A study of collection development management and computerization of pharmacy college libraries located in the central and north Gujarat region

Abstract

Library is the product of our cultural maturation. It is essentially a response to the total communication pattern of modern society. A library plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of higher degree of research. Information technology has revolutionized the information handling activities in the academic libraries during the past few years. Modernization of libraries is essential for research activities in the field of pharmacy. Today more than 1,259 Pharmacy Colleges and 1, 02,078 students are in pharmacy education. More than 20,000 scientific and technical articles are published worldwide in a day. Pharmacy colleges and R and D centers where research activities take place should have facilities to provide up to date knowledge to the researcher on pharmaceuticals by utilizing high technology available in related areas. Every library is expected to support the objectives of the pharmacy college and should have reference collection with general and specialized works like encyclopedias, yearbooks, directories, serials, non-book materials, and collection of standard treatises in various branches of pharmacy education. newlineIn recent years, the term quotcollection developmentquot has come to encompass a broad range of activities related to the policies and procedures of selection, acquisition, and evaluation of library collections. Collection development has been described as one of the most discussed but least understood areas of librarianship. Libraries have always had collections that grew and, in that, sense might be said to have developed.