INFLIBNET, KU Programme on Library Automation begins

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*Need for new skills to meet user demands: Prof Punjabi

Vice Chancellor Prof.) Riyaz Punjabi today said that revolution has already taken place as for as knowledge management is concerned and this vibrant and fast paced change required new skills and expertise to meet demand of users especially when technology has extended beyond library walls.

VC was speaking at the inaugural function of a week long training programme on Library Automation organized by department of Library and Information Science in collaboration with Information and Library Network INFLIBNET Centre, Ahmedabad. In his very thought provoking presidential address Vice Chancellor addressed the delegates and workshop participants as “Future Leaders of Education” and expressed hope that the workshop will go a long way in enhancing their capabilitie . He urged the professionals present to extent adequate instructions to remote users and asked them to work effectively towards bridging the gap between class room instruction and library serves.

Speaking about his experiences a as scholar in studying different societies around the globe VC said that libraries and their staff have his best friends and my research in these areas would not have been possible without their support .. VC announced on the occasion that all the PhD and M Phil thesis of the university will be digitalized and put on the web. This said VC will help make things transparent and make our supervisors students and scholars more accountable. Vice Chancellor congratulated Director Information technology KU and head Library and Information Sciences for revolutionizing the University and its affiliated colleges with information technology and hoped that they able to train our staff to access management.

In his address Director Information and Library Network INFLIBNET Centre, Ahmedabad said his centre is an autonomous Inter-University Centre of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India. He added that INFLIBNET is involved in modernizing university libraries in India and connecting them as well as information centres in the country through a nation-wide high speed data network using the state-of-art technologies for the optimum utilization of information. He added that INFLIBNET is set out to be a major player in promoting scholarly communication among academicians and researchers in India and extended his full help and cooperation to Kashmir University in this regard.

Registrar Kashmir University Prof Syed Fayaz Ahmad said Deptt of IT KU, EMMRC KU, Department of Library and Information Science and Allama Iqbal Library have all along helped Kashmir University to touch new heights in revolutionizing our information access at the varsity. He said libraries have become happening places and knowledge revolution is impossible unless we strengthen libraries.

In his address head department of Library and Information Science Kashmir University Prof. S.M Shafi while talking said that objective of academic libraries is to manage and disseminate information and learning resources. He hoped that present participants of this programme will equip and upgrade with new skills of automation techniques especially with “SOUL version 2” developed, upgraded and released recently by INFLIBNET. He said that the software is highly economical with multilingual and “state of the art” features. Therefore, said Prof Shafi, we need not unnecessarily burn our hands and pockets with other commercial software, for simply patronizing a colonial culture or adding to our glamour.

Dr Mehraj-ud-din Dar, Director Information Technology KU, Prof W A Alvi, Dr Shahid Rasool, Director EMMRC, Chief Librarian Riyaz Rufai attended the event besides hundreds of delegates and workshop participants, library staff and students of department if information science KU. The workshop will continue another 5 days at University of Kashmir.