Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society : An Indian Experience

Contents: I. Public Libraries in Knowledge Society: 1. Role of Public Libraries in Building the knowledge Society/Krishann Gopal. 2. Role of Public Libraries in the Emerging Knowledge Society in Challenging Change in India/M P Singh. 3. Government Knowledge Centre: A Model for Public Libraries/Geeta G. Gadhavi. 4. Library Innovation for the Knowledge Society/Kirsten Drotner. II. Public Library Development: 1. Road Map for Development of Public Libraries in India/A.C.. Tikekar. 2. Connecting School and Public Libraries: Need of the Hour/Moorttimatee Samantaray. 3. Public Libraries in Delhi: A Historical Study/R.K. Bhatt and Manish Kumar. III. Rote of RRRLF in Development of Public Libraries: 1. Role of Raja RaminohUn Roy Library Foundation in Improving Knowledge Base in Rural India/M. Sankara Reddy. IV. Public Library Legislation: 1. Public Library Legislation in India: Need, Evaluation and Impacts of the Existing Acts/Velaga Venkatappaiah. 2. Adull Education and Public Libraries in Punjab/M.P. Satja and Kiran Kathuria. 3. Library Legislation In India: An Overview/Narendra K. Bar. V. Public Library Roles: 1. Rural Public Libraries as Community and Communication Information Centres: Towards Sustainable Livelihoods/Pradip Kumar Upadhyay. 2. Public Libraries as Social Institution: A Discussion/P R. Goswami. 3. Public Library and Its Role in the Modem Society as a Community Information Service/Devendra Kumar, Rajkumar Singh and Krishna Kumar. VI. ICT in Public Libraries: 1. Using ICT Tools for Public Empowerment: Wishful Role for Public Library System in India/Usha Mujoo Munshi. 2. Application of ICT in Public Library Services/B.N. Singh. V. Public Library Services: 1. University Oriented Electronic Information Services and Their Suitability in the Public Library Context/Bharati Paliwal. 2. Public Library Services for Children in the Digital Environment/Manpreet Kaur Sohal, Prabhjeet Kaur and P K. Walia. VI. Public Library Management Issues: 1. Training of In-Service Manpower in Public Libraries: Issues and Strategies/Sewa Singh. 2. Total Quality Management in Public Libraries/Mange Ram, Rajbir Singh and Satish Yadav. 3. Marketing of LIS Products and Services of the Public Libraries in India/UC. Sharma and R.K Bhatt. 4. Collection Development in Delhi Public Library System/P K. Walia, Esmat Momeni and Monika Gupta. VII. Public Library System and Services in North Eastern India: 1. Public Library System and Services in North East India/Ibohal Singh and N. Giridhari Singh. List of Contributors. Index.

"For long public libraries are known to have been meeting the educational, informational needs of the society. However, in the context of emerging era of knowledge society, the public libraries have arrived at a critical moment in their services. The volume debates the current and emerging roles of public libraries, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses as well as of the public library system in order to ascertain their potential to provide digital techniques, services and facilities to meet the challenges of knowledge society of 21st century. This scholarly volume should be of special interest to teaching and academic community in library and information science, professionals and policy makers associated with information dissemination and management."