Assistant Librarian, UGC-Academic Staff College, Kumaun University, Nainital. email: innegiis84@gmail.com
The role of university libraries in India has been modelled on examples offered by developed countries’ model of academic libraries as a cost-effective information service and provider of knowledge product to a resident community of scholars.
Over the last two decades, there has been a gradual erosion of traditional stakeholders’ positive perceptions based on collections. Furthermore, Indian universities have tended to develop a culture of relying on donations of library materials regardless of the appropriateness of content to needs of recipients or curricula. This emerging role has obligations, which have been analysed in this paper.
University library education is dependent on availability of published materials, which support the curricula. It has been estimated by various authors that 95% of most university library acquisitions in India are purchased from abroad, through foreign currency. The poor state of national economics and fluctuation of limited access to foreign exchange in universities and their libraries have resulted in the erosion of both the acquisition budgets and the potential role of university libraries as a support of teaching and research through current reading material obtainable abroad. Thus, not only have library materials not been replenished but those that are available are also worn out. Consequently, university libraries are unable to dynamically contribute to the core business of the parent institution through provision of current thought obtained through journals and books.
Indian University Libraries, Indian Higher Education, Changing Role
