ThingsAsianAsian Libraries - India
India Institute
Image © 2003 India Institute
Ahmedabad
India
Nirma Institute of Technology is a self-financed technical institute offering degree level engineering programs and postgraduate in Master of Computer Applications. It was established in 1995 by the well-known philanthropist and industrialist, Shri Karsanbhai K. Patel under the aegis of Nirma Education and Research Foundation (NERF). The institute is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and State Government of Gujarat.
Located in peaceful and sylvan surroundings, about 15 kms from Ahmedabad, and easily accessible from the State capital Gandhinagar also, NIT shares a campus of 100 acres with two other premier institutions, Nirma Institute of Management and Nirma Institute of Diploma Studies. Nirma Education and Research Foundation (NERF) was founded in 1994 to provide centers of excellence in professional and management education. Under aegis of NERF, three institutions have emerged.
In 1995, Nirma Institute of Technology (NIT), offering multidisciplinary engineering programs, was established. Nirma Institute of Management was established in 1996 with a mission to promote excellence in management. Subsequently Nirma Institute of Diploma Studies was established to provide engineering diploma education, a deeper sense of relevance to the needs of present industry.
Indian Institute of Science - Bangalore
Bangalore
India
The Library of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) Bangalore, was established in 1911 and it is one of the first three departments started in the Institute. It is regarded as one of the best scientific and technical libraries in India. Apart from the main library it has departmental libraries also. The library moved in to the present premises in January 1965, built out of grants provided by University Grants Commission (UGC), in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Institute in 1959. In 1995 the library was renamed as ""J.R.D Tata Memorial Library"".
The collection of the library which includes books, journals, reports, standards and patents is regarded one of the richest collections in the country, in the field of science and technology. This rich and valuable collection built over nine decades has some of the rare reference materials and several important journals. The total holdings of the library exceeds 4,110,676 documents.
Bangalore Center
Bangalore
India
Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Center is one among the three important centers of ISI. The ISI Bangalore center library was established in the year 1976 to meet the academic and research interests of the students, scholar, teachers and others. It has one of the best collections of literature on Statistics, Mathematics, Quality Engineering/ Management and Library & Information Science in India. Presently it subscribes to around 300 international Journals on various subjects. The overall collection of books and reference materials, viz., reports, reprints, directories, encyclopedias, CDs etc., is approximately 23, 592. At present the library is automated which will enable a better management and easy access of information to users. Very soon the information on library collection will be made available to external users through Internet.
Health Education Library for People
Bombay
India
The Health Education Library for People (HELP), a non-profit organization started by Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and his wife Dr. Anjali Malpani, two years ago, is the first health education resource center in India.
With a collection of over 5,000 books, 10,000 pamphlets and numerous magazines and newsletters, it has been recognized by the Medical Libraries Association, USA, as one of the world's largest health education libraries. There is also a sizeable collection of audiovisual media, including 500 videotapes and over 30 CD-ROM titles on health and medical topics.
They modeled their library on the lines of the Planetree Library in San Francisco, since there was no existing model for them to emulate.
The educational material at HELP is classified into the following categories: Reference sources: volumes like the Human Body Atlas, the AMA Family Health Guide, Encyclopedia of Common diseases, etc. Promoting health/Preventing diseases: books on nutrition, weight control, fitness, exercise, sports medicine, etc. Mental health/illness: books on various mental disorders. Substance Abuse: books dealing with addiction to substances like drugs, alcohol and nicotine Therapies/Treatments: publications on First Aid, Surgery, Drugs, Yoga, Massage, and books on alternative therapies like acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbal healing, Metaphysical medicine, Pranic healing, Reiki, and so on. Body systems and Diseases.
Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay
Bombay
India
The Central Library, IIT Bombay is one amongst six major technological libraries in the country in the area of science, engineering and technology. It has completed nearly 45 years and has built a large collection of books, journals and non-book materials. It also has a rich collection of resources in electronic media available locally on the Institute Intranet and accessible on the Web.
It caters to the needs of large groups of users including more than 5000 students, 400 faculty, 1000 research scholars and equally large number of supporting staff. It has computerized all its housekeeping activities using software developed in-house that is being maintained and updated regularly. It uses state-of-the-art technology in its functioning and services.
The Library has a rich collection of books on science, technology, humanities, social sciences and management sciences. Besides General Collection of books, the Library has segregated specialized collections that are maintained separately. This collection in the Library includes: Reference Books, Standards, Pamphlets, Bound Volumes of Journals, Technical Reports, Theses, Study Room Collection, Technology Lending Library Collection, BC Books Collection, Video Cassettes, Compact Discs and Microforms.
Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
Calcutta
India
The Library of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics started around 1950 with a small budget of a few thousand rupees and with generous donations of books and periodicals from its founder-Director Prof. M. N. Saha, and from Profs. P. C. Mohanty, P.N. Ghosh, N. N. Dasgupta, A. K. Saha, S. K. Ghosh and donations of periodicals from Indian Scinence News Association, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, and National Institute of Science of India. Since then the Library has grown steadily as indicated by its budget figures. Starting with a meagre allocation of about Rs.50,000/- in 1960 the library budget increased to Rs 2 lakhs in 1970 and finally to 14 lakhs in the 1980. Now the budget is around Rs.75 lakhs.
The library is one of the resourceful information center of Eastern India in Nuclear and allied sciences having 27,306 Books, 42,648 bound volume of Journals and 21,000 Reports. Prof. Saha put forward the 'Ionisation Formula' which explained the importance of spectra lines in a spectrum. His formula enabled astronomers to know the temperature, pressure, and other aspects of the interior of the sun and any other stars. The formula proved to be a breakthrough in astrophysics. His greatest contribution, however, was his theory of thermal ionization of atoms. The theory has provided the most powerful tool that we posses for unraveling the physical properties of stars.
National Institute of Technology
Calicut City
India
NITC Library was started during 1963 inside NITC Campus with books as its major holding. During that period NITC was offering only Undergraduate Programs with a total strength of 180 students per batch. Even though the effective area of the library remained same at 1340 sq.m, the holdings of the library increased substantially. During 1980s, the student strength at NITC increased considerably both at Undergraduate and Post graduate level. NITC Library widened its operations in order to meet the consequent increased requirement for the library facilities. The operations of the library increased manifold during 1990-97. The holdings of the library increased to double the level of the 1980s and the area of library also increased with the addition of a new block. A separate reference reading room for the benefit of the users was started during this period. Similarly a full-fledged D.T.P center with a graphics studio to meet the publishing needs of the Institute, and a separate Xerox center were started during this period. A video section with more than 100 titles was started during this period in order to improve the learning resource collection.
Chandigarh
India
The Panjab University Library, named officially as ""A. C. Joshi Library"", after the name of an illustrious Vice-Chancellor of this University, was established in the U.S. Club, Shimla in the year 1947 after the partition of the country. The Library in its new premises was formally inaugurated in 1963 by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India.
The five storied impressive Library building in red stone and concrete is based on modern principles of architecture. Its modular and functional style fulfils the purpose of a planned Library. While all the reading areas face the North, the Staff Area is on the South side, with the Stack Area being in between. Its two main Reading Halls facing the Shivalik Hills afford a panoramic view of the natural surroundings. Besides the two main reading halls there are reading rooms in the Periodicals and Special Collections Sections, and an Outer Reading Hall for studying personal books.
There is a provision of 24 research carrels for teachers engaged in serious research work, and 90 lockers for research scholars. The Library has a collection of over 6 lakh publications which include books, bound volumes of journals, theses/dissertations, rare books, reports, government documents, back files of newspapers, and a prized collection of 1490 manuscripts.
The Library is now fully computerized with an integrated system connected to the Campus Network providing Internet and e-mail facility to the University community. The reference collection of the Library is continuously updated, and augmented with the acquisition of CD-ROM databases and access to on-line databases on Internet. The Library subscribe to about 650 current periodicals. Its holdings of back volumes of periodicals go back to nineteenth century.
Gandhinagar
India
IPR Library was set up in the year 1982. It was housed on the PRL, Ahmedabad campus until 1986. From April 1986 onwards it has shifted to its present location. The Library is stretched out in about 8000 sq. ft. area. The primary objective of the library is to support the scientific and technical programs of the institute by providing physical and intellectual access to information, keeping with the present and the anticipated scientific and technical functions of the institute. The collection includes Books, Journals, Reports, Thesis, Standards and Other Electronic Documents. The Library has a rich collection of documents in the following Subject Areas: plama physics, fusion technology, general physics, mathematics, nonlinear science, simulation methods, cryogenics, and all branches of engineering. The library currently subscribes to over 110 periodical titles.
Indian Institute of Health Management Research
Jaipur
India
The Library and Documentation Center has a well-balanced collection and provides user-friendly services and easy access to facilities. The Library started functioning from 1984. The Area of the Library in Sqm is 145.638 sq.mtrs. As the library is mainly a Research Institute main focus is given on the Health and Hospital management books. It is one of the best professional Libraries in India.
The Library has in stock about 15,000 volumes including covering the principle field of Interest in Health Management, Hospital Administration, Health Economics and Finance, Public Health, General Management, Management Information Systems, Population, Research Methodology, Sociology, Economics, Computer Science, etc. which includes Text Books, Reference Books, Training Materials, Case Studies, Manuals, Reports and Conference proceedings. In addition, it has 315 Audio and Videocassettes. Over 150 Journals, 120 Newsletters and several CD-ROM databases, from India and abroad. The library also has a vast collection of back volumes of periodicals.
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur
India
The Central Library began its existence in 1951. Since then, it has grown in size and content along with the Indian Institute of Technology to take the present shape. All these years, it has been the life-line for the academic activity of the institute. At present, it stands as a modem library with a lot of automation and as the largest of the six I.I.T 's in terms of the number of books and journals. Central Library serves the academic needs of about 5000 UG and PG students and research scholars, nearly 500 faculty members and about 1500 technical, administrative and medical staff of the institute. Besides its services are extended to a number of other organizations also.
The Library resources stand at about 3,00,000 volumes including books, back- volumes of periodicals, microforms, video forms, theses, patents and standards. The journal subscription goes beyond 1000. The Library collection consists of over 324000 volumes, 1000 Current Periodical subscriptions including periodicals on Electronic media and around 50 Gifted periodicals. The collection consists of books, reports, conference proceedings, back volumes of periodicals, standards, theses, Microforms, CD-ROMs, Floppies and AV materials.
Indian Institute of Technology
Madras
India
The Central Library is one of the central support services of IIT Madras which has been awarded ISO 9001 certification by RWTUV of Germany along with other five units of the Institute for the establishment and maintenance of quality library systems & procedures. The Central Library is well equipped with all modern facilities and resources in the form of CD-ROM, On-line databases, microfiche, microfilms, audio video cassettes, books, journals, standards, specifications, theses, reports etc. They are currently involved in utilizing the networked information resources for providing recent and most comprehensive access to e-journals, e-books, e-patents and other e-references sources to the faculty, students, staff, industries, alumnus under Intranet and Internet environment.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
Mumbai
India
The IGIDR library is rapidly building up to be one of the leading professional research and reference libraries in the country. All bibliographic details of books, journals and CD-ROM databases are accessible through the campus-wide Ethernet network. The library has over 40,000 printed documents, and it subscribes to over 460 national and international journals. It has established contacts with over 100 national and international organizations for exchange of the Institute's publications and inter-library loan arrangement.
The library of the Institute aims to be a leading research library in the fields of development studies, development economics, energy and environmental studies, general economics and Indian economy. It also aims to build a comprehensive collection of back volumes of journals in the field of Economics and related areas.
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) is an advanced research institute established by the Reserve Bank of India for carrying out research on development issues from a multi-disciplinary points of views. After its registrations as an autonomous society on November 14, 1986 and as a public trust in January 15, 1987, the then Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated the campus at Goregaon on December 28, 1987.
New Delhi
India
DELNET has been in operation since January 1988 and was registered as a society in 1992. It was initially sponsored by the National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India and is currently being promoted by the National Informatics Center, Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India and India International Center, New Delhi.
DELNET has been established with the prime objective of promoting resource sharing among the libraries through the development of a network of libraries. It has already created the Union Catalogue of Books, Union List of Current Periodicals, Union Catalogue of Periodicals, CD-ROM Database, Database of Indian Specialists, Database of Periodical Articles, Union List of Video Recordings, Urdu Manuscripts' Database, Database of Theses and Dissertations, DEVINSA Database, sample databases of language publications using GIST technology and several other databases.
Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi
New Delhi
India
The IIT Library System consists of a Central Library and 18 departmental libraries which collectively support the teaching, research and extension programs of the Institute. All students, faculty members and employees of the Institute are entitled to make use of the Library facilities on taking library membership. The Library, besides having a huge collection of books on engineering, science and humanities offers library services through its various Divisions. Initially setup in 1961, the Central Library moved to its new building in May, 1988.
The Library subscribes to 850 current journals. The Library has a rich collection of books on science and technology including chemistry, mathematics, physics, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and electronics engineering, textile engineering, biochemical and biomedical engineering. Besides, Library also has a good collection in the areas of humanities and social sciences.
Pune
India
PuneNet (Pune Libraries Networking Project) is a joint program of the University of Pune, The Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL). The project is funded by National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT) of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. The main objective of PuneNet is to open doors to the Information available in the libraries and other resource centers in Pune. PuneNet maintains centralized databases of information resources available in the participating libraries. By accessing these databases, the user will know the availability of information source in the participating libraries. Thus the user gets up-to-date information at one place and can avail the facilities of the participating libraries.
PuneNet databases are accessible over the INTERNET thus giving the project a worldwide accessibility. The user will therefore know whether a particular book is available in any of the libraries in the city. PuneNet, therefore, acts as a gateway to the INTERNET. The other objective of PuneNet is to help in increasing co-operation amongst the participating libraries and co-ordinate the activities so as to serve the user community efficiently.
Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Pune, Maharashtra
India
The library is an automated open access library which is kept open all the year round. The books include major collections of astronomy and astrophysics, physics, mathematics, computer science and electronics, supported by literature in other walks of life. The library subscribes to important journals in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, many of which are received by airmail. Containing some 20,000 books and subscribing to about 100 scientific journals, the IUCAA Library is one of the most advanced modern libraries specializing in astronomy and astrophysics in India. It was the first library in the country to dispense with the card index in favor of a computerized database. Serving as the main resource library in A & A in the university sector, it is extensively used both on and off campus. In the latter mode it provides references, copies etc. of relevant literature to users from all over India.
Center for Development Studies
Trivandrum
India
Ever since its inception, CDS has accorded high priority for building up a good library in social sciences. It is now one of the leading professional research and reference libraries in the country with a rich collection of books, journals, publications of other research institutes (national as well as international) and publications by the government. The Library collection is now over a hundred thousand titles covering development studies, economics, sociology, demography, statistics, history, and political science. It subscribes to 240 journals currently. In addition, it receives about 200 other journals by way of gifts or exchange. It also has a good collection of rare documents in microforms, especially Census of India from 1872 onwards. The library keeps contact with a large number of national and international organizations for exchange of publications. A large number of scholars from both India and abroad visit the library for reference.
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