Organizing for digital archiving: A network model at SDMIMD

Acquisition, organization, preservation, retrieval and dissemination of scholarly information are the fundamental functions of libraries over the centuries. The ICTs have had impacted the way in which these functions are carried out from time to time. The role of libraries in archiving has seen a paradigm shift. With the publishers are marching forward to grab the archiving function from the libraries, libraries have found new avenues for using their skills in archiving. This situation has lead to the mushroom growth of localized digital libraries, institutional repositories, OAIs etc. The availability of Open Source Software such as GSDL, dSpace, ePrints etc., has augmented the interests of librarians to experiment with the development of institutional based full-text retrieval systems. Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatha institute for Management Development (SDMIMD) has developed an e-library portal which serves as a long-term archive as well as an information system for providing distributed network services to its patrons. The e-library has been designed to cover five collections, viz., Contemporary Issues; Faculty Publications; Summer projects; Articles (Frequently used e-resources); and A/V Materials. The e-library portal has been welcomed with lot of enthusiasm from students and faculty alike. This pilot project would be expanded to cover the entire sister institutions coming under the umbrella of SDM Educational Trust