Kalpana Das Gupta to be honoured
The Times of India News Service

PANAJI: President of Indian Libraries Association Dr. Kalpana Das Gupta and three former vice-chancellors of Goa University -- Prof. B. Sheikh Ali, Dr.P.R. Dubhashi and Prof.N.C. Nigam -- will be honoured for their meritorious service in the field of library movement on  August 9 at 4.30 pm at a function to be held at Dinanath Mangueshkar Kala Mandir in the city .

The function has been organised jointly by the Goa Library Association and the Goa University Library on the occasion of commemorating the 108th birth anniversary of Dr.S. Ranganathan, known as the father of library science in India.

A three-day national seminar on "Library Public Relations: Challenges of the New Millennium" will be held at the venue from August 9 to 12. Governor of Goa Mohd. Fazal will inaugurate the seminar while Education Minister Prakash Phadate will be the guest of honour.

Vice-Chancellor of Goa University Prof.B.S. Sonde will preside over the function. Dr. C.R. Karisiddappa, Prof. in library science from Karnatak University, Dharwad, has been invited to attend the valedictory function as the chief guest.

Goa University known in the country as the youngest university was established in 1985 when it had only 37,678 books. Today the total collection of books is 1,10,000 covering a variety of subjects like humanities, social sciences, computer science, geology, management and other related disciplines. A special collection of Latin America and the Caribbean is a rich treasure of this library, said Dr.P.V. Konnur, the university librarian.

The university has stored details of the books on magnetic media and this facility enables users to locate books and ascertain the availability. This library has also procured a media server through which all the reference sources like encyclopaedia Britannica, Manorama Year Book, World Book Encyclopaedia could be accessed over the campus. The next initiative of the university is to set up a dial-in-server at the campus and locate all electronic resources along with library and other data bases. This facility would enable all affiliated colleges to reach the university library server by dialling the number given to the server instead of reaching the internet, Dr. Konnur explained at a press conference in the city on Wednesday.

Approximately, 48 papers will be read at the national seminar being held in Panaji from tomorrow onwards and some of them desired to voice their concern over dying reading habits among the younger generation. Dr. Knnur agreed that the fast growing electronic media had an influence on the younger generation but those wanting to enrich their treasure of knowledge would certainly use the libraries for their benefit. Though no indepth study has been carried by any library association or any State on causes of dying reading habits of the society, it was felt necessary to debate this part of the library movement.

The theme of the seminar therefore revolved round the public relations in library, he explained.

Explaining the circumstances existing in the library sector in the country, Dr. Konnur said that not more than 7-8 States have passed the Library Act to protect the interests of the library science. Dr.R.S. Ranganathan himself had moved a draft act way back in 1931 for consideration of the educationists and the society in particular but it was still lying in cold storage. The elected government did not also feel it necessary to pick it out from the storeroom, even after 52 years of Independence. Such a national cover was necessary for this country, Dr. Konnur insisted.