Information Metamorphosis in Physics and Astronomy Libraries*

There is a very wide range of information resources available in most subject fields. The role of the library is to select, acquire, organise and make available an appropriate subset of these resources. Information technology (IT) has changed the nature of information service, by enhancing accessibility to a variety of information. Specialized libraries in physics and astronomy are involved in the task of balancing the application of the tools of IT and the use of traditional information resources in these disciplines. Essentially, the goal of these libraries is to match the institution's needs and budget against the available information and its cost. Increasingly, digital information, especially in physics and astronomy comes with a price tag, some quite high. But the library, negotiating on behalf of the institution (and perhaps as a part of a consortium), has to ensure users' access to the required information at a reasonable cost. This paper discusses some of the important electronic information sources in physics and astronomy and their optimum use in selected libraries in India.