A rich resource
KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAN
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Madras University students get access to over 6,000 e-journals through UGC's library networking initiative
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For more details, log on to www.inflibnet.ac.in.
AIDING RESEARCH: Vice-Chancellor S.P. Thyagarajan tries out the free access for registered researchers to INFONET e-journals facility of Madras University. Deputy Librarian and UGC-INFONET co-ordinator R. Samyuktha explains the working of the system. - Photo: S. R. Raghunathan
At the click of the mouse, Madras University students at its Guindy campus access more than 6,000 e-journals on a variety of topics. In fact, they have been doing that for nearly a year now. Soon, the facility will be extended to three other campuses of the university.
It has been possible thanks to UGC INFONET, a library networking initiative that has provided the connectivity to online paid-content journals to more than 100 universities in the country.
Networking
The networking programme for the library dates back to 1991. The UGC had launched Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) then, with a mission to facilitate resource sharing at different levels and promote scholarly communication among academicians and researchers.
The UGC was thus able to reach out to automate and network over 142 universities across the country. The major activities of the INFLIBNET centre in Ahmedabad included creation of national union databases, on-site training, providing bibliographic information services and extending technical help.
In recent years, INFLIBNET expanded its role to cover e-learning due to increased bandwidth availability and other networking possibilities facilitated by Ernet.
INFONET
It launched the INFONET programme three years ago to link up universities to several online journals that are preferred resources for research scholars.
The role model for INFONET was the initiatives taken by the IIMs and IITs in creating consortia of e-journals for students' access.
INFONET has so far signed contracts with 19 e-publishers across the world and plans to support activities till 2006 at an estimated cost of Rs. 130 crores.
One-point access
R. Samyuktha, deputy librarian, Madras University, says universities stand to gain through the project on several grounds from providing one-point access to students to several journals, including some rare ones, to saving money for the universities.
``The annual print subscription for Scifinder, a journal published by the Chemical Abstracts Society, runs to the tune of Rs.12 lakhs.
Now with the INFONET, we have been able to provide access to e-journal to all our computers in Guindy campus. People with valid logins can access the journal anytime they want," she said, illustrating the usefulness of the scheme.
Madras University spends close to Rs.1.3 crores every year for its library maintenance, nearly Rs.55 lakhs of which goes towards subscription to 70 journals.
Payment
"The best part of the INFONET programme is that UGC directly pays for the subscriptions out of money it allots for universities. It has also planned 100 per cent support on recurring costs during the Tenth Plan period," Ms.Samyukhta adds.
Recently at an awareness programme on the INFONET facility at Madras University's Guindy campus, INFLIBNET representatives said they had already identified more than 1,200 colleges in the country for whom the facility could be extended.
Colleges can choose from various packages their preferred solution.
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