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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on May 25, 2014 at 23:36

Dear Sri Sajan Bajaj:

Thanks for your post. Since I am not aware of the discipline of your institute, it is rather difficult to suggest any definite way. Because it differs a lot from a Research Library of Science/applied Sciences and Humanities & Social Sciences disciplines as in the former, periodicals are most dominant while for the later, books and monographs and reports often constitute the main reading aids. Since you have mentioned that your faculty are Scientists, I presume that yours is a Scientific Research Institute. If it is so, you might be having cluster e-journal subscriptions which are presumably accessible to your Scientists at their rooms and naturally, their interest to visit the Library become passive. However, in case you are conversant with their research projects, you may create profiles according to their research  topics. In science subjects it is often observed that researchers have their specific core interest. You compile a list of literature appearing as articles, book chapters, data & statistics arrived in your library recently with their full bibliographic references for a chosen number of researchers to start with. Now see the authors of such articles and book Chapters and note their Labs and countries. Check how many of them are Survey Research; this will enable you to understand the geographical regions .Check their institutional affiliations. You will find the focus of Research. Check globally the prolific authors from International secondary databases. in case you have science background at the masters level in related disciplines, it will be easier for you to understand the phase of research and "What is Hot" in the disciplines. try to consult Research related Newspapers like The Scientist They often publish hot topics and frontiers of Research. Now you will be able to understand what the busy scientists of your institutes are doing really!! Send the bibliographies to your scientists on regular interval. Thus, in case the Scientists don't come to the Library you take the Library resources to their room. In case your Scientists are  serious researchers & really they can't find time to visit the Library, certainly they will appreciate your effort. I personally did it  for years and received extremely positive feedback and appreciations from Scientists who really work. However, there is another breed of Scientists who are called "Symposium Scientists" who may not be that much interested because as we all understand they do everything except Science!!

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Surajit on May 27, 2014 at 5:06

Sir,

How r u..

as i am not a librarian of a scientific research institute, but enriched after gone through of your points u mentiond above. It is very informative to us, I think it is  the concept which is applicable to any institutional library to a certain limit to attract the library users towards the library.

thank u for sharing ...

Surajit.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on May 27, 2014 at 20:41

Thanks. I am Fine. 

Incidentally, it is a bare fact that with the advent of e-materials, footfall in Libraries, especially Scientific Research Libraries diminished drastically.

I have asked many of my ex colleagues turned friends who are, at present Senior Scientists in various National Research Institutes or in R& D sections at Multinational Companies and Senior Academicians in Universities. According to their views,what I gathered is that there are three main reasons:  

          One is the e-materials

       and the others albeit not everywhere, but in several Govt. organizations:

          (2) Lack of enthusiasm of Library Professionals and more importantly,

          (3) Lack of knowledge and innovative ideas of Library professionals, especially seniors.

One of my junior Co-Professional has been working on this issue for dissertation works while I assisted in this venture. As I understand, some 250 (Two Hundred Fifty) structured questionnaires were sent throughout India and around 189 responded to it (meaning over 75%)  and from their comments the above three issues were identified.

I should not explain/expose it any further as the findings are supposed to be published in journals as technical paper and I don't want to disclose the issue.

But all I can say that you will find that many LIS professionals are trying for Librarians' jobs at Colleges offering UGC pay Scales. Even good professionals working in frontline Research Institutes like CSIR/DST/DBT/ICMR etc are switching over to College Libraries for better financial prospects while there is no denying that professional prospects at Colleges are not at all comparable with those in such Research establishments!

More pathetically, the Research institutes are fast loosing competent professionals and are recruiting from others in the market. Naturally, the result is obvious. When the Scientists are discussing certain issues, things are "Going Over Their Heads"!!

I have deliberately put it in a quote as this is exactly what has been mentioned by Scientists.

It is rather painful to admit that we the seniors in various Research Libraries pathetically lack leadership qualities to inspire young people. Whenever opportunities come for Trainings/workshops, we, by virtue of our positions often attend those leaving behind the  young people who , in many cases, are, even more competent than many of 'us'!!

I am not telling that ALL seniors are such, but, a significant number come under this category!!

If this is the case, how can we blame if the young ones join Colleges? at least they can have better financial prospects with time bound up-gradations of pay scales which are mostly elusive in Research Libraries!

I am sorry, as I deviated from the main issue but Sri Sajan Bajaj's post irked me to write all these.

Sri Bajaj, as I presume, with all his effort and enthusiasm wants to excel in service but if unfortunately, he ever leaves his service and joins a College or University for better financial opportunities, he should never be blamed!!

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Subeesh A C on May 27, 2014 at 22:00

Hai I very much agree with Siddhartha Shankar Ray Sir with his ideas regarding the services and other facts.

Apart from that I would like to add two information services namely Emerging Technology Monitor and Forthcoming Conference Alerts, as I named it. You can give the names according to your user demands and your content types. All the required information are readily available on the internet, what you have to do is to filter it precisely by considering the subject demands of your scientists projects.

In addition you can give news clipping services (Technology News), online quiz services, SDI services, …etc to update the scientist’s subject knowledge. Here do not hesitate to ask advices from scientists, I mean get the required inputs through proper and frequent communications. It will remove the complexities and guide us through various subjects which we have not studied even after we had the interest in them.

I have added two copies of what I am following monthly. First of all it is not a complete package, I mean content page, index, references…etc, but within our regimental, time packed duties if we can add something extra like this, that will be considered good. I am not saying that just include these two, as MrSiddhartha Shankar Ray sir pointed out, you can add a lot more according to the demands, and above all capacities vary from people to people in different ways and levels.

Since the section were I works demands this two regular services, and other services by demand I, humbly suggesting you to give a look if it suits your purpose for your users. I have not touched upon the various possibilities (Information services) lying in books, standards, patents, serials sections…etc. Let your creative thoughts bring it out in best possible ways with your experience.But do not get disheartened by the so called Symposium Scientists in your lab, let them what they are, and you do your duty because we are in this Profession and we are doing our duty.

Hope you will outclass everyone and improve my small steps to a better Library Assistant. And I will be a happy man to hear your success story as others in this forum.

Once again I thank Mr. Siddhartha Shankar Ray sir for his valuable inputs and Mr. Sajan Bajaj for his thought provoking question.

For a better world
Subeesh A C
Pune.

Attachments:

• Conference Feb14.pdf, 549 KB
• Emerge.pdf, 1.6 MB

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Permalink Reply by SAJAN BAJAJ on May 27, 2014 at 23:17

thanks you so much for your valuable suggestions.please advise me about SDI service procedure.I am giving details about my institute.

We Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Renewable Energy (SSS-NIRE), Kapurthala (Punjab) is an autonomous Institution of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.  Govt. of India spread over a sprawling campus of about 75 acres, the Institute is marching towards development into a centre of excellence in the biomass energy.  The objectives of the Institute is to carry out and facilitate research, design, development, testing, standardization & technology demonstration eventually leading to commercialization of RD&D output with a focus on  bioenergy, biofuels & synthetic fuels in solid, liquid & gaseous forms for transportation, portable & stationary applications, development of hybrid / integrated energy systems, to undertake & facilitate human resource development and training in the area of bioenergy.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on May 28, 2014 at 20:10

Dear Sri Sajan Bajaj,

Thanks for your post. I shall certainly get back to you within a day or two.

'Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on May 30, 2014 at 1:06

Dear Sri Sajan Bajaj:

I have gone through your post.

On the onset, I should mention that the following sentences are not suggestions, they are sort of "tips"

Since I have no idea about the nature & types of resources in your Library, I am just mentioning some generalised issues. In case your library is subscribing to any online Abstracting databases which are supposedly accessible to the Researchers in their rooms, it is always better not to initiate any service of duplicate nature.

The abstracting databases are otherwise extremely important & valuable sources to know about WHO IS DOING WHAT & WHERE.. The Researchers often first hand information from such sources.

 

Rather, try to understand about the Research Themes & Research  topics of Individual Researchers. Try to locate institutes doing research on similar areas....Say for instance, see TERI (The Energy Research Institute) and check whether they are doing any similar research. If yes. record  the Project Title & Researchers.

Go through the content pages of primary journals. locate the articles dealing with topics/issues on which your researchers are working. This will help you to understand about the researches  elsewhere. Moreover, you will be able to know about the Trend of Research . Look for articles dealing with Translational Research. They are exactly what your institute needs. Collect those Case Studies.

See the publications of your researchers. Go to the References. Se who are cited often. It will give you the Idea about who are doing similar works. "Follow" the Scientists and the Institutes. Collect articles published by them or at least the abstracts with full Bibliographic details. You will get valuable resources. This way, you will be able to prepare:

(A) Authors Profile,

(B) Institute Profile and Subject Profile and

(C) Subject profile..

Try to interact with researchers as often as possible make friends with Research scholars especially those of your age. and discuss the issues. It is not necessary that you will understand everything they will be saying, but keep your ears & eyes open and memory sharp. Little by little you will be able to understand  at least what you will require to collect. Ask for their opinions about feasibility of such profiles.Enquire what they need on Priority basis.

 

Ultimately, if you can continue recording such issues for a considerable period of time  [you can easily calculate (albeit roughly)  the obsolescence period of subjects from the dates of citations of journal articles] you will be able to write technical papers on Trend Analysis of Research on various topics. I am sure if you can publish at least two three articles of such nature, your expertise will be established.

 

Sincerely,

 

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by SAJAN BAJAJ on June 1, 2014 at 18:28

Sir Thank you so much for valuable tips.I will definitely work on these tips  and apply them in the Library.

Sincere Thanks

Sajan Bajaj

9417217993

sjn.bajaj@gmail.com

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