| Name | Abbreviation | Established | Headquarters Address & Contact Details | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Library Network | INFLIBNET | 1991 | Information and Library Network Centre, Infocity, Gandhinagar-382007, Gujarat, India. Contact: +91-79-23268201 Email: director@inflibnet.ac.in | https://www.inflibnet.ac.in/index.php |
1. Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET)
The University Grants Commission of India established the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) program. INFLIBNET is a significant national initiative initiated by the UGC in 1991. The INFLIBNET Centre, an autonomous institution under the UGC, gained complete independence in 1996 and is located at the Gujarat University Campus in Ahmedabad.In April 1988, the Chairman of UGC convened a committee to address the challenges arising from rising costs of information services, dwindling library budgets, limited space, and the need for efficient resource sharing in India. The history of library networks in India can be traced back to 1958, when the Scientific Policy Resolution was endorsed at the behest of Pt. J.L. Nehru emphasised the development of scientific awareness among the populace. This led to numerous committees and commissions offering recommendations for collaboration among libraries at local, regional, and national levels.
Since the 1980s, several library networks like ADINET, CALIBNET, BONET, DELNET, MALIDNET, and MYLIDNET have emerged. On a national scale, UGC launched INFLIBNET. The INFLIBNET project aims to connect universities, colleges, R&D laboratories, and institutes of national significance through their libraries via computer networks. Its primary goal is to make all bibliographic and non-bibliographic resources accessible and usable to any user from any location in the country. INFLIBNET operates as a cooperative effort, ensuring the efficient sharing of resources and avoiding unnecessary duplication of expensive journals, indexing periodicals, and other documents.
The attainment of these objectives relies on using computers, communication, and modern network technologies. INFLIBNET underscores the importance of modern technology and offers guidance on its implementation. This program is a significant national effort toward modernising libraries in India, particularly college and university libraries. It seeks to establish a mechanism for information exchange and access to scholarly content. INFLIBNET is a strategic move in resource development and utilisation aimed at organising both macro and affordable library services to maximise benefits. Currently, INFLIBNET primarily focuses on modernising university libraries in India, striving to connect university libraries and information centres through high-speed data networks to optimise information resource utilisation.
The primary objectives of INFLIBNET, as envisaged in the Memorandum of Association, are:
- To promote and establish communication facilities to improve capability in information transfer and access, which support scholarship, learning, research and academic pursuit through cooperation and involvement of agencies concerned.
- To establish INFLIBNET: Information and Library Network, a computer communication network for linking libraries and information centres in universities, deemed to be universities, colleges, UGC information centres, institutions of national importance and R&D institutions, etc., avoiding duplication of efforts.
- To facilitate academic communication amongst scientists, engineers, social scientists, academics, faculty, researchers and students through electronic mail, file transfer, computer/audio/video conferencing, etc.
- To undertake system design and studies in the field of communications, computer networking, information handling and data management.
- To establish an appropriate control and monitoring system for the communication network and organise maintenance.
- To collaborate with institutions, libraries, information centres and other organisations in India and abroad in the field relevant to the objectives of the Centre.
- To promote R&D and develop necessary facilities and create technical positions for realising the objectives of the Centre.
- To generate revenue by providing consultancies and information services.
2. Mission and Vision
- Leveraging on the latest technology, create a virtual network of people and resources in academic institutions with an aim to provide effective and efficient access to knowledge through perseverance, innovation and collaboration.
- Provide seamless, reliable and ubiquitous access to scholarly, peer-reviewed electronic resources to the academic community in all educational institutions with a focus on services and tools, processes and practices that support its effective use and increase the value of this information.
- Build and strengthen ICT infrastructure in educational institutions with value-added services.
- Develop tools, techniques and procedures for secure and convenient access management enabling users to access information in electronic format from anywhere, anytime.
- Develop resource selection guides and online tutorials for effective delivery and usage of e-resources.
- Facilitate the creation of open-access digital repositories in every educational institution for hosting educational and research content created by these institutions.
3. Goals
- Achieve complete automation of libraries in educational institutions.
- Create union catalogues of documents available in libraries in an online and real-time environment.
- Provide seamless and ubiquitous access to scholarly, peer-reviewed electronic resources to the universities.
- Promote digitisation of legacy documents and creation of content in e-format (including electronic theses and dissertations, electronic version of research articles, working papers, technical reports, concept papers, annual reports, statistical data, etc.) in universities.
- Promote the setting up of open-access digital repositories in universities for hosting content created in the process mentioned above.
- Develop expertise in: Digital content creation; Process of digitisation; and Managing digital depositories.
- Impart training in applications on various aspects of new technology to achieve the goals mentioned above.
4. Major Activities
- Shodhganga Portal: The Shodhganga portal showcases the accomplishments of participating universities by providing a detailed index of the theses contributed by various study departments.
- Library Services Development Projects: The Centre takes the lead in projects aimed at enhancing library services in Indian universities. These projects encompass financial support for the automation of university libraries, the development of a comprehensive database of resources in Indian libraries, and the creation of a library management application known as SOUL (Software for University Libraries).
- UGC-INFONET: This program is focused on providing Internet connectivity to academic institutions.
- E-Sodhsindhu: It offers E-Resources to all participating institutions.
- ShodhShuddhi: Provides Plagiarism Detection Software for research scholars and academics.
- INFED Remote Access Portal: A platform that enables remote access to academic resources.
- E-PG-Pathshala: A gateway to Postgraduate courses, facilitating access to educational content.
- VIDWAN: A platform dedicated to university faculty and university researchers for hosting journals.
- OJAS: A platform for hosting journals by faculty and researchers in universities.
- Shodhganga: A digital repository that stores theses and dissertations by research scholars in Indian universities.
- Shodhgangotri: A digital repository that contains synopses of research topics submitted to Indian universities.
- IR@INFLIBNET: This is a repository of academic papers.
- IndCat: An online Union Catalogue of Books, Theses, and Serials from significant university and institute libraries in India.
- R&D Facilities and Open-Source Contributions: INFLIBNET Centre participates in the open-source movement by creating research and development facilities and working groups dedicated to studying and contributing to open-source initiatives.
- Database Maintenance: INFLIBNET maintains a comprehensive database of scientists, researchers, and faculty members at academic institutions and organisations involved in teaching and research in India.
- Bibliometric and Scientometric Studies: The Centre conducts studies in these areas, which involve measuring and analysing scientific and scholarly output.
- Training Courses: INFLIBNET Centre provides training courses in Library Management and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance library professionals' and educators' skills and knowledge.