Dr. Vivek S. Sathe, Librarian C.S.P.M. Vaijapur Sanchlit Art‟s Senior College Swangi By-Pass, Harsul-
Sawangi. Tq. Dist. Aurangabad.
Abstract
Library services provided by using web technology are referred as web based library services. Internet & web technology has changed the traditional method of providing library services & resources to its user. Library is only one of many institutions changing in the face of technological advances. The present paper explain various concepts like Web (www), Library services. Web based library services, Web services etc. Paper also described in briefly background of Web based library services. Different web based services i.e. Library web portal, library web page, Web OPAC, Access to Database, E- mail, Ask-a- Librarian, Bulletin Board Services, Web forms, Virtual library Tour, Web based user educations, Real time services are highlighted & discuss in briefly. Advantages and disadvantages of Web based services, Challenges are also mentioned. The Indian scenario of Web based services has also taken in briefly.
Keywords :- Web, Website, Web Based Services, Library Services, Library web portal, Library web page, Web OPAC, Database, E-mail, Ask-a-Librarian, Bulletin Board Services, Web forms, Virtual Library Tour, Real Time Services, Web based user Education etc.
Introduction :- With the emergence of Internet, more specifically the world wide web (www) which is one of its major services has completely revolutionized the way to communicate, studying, teaching, business, employment, education, healthcare & more. It has a major impact on the publishing & information delivery system in 21st Century. Similarly in case of libraries too, application of internet and web technologies have changed the way the libraries operate & provide information services to users.1 Entire services of library has changed in respect of accessing, processing & retrieving of information. Today libraries are also interested to share resources among other libraries to satisfy the users.2
What is World Wide Web (www) ? World wide web is one of the services of the internet. It is a way of accessing integrated information in the form of web pages over the medium of internet with the help of web browsers. World wide web is a global network of internet servers which provides access to interlinked documents locally and remotely. It is a vast network of linked hyper text files stored on computers throughout the world that can provide computer users with information on a huge variety of subjects. The information can be in the form of regular text, hypertext, pictures, sounds, userents , news groups & other types of data. To access such information from web, client program is necessary like Internet explorer, Firefox etc, which is called browser. Within the web, the information is stored in pages. Each page can hold not only information but links to other pages. In each page a particular word or sequence of words highlighted item & the other information related to that words in some other pages. This means that there is a link between the highlighted item & the other information , the service is called hypertext. When any-one wants to follows a link, the browser will find out where it is and connect the web server at that location, request the new page & then display it on the screen.6
What Library Services ? Some of commonly existing library services7are cataloguing, classification, circulation services, reservation, renewal, new arrivals, current contents, current awareness, service, selective dissemination of information, reference services, document delivery service, interlibrary loan services, externally purchased database, CD-ROM databases, access to other library catalogues, access to online databases, internally published newsletter, reports & journals, bibliographies, indexing & abstracting services & so on. Such services can be provide in web environment with the help of web technologies.
What are Web Services ? Web Services are software components that communicate using pervasive, standard based web technologies including HTTP & XML-based messaging. Web services are designed to be accessed by other applications and vary in complexity from simple operations. Since they are based on open stands such as HTTP and XML-based protocol. Web services are hardware, programming language rage & operating system independent. This means that applications written in different programming language & running on different platforms can seamlessly exchange data over internets or the Internet using web services.8
What are Web Based Library Services ? Web based library services mean the services provided through particular website accessible on internet which provide integrate access to the multiple databases. According to (Madhusudhan, 2011) “Web based library services means library services provided using internet as medium and library website as a gateway with the help of integrate library management system.” White (2001) has defined 7 “Web based services as an information services in which users ask questions via electronic means e- mail or web-form.” Web based library services provides users with the convenience of accessing information in their own time, saving them travelling cost & time and new options for answering reference questions.
Why Web Based Library Services ? Web Based Services are established due to following reasons.9b Ensuring the needs of users & the accessible information sources are suitable matched at all time. Delivering those information sources to the users in a timely & appropriate fashion. Ensuring the information provided is high quality, accurate & appropriate.
Type of Web Services. Following are different types of web services.9bLicensed / Purchased full content (journals, books, audio, maps etc.) Licensed / Purchased databases.
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Web Based Library Services -
Background :- At beginning library was just a store house of books & other documents. General people were not allow to use that document. After long time library started document delivery service and circulation came into picture. From middle of the 19th century there were drastic change of library services. A large number of different services came into the picture. Computer came during the middle of the 20th century, the mode of library services changed dramatically. It became information service and new kind of offline service came into picture & last one decade of 20th century it was started to provide online service. If we try to find out the history of web based services, we would like to say that it was 1960 we can think as a first step. In the USA among the pioneers of large scale bibliographic processing by the computer, the National Library of Medicine, which launched MEDLARS service in 1963. It was the first large scale system made available to the general public without any restriction. Even today it is one of the most widely used service in the world. It become online during 1970 under the name MEDILNE. In this way during 1970‟s libraries made proper use of computers in various library operations & lounched local system successfully due to availability of improved computer technology & collaboration between libraries & computer specialist.
Web Based Services in College Library :-Access to Database, Bibliographic & Cataloguing Service.Bulleting Board ServicePush based services
Advantages of Web Based Services :Following are the advantages of Web Based Services.25
It saves the precious time of the users.A large number of users can be helped simultaneously by using Web based library services.Less dependent on the library staff for getting the required information.No need of library staff in large numbers to carry out library work & services.Availability of information in different places & also in different formats.
Disadvantages of Web Based Services :-Following are disadvantages of Web Based Services.26A huge volume of information is generated every time.No order or rules are imposed on the generation, distribution, access & use of this information.No fully compressive record of the different documents is available at the moment. The Indian Scenario :- Till 1970, the computers 27 in the country were, by & large, mainly used for scientific calculations, business applications, scientific calculations, business application, decision making & data processing. In 1971 V. A. Kamath & N.M. Makwad of the Library & Information Services of BARC conducted an extensive survey through questionnaire with the primary object of finding out of what extent the computer are used too library operations & information handling. On the basis of the replies received, they draw the following broad conclusions. „There is only one library having computerized procedures for procurement, one for charging & discharging, two for cataloguing, four for preparing library addition lists & one for preparing union catalogue of periodicals.‟ Even in 1976 computerization did not increase substantially, only a dozen or so organizations & institutions were involved in computer applications of library & information services. Among them were : INSDOC, BARC (Bomby) TIFR, PRL (Ambedabad), DRTC, IIT, NIC, NALC etc. In India, The govt. of India directory of official websites27 among them 23for Indian universities, 12 college websites. Each of having good libraries but few of them providing Web based services. The IIT‟s, IISC & IIM are the best of them which are providing Web based service in true sense. Otherwise most of the libraries specially University Libraries are not up to the mark & most of them are providing only OPAC service not more than that. While OPAC27 have been accepted widely in the west, they have not gained the same degree of acceptance in India. The design & development of OPAC in India is of very recent origin & it can be said as the early nineties development.
Challenges :- 29The participating libraries should have the infrastructures for providing services to their users.The librarian should take one more step further instead of just providing access to the internet. He or she should take the responsibilities of evaluating the web resources for providing the effective.The librarian should have depth knowledge about the web resources & the search engine which will give the real power to the reference librarian to answer the queries .The librarian should create a web directory of the internet resource so that it can be used or referred to by a user whenever it is needed for providing the services.The users of the library should be given training & explaination about internet & the search option.
Conclusion :- Librarian should take a leadership role in providing better Web-based library services to their techno savy users. Librarian should perform the role as coach & collaborator, guide the student, teaching user how to search effectively & helping them judge the quality & usefulness of the information that they meet with. For perform this role, he should take full advantages of Internet & web facilities.Services are the heart of any kind of library. The web technology & Internet has changed the traditional method of offering library & information services. Web technology & Internet has also changed the way of information is stored, retrieved & communicated in the library. College Library must use these technology to improve the efficiency & effectiveness of services.
REFERENCES
1) Naikwadi, V.A. & Naikwadi, P.V. (2017) : Web Based Library & Information Services in BG College, Proceeding of National Conference on “ Role of Librarians in promoting E-Information Literacy.” Published in Sanshodhan Samiksha – A monthly peer reviewed International Research Journal, Kopergaon (M.S.) : K. J. Somaiya College of Arts, Commerce & Science; 24-25th January 2017; p.111.
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BEST PRACTICES IN COLLEGE LIBRARY: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO