New chapter begins

IT USERS, despite their increasingly visible profile, are peculiar. They belong to a generation - that uses quartz watches; that has never written a letter; that has never typewritten and that has never travelled by a steam train. Their childhood, technology saturated, is characterised by short attention spans, almost wanting to take it all at once.

In this age, the teacher is now a guide with the machine adopting a greater role. The explosion of knowledge is empowering many. The IT revolution, it is predicted, will "engulf all modern institutions in life"... libraries included.

And "friend of the Indian bookworm", the British Council has recognised this.

IT at the BC entered a new phase last Monday with the launch of an IT Learning Resource Centre in Chennai. Coinciding with the launch of a comprehensive all-India library catalogue (www.bclindia.org), the move was based on feedback from members, according to the Director, BC, South India, Eunice Crook.

The centre is well equipped with over 2,000 books and CD-ROMs covering "Networking", "Internet", "Programming languages", "Operating systems", "Database management systems", "Multimedia" and "E-Commerce".

The launch, she added, marked the start of a drive BC was embarking on to strengthen its role as the United Kingdom's principal knowledge and learning network with India.

Chief guest IIT-Chennai's Director, Dr. R. Natarajan, highlighted the role of digital libraries. "Cost effective in disseminating information," was the advantage, he said.

BC also announced a partnership with software unit Pentasoft Limited to meet the information needs of students training with the company.

But for members still old world and who enjoy reading quietly in a corner, Eunice Crook had this to say. "The book is not yet dead." So there are still the usual shelves to browse through and to take a pick from.

MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY

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