At a time when Gujarat University, which is celebrating its diamond jubilee year, boasts of investing lakhs of rupees on computerisation and of having around 1,000 computers equipped with internet facilities, it is disappointing to note the poor usage of the e-facility for research and other academic purposes.Out of 150 Indian universities using Information and Library Network Centre (Inflibnet)'s services, the varsity holds a dismal 95th position.
Inflibnet is the University Grants Commission's (UGC) autonomous inter-university centre (IUC) involved in the collection, development and dissemination of scientific and technical information in academic and research institutions and creating infrastructure for sharing of library and information resources.
While far-flung Indian are making the best use of Inflibnet's services, which provides access to 5,500 e-journals and databases to Indian universities, it is indeed a matter of great concern that student and faculties of Gujarat University are yet to realise the potential of this facility, that is located at the campus. GU students/faculty have used only 299 downloads from January to July 2009, which is the lowest in the country, while Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda tops the category with almost 60,000 downloads!
What is even more surprising is the fact that state universities with comparatively lower profiles than GU, are way ahead in using the services. For example, Saurashtra University (30,911), Sardar Patel University (27,742), Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (18,129), Bhavnagar University (4782) and Hemchandraacharay North Gujarat University (779) are doing much better than than GU.
Apart from this, as far as national ranking of universities affiliated to Inflibnet is
concerned, Gujarat University is nowhere in the picture: MSU is No. 18 and SPU is in 43rd position.
However, according to Gujarat University vice-chancellor Parimal Trivedi, "The main reason behind this trend is that our arts department is yet to learn how to use the facilities since most researches done by the faculties and students are from vernacular background and they need study materials in the local language, which is not available here. But our science department is using the Inflibnet services pretty well," he said.
Nationally, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Banaras University are the top three users of Inflibnet till December 2008. Gujarat Vidyapeeth is 128th.
"The use of e-journals and library depends on the kind of faculties and students a
university has got," said Ramesh Goyal, vice-chancellor of MSU. Apart from this, he said the amount of access to e-journals and downloads indicate the degree of involvement
in serious researches. I would say that to use Inflibnet properly, universities should promote researches."
SPU V-C BG Patel attributed their improvement in the use of e-journals because of more focus on research works. On an average 80 students are being awarded PhDs every year, he said, adding that more than 1900 PhD degrees were awarded from the varsity so far.
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