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Initiatives

The following are some of the initiatives of the Institute

  • Partnership with the software company Verus Solutions Pvt. Ltd., (VSPL) in Hyderabad, in developing a web-based library automation and networking software. The software, NewGenLib, has many advanced features, and, at the initiative of the Trust, has been made an open-source product under GNU GPL licensing. The binaries, source code, documentation and installation instructions may be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/newgenlib
  • Knowledge of the functional needs of libraries and international standards, functionality testing, development of the help files, user manual, and multimedia tutorials for NewGenLib was provided.
  • The Trust continues to take an active interest in advocating the use of open source and in enhancing the software and in its use of international metadata standards
  • Several organizations have been assisted by the Trust to apply NewGenLib in their libraries. Installation, training and support wherever possible have been provided. Notable examples of assistance are to: SDM-IMD (Mysore), Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) (Mysore), Acharya Vidya Kula (an ISCE School in Mysore and Mysore University.
  • Advice to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Govt. of India, on the modernization of the National Medical Library (NML) in New Delhi. A contract for this work was signed between KIIKM and the South Asian Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). A consultant mission visited NML during 8–24 May 2003. A comprehensive report on modernization of the National Medical Library has since been submitted to WHO.
  • Publication of a text book on library automation targeted to developing country students and teachers of library science. The book titled Library Automation: Design, Principles and Practice by L.J. Haravu was published by Allied Publishers on behalf of the Institute and was released in August 2004. A reprint of the book was issued in 2008.
  • Coordinated a workshop on Open Access Agricultural Information Networks in India sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), at Hyderabad in Nov. 2006.