New
Delhi, Feb 3:
India is poised to gain its pace of
socio-cultural and economic development with the launch of the ambitious National
Mission on Libraries (NML) today, President Shri Pranab Mukherjee said.
Hoping that the NML — a lofty initiative of the
Ministry of Culture to modernise and digitally link public libraries across the
country — would ensure upgradation of libraries providing services to the
public, he said effective knowledge creation and deployment could lead to
societal transformation and wealth generation.
“I am sure the NML will promote enlightenment and
understanding and go a long way in making the masses active participants in the
affairs of the nation,” he said at the function convened at Rashtrapati Bhavan
to launch the NML which entails an expenditure of Rs 400 crore during the 12th
Plan period (2012-17).
Shri Mukherjee also inaugurated the NML’s
guidelines, logo and website in the presence of Culture Minister Smt. Chandresh
Kumari Katoch and senior officials of the ministry.
The President particularly stressed the importance
of the proposed creation of a National Virtual Library of India (NVLI) in the
national capital, noting that it would provide equitable and universal access
to knowledge resources.
The NVLI would provide digital resources “by
digitizing reading material in different languages, which would be shared at
all levels”, he noted.
Its target users would not only be students,
researchers, doctors and professionals but also the educationally, socially,
economically and physically disadvantaged groups. “Thus, it would empower
people with information in order to create a knowledge society and ensure
preservation of digital content for posterity,” ShrI Mukherjee said.
The NML would work towards launching model
libraries — thus setting a benchmark. “These model libraries would be
facilitated with subscription of e-journals and e-book services through Web VPN
services developed by National Informatics Centre. These would be also be
provided with reading resources to meet the local needs,” he pointed out.
The President hailed the NML for its plans to
conduct a holistic professional and personal development programme for library
professionals through capacity building. For, capacity building “is a necessary
investment in people, organizations and services to enhance operating
efficiency, expertise and skills of personnel towards the achievement of
organizational excellence, he noted.
In her presidential address, Minister Smt Katoch
noted that automation of libraries had become imperative to meet the demands of
the digital era.
She noted that the NML was set up in pursuance of
a report of the National Knowledge Commission which strongly recommended
revamping the Library and Information Service sector. The Union Cabinet gave it
the stamp of approval at a meeting, presided over by Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh, on November 28 last year.
Shri Deepak Paintal, Chairman of the High-Level
Committee on the NML, outlined the policy objectives and the roadmap to their
implementation.
Shri Ravindra Singh, Secretary to the Union
Ministry of Culture, welcomed the gathering, while Shri V Srinivas, Joint
Secretary, proposed thanks.
The NML would strive to develop six libraries
under the Culture Ministry, 35 Central Libraries in states and as many District
Libraries as model libraries. Emphasis will on developing these libraries in
economically backward districts. Further, 628 district libraries across the
states would be provided network connectivity. For setting up of the model
libraries, existing libraries would be identified in consultation with the
state governments to improve infrastructure and upgrade technology used by
them.
The revamped libraries would catalogue not just books
and journals but also all policies of the government in public domain to
facilitate easy access and research work.
Besides upgrading the infrastructure of public
libraries, a major component of NML is to initiating need-based training
programmes to develop managerial skills and IT competencies of their personnel
in tune with demands of the Internet era.
Kolkata-based Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation
is the nodal agency for the implementation of NML, which is a 10-member body
headed by Prof. Pental, a former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University.
