ACADEMIC LIBRARIES:

OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTION

CHAPTER 2
OVERVIEW

 Academic libraries form a distinct category in the general

pattern of libraries that include national, public and special
libraries. A library is the central responsibility for
functioning of a university and a college.
LESSON 1: ACADEMIC LIBRARY
ACADEMIC LIBRARY

Academic libraries include school, college, university and

research libraries.
All these cater to the needs of academic community for
supplementing the study and research programmes of the
institution and help conserve and disseminate knowledge.
1.1 Objectives

The primary objectives of any academic institution are:

Conservation and preservation of knowledge;
Expansion of ideas and dissemination of knowledge with the
help of interpretation, research and publication; and
Dissemination of knowledge through teaching and extension
services.
 1.2 Nature and Characteristics

Academic libraries are dynamic

instruments of education. They
support the institutions, to which
they belong, in fulfilling the
objectives and advances their aims.
1.3 Differences

The character of these libraries is determined by the nature

of their respective users, and their information requirements.
For example, in a school library, children are the users; in a
college it is the adolescents and youth
whereas in a university library it is the postgraduate level
students and researchers.
 1.4 Collections

The college library should stock

recommended text books, periodicals and
serials needed for the curricula, reference
and rare books required for special
studies, general books for making the
students book conscious and materials
needed for faculty members.
The collections in university libraries have wider scope as they include,
besides the prescribed text books, classics, special and rare book
collections, major reference books which are highly priced, complete
sets and files of academic and scholarly journals, government
publications, union catalogues, bibliographies, dissertations and theses,
and provide access to electronic publications on CD – ROMs or online.
1.5 Services

 The school libraries, besides offering routine book Issuing

facility, offer other services such as library hours, storytelling
hours, conduct of debates on current topics, film shows and
cultivation of reading habits among students.
The college library renders additional services such as
introduction to library and its services, reader’s advisory
service, lending service, bibliographic service, access to
Internet, etc.
On the other hand, university libraries offer a wide variety of
services that include reference, current awareness, selective
dissemination of information, bibliographic, documentation,
lending and inter library loan, newspaper clippings, network
based services such as access to Online Public Access
Catalogue (OPAC), Internet and consortia based services,
etc.
LESSON 2: SCHOOL LIBRARIES
LESSON 2: SCHOOL LIBRARIES

School libraries are primarily meant to collect and arrange

syllabi based books and some books for general reading and
entertainment that may include classics, biographies,
adventure and travel books, fiction, etc.
They have to serve adequately the
needs of students and teachers with
a number of services like reference,
storytelling, debates, film shows,
book reading clubs, etc.
LESSON 3: COLLEGE LIBRARIES
Colleges form the integral part of
higher education, and libraries in
colleges are the primary source for
learning process.
This is the place where they can set their future goals and shape
their career.
Hence college libraries have a vital role to play in the graduate and
postgraduate education programmes.
3.1 Objectives

College library is the most important adjunct of a college.

It aims at realization of institutional objectives.
It strives to generate enthusiasm and eagerness among the
students and faculty and help them to make use of the
available reading materials.
 Support implementation of objectives of parent institution
i.e.
 Supplement the curriculum taught in the institution to
which it is attached;
 Give students a wider and deeper understanding of the
universe of knowledge; and
 Work as an independent agency and encourage life-long
learning beyond the prescribed syllabi so that the students
can be more enlightened and knowledgeable.
So far, college libraries have been mainly concerned with their use
by the undergraduates in connection with prescribed reading.
However, the need is to encourage students to make wider use of
library, including perusal of journals, microforms, and use of
Internet.
3.2 Functions

A college library’s functioning should support the objectives

of the college i.e. study, teaching and occasional research.
The college library provides the needed reading material to
satisfy the information needs of students and faculty
 Makes available to the students, books and allied reading
material relevant to the courses offered in the college;
Makes available the books and documents required by
faculty members in preparation of their instructional courses;
Provides supplementary books and reading material to help
study and teaching at the college;
Provides comprehensive selection of authoritative books and
documents needed by the faculty members to pursue their
research programmes;
Promotes the proper use of the reading material available in the
stock; and
 Thus the functions of a college library can
be summarized as follows:

The primary function of college library is to assist the parent

institution in fulfilling its educational objectives;
To provide latest collection of text books, course related materials
and journals on print and electronic media;
To maintain good collection of reference books, magazines,
newspapers and Internet facilities to provide wider access to
information beyond the prescribed syllabi;
To train the students in the use of library catalogue, reference
sources, and net-based information access;
 To provide career guidance to students and make them useful
citizens of the society;
To offer variety of services such as newspaper clippings,
bibliographies, access to databases (abstract and full text) and the
Internet;
 To maintain good ambience and create reading environment for
students and faculty;
To preserve documents for future use following current methods of
preservation.
To perform the above functions effectively and achieve the set
objectives, the college libraries have to plan, design and manage the
following activities.
3.3 Information Resources

The book collection in college libraries should be adequate,

comprehensive and current to meet the educational needs of
students and faculty.
It should include all recommended or prescribed textbooks,
journals, magazines, etc. Besides the collections should also
include standard reference books, career oriented
competitive examination books, recreational and general
books.
3.4 Finances

Finances are essential for the proper growth and

development of college libraries. The main sources of
income for college libraries are State Government grants, ad
hoc grants and internal sources like fines, service charges,
etc.
3.5 Staff

The librarian in a college library is more of a teacher and

should guide the students in acquiring knowledge and
developing their career.
a. The library shall have a sufficient number of personnel to
meet the requirements for quality library and information
services. 1. The number and qualifications of personnel
shall be determined by the size and scope of collection,
service
Ratio of licensed librarians and other personnel vary
depending upon the range of operations and services
provided by the library and upon its total workload
requirements.
For the first 1,000 students, faculty and staff or a fraction
there of One (1) full-time licensed librarian and one (1) full
time library assistant.
For every additional full- 3,000 or a fraction thereof One
full-time licensed librarian and at least two (2) full time
library assistants/ support staff.
 The qualifications of library personnel
shall be as follows:

The librarians
Librarians shall have the required valid license and are members
of the accredited professional organization. They are encouraged
to conduct research to improve library and information services
and operations.
Support Staff

The support staff are the paraprofessionals who are non-

licensed and holders of any Bachelor’s degree.
3.6 Services

The college libraries offer the following services to students

and faculties:
user orientation, education and information literacy;
reference, reader’s advisory services;
3.6 Services

lending and Inter Library Loan services;

bibliographic service;
career guidance; and
network-based services.
LESSON 4: UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
A university stands for truth, reason, tolerance and
humanism.
It helps in the progress of the society in general through
advancement of knowledge.
creation of new knowledge through research and interpretation with
existing knowledge (research);
to impart knowledge to students in all fields of universe of knowledge
and give professional and vocational training (education and training);
dissemination of knowledge and reduce the social and
cultural gap (publication);
to diffuse and foster the real values and attitudes in society
through various extension activities (extension).
4.1 Objectives

The university library strives for the fulfillment of objectives

of its parent body the university.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand the objectives of
university in general.
4.2 Functions of University

The concept of a university the world over has undergone

change in connotation from age to age as a result of a
constant endeavor on the part of the system of higher
education to answer societal demands.
Accordingly, the functions that it has to perform also
changed from time to time.
Conservational Function:

A university is expected to help conserve the culture,

heritage of the country. This is stupendous task given the
long past of the country, the multicultural texture of the
fabric of its culture, and the onslaught of the winds of change
from within and without.
Transmissional Function:

A university should be an effective vehicle of disseminating

knowledge in the society at different levels through diverse
modes and media.
Promotional Function:

A university should promote the cause of knowledge, its

modification, renewal and enrichment. It should also support
creation of new knowledge and, thereby, contribute to the
existing fund of human knowledge.
Developmental Function:

A university is charged with the duty of developing the

human resource of the country to the optimum capacity of its
potential.
Proactional Function:

A university has, among others, a future-related obligation

towards the community.
Revolutional Function:

A university should be a form for dissent and non-

conformity. It should provide field for trying out uncommon,
unconventional and innovative ideas.
4.3 Information Resources

The information materials in university libraries exist to

support the curriculum and related research of the University.
The university library has to acquire and organize reading
material with the advice of the faculty and in accordance
with the goals and objectives of university
Acquisition of, and access to, information resources, which
have multiple uses, are the chief responsibility of university
libraries.
The collections are usually a combination of textbooks,
reference books, manuscripts, monographs, theses, manuals,
conference proceedings, scientific and technical reports,
periodicals, institutional serial publications, patents, etc. in
print, microform, audio - visual or electronic formats.
4.4 Finances

Finance is important for the effective functioning of library.

Efficient performance of libraries is directly related to
adequate funds.
4.5 Staff

The next important element in the functional organization of

a university library is the provision of adequate and
professionally trained library staff.
The library manpower should be capable of organizing the
library on sound scientific lines.
The professional staff of a university library are accorded
status and salary on par with university teaching staff, and are
required to possess the qualifications also on par with teachers
i.e. postgraduate degree in a subject and also in Library and
Information Science.
4.6 Factors that influence the academic
library and its function
(a) Access to digital information:

Technological advancements have made great amounts of

information readily available in a digital format, thereby
enabling faculty members to easily and remotely access
information that is beyond physical books and journals
(b) Development of digital collections:

Librarians today develop more digital collections, which are

a major financial expense and this involves continuous
consultation with faculty members so as to understand and
meet their needs;
(c) Sharing:

With the increase in the difficulty and expense involved in

developing the library collection, interlibrary loan
agreements are established to enable the loaning, mailing, or
scanning of materials that are unavailable in the library’s
own collection.
(d) Discovery and access:

The digital era has changed how faculty members search for
and retrieve information. These changes require new skills
from the users, and librarians must be aware and assist in the
process of acquiring these skills
(e) Metadata and catalogs:

Librarians must be made aware of the difficulty in reaching

many items; if they do not provide as much descriptive
information as possible on the items in their collections,
users will be oblivious of the existence of these items,
especially if the items do not exist electronically or are
available only in the physical collection.
(f) Budgeting and prioritizing:

Despite budgetary issues, academic libraries typically ensure

that all the material relevant for academic courses is found
within the library collection. In contrast, faculty members
often claim that the academic library appears to divide the
budget disproportionally and supports teaching more than
research.
(g) Formal and informal scholarly
communication:

Scholarly communication has changed dramatically in the

digital era and scientific communities are created more
rapidly today than in the past.
GREAT JOB GUYS!
Thank you so much for your time!
Hope you’ve learned a lot from our
lessons today.