks, systems that reasons and draw useful
conclusions about the world around us, systems that can understand a natural
language or perceive, comprehend a visual scene and systems that perform other
types of facts that require human types of intelligence”.
Artificial Intelligence
techniques are attempting to create machines that can replace manual as well as
mental power and intelligence of human beings.
Artificial Intelligence has more success at intellectual tasks such as
multilingual computing, game playing and theorem proving. The Artificial techniques included Natural
Language Processing, Multi-lingual computing, Intelligent Retrieval from
Databases, theorem proving, Expert Systems, Automatic Programming and Robotics. Now, many libraries in
12.
Electronic Services:
The Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) transformed and developed the library services. These applications have changed application,
functions and services of the libraries as under:
v Automation
and Mechanization of every function of the libraries;
v Compact
Storage of Information, easy accessibility and faster communication;
v Subject
databases particularly from academic institutions: Increasing number of
institutions, especially academic and research institutes are making databases
in their specialized subject made available;
v Automated
Library Catalogue: Increasing numbers of libraries are making their Catalogue
electronically available over the Internet which may extend the use of library
resources.
v List
Serves and discussion groups on a wide variety of topics. Participants have the opportunity to exchange
and share current information;
v Document
Delivery Services may be provided electronically using Internet Technology;
v Electronic
Mails allow users to send messages or files to each other;
v Commercial
Information databases are available on the internet include, DIALOG,
Lexis-Nexis, Dow Jones News/Retrieval and many others;
v Telnet
or remote login-allowing users to log into remote sites;
v File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) allowing users
to access and retrieve files at remote sites;
v Gopher-
a text only, non-graphic method to receive internet documents, which have
largely been inter-generated into the World Wide Web;
v The
World Wide Web allows users to jump from one resource to another in easier way,
without going through gopher style menus;
v Video-conferencing
and Teleconferencing involves linking more than two users, so that participants
from different places over the world can see each other and view presentations;
v The
Consortia like UGC-Infonet provides the information through access to a large
number of journals to academic libraries all over the
Now it is necessary for
the library professionals to know the different services which have to be
provided in the digital era. For this
purpose, there is need for the training and developmental activities in these
areas.
Conclusion:
To
develop and organize the library resources in the revolutionized change in the ICT
era, there is a need of human resource development activities. Now, the different applications of ICT in
libraries redefined the library services and transformed the library
services. Hence, the users of the
library are also expecting more mechanized services from the libraries. Further, there is also indication of
competition and co-operation among the various libraries for providing advanced
services so as to keep the present users with expectation of the new
users. For this purpose, every library
must have to develop and improve their functions and services according to the
technological development. To achieve
this, there is need for training of the library professionals to the key areas
stated above.
References:
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