City Central Library set to go online

By J.S.Ifthekhar

HYDERABAD, AUG 6.

Cheer up, bibliophiles. You can now browse through the shelves of top libraries to your heart's content. And at no cost. Just walk into the City Central Library (CCL) at Ashoknagar and access the information you need using the Local Area Network.

This facility will be available at the CCL soon with the commissioning of the Rs 52-lakh computerisation project by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu. The CCL gets the distinction of being the first public library in the State to become fully automated.

The turnkey project being executed by the University of Hyderabad aims at computerisation of all the present manual activities and database creation. Work on creation of machine readable bibliographic records of all the 1.40 lakh books, back volumes of periodicals and other reading material is nearing completion. The library staff are now being trained in the use of computers.

The CCL is linking up with the A.P. State Wide Area Network for networking with other libraries like the British Library, Indo- American Centre for International Studies (formerly known as ASRC), NIRD, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University and the University of Hyderabad. It is also working out the modalities of providing connectivity to people who would like to access information through their PCs from the comfort of their homes. "This would be made possible through dial up connectivity", said Mr. R. Madhusudhan Reddy, Secretary, Hyderabad City Grandhalaya Samastha (HCGS).

There is a flurry of activity in the otherwise quiet library with the University of Hyderabad personnel finetuning the system. The building is also getting renovated at a cost of Rs. 20 lakhs. About 40 computers have been installed in various sections -- textbook section, children's section, stack room, periodicals section and reference section. Searching of books would not be a laborious and time-consuming process anymore. Just at the click of a mouse readers can locate their favourite books. "As simple as that", says Ms. R. Lalita, Deputy Librarian.

Other value-added services like CD-Roms and Internet are also in the offing. In the second phase, the CCL plans to computerise all 89 branch libraries in the twin cities. At present 57 of them are functioning from the MCH premises. The corporation owes a whopping Rs. 12 crores to the HCGS towards library cess. The dues are outstanding since 1982-83. The Corporation has now decided to sell away these buildings to the HCGS and after deducting the cost of the land and building pay the balance amount.

"Once these buildings are handed over, we will carry out the necessary repairs and then computerise the branch libraries also for effective resource sharing", said Mr. Madhusudhan Reddy.

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