Ranking of Indian Repositories

Ranking of Indian Repositories based on Ranking of Web of World Repositories, January 2009 Edition.

World Ranking among all types of Repositories               

• 38      Indian Institute of Science Bangalore ePrints   
• 105    Indian Statistical Institute Digital Library   
• 119    OpenMED@NIC   
• 208    Indian Institute of Astrophysics Dspace   
• 212    Raman Research Institute Digital Repository   
• 234    National Institute of Oceanography India Digital Repository   

 

World Ranking among Institutional Repositories      

• 28      Indian Institute of Science Bangalore ePrints   
• 89      Indian Statistical Institute Digital Library   
• 190    Indian Institute of Astrophysics Dspace   
• 194    Raman Research Institute Digital Repository   
• 208    National Institute of Oceanography India Digital Repository
• 279    National Aerospace Laboratories Institutional Repository

Science Blogging

Just came across a write up on science blogging in SciDev.Net - How to set up a science blog. If you are into scholarly, scientific or academic profession, writing a blog would help you to communicate with your peers.

India 2009 - an authoritative reference book on India available for download

Publication Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Government of India) brings out an annual reference book on India every year. It usually contains comprehensive and authentic information on various subjects and facts on India. It covers economy, rural and urban development, industry and infrastructure, art and culture, health, defense, mass communication etc. It also covers important events of previous year.


It is a priced publication costing Rs. 345/- and available both in Hindi and English languages. However it available as PDF files from Publication Division's website. I could download it from the following links.

• India 2009 (A Reference Annual) in English. File Size 9.90 MB
• भारत 2009 in Hindi. File Size 14.92 MB

Annual Review of ReadWrite web technology in India - State of Innovation in India: 2009

ReadWriteWeb has a latest post calling it annual review of State of Innovation in India: 2009. Zoho; DimDim; Mkhoj; iYogi; TutorVista; Ubona; Mscriber; Obopay and Naukri finds mention in it.

Understanding how libraries (and librarians) can survive in the new media ecosystem

Just came across PowerPoint Presentation of Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project. The presentation is on How libraries can survive in the new media ecosystem. I am trying to understand the message conveyed by this presentation. It is about "how people's use of the internet and cell phones has fundamentally changed the 'information ecosystem' in 10 ways". Information in this age is Abundant, Cheap, Personally Oriented and Designed for participation. According to Lee, 'information ecosystem' is changing in the following manner:

- Volume of information grows

- Variety of information and sources of information grow

- Velocity of information increases and smart mobs emerge

- Venues of intersecting with information and people multiply and the availability of information expands.

- People’s vigilance for information changes. Attention is 'truncated' and 'elongated'.

- The vibrance and immersive qualities of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact.

- Valence (relevance) of information improves – search and customization get better

- The voice of information democratizes and the visibility of new creators is enhanced.

- Voting on and ventilating about information proliferates as tagging, rating, and commenting occurs and collective intelligence asserts itself

- Social networks become more vivid and meaningful.

So what can Libraries and Librarians do in such an 'information ecosystem'? Well, they have been advised to take following actions:

-Be findable and available

-Think of yourself as a news node for information and interaction.

-Think of yourself as a social network node for people looking for 'friendsters'

-Think of yourself as an information hub -- an aggregator and a linker to others who have useful, interesting material

-Experiment with Web 2.0 applications

-Offer your good offices to help people master new literacies - Graphic; Navigation; Context; Focus; Skepticism; Ethical and Personal literacies.

The new information ecosystem and required actions for being relevant in this new ecosystem has been well explained by Lee. However, I am trying to understand how the ideas expressed by Lee Rainie correlate to the theory and philosophy of Library and Information Science. Changes in 'information ecosystem' is consistent with Ranganathan's Fifth Law - Library is a Growing Organism. The Library (system) being an Organism, grows and thus get more and more differentiated. It evolves like any other living organism on earth in response to changes in ecosystem. Most 'actions' suggested by Lee are consistent with Forth Law - Save the Time of The Reader. Well, I am not able to fit the concept of 'social networking' on Internet in terms of philosophy of library science. Perhaps, someone from you can help me.

LIS Blogs in India

Sri Badan Barman of Guwahati has compiled a list of 44 Library and Information Science Blogs in India. He has picked these from 69 blogs after hard work of ten days. He feels that Indian LIS bloggers are not professional enough to attract large number of readers. He advises bloggers to remain focussed on one or two themes.

Anyway, let me console myself - I write for myself.

MixedInk

MixedInk is a Free Collaborative Writing Tool.

OpenGoo

OpenGoo: An Open Source Web Office to create, collaborate, share and publish documents.

Article on UGC - User Generated Content in SEARCHER

A nice writeup on User Generated Content (UGC) appears in SEARCHER - U-Content: Project Gutenberg, Me, and You.

Open Access and Ranganathan's Laws of Library Science

About a week back I was seeking comments on Open Knowledge Society from subscribers of few library and information email groups. I expressed my personal view that Open Access is merely an extension of philosophy behind. Ranganathan's First Law of Library Science - Books Are For Use. I got few responses. I would to like share one response from Miss Charu Mathur. She is a School Librarian in Delhi and blog at VIRTUAL WORLD and LIBRARY WORLD. She feels that Open Access is not just extension of First Law but can applied to all Five Laws of Ranganathan."..The demand of second law, to get every reader his/her book can be fulfilled by only open access. Internet has opened the new door and information explosion already has taken place. In that situation only Open Access is the way by which any reader/user can have the required piece of information at the right time. Same is the case with third law which urges that every book/information has its reader/user. In absence of open access it is just like the situation where books were used to be kept in locked and chained wooden shelves. In As the demand of fourth law, only freely available information can save the time of reader/user, otherwise the process of opening the door of closed access is too cumbersome and time consuming and this is sheer violation of this law. In fifth law, Ranganathan suggest that Library is the growing organism, so as information. Peter Suber initiative is the best answer of this golden rule.." (Charu).

2009 - Yet Another New Year for me?

Wish you all a very Happy New Year - 2009. I rarely write about myself. So I will not write much.

People make 'New Year Resolutions'. I don't know how many of them actually stick to these resolutions. I had no any such resolution last year. So the question of sticking to such a resolution did not arise.

Last year was just fine for me. I was involved in few things, but the one that gives me satisfaction is the formation of a professional society - Open Knowledge Society. This is what I dreamed about three years back - a platform for people involved in promotion of "Open Access" in India. I am happy that a platform has been erected. I am proud to be one of its founder members. So now the stage is there, but now what about the actors? Well, they are still missing. So, If I can bring in more actors to this stage in 2009, I would consider having done something in this New Year.

Happy New Year.