GUIDELINES ON QUALITY INDICATORS IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION
SERVICES: AFFILIATED/CONSTITUENT COLLEGES
INTRODUCTION:
Increasingly,
the accreditation activity is going momentum in our country as people and
educational institutions have come to realize to quality enhancement is
essential for the institutions and country. In the process of institutional
accreditation, libraries have a crucial role.
The services of the libraries have been expanding as they contribute
significantly to the learning process, particularly the e-learning process.
In the
accreditation process, evaluation of libraries is an essential component, where
the collection, services and their outreaching capacity are monitored. In the recent past, significant developments
have been reported in library and information services and the libraries are
shouldering newer responsibilities in higher education. Hence the standards for assessing the quality
of library services need to be updated.
It is true that libraries largely support learning, teaching and
research processes in institutions. So
far, the classroom has by and large, been the primary source of learning, with
library accorded a supplementary status.
In times ahead, one can foresee a role reversal, and indeed, in the
increasingly learner centric educational effort, one may already be witness to
the library becoming the primary learning resource in many instances, with
conventional classroom teaching playing mainly almost always, this has always
been the case.
It
is in this backdrop that the NAAC has developed a set of objective indicators
to facilitate assessment of the library and information services of academic
institutions. The guidelines are derived
from an understanding of the global developments in the activities and services
of libraries, the national environment, and the outcome of a recent
national-level workshop held at the NAAC, in which college and university
librarians and library scholars from across the country had participated.
College
libraries need to have facilities that promote effective and interactive access
and use of information resources for all users.
In the area of physical facilities, the libraries need to
offer safe, comfortable, well-lighted, clean space, with adequate and
appropriate seating arrangements to ensure effective use of the library’s
resources including digital resources. Also,
college libraries are required to consider study space needs, while allocating
the seating space, with special attention being paid to reserve collections and
the hostel environment of the institution.
The libraries need to prepare access, circulation policies, and other
regulations to offer better services to the users.
Affiliated
college libraries function with the primary mission of meeting the library and
information needs mainly of enrolled undergraduate students. The guidelines presented below identify the
principal factors influencing the development and maintenance of college
library services and collections.
A.
MANAGEMENT
OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES
In affiliated colleges, the core objective
of the library is to support the academic programmes offered and the library
may evolve its academic programmes offered and the library may evolve its
collection and services mainly to reflect the curriculum requirements its
users. Besides, the library may design a
system to deliver its products and services to attract more users. Ultimately the library should aim at bringing
all its target users to the library and ensure its optimum usage. The parameters compiled here would facilitate
the quality enhancement and sustenance of library services to a large
extent. The libraries of the affiliated
colleges may firm up their performance by equipping/ enabling themselves to
answer the following questions in the affirmative.
1. Does the
library function on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays to facilitate use by
students and faculty?
2. Does the
library have extended and appropriate working hours before/after the class
hours?
3. Does the
college have Library Advisory Committee? If yes, what is the role of the
library committee?
4. Are the
qualifications, experience and pay of the Librarian on par with that of the
academic staff and as per government / UGC norms?
5. Has the
librarian attended/participated in orientation refresher courses and
workshops/seminars (national/regional)?
6. Does the
library have separate premises of its own?
Does
it contain minimum infrastructure facilities such as utilities, staff area,
reading hall, periodicals section, circulation counter, service area,
information display, ect..?
7. What is the
ratio of the seating capacity to the users (students and faculty)?
8. Is the
Generator facility extended to the library?
9. What are
the measures for overall maintenance and cleanliness of the library?
10. Does the
library have computers and internet facility?
11. Are the
library functions automated? If yes, are they fully/partially automated?
12. What are
the financial/funding sources other than the state, central and UGC grants?
13. Is there
any defined policy for collection development, stock verification, promotion
and training of library staff?
B.
COLLECTION
AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO USERS
I.
COLLECTION
The library is required to provide
varied, authoritative and up-to-date resources that support its mission and
fulfill the needs of its users.
Resources may be provided in a variety of formats, including print or
hard copy, online, electronic text or image, and other media. A college library needs to have the quantity
of resources as prescribed by government, UGC, AICTE and other governing
bodies. The collection of a college library
may answer the following, for maintaining the quality of the resources.
I.
Mention
the total collection of Documents
i.
Books
ii. Text books
iii. Reference
Book
iv. Current
Journals
·
Indian
b. Foreign
v. Peer
reviewed Journals
vi. Back
Volumes of Journals
vii. Magazines
viii. E-Information
Resources
·
CD’s / DVD’s
·
Databases
·
Online Journals
ix. Special
Collection
·
Competitive Examinations
·
Braille materials / Rare collection
·
AV Materials
x. Book Bank
1. Ratio of
the Library books to number of students enrolled
II.
SERVICES
The
library has a key role in supporting the academic activities of the
institutions by establishing, maintaining and promoting library and information
services, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The library offers a wide range of services
from reference to electronic information services. College libraries may answer the following basic
questions for ensuring appropriate services to the academic community.
1) Does the
library provide the following basic services?
a) Circulation
Services
b) Clipping
services
c) Bibliographic
Compilation
d) Information
display and notification services
e) Reference /
referral services
f) Photocopy
and printing services
g) User
Orientation / Information literacy
h) Resource
sharing / Inter library loan (ILL)
i)
Internet / digital resources availability
j)
Any others
C.
EXTENT
OF THE USE OF SERVICES
Performance
evaluation of college libraries needs to be carried out at regular intervals in
order to sustain and enhance their quality.
Normally, the evaluation can be made on compilation of use
statistics. The following parameters
would help in assessing the extent of use of library and its services.
a) Average
number of books issued / returned per day.
b) Number of
reference enquiries (users) on an average per month (percentage may be
specified)
c) Number of services
delivered per capita per month.
d) Average No.
of users who visited / documents consulted per month.
D.
BEST
PRACTICES FOR COLLEGE LIBRARIES
Listed
below are some of the ‘best practices’ that can enhance the academic
information environment and usability.
1. Computerization
of library with standard digital software.
2. Inclusion of
sufficient information about the library in the college prospects.
3. Compiling students
/ teacher attendance statistics and locating the same on the notice board.
4. Displaying newspaper
clippings on the notice board periodically.
5. Career /
employment information Services.
6. Internet facilities
to different user groups
7. Information
literacy programs.
8. Suggestion box
and timely response.
9. Displaying
new arrivals and circulation a list of those to academic departments.
10. Conducting
book exhibitions on different occasions.
11. Organizing
book talks.
12. Instituting
Annual Best User award for students.
13. Organizing competitions
annually
14. Conducting user
surveys periodically.
- - ALL THE BEST -
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