Contemporary Reference Service in Government
Libraries: a case study of the National Museum of Natural History Library, New
Delhi.
ABSTRACT
The
present paper looks in to the history of the beginning of reference service
in government libraries of India right
from the era of Takshila, Nalanda, to that of the Imperial library of India,
National library of India and then to other government libraries. It analyses
the type of collection of these libraries by which they were/are providing
reference services to the government officials and common public. The objective
of the paper is to analyze the type of documents being stored in these types of
libraries through which they were/are providing reference service to their
users. The paper canvasses for providing special education to reference
librarians in the Indian system. It further looks in to the transition of their
collection and services through the passage of time. Then it discusses the type
of reference services, the current favourite e- or internet based reference
services provided by the government libraries, digital reference service, their
types viz. synchronous and asynchronous digital reference services and various
forms of digital reference service (e-mail, web forms, chat using commercial
applications, chat using instant messaging). The paper discusses about the
various aspects of virtual reference service. It also discusses about
consortium based reference services, utility of networking in facilitating the
reference services in the cyber age in the context of Indian government
libraries and some other relevant aspects. Finally the paper throws light on different
aspects of reference service being provided by the National Museum of Natural
History Library, New Delhi, in the fields of museology, natural history,
evolution, paleontology, environment, geology and so. The present paper comes
in the category of historical research (a case study) as it uses documents
(govt. as well as private) to accomplish its goals as well as it evaluates the
reference service being provided by the National Museum of Natural History. The
paper finally concludes with suggestions for improving the level and extent of
reference service being provided by the government libraries.
Key Words:
Reference service, Electronic reference service/ Internet based reference
service, Digital reference service, consortium, networking, cooperative
venture, natural history etc.
Beginning of Reference Service in India
If we look back
in to the history of the mankind, one can easily assess that the libraries came
in to existence due to their reliability in providing timely and up to date
information as and when required by the rulers or those being ruled. Through
out its history, India has been blessed with many outstanding scholars, like,
the great Economist Kautilya, the great Grammarian Panini, the world famous
Astrologer Aryabhattta and many others. They became outstanding in their
respective fields not because they were born genius, but because they made use
of the rich treasures of India stored in the libraries of Taxila, Nalanda,
Vikramshila, Jagdala, Somapuri and so on.
This love of
libraries by the people of India continued and flourished through many
centuries and continued even in the British Raj. During their early days, the
East India Company required a centre where British Raj documents, papers,
orders and other publications can be kept. Hence in the year 1891, the imperial
library was established in Calcutta in order to cater to the reference needs of
the British rulers. At that time the government machinery was devised on the
pattern of the administrative structure in England, consisting of a few
departments organized to deal with the problems of law and order, collection of
revenue and regulating commerce, etc. In order to facilitate the above
functions, the Imperial Library’s collection consisted of statutes, reports,
guide/ reference books etc. to help and guide the officers and staff of those
departments in their day-to-day working.
The aims and objectives of the Imperial library were well defined in a
notification in the “Gazette of India” as “It is intended that it should be a
library of reference, a working place for students and a repository of materials
for the future librarian of India”. Thus in true sense, Imperial Library became
the first reference library of India and in some ways, it was the beginning of
reference service in India in the modern era. Slowly, on the analogy of the
Imperial library, other government libraries also came in to existence in order
to satisfy the information needs of their patrons.
Reference Service
in the Current Era
Reference
services in India have not much changed since the 70s until 1990. During this
time reference services mostly have been collection oriented only. The users
were also satisfied by “within the wall” reference services. But since the 90’s
things have changed. The users have become more demanding due to the increased
influence of information in their professional lives. The information
revolution has also played an important role in this.
Technology has
altered all aspects of our lives. It has succeeded in transforming the ways
reference librarians interact with users, the ways they collect information and
the ways they package information. As the basic link between users and library
services, reference librarians are particularly affected the ways users access
it.
These developments have
important implications for the provision of information by libraries/information
centres/documentation centres to their users. Great advances have been made in
the automation of indexing and abstracting services. An important development
is the provision of computerized selective dissemination of information service.
The computers have led to increase in the scope and variety of reference
services, which can be provided to the users.
Application of technology has
made a tremendous impact but the actual search process and the end result
remain the same as in the traditional approach.
The field of knowledge is
dynamic and a reference librarian is being called upon to perform newer roles.
Within the last twenty years, the library/information science field seems to
have been introduced to a variety of information roles namely, the
technological gate-keeper, the intelligence officer, the information
communicator, the information broker etc. These roles are not totally new but
there is a different kind of emphasis. These have also been defined in clear
terms. It will take some time before these concepts get recognized properly. In
the changing environment, a reference librarian/information librarian is
expected to acquire additional skills, which shall stand him in good stead in
the technological environment. The government libraries have also not remained
untouched from all these technological advances. According to the needs of
their users they have reoriented their collections. Apart from the traditional
methods of providing reference services, they have also started a few newer
reference services as- internet based reference services, Digital reference
services, virtual reference services, Consortium based reference service and so
on.
Internet Based Reference
Services
At no other time in history has
the emergence of technology affected so significantly the core mission of a
library. These technological advances have created new opportunities for
libraries, information managers, researchers and library patrons of specially the
government libraries. The Internet is expanding at a dramatic rate and is
creating a fundamental change in the way people collect information and acquire
knowledge. It is an exciting and eclectic research tool and its power is
limitless.
With the emergence of Web help
services, Government libraries are no longer the lone providers of information.
At this time, the numerous web-based reference services search only the
Internet, not the vast collections found in libraries nor the thousands of
library online catalogues that describe and manage the collections.
In summary, the growth of the
Internet is exploding; it is located everywhere and is open for business 24x7.
Its content is rich and varied, but easy access is undermined by several
factors, including the absence of traditional means of cataloging or organizing
information and the absence of distinctions between credible sources and
sources created by self-styled experts.
Librarians Add Value
Today's government librarians need
to find quickly information that is usable, relevant, authoritative and verifiable.
To meet that need, libraries must adapt our traditional strengths of acquiring,
describing, and serving information to an environment that is not bound by time
or physical place, the virtual library without walls. The Indian government
librarians are heavily using “Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org)”,
Wikipedia, Answer library (www.answers.com), On-line reference desk
(www.refdesk.com), librarians Internet Index (http://lii.org) and many other
online resources for providing reference services. [Pls. also look “IFLA
guidelines for libraries of government departments” (www.ifla.org)].
Digital reference services
Digital
reference is a service by
which library reference service is conducted online, and the reference
transaction is a computer-mediated communication.
In the context
of government libraries the word "reference" refers to the task of
providing assistance to government library users in finding information,
answering questions, and otherwise fulfilling user’s information needs.
Reference work often but not always involves using refernce works, such as
dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. This form of reference work expands reference
services from the physical reference desk to a "virtual" reference
desk where the patron could be writing from home, work or a variety of other
locations. Various govenrment libraries like IIT Libraries are providing this.
Digital
reference services are of two types-
Synchronous
Reference Services
- Simple Chat
- Video Conferencing
- Reference services over phone
Asynchronous
Reference Services
- E-mail
- Web form/Forums
- FAQ
Virtual Reference Services
Virtual
reference services are the remote delivery of reference source materials that
are provided to users who are not inside the library. They are used by people
seeking to utilize resources who are unable (or unwilling) to visit a library.
Providing remote based services for patrons has been a steady practice of
libraries over the years. However, with the widespread use and adaptation of
Web culture, various govenrment libraries have incorporated it in their plan of
action. It can be provided through on-line chat, through e-mails, Ask a
librarian and various other means.
Consortium
based Reference Services
Today is the age
of resource sharing and networking. The libraries are sharing their collections,
facilities, manpower and many other things. So
how the reference services can remain untouched? To fulfill the ever
increasing demand of the users, government libraries are entering in to the era
of consortium based reference services. Today many Indian government libraries (like
IIT Libraries) are coming together along with a understanding to share their
resources for providing reference services to their users. There are many
benefits of Consortium based reference services as-
- Extensive Coverage (24/7 and 365 days)
- Overall higher reference volume
- Centralized scheduling and
troubleshooting
Consortium based
reference service is the amalgamation of reference services of various
libraries. Networking based reference service is one of a type of a cooperative
reference service.There are some national and local library networks in India
like INFLIBNET, DELNET, CALIBNET, UGCNET, BONET, ADINET, etc. Many government
libraries are connected with local networks. Most of the subscribers to DELNET
(Developing Library Network) are government libraries.
Emergence of
Reference Service in the NMNH Library
The NMNH library
began its life first being located in the offices of curatorial staff, where it
eventually outgrew the space allocated to it. With time the museum library
became an outstanding resource centre in its own right even if it was often
seen as a tool for the use of museum staff rather than the general public. The
strongest impetus for the establishment of the museum library was the desire to
educate the community.
The museum
library provides its scientists and other technical staff the resources within
which the museum’s specific collection of objects and display programmes can be
researched, documented and interpreted. The museum library also compensates for
the inevitable limitations of the museum by collecting printed information
about related objects which are not available in the museum.
The main purpose
of the NMNH library is to meet the museum employee’s information needs and
contribute to programme planning, collection documentation, exhibitions,
publications and ongoing research by the staff and members of the museum’s
wider community, which it does by providing reference from museum’s book and
non-book collections (slides, CD Roms etc.) as well as from the web and
databases.
National Role
of NMNH Library
Being the national
library of India in the Natural History field, the NMNH library aims to provide
a national service. The NMNH library has defined its national role as being the
central collecting and service agency for its particular subject fields viz;
Natural History, Museology, Environmental Sciences, etc. The NMNH Library has
taken responsibility as the main collecting library for both printed and
manuscript material available in its thrust areas. The museum library’s
collection also gets regularly enriched by the books received by the scientists
in the course of their curatorial duties.
Given the vast
amount of publications in the museum field, the NMNH Library seeks to fulfil
its national role by becoming a focal point for a network of RMNH (Regional
Museum of Natural History) Libraries spread throughout the country and working
closely with MOEF Library, National Museum Library, National Science Centre
Library (NCSM) etc. at the national level. The NMNH library has developed many
successful exchange programmes in order to acquire, quikly and economically,
materials published by American Museum of Natural History, British Museum of
Natural History, Japanese Museum of Natural History, Brazilian Museum of
Natural History and many other instituitions. Being part of this exchange
network ensures that the NMNH Library can collect catalogues that are otherwise
unavailable through conventional means. Apart from this, the NMNH is also
acting as the ENVIS (Environmental Information System) Node collecting
resources in the field of “Natural History”.
Thus in order to satisfy their user communities, the present day
Government libraries, have to reach out to resources and adapt to technologies
that were previously unknown to them, only then they will remain relevant in
the changing world order.
References:
1)
Ford, S.
Information sources in art, art history and design. - Great Britain
2)
Jeevan, V K J. Digital libraries. –New Delhi: Ess
Ess Publications, 2003: 1-25p.
3)
Tiwari, Aravind. Evaluation of electronic libraries.
– New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation, 2002: 144-211p.
4)
Kresh, Diane Nester. Offering high quality reference
servic on the web: the collaborative digital reference service (CDRS), D-lib
Magazine, 6 (6), June 2000.
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