A study of district central libraries in tamil nadu with special reference to modernization programmes

Abstract

Public Libraries are an integral part of the society. Therefore, they have a social obligation to solve social, economic and political problems. A Public library provides necessary infrastructure for successful implementation of the educational programmes of its parent organization. The society is undergoing rapid changes. Therefore, the changes in the society have naturally affected the changing needs. Public library must become an active agent responsive to the needs of the users. Without a qualitative library, advanced education is not possible. newlineThe impact of Information Technology (IT) in the closing years of 20th century and beginning of the 21st century is felt in all spheres of the society especially in the library sector. It has created an excellent process of acquiring, organizing and disseminating information. The newly emerging information physical medium such as e-journals and e-documents including exploration of knowledge in the form of printed materials pose a lot of challenges and opportunities to the professionals working in libraries. Towards the closing years of the 20th century, there was a boom in the development of digital technology that led to the development of virtual libraries. But many of the libraries in developing nations are unable to cope up with either the information technology applications or the development of digital contents. Still, the users of these libraries are expecting more from the library services due to a paradigm shift. This facilitates that the libraries are not standalone and serves for a particular user group rather they are serving to many number of user groups in the arena of network environment. This has made the users to change their attitudes and behavior in seeking information. Further, the libraries are also able to provide seamless access towards the electronic information available in the network environment.This research work is concerned with the process of modernization of the District Central Libraries in Tamil Nadu. It proposes to inv