Academic Libraries in India : A Historical Study

R.K. Bhatt Associate Professor and Head Department of Library and Information Science University of Delhi, Delhi, India

Abstract
Writing the history of libraries in India has not yet received the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, even the library schools in India have also not given due importance to the study of library history. The pathetic scenario obtains in sparse literature available on this area and the students of Library and Information Science also have not taken serious studies in this regard. The present paper is an earnest attempt in filling this gap and traces the genesis and growth of academic libraries in ancient, medieval and modern India. Key words: Library, Library History, Growth of Libraries, Academic Libraries, University Libraries, Committee, Commission, Higher Education.

must be organized by libraries in a way that libraries are fully utilized. He further remarked that, if library historians would address the roots and trends of library issues, they would provide a valuable service to the profession and society. (Rajgopalan, 1989) The Father of Library and Information Science in India,Padmashri Dr. S.R. Ranganathan while giving a radio talk in April 1956 said, an account of the libraries in the first four periods (the Vedic, the Buddhistic, the Medieval, and the Muslim) must necessarily depend upon the historical research. This has not yet been done. The library profession is too small in India to spare a person to fill up this antiquarian gap. Those trained in the scientific method of tracing history are too preoccupied with dynastic and political history to spare sufficient time for cultural history in general and library history in particular. (Ranganathan, 1956). Thus, an historical study of the growth and development of academic libraries in India, is a desideratum, the fulfillment of which should go a long way in removing the imbalances and gaps, mentioned above. Such a study becomes significant not only in view of the tremendous activity concerning the growth and development of libraries in India, but also because their growth has been shaped in the first phase by the phenomena that have shaped the historical course of this period and, secondly, the rise of library as an important instrument in the advancement of knowledge and socio-economic transformation.

Introduction
Research in library history in India has remained largely neglected area which has resulted into availability of very limited and scanty literature. Commenting on the status of library history in India, Donald G. Davis, Jr. of the University of Texas at Austin, writes that although a core literature on Indian library history exists, it has many imbalances and gaps. The scholars are very dispersed in their interests and their geographical location. With one person rarely contributing more than one work. There is little pattern to existing research efforts.(Davis,1989) In this context, the role of historian happens to be much more crucial and significant to make an assessment of the growth and development of libraries in India, the factors responsible for their development and the impact of those factors on the library progress. Rajgopalan, in his 1987 presidential address to the Indian Library Association rightly said, it is generally acknowledged that our libraries are underutilized in relation to investments being made in them. Non-use and low-use of libraries amount to wastage of facilities being made available. Maybe the literacy rate, lack of reading habits, etc., are the causes for low use from the side of patrons User education programmes

Source Material for Writing History of Libraries

For the purpose of scientific writing of history of libraries, an understanding of the nature of existing source material and knowing the art of using it is essential. The sources for writing the history are available in Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Arabic, Persian and European Languages and most of them have been translated into English. These exist in various formats,

56

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

such as Manuscripts, inscriptions, copper plates etc. They are either indigenous or foreign. The contribution of foreign travelogues such as Tibetan, Chinese, Muslim, Portuguese, English and other Europeans is highly useful. Some noteworthy foreign travelogues are Itsing, Fahien, Hieun Tsang, Alberuni, Ibn Batuta, Minhaj, Firishta, Badauni, Afif, bernier, mandelso, Manrique de Lara, Martin, Count Noer. In addition to the contribution of the travelogues, the contribution of historians like Henry M. Eliot, John Dawson, Stanley Lane-Pool, Ishwari Prasad, R.C. Majumdar, Jadunath Sarkar, V.D. Mahajan, Mohammed Muhammed Zubair, J.S. Sarma and N.N. Law etc. is also significant. Though scanty, yet there are articles written by the library professionals on history of libraries. A few efforts have also been made for conduct of research in the area of history of libraries and such like works have been consulted for the purpose of writing this paper.

University Libraries in Ancient India

In the Vedic age instructions were imparted orally, without the medium of books.(Agarwal, 1954) Taxila from 700 B.C. to 300 A.D. was considered to be the most respected seat of higher learning and education in India (Chakravorty,1954) but still there is no evidence found so far in the archaeological excavations at Taxila that there had been a good library system in the Taxila University. Fa-Hien noticed such libraries at Jetavana monastery at Sravasti (U.P). In 400 A.D., there came into being one of the biggest known universities, the Nalanda University, which by 450 A.D. became a renowned seat of learning, its fame spreading beyond the boundaries of India. Nalanda near Patna grew to be the foremost Buddhist monastery and an educational centre. Most of what we know of the Nalanda University during the 6th and the 7th centuries A.D. is due to the accounts left by Hiuen-tsang, who lived in the institution for three years in the first half of the 7th century, and I-tsing who also stayed there for ten years towards the latter part of the same century. Information on the Nalanda University Library is also found in the Tibetan accounts, from which we understand that the library was situated in a special area known by the poetical name the Dharmaganja, (Piety Mart) which comprised three huge buildings, called the Ratnasagara, the Ratnodadhi and the Ratnaranjaka of which the Ratnasagara was a ninestoried building and housed the collection of manuscripts and rare sacred works like Prajnaparamita Sutra etc. The library at Nalanda had a rich stock of manuscripts on philosophy and religion and contained texts relating to grammar, logic, literature, the Vedas, the Vedanta, and the Samkhya philosophy, the Dharmasastras, the Puranas, Astronomy, Astrology and Medicine. (Mukherjee, 1966) The University of Nalanda and its library flourished down to the 12th century A.D. (Ibid.)until Bakhtiyar Khalji sacked it in 1197-1203 A.D.7 and set fire to the establishment of Nalanda.

The world famous universities, such as, the Vikramasila, the Vallabhi and the Kanchi were coming up in other parts of the country during the period from the 5th century A.D. to the 8th century A.D. All these universities possessed rich libraries (Pustakabhandaras) and in the hall containing such books there used to be an image of the goddess Saraswati with a book in her hand. The Nalanda and the Vikramshila universities were under the control of the king Dharmapala. He founded the Vikramshila monastery in the 8th century A.D. It had a rich collection of texts in the Sanskrit, the Prakrit and the Tibetan languages. Regarding the library of the university, the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri informs us that there were great number of books on the religion of Hindus (Buddhists) there; and when all these books came under the observation of the Mussalamans, they summoned, a number of Hindus that they might give them information regarding the import of these books; but the whole of the Hindu community was killed in the war. Muslim vandalism caused the disappearance of the excellent collection at Vikramashila.(Ibid.). The Jaggadal Vihara in Varendrabhumi was also an important centre of learning with considerable collection of the reading material. It was established by the king Kampala, who ruled from 1084 to 1130 A.D.(Misra,1979) The provision of facilities for reading, writing, editing and translating manuscripts shows that this library was in no way less than its contemporary libraries in importance. Though not as large as the library of Nalanda, it abounded in private collection of texts. Likewise Mithila had been famous for its scholars since the days of Rajrishi Janaka and had a rich collection of various commentaries on the different branches of the Hindu Shastras. The library of its university played an important role in teaching and learning. A needle (Shalaka) was pierced through the manuscript on the subject of the students specialization and he was expected to explain the last page pierced. In this way the students all-round mastery of the subject was tested.(Mukherjee,1969) Mithila continued to enjoy its all India importance in the field of learning till the end of the 15th century AD. The university at Sompuri, like that of Vikramshila, occupied a significant position since the days of Dharampala (769-867 A.D.). Like Nalanda, this university also had its own library. Atisa Dipankar, a noted scholar, lived there. He with the help of other scholars, translated into the Tibetan the Madhyamkaratnapradipa of Bhavaviveka. This university was destroyed by fire in the middle of the 11th century A.D.( Misra )Efforts were made by the monk Vipulsrimitra to renovate the university but it could not regain its past glory. At a time when Nalanda was famous for its Mahayana courses of study, the Maitrakakings (475 to 775 A.D.) provided their patronage to the Mahavihara of Vallabhi. This

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

57

university was famous for its Hinayana studies. The fact that this university had a good library is supported by a reference in a grant of Guhasena, dated 559 A.D., wherein a provision was made out of the royal grant for the purchase of books for the library. This important seat of learning at Kanheri, on the West Coast, flourished during the reign of Amoghavarsha in the 9th century A.D. The library occupied a significant position within the establishment, and the donors provided money to buy books for the library.(Misra, 1970) The last of the famous seats of learning in Eastern India was Navadwipa in Bengal. It reached its height of glory from 1083 to 1106 A.D. as a centre of intellectual excellence as well as its rich library facilities, when Lakshman Sen, a king of Gauda, made it his capital (Majumdar,1960). However, this library was also destroyed along with the centre by Bakhtiyar Khalji. Situated in South India at Amaravati, on the banks of the Krishna, the Nagarjuna Vidyapeeth flourished in about 7th century A.D.(Mukherjee). Its library housed in the top floor of the five storyed building of the university had an enormous collection on the Buddhist philosophy, particularly of the Mahayana school that Nagarjuna had founded, science and medicine. There is enough archaeological evidence that supports the existence of this 7th century university and its library. The enormity of the collection in this library is borne out by the fact that it not only had works on the Buddhist literature and the Tripitakas, but also works on several branches of scientific knowledge, such as, Botany, Geography, Mineralogy and Medicine. It was a great attraction for scholars from the different parts of India and from countries, like, China, Burma and Ceylon.

agent, founded the Benaras Sanskrit College in 1792. The Calcutta Fort William College was founded in 1800. All these colleges were having their own libraries. The Charter Act of 1813, the foundation of Fort William and Serampore Colleges, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay universities and their libraries, Hunter, Raleigh and Calcutta University Commissions, library training programmes, the establishment of Inter University Board, Sargent Report and appointment of the University Grants Committee, the establishment of Madras University, University of Bombay, University of Calcutta and their libraries, the constitution of InterUniversity Board, the appointment of Hartog Committee, the Montague-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, the Government of India Act of 1935, and the Sargent Committee Report etc. laid foundation for establishment of libraries in various parts of the country. The Fort William College was founded in Calcutta on 18th August 1800 by the Marquis of Welleselay, the Governor-General of India during 1798-1805. Reverend David Brown, Provost of the college was instrumental in setting up the library which had a well rounded collection of Eastern manuscripts. In the absence of adequate financial support, the library could not survive for long and in 1835 it was decided to close the library and its valuable collection was transferred to the Asiatic Society Library in Calcutta between 183539.(Kopf, 1969). The Charter Act of 1813 passed by the British Parliament gave the East India Company complete responsibility for educating Indians. The establishment of C.M.S. College in Kottayam, Hindu (Presidency) college in Calcutta in 1816 and Raven Shaw College in Cuttack in 1816 was the immediate result of the Charter Act 1813. These and other colleges came into existence thereafter had their own libraries the day they were established.(Ohdedar, 1969). Serampore College during this period was founded by the Danes in 1818 and the King of Denmark in 1927 agreed to give this college an academic status by providing equivalence to the Danish Universities with power to confer degrees.(Khurshid, 1969). The library of this college too was established along with its foundation and at a later stage the college was given affiliation to the University of Burdwan for the purpose of conferring degrees.(Mathai,1970) The 7th March 1835 decision of the British Indian Government to promote English literature and sciences in India was resulted into the spread of number of colleges in India and by 1839 there were over forty colleges with attached libraries in the British territory in India. For their establishment, lots of money was made available by the Indians in the form of donations.(Naik, 1800-1973) In 1840 Presidency College was founded in Madras, followed by a medical college in Bombay in 1845. This progress in education was instrumental in establishing universities in India.

University Libraries in Medieval India

The existence of academic libraries during the medieval period of Indian history is not known, though the Muslim rulers did patronize libraries in their own palaces. A lone exception, however, was a library attached to a college at Bidar,(Gawan,1463-82) having a collection of 3000 books on different subjects.(Mukherjee) Aurangzeb got this Library transferred to Delhi to merge it with his palace library.(Keay, 1918). During the medieval period, due to Muslim invasions and political troubles, the powerful empires and kingdoms of Indian rulers fell one by one. This affected higher education and the development of academic libraries as well.

Libraries in Modern India (1757-1947)

During the British rule in India, number of academic institutions were established by the East India Company, and by the Christan missionaries. Some of the worth mentioning events which led to the growth and development of higher education in India during this period were the establishment of the Calcutta College in 1781, Jonathan Duncan, then a British

58

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

The Charles Wood dispatch of 1854 popularly known as the Magna Carta of English Education in India also paved the way for the establishment of the universities in the presidency towns.(Subramaniam, 2001). Sir John Colville introduced the Bill to establish universities in India and it was passed by the Governor General of India Lord Dalhousie on 24th January 1857, paved the way for the foundation of three universities based on the London Universities Model in the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. Indian Education Commission, popularly known as Hunter Commission was appointed by the British Indian Government in 1882 to study the progress of education under the new policy adopted in 1854 by the East India Company and transferred to the Crown and accepted by the Secretary of State in 1859.(Majumdar, 1946) Sir William W. Hunter in his report had clearly stated that the conditions of the libraries was in a very poor state and declared them hardly creditable.(Ali, 1967) The Commission paid special attention to the colleges and their libraries and other facilities. The direct result of the Commission was the establishment of Panjab University, Lahore (now in Pakistan), and Allahabad University in 1882 and 1887 respectively but still the condition of the education and libraries remained in a poor state. The Raleigh Commission 1902 appointed by Lord Curzon to investigate the conditions and prospects of the Indian universities and to recommend measures to improve their constitution and working and standards of teaching also paid special attention to the academic libraries and found that, the library is little used by graduates and hardly at all by other students.(Ibid. p.192-3.) Further, the Commission commented, In a college where library is inadequate or ill arranged, the students have no opportunity of forming the habit of independent and intelligent reading.(Goil, 1966) Thus, the Commission specifically recommended that reference services must be made an integral part of all libraries in colleges and universities, and that one of the prerequisite conditions for the grant of university affiliation to a college be the accessibility of students to the library of the institution.(Khurshid) The recommendations of the Raleigh Commission were included in the Universities Act of 1904 and provided the power to all universities to require that all colleges applying for affiliation maintain proper libraries, equipment, library building, and lend books to all students but the situation and the status of libraries could not be improved much simply because the recommendations made by the Commission and the provisions made in the act could not be implemented properly.(Hungun) The Calcutta University Commission popularly known as Sadler Commission was appointed by the government in 1917 to study the situation and the status of education in the country and to make

recommendations to solve the existing problems.(Datta,1975). The Commission noticed that one of the greatest weaknesses of the existing system is the extraordinarily unimportant part which is played by the library(Report of the Committee appointed by the Government of India to Enquire into the Conditions and Prospects of the Calcutta University Commission, 1917) and found that in some colleges the library is regarded not as an essential part of teaching equipment but merely as a more or less useless conventional accessory.(Hungun) The Commission made the recommendations regarding the libraries that college libraries be strengthened and that training should be given to the students and occasionally to the teachers about use of the library.(Sharma,1964). One of the immediate result of the Calcutta University Commission was the establishment of a few new teaching-cum-residential universities at Patna in 1917, Osmania in Hyderabad in 1918, Dacca (now in Bangladesh), Aligarh, and Lucknow in 1921, Delhi in 1922 and Nagpur in 1923 and all of them were established along with the establishment of libraries as an integral part of the university system. As stated earlier, the impact of the Commission could very well be seen in the establishment of several universities along with their libraries. This was the period when in the libraries scenario, a person appeared who at a later stage turned the entire scene and become the father of library science in India. The man was none other than Dr. S.R. Ranganathan. The University of Madras appointed Dr. S.R. Ranganathan as its Librarian in 1924. He was trained at the University of London Library School before joining his duties at Madras. Things did change rapidly after his joining. For example, he introduced the lending and reference services at the Madras University Library and extended the library hours for the benefit of the readers. Whereas the hours had previously been 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., they were changed to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.(Subrahmanian) He delivered a series of lectures to about two thousand teachers at the conference of the South Indian Teachers Union in 1929 regarding the use and importance of the library services. The Madras Library Association started a summer course in librarianship and the lectures for this course were mainly delivered by Dr. Ranganathan. The main objective of the course in its beginning was to spread the ideas of the value of good library services and modern library methods(Ibid. p.86) among potential users of the library. The budget of the university library of Madras had been very poor from the beginning and it was really a difficult task to manage, run and administer the library effectively within it. Ranganathan brought this poor financial position to the notice of the then Chief Minister, Dr. P. Subbaroyan, when he delivered a speech during an educational conference held at Madras in 1926. In his speech, Ranganathan gave a

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

59

graphic account of the library network in Europe and the United States of America and compared it with the poor, appalling facilities existing in India .... [he] added that paucity of funds prevented him developing his library. The Chief Minister was highly impressed by Ranganathans speech and promised to give more State help to the University Library. Its immediate result was a grant of rupees 6,000 which was added to the annual grant from the State, and, in addition, rupees 100,000 in lump sum were sanctioned by the Madras State Government in the same year to buy books and periodicals in pure sciences, humanities, and social sciences. (Ibid.) Provision was also made for additional grants to the library, as and when new departments of study and research were established. In the words of Ranganathan, This was the first time when such a forward financial step in the history of the university libraries in India was taken in the second quarter of the 20th century.(Ranganathan, 1963) The University of Madras library made a good start under Ranganathans effective leadership and administration. In 1930, the library had five well-trained reference librarians to help the readers, and they carried the work to a high pitch of efficiency.(Subrahmanyan) This was the first time in the history of Indian libraries that a special reference service was introduced in a university library. The library collection increased to 93,000 volumes in 1935 and on September 3, 1936, the library was shifted to its first new and permanent functional building. By 1944, when Ranganathan resigned from the position of the Librarian, to become the University Librarian at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the collection of the Madras University Library had augmented to 1,20,000 volumes. (Ibid. p.88) The contribution of Dr. Ranganathan to the growth and development of libraries in general and the Madras University Library in particular is undoubtedly tremendous and unforgettable. It will not be wrong to say that the Library School of Madras and the Madras University Library were the laboratories of Ranganathan to propound his ideas in library science and to test them practically. Some of the important and major ideas of Ranganathan were the Five Laws of Library Science which were enunciated by him in 1924,(Ibid.) and their formulation and publication in 1929 and 1931 respectively. These laws are still considered a unifying theory for all library practices and services, and set of guidelines for the dynamic development and study of library science as a whole. The University of Bombay Library received a special grant of rupees 50,000 from the Central Government in 1939 to strengthen its collection for graduate studies. During the period from 1931 to 1939, a few more special grants were given to the library for its collection development. A very special grant of rupees 10,000 was given by Kikabhai and Maniklal, sons of the late Premchand Roychand, in 1931 to replace the electric clock of the library tower. (Ibid. p.69.).

The collection, which stood at 4,504 volumes in 1900, rose to 70,000 in 1939 and 73,582 in 1947.(Haggerty, 1970). Though higher education and academic libraries made some progress during the first quarter of the present century, yet their growth and development was not very well organized. Academic institutions and their growth after 1916 created a few problems also and the general feeling was that the quality of Education was being sacrificed for quantity. While such a situation prevailed, the Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission, was appointed by the Government in 1927 to study the conditions prevailing in India.(Haggerty, 1970). The Simon Commission appointed an Auxiliary Committee to look into the growth of education in India. Sir Philip Hartog, a former member of the Calcutta University Commission (1917-1919), and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dacca, was appointed its Chairman. In its report, submitted in 1929, the Committee stated that the dispersal of resources for university teaching among a number of colleges had made it difficult to build up university libraries of the type required for advanced work both at the Honors and the research stage [therefore] majority of the university libraries were inadequate and all needed great additions.(Bose, 1965). In addition to want of books, libraries also lacked good current periodicals in their collections. The Committee also made a special note of the low academic standards in many colleges and universities and the unhealthy competition for candidates between neighboring universities(Haggerty). This report, however, did not offer any comprehensive, detailed, and realistic solutions to the problems. As we have already mentioned, in 1935, Ministry of Education was formed in each province, as per the provisions of the dyarchy in the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, supplemented by those of the new Government of India Act of 1935. The Ministry of Education in India requested the Central Advisory Board of Education in 1944 to survey the educational conditions in the country. The Boards report, known as the Sargeant Report, after its Chairman, Sir Sargeant, the Educational Advisor to the Government of India, came up with a master-plan for the development of education in the post-World War II India.(Ibid.) Its terms of reference covered education at all levels - primary, secondary, and higher. The Indian universities, as they existed then, despite many admirable features, did not fully satisfy the requirements of a national system of education.(Ibid. p.45-6.). During the British rule, several committees and commissions set up periodically, paved way for the foundation of several colleges and the establishment of many universities and in many cases the libraries

60

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

were also established along with them. It is also true that as compared to the first two decades the development of university libraries after 1924 did make better progress but the college libraries were still neglected and were struggling to get their recognition. There were only 12 universities in India in 1924 and their number swelled to 18 by the time India got freedom in 1947. In fact, the academic libraries during the British rule had no significance in the academic life of the institutions of higher education and the pivotal role that can be played by the academic libraries in the life of the institutions could very well be seen in the policy statement of higher education of the free India and the fact was also proven when at the time of national reconstruction, the importance of libraries in teaching and research was recognized, and libraries received the early attention of the Government of India.(Mangla, 1974).

Academic Libraries in India after Independence

The actual process for the development of university libraries in India can be said to have been set in motion with the appointment of the University Education Commission presided over by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1948-49) and its recommendations, such as, annual grants, open access system, working hours, organization of the library, staff, steps to make students book conscious and the need to give grants to teachers to buy books. The section on libraries in Chapter 4 of the report opens with a powerful statement on the importance of libraries in university education and states, teaching is a cooperative enterprise. Teachers must have the necessary tools for teaching purposes in the shape of libraries and laboratories as also the right type of students.(India, 1949) The Commission in the course of its study of the academic libraries, found that libraries were hopelessly inadequate to serve the curricular needs of a modern university. They were ill-housed, illstocked, and ill-staffed and were totally lacking in standard literary and scientific journals. Service was in the hands of personnel that had hardly any notion of the objectives of university education. The annual appropriation for book purchase seldom exceeded the ten thousand mark.(Bashiruddin, 1967). In addition, the annual grant for these libraries were not sufficient. Therefore, the Commission recommended that at least six per cent of the total budget of each academic institution should be set aside for the library. Only then will the condition of these libraries improve.(Subrahmanyan). It added that if institutions were not willing to allocate six per cent of their budget to libraries, they should spend Rs.40 per student enrolled. The Commission also suggested that greater attention should be paid to improve the reference services in the university libraries. Therefore, documentation and bibliographical services must be

developed in order to promote research among the faculty and students, make libraries proper centres for research activities, and to raise the standards of services.(Ibid. p.13). As far as the library staff is concerned, the Commission was of the view that it is very important to have well-qualified staff, including the Director, in order to provide excellent service in any library. The Directors qualifications must include Ph.D. in Library Science and he must have the rank and salary of a professor, capabilities of organization and management, and should have full powers of an administrator to run the library effectively.(University Education Commission, (1948-49). There is no doubt that the recommendations of the Commission were based on the needs of the modern library services in universities for the promotion of research and creative learning.(Shrivastva, 1959). It was for the first time that such detailed attention was paid to the library matters by a commission on university education in India.

Ranganathan Committee (1957)

The most comprehensive and significant document on the university and college libraries is the Report of the UGC library committee, chaired by Ranganathan. The Report was published by the University Grants Commission in 1959 entitled University and College Libraries. It was perhaps the first attempt by any Library Committee in India to systematically survey the academic libraries on a national basis, and it was also the first time that the government of India had decided to seek advice from a professional librarian regarding academic libraries. The committee was to advice the UGC on the standards of libraries, building, pay scales, and library training. After the survey the library committee invited all academic librarians to a seminar on Work flow in university and college libraries, at Delhi from March 4 to 7, 1959 to keep them informed about the progress the committee had made surveying the academic libraries. It wanted to discuss its recommendations with them. Some of the recommendations of the Committee included the provision that the UGC and the State Government should help the college and the university libraries in the collection development of both books and periodicals. The formula suggested by the committee was that funds be given at the rate of Rs. 15 per enrolled student and Rs. 200 per teacher and research fellow. There should also be special initial library grants in the case of a new university and of a new department in an existing university, a similar scale should be followed for the college libraries.(India University Education Commission. University and College LibrariesContaining University Grants Commission and Proceedings of the Seminar from Publisher to Reader held on March 4-7, 1959). In order to promote co-operation among libraries, a Union Catalogue of books and a Union List of periodicals to be prepared. The Committee strongly recommended that an open access system be introduced in every academic

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

61

library.(Ibid. p.42.) Committee also stressed that reference service is the essential human process of establishing contact between the right reader and the right book by personal service. Reference service is vital in promotion of reading habit in student [therefore] each library should provide an adequate number of reference librarians to function as library hosts and human converters.( Ibid. p.44.).Other recommendations included building up a microfilm collection, copying facilities for microfilms and book material,(Ibid. p.56.) appointment of a committee to look into the standards of teaching, examination and research in the library schools,(Ibid. p.88.) and appointment of full- time teaching faculty members rather than asking librarians to teach part time in the library schools.(Ibid. p.81.) The Committee added that the status and the salary of the library staff should be the same as that of the teaching and research staff, i.e., Professor, Reader, and Lecturer etc.(Ibid.) The recommendations of the committee had a farreaching effect on the development of the university libraries later. They had not only provided a framework to the UGC to implement its grants-in-aid programmes but also given to the university authorities important guidelines. Particular mention, in this connection, may be made of the recommendations concerning the library finances which had helped libraries to secure enough finances by way of annual grants from the universities themselves and of development grants from the UGC. The recommendations on the library personnel and staff strength have given to the library staff status and salaries equivalent to the academic staff and ensure provision for adequate staff for various library operations. The Committee submitted its report to the UGC with the hope that it will provide a blueprint for the systematic development of university libraries in the country. Hence, in-spite of many hurdles like education being a state subject in the Indian Constitution, considerable development in the university libraries has taken place and as such the condition of these libraries in 1953 was much better than in the 1940s and even the early 1950s.

adult education and recommended establishment of a network of public libraries. It wanted the school libraries to be integrated with public libraries for purposes of the adult education programmes. The Report, submitted by Dr. D. S. Kothari, on June 29, 1966, emphatically pointed out that nothing can be more damaging than to ignore its library and to give it a low priority. No new college, university or department should be opened unless adequate number of books in the library are provided.(Mohan Lal, 1974). The Commission was shocked to note that the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Commission had not been fully implemented, for only four universities in India has spent five per cent or more of their budget on books and periodicals acquisitions, though the 1948s Commission has suggested that six per cent of the total budget be spent on libraries. Other universities had spent less than five per cent of their budget on libraries, Surprisingly enough there are five universities which spent even less than one per cent of the total budget on the libraries.(Sharma, 1967). It was clear proof that the university libraries in India were not functioning properly to fulfill the needs of higher education. The Kothari Commission recommended that a long range plan for library development should be drawn up for each academic institution taking into consideration anticipated increase in enrollment, introduction of new subjects and research needs64 etc., and documentation service be encouraged in libraries, and documentation experts be appointed to help researchers and do indexing and abstracting.( Ibid. P.520.) It was further recommended that the book selection should be oriented towards supporting instruction and research. (Ibid).The library should provide resources necessary for research in fields of special interest to the university; provide library facilities and services necessary for the success of all formal programmes of instruction.(Ibid. p.521) Monetary guidelines were also suggested by the Commission. As a norm, a university should spend each year about Rs.25 per student registered and Rs.300 per teacher [of the total budget] depending on the stage of development of each university library. (Ibid.)It was also suggested that the foreign exchange needed for university and college libraries should be allowed separately to the UGC. (Ibid. p.522.)

Kothari Commission (1964-66)

The Education Commission under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari (1964-66) marked another important stage in the history of university libraries in India. The Commission devoted considerable attention to the development of the university libraries and made suitable recommendations on the following points: (i) norms for financial support; (ii) long range planning for library development; (iii) the need for the establishment of a well equipped library before the starting of a university, college, or department; (iv) suitable phasing over of the library grants; (v) encouraging the students in the use of books; (vi) interdisciplinary communication; and (vii) documentation service in libraries etc. The Education Commission had also addressed itself to the role of libraries in

The Wheat Loan Programme

During the 1950s and early 1960s the Indian academic libraries received huge grants from the UGC amounting up to Rs. 100,000 for books, buildings, equipment and even for additional staff. (Ibid.)At the same time many libraries got additional grants from a special US fund called the Wheat Loan Programme. The American Congress passed a special Act, in 1951 known as the Public Law 480 to loan India $ 19,000,000 to buy much needed wheat (two million tons) from the US. Under the agreement of the loan,

62

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

India had to buy American books, periodicals and scientific equipment worth $ 50,000 to be used for research purposes in the Indian libraries. This, money India had to pay as interest on the loan. Part of the money was to be spent on the exchange of scholars, including librarians, between the two countries.(7Shukla) The United States authorities bought some educational material and equipment from India for research purposes and higher education in the American Universities. (Ojha, 1980). .During 19511961 Indian libraries spent US $ 1,400,000 of the purchase of American books, US dollar 160,000 on libraries, US $ 40,000 on the travel and study grants for thirty three Indian librarians to visit the United States and US $ 75,000 on the travel and study grants of the five Americans. (Misra)

Therefore, the UGC has played a significant role in the growth and development of college libraries since 1953 by giving grants for books, equipment, staff and library buildings and has done a remarkable job in salary improvement of the college librarians. The UGCs contribution to the college libraries is at the rate of Rs. 15 per student with a maximum of Rs. 10,000 with some additional and special grants for text books, when a new subject is introduced in the Curriculum.(Vyas, 1974) On the other hand, the colleges and the state governments have failed to provide their equal share. The total Expenditure on the college libraries according to the recommendation of the Education Commission should be 6.25 per cent of the total budgets of the colleges, but in most cases it has remained between 1.5 per cent and 2.3 per cent. Sardana) Collection development of the college libraries are done without taking into consideration the actual needs of the faculty and the students of the colleges as sixty per cent of them consist of text books and 20 per cent cover fiction. (Reddy, 1974) Even this small inadequate collection, in depth and content, is not used effectively due to the closed stacks system and lack of staff and facilities for instruction concerning their use. The net result is that the utility factor of the college libraries comes practically to nothing. (Trehan, 1974) In most college libraries, books are neither properly classified nor catalogued. In several libraries no systematic classification is followed for collection arrangements. The only service the college library renders to its clientele is book-lending. There are colleges where students are not even allowed inside the library.(Bavakutty, 1982) The UGC is aware of the slow progress of the college libraries. In addition to providing financial help for development, it has also from time to time organized seminars to keep the college librarians aware of the new developments in the field. But these seminars have made only a limited effect on the progress of the college libraries. The condition of the college libraries in the country should be a cause for alarm among the academic community. In the interests of the development of higher education in the country along proper lines, it is important to make a detailed study of the style of functioning of the college libraries and of the utilization of the library resources and facilities by the students and teachers. This will help in the preparation of more realistic and operational policies and programmes for ensuring the proper functioning, utilization and development of the college libraries. The college library has to be made the intellectual hub of the institution, serving equally, both the students and teachers. This is all the more necessary because about 90 per cent of the students in higher education in India pursue their studies in colleges and they have only very small and substandard college library

College Libraries
The College libraries in India have a significant role to play in higher education. Majority of the undergraduate students, i.e., 88.5 per cent and graduate students, i.e., 53 per cent, attend these colleges.( Kipp, and Kipp, 1961). When India attained Independence many among the 533 affiliated colleges (Sharma, 1986) did not have their own libraries, but at present, every college in the country has a library.(Ibid. p.97.) Majority of the college libraries do not have proper facilities to meet the needs of their users. Their collections are not up-to-date, budgets are their very inadequate and limited, and a large number of them are single libraries.(Deshpande). In many colleges, there is neither a library hall nor a sufficient big room, not to think of a separate building for the library. Any unused room, quite often somewhere out of sight, would be considered adequate to house a few shelves of books. And in most college libraries there is complete darkness even during the day time, as the windows are closed out of a fear that the books may be stolen. (Susheela Kumar,1978). Different studies, conducted by scholars like (Mukherjee, 1965), (Hingwe, 1969),. (Rana, 1969), (Girija Kumar, 1979), (Naidu, 1980), (Naidu, 1980), (Anand, 1981) ,Sardana,1966 )(Shewde), (Krishan Kumar, 1979), (Sar, 1971), (Rewadikar, 1979) and Srivastva have explicitly established that the condition of the college libraries in India are far from satisfactory. The college libraries are open only six to eight hours a day. Many do not have any qualified librarian on their staff and have closed stacks only. (Deshpande, 1978). The several commissions and committees, like the Radhakrishnan Commission of 1948, did not stress the importance of the college libraries in their reports. However, the University Grants Commission gives more importance to the college libraries. As the quality of higher education and research, especially at the graduate level, depends upon, among other things, the standard of the college libraries and their services.

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

63

resources to fall back upon. Although, owing to various efforts of the UGC as well as other forces, the traditional concept that the college library is a custodian of books has changed, yet there is evidence enough to show that the condition of the college libraries is generally poor, their development is rather slow and that the position of the college libraries and their librarians in India, with a few exceptions, is pitiable.

Commission, said, Libraries play a vital role in the development of institutions of higher learning. The University Grants Commission attaches great importance to the strengthening of library facilities in the universities and colleges and their efficient administration. The commission has also been giving grants to institutions for books and journals construction of library building and appointment of library staff. (India, 1965) One of the most remarkable and identifiable development in the history of higher education and libraries was the foundation of the INFLIBNET in 1991. Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre is an autonomous Inter-University Centre of the UGC of India. It is a major National Programme initiated by the UGC in 1991 with its Head Quarters at Gujarat University Campus, Ahmedabad. Initially started as a project under the IUCAA, it became an independent Inter-University Centre in 1966. (http:// www.inflibnet.ac.in.) Its objectives are: (Chakravarty, and Singh, 2005) To promote and establish communication facilities to improve capability in information transfer and access, that provides support to scholarship, learning, research and academic pursuit through cooperation and involvement of agencies concerned. To establish INFLIBNET: Information and Library Network a computer communication network for linking libraries and information centres in universities, deemed to be universities, colleges, UGC information centres, institutions of national importance and R&D institutions, etc. avoiding duplication of efforts. INFLIBNET performs following major activities: (Bavakutty, and Azeez, 2006) 1. Provides grants to universities to automate the libraries, establishing the network facilities and create an information technology environment. 2. Developed and distributed Software for University Libraries (SOUL) which is an integrated userfriendly library management software. The latest version of the software is 2.0 which is competent to operate with the latest technologies and international standards such as MARC21, Unicode based and NCIP 2.0 based protocols for electronic surveillance and control. 3. Indian Catalogue of University Libraries in India (IndCat) is Online Library Catalogue of books, theses and journals available in major university libraries in India which provides bibliographic description, location of the material in all subjects available in more than 112 university libraries. Thus, IndCat has over 10 million bibliographical records of books from more than 113 universities. In addition, the database of theses, expert

University Libraries
University libraries all over the world have their own place of importance in the scheme of higher learning. Libraries are not only repositories of knowledge but also dispensers of such knowledge. There is no doubt that where libraries of universities and institutions of higher learning are ignored or not given due recognition, the country as a whole suffers because the standards of study, teaching and research very heavily depend upon the qualitative and quantitative service rendered by the university libraries. The Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49) expressed that the library is the heart of all the universitys work, directly so, as regards its research work and indirectly as regards its educational work, which derives its life from research. Scientific research needs the library as well as its laboratories while for humanistic research the library is both library and the laboratory in one. Both for humanistic and scientific studies, a first class library is essential in a university. (India, 1949) The growth of university libraries since Independence can be seen in respect of the initiatives taken by the Central Government considering the vital importance of higher education and role of libraries in the educational development, commitment to fulfill the demand of higher education, and the foundation of the UGC in 1953 by an Act of Parliament. The Radhakrishnan Commission (1948) recognized the value and importance of a well equipped and organized library system and its role in higher education. It had found many drawbacks and pitfalls in the university libraries and had made many recommendations for the improvement of library facilities. The Ranganathan Committee, appointed by the UGC in 1957, made some outstanding recommendations, which included standards for library building, collection development, staff and services and furniture etc. These recommendations were accepted by the UGC and forwarded for implementation. The Kothari Commission also made valuable recommendations for this purpose, but the role of the University Grants Commission deserves special mention, because it has played a vital role by regularly providing appropriate grants and funds to all universities for development of libraries, to purchase books and journals . . . ., construction of new library buildings and for library equipment and furniture. (Ojha, 1980) Dr. D. S. Kothari, the Chairman of University Grants

64

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

databases, project databases and SEWAKOFFLINE database access facilities are also extended to the libraries of higher learning institutions. 4. To enhance the skills of university library staff for implementation of INFLIBNET programme, it conducts training programme for library staff, onsite training for member library staff, training on SOUL software, holding CALIBER convention every year and workshops for senior level staff of the university libraries are conducted. 5. It has brought out a document entitled INFLIBNET Standards and Guideline for Data Capturing prepared by a task force of experts based on Common Communication Format (CCF). Another very important and significant landmark in the history of higher education and development of libraries in India is the establishment of UGCINFONET DIGITAL LIBRARY CONSORTIUM by the UGC on the concluding day of its Golden jubilee celebrations by his Excellency the then President of India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam at Vigyan Bhawan on 28th December 2003. UGC-INFONET is an innovative project launched by UGC to facilitate scholarly e-resources to Indian academies through joint partnership of UGC, INFLIBNET and ERNET. This includes interlinking of universities and colleges in the country electronically with a view to achieve maximum efficiency through Internet enabled teaching, learning and governance. The UGC-Infonet is overlaid on ERNET infrastructure in a manner so as to provide assured quality of service and optimum utilization of bandwidth resources. The network will be run and managed by ERNET India. The project is funded by UGC with 100 per cent capital investment and up to 90 per cent of recurring costs. UGC and ERNET India have signed the necessary MoU for this purpose. A joint technical and tariff committee, has been setup to guide and monitor the design, implementation and operations of UGCINFONET. Information for Library Network (INFLIBNET) an autonomous Inter-University Centre of UGC, is the nodal agency for coordination and facilitation of the linkage between ERNET and the Universities. Under this programme, information and communication technologies (ICT) and internet will be used to transform learning environment from a monodimensional one to a multidimensional one. (Chakravarty). This was created to help and benefit more than 310 universities and about 14,000 colleges affiliated with these universities and approximately 10 million students with the e-journals, thus, is a boon to higher education system in many ways.(http:// www.inflibnet.ac.in/UGC-InfoNet/ugcinfonet.html#5). The UGC-Infonet digital Library consortium has the following objectives: Bhatt, (2006) (i) To subscribe electronic resources for the members of the consortium at highly discounted

rates of subscription and with the best terms and conditions. (ii) Promote the rational use of funds. (iii) Guarantee local storage of the information acquired for continuous use by present and future users. (iv) To impart training to the users, librarians, research scholars and faculty members of the institutions on the electronic resources with an aim to optimize the usage of the electronic resources. (v) To have more interaction amongst the member libraries. (vi) To increase the research productivity of the institutions in terms of quality and quantity of publications (vii) Strategic alliance with institutions that have common interests resulting reduced information cost and improved resource sharing.

National Knowledge Commission

The National Knowledge Commission was set up by the Government of India on 13th June 2005 with a time-frame of three years, from 2nd October 2005 to 2nd October 2008. As a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, the National Knowledge Commission was given a mandate to guide policy and direct reforms, focusing on certain key areas such as education, science and technology, agriculture, industry, e-governance etc. Easy access to knowledge, creation and preservation of knowledge systems, dissemination of knowledge and better knowledge services are core concerns of the Commission. (http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/ about/default.asp) The Commission envisaged the future road map for the growth and development of academic libraries by imbibing core issues such as, set up a national commission on libraries, prepare a national census of all libraries, revamp LIS education, training and research facilities, re-assess staffing of libraries, set up a central library fund, modernize library management, encourage greater community participation in library management, promote information communication technology applications in all libraries, facilitate donation and maintenance of private collections, and encourage public private partnerships in LIS development, etc. (http://www.knowledge commission.gov.in/recommendations/libraries.asp)

Conclusion
The glorious history of libraries can be traced back to the Ancient era when our forefathers learnt the art of communication and writing, penned the information, knowledge and wisdom in the form of texts and manuscripts which carried the legacy of traditions, customs and knowledge from one generation to another. The earliest knowledge hubs of Nalanda,

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

65

Taxila learning centres spread the fragrance of knowledge, enticed the knowledge seekers across the terrestrial boundaries and quenched quests. The journey of libraries also flourished in the medieval era though the invaders annihilated major portion of our knowledge legacy but became awakened and curious to really know and learn the basics of knowledge paradigms. The 20th Century was age of miracles for mankind, an era of full bloom of human ingenuity, the flowering of mans intellectual, scientific, technical and cultural activities, which have been sustained throughout the preceding ages. It has achieved something unique in the perspective of a civilization, which has, in a short span of a few decades, showed a rate of progress unknown before. It has also seen two World Wars, devastation and destruction of unprecedented magnitude; yet it has survived these catastrophes, being born out of the ashes of its own being, building a more vigorous and purposeful life on the ruins and rubbles of old. The growth and development of libraries, an area under study, has witnessed an enormous exuberance, to which so many diverse factors have contributed. The modern library is characterized by the growth in size, and we have been accustomed to count the book stock in millions and not in thousands. Such growth has been made possible by increased local and popular interests, by a general and official recognition of the importance of libraries in the educational, cultural and social life of a modern democratic society. It is evident that nationalism has been a potent factor in determining the recent development and growth of libraries, especially, since the latter-half of the nineteenth century. Generally, libraries, individually or in groups, have assumed a character conditioned mainly by the size and organization of the social order to which they belong. But there are other imponderables also, which have transcended the national boundaries, envisaging a united outlook common all over the world. The highlight of such forces has been the emergence of the common man, whose era it is. Popularization of knowledge has been the dominant theme, made possible generally by the fundamental governmental reorganization, securing an administrative basis for a nationwide library service. The democratic idea of equal opportunity of education, and provision of books for all, have seen the fruition of the urge for the extensive establishment of public libraries, academic, and special technical libraries, also initiating an era of predominance of achievement of knowledge. With the increase in status-drive for progress and prosperity, interest in reading has also increased. That is why the demand on library service has now augmented manifold, bringing into being large libraries with millions of tomes in them. The development of higher education and libraries in India as compared to the pre-Independence period is

much faster and qualitative in the post-Independence era. The major factors responsible for such a development were the University Education Commission of 1948-49, the Kothari Commission of 1964-66, and the birth of the University Grants Commission in 1956. The UGC took special interest in academic libraries and with the help of its Library Committee and its recommendations related to space, staff, equipments, collection development, services etc., followed by its curriculum development committees, establishment of INFLIBNET for the networking of academic libraries and the institutions of higher education and learning and the establishment of UGC-INFONET Digital Library Consortium. The National Knowledge Commission has provided the much needed impetus to the development of academic libraries which can be envisaged in todays ICT environment where the nature, role and significance of academic libraries is transforming with cutting edge technologies and the focus is shifting from information storage to information access, and this paradigm shift is inevitable for all overall improvement of library functioning and services for present survival and futuristic approach.

References
1. Davis, Donald G., Jr. The Status of Library History in India: A Report of an Informal Survey and a Selective Bibliographic Essay. Journal of Library and Information Science 14.2 (1989): 98. 2. Rajgopalan, T. S. Trends and Perspectives in Indian Librarianship. Presidential Address, Indian Library Association Conference, 1987. 3. Ranganathan, S. R. Radio Talk of April 1956. Mohamed Taher and Donald G. Davis, Jr. Librarianship and Library Science in India. 3. 4. Agarwal, J. N. Libraries in Ancient India. Indian Librarian 8.4 (1954): 141. 5. Chakravorty, S. N. Libraries in Ancient Times with Special Reference to India. Indian Librarian 9.2 (1954): 53. 6. Mukherjee, A. K. Librarianship: Its Philosophy and History. Delhi: Asia Publishing House, 1966. p.84. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Misra, Jogesh. History of Libraries and Librarianship inModern India since 1850. Delhi: Atma Ram & Sons, 1979. p.14. 10. Mukherjee, R.K. Ancient India Education. Delhi: Motilal Banarsi Das, 1969. p.596-97. 11. Misra, Jogesh. Op. cit. 12. Datta, Bimal Kumar. Libraries and Librarianship of Ancient and Medieval India. Delhi: Atma Ram and Sons, 1970. p.33. 13. Majumdar, B. P. The Socio-Economic History of Northern India 11th and 12th Century. Calcutta: F.I.C.C.I, 1960. p.164. 14. Mukherjee, A. K. Op. cit. p.85. 15. This college was founded by Mehmud Gawan,

66

ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Minister of Mohammad Shah Bahmani, the III (146382). 16. Mukherjee, A. K. Op. cit. p.88. 17. Keay, F. E. Ancient Indian Education: An idea. London; Oxford University Press.1918. p.119. 18. Kopf, David. British Orientalism and the Bengal Renaissance: The dynamics of Indian Modernization, California Press. 1969. p.233. 19. Ohdedar, A. K. The Growth of the Library in Modern India: 1498-1836. Calcutta: The World Press Private Limited, 1969. p.159. 20. Khurshid, Anis. Standards for Library Education in Burma, Ceylon, Indian and Pakistan . 1969, University of Pittsburg. p.161. 21. Mathai, S. The Universities of India. Commonwealth Universities Yearbook 1970: A Directory to the Universities of the Commonwealth and the Handbook of Their Association . London: The Association of Commonwealth Universities, 1970. p.1031. 22. Naik, J.P. & Nurullah, Syed. A Students History of Education in India:1800-1973 . Macmillan Publishers India Ltd : India. p.279. 23. Subramaniam, S. History and Development of University Libraries. Oxford University Press : New Delhi, 2001. p.5. 24. Majumdar, Raychaudhuri, & Datta (K). An Advanced History of India. MacMillian Press: London, 1946 P.871. 25. Ali, Muzaffar. Indian University Library Development. Progress of Libraries in Free India. Ed. N. B. Sen. New Delhi: New Book Society of India, 1967. p.182. 26. Ibid. p.192-3. 27. Goil, N.K. College Libraries in India: Needed a Policy for Development. Library Herald 9 (1966): 219. 28. Khurshid, Anis. Op. cit. p.173. 29. Hungun. Development of University Libraries. p.28. 30. Datta, D.N.. Short History of Libraries with Special Reference to India. World Press: Calcutta. 1975. p.108. 31. Report of the Committee appointed by the Government of India to Enquire into the Conditions and Prospects of the Calcutta University Commission, 1917. Vol. 1. p.407. 32. Hungun. Op. cit. p.86. 33. Sharma, O. P. History of the Development of the University Libraries in India An Appraisal. Indian Librarian (1964): 128-43. 34. Subrahmanian, S. Op. cit. p.83. 35. Ibid. p.86. 36. Ibid. 37. Ranganathan, S. R. University Library, Then and Now. Library Herald 6 (1963): 64.

42. The World of Learning . Publications, 1967. p.238.

London:

Europa

43. Haggerty , W J. Higher and Professional Education in India . US Government Printing Office:Washington.1970. p.45. 44. Bose, P. C. School and College Libraries in the Evolution of Education in Modern India. Indian Library Association Bulletin 1(1965): 20. 45. Haggerty. Op. cit. 46. Ibid. 47. Ibid. p.45-6. 48. Mangla, P. B. University Libraries in India: Their Development and Proposal for the Fifth Five Year Plan: International Library Review 6 (1974): 453470. 49. India, Ministry of Education. Report of the University Education Commission 1948-49. Delhi: Manager of Publication, 1949. p.113. 50. Bashiruddin, S. University Libraries since Independence. Cultural Forum 9 (1967): 40. 51. Subrahmanyan. Op. cit. p.35. 52. Ibid. p.13. 53. University Education Commission (1948-49 ). Report. Delhi. Ministry of Education. p.110 54. Shrivastva, Anand Prakesh Documentation Research in University Libraries in India. Indian Librarian 14 (1959): 2. 55. India University Education Commission. University and College LibrariesContaining University Grants Commission and Proceedings of the Seminar from Publisher to Reader held on March 4-7, 1959. New Delhi: University Grants Commission, 1985. p.21. 56. Ibid. p.42. 57. Ibid. p.44. 58. Ibid. p.56. 59. Ibid. p.88. 60. Ibid. p.81. 61. Ibid. 62. Mohan Lal. Documentation of University Libraries in India in Post Independence Period: A Study . Chandigarh: Panjab University, 1974. p.84. (M.Lib.Sc. Dissertation). 63. Sharma, Jagdish Saran. Origins, Development and Problems of University Libraries in India . Proceedings, First Seminar of University Librarians in India held at the Rajasthan University, Jaipur, from 16th to 19th November 1966. Vol. 2. Ed. N. N. Gidwani. Jaipur: University of Rajasthan, 1967: 10523. 64. Education & National Development. Report of the Education Commission . New Delhi: National Council of Educational Research and Training, 1971. p.519. 65. Ibid. p.520. 66. Ibid. 67. Ibid. p.521. 68. Ibid. p.522. 69. Ibid.

38. Subrahmanyan. Op. cit. p.96. 39. Ibid. p.88. 40. Ibid. 41. Ibid. p.69.

STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES R.K. BHATT

67

70. Shukla, J. The Development of University Libraries in India. p.237. 71. 72. Ojha, D. G. University Libraries in India. Jodhpur: Latesh Prakashan, 1980, p.21. Misra, Jogesh. Op. cit. p.77.

89. Sar, R. N. College Libraries in Delhi. Herald of Library Science 10 (1971): 57-62. 90. Rewadikar, Shalini. College Libraries and their Environment in Punjab, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh: A Comparative Study . Journal of Library and Information Science 4 (1979): 94-112. 91. Srivastava, Anand P. Reading Preference in Higher Education. Jaipur: University of Rajasthan, 1965. 92. Deshpande, K. S. Users Orientation in College Libraries. Library Science with a Slant to Documentation 15 (1978): 194. 93. Vyas, S. D. Does College Libraries Meet the Present Day Demand? Indian Library Association Bulletin 10 (1974): 101. 94. Sardana, J. L. College Libraries in India. Op. cit. p.48. 95. Reddy, D. Jayanathan. Issues in Higher Education. Madras: M. Seshachalem & Co., 1974. p.151. 96. Trehan, G. L. Administration and Organization of College Libraries in India. Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1974. p.31. 97. Bavakutty, M. College Libraries in India. International Library Review 14 (1982): 394. 98. India. University Education Commission 1948-49. Report. Vol. 1. Delhi: Manager of Publication, 1949. p.110. 99. Ojha, D. G. University Libraries in India. Jodhpur: Latesh Prakashan, 1980. p.20. 100. India. University Grants Commission. University and College Libraries. New Delhi: UGC, 1965. p.8. 101. http://www.inflibnet.ac.in. 102. Chakravarty, R., & S. Singh. E-resources for Indian Universities: New Initiatives. SRELS Journal of Information Management 42.1 (2005): 57-8. 103. Bavakutty, M., & A. Azeez. Library Consortia in India: Initiatives and Concerns. SRELS Journal of Information Management 43.2 (2006): 177-84. 104. Chakravarty, R., & S. Singh. Op. cit. p.58-9. 105. h t t p : / / w w w . i n f l i b n e t . a c . i n / U G C - I n f o N e t / ugcinfonet.html#5. 106. Bhatt, R. K. Library Consortium: Effective Collaborative Approach towards Resource Sharing. Journal of Library and Information Science 31.1 (2006): 69-79. 107. http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/about/ default.asp 108. h t t p : / / w w w. k n o w l e d g e c o m m i s s i o n . g o v. i n / recommendations/libraries.asp

73. Kipp, J. L., &. Kipp, C. R. Indian Libraries and the Indian Wheat Loan Educational Exchange Program: A Report. New Delhi: The Wheat Loan Office, American Embassy, 1961. p.78. 74. Sharma, R. N. Indian Academic Libraries and S. R. Ranganathan: A Critical Study . Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1986. p.95. 75. Ibid. p.97. 76. Deshpande, K. S. User Orientation in College Libraries. Library Science with a slant to Documentation 15.12: 194. 77. Ibid. 78. Susheela Kumar. Physical Facilities in the Library. Newfrontiers in Education 8 (1978): 27. 79. Mukherjee, A. K. Library Facilities in Training Colleges of India. IASLIC Bulletin 10 (1965): 5468. 80. Hingwe, K. S. Organizational Patterns of Academic Libraries. Library Herald 2 (1969): 139-153. 81. Rana, M. S. Mutilation of Books: A Case Study of Kirori Mal College Library. Library Herald 11 (1969):154-167. 82. Girija Kumar, et al. College Libraries in India:A Survey Report. Journal of ibrary and Information Science 4 (1979): 1-23. 83. Naidu, R. Sreepathi. College Libraries in Andhra Pradesh with Special Reference to Andhra University. Library Herald 19 (1980): 134-47. 84. Naidu, R. Sreepathi. College Libraries in Andhra Pradesh with Special Reference to Osmania University. Indian Library Association Bulletin 14 (1980): 162-173. 85. Anand, J. K. Library Committee in Delhi University College: A Survey Report. Journal of Library and Information Science 6 (1981): 45-59. 86. Sardana, J. L. University and College Libraries during the Fourth Plan, 1966- 71. Herald of Library Science 5 (1966): 53-61. 87. Shewde, D. W. Cataloging Methods in College Libraries in Poona University. Timeless Fellowship 7 (1972): 131-147. 88. Krishan Kumar, & S. D. Vyas. Classification Practice in Delhi University College Libraries. Journal of Library Science and Information Science 4 (1979): 41-67.