INDEST-AICTE USER MEET @IIMI LIBRARY ON 4 DEC 08

INDEST-AICTE Workshop
on
E-Resource Management & INDEST-AICTE User Meet
(December 4-6th 2008)

Background
The "Indian National Digital Library in Engineering Sciences and Technology (INDEST) Consortium" was set-up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in the year 2003 with 38 centrally-funded Government institutions including IITs, lISc, NITs, NERIST. ISM, lIlT, IIITM & NITIE as its core members with a provision to extend it to all engineering colleges and technological institutions under its open ended proposition. While the Ministry provides funds required for access to selected e-resources for the core members, other institutions may join the Consortium for any of its resource(s) by paying for them at highly discounted rates and a nominal membership fee. By the end of the first year, the Consortium had 119 members, which included 38 core members, 64 AICTE-supported members and 17 members under self-supported category. The Consortium was re-named as INDEST -AICTE Consortium in December 2005 with the AICTE playing pivotal role in enrolling its affiliated engineering colleges and institutions as members of the Consortium for selected e-resources at much lower rates of subscription. The Consortium has enrolled 788 members as in Oct. 2008 including 461 member institutions under its self-supported category.

The INDEST-AICTE Consortium, on the basis of sheer strength of present and prospective numbers of institutions has attracted the best possible price and terms of agreement from the publishers. The Consortium subscribes to over 6,500 electronic journals, numerous conference proceedings, standards and e-books from a number of publishers and aggregators. The INDEST Web Site hosts a search and browse interfaces to locate journals, their URLs and member institutions. The Consortium supports open access initiatives and has taken-up new initiatives related to content creation under its extended activities.

Objectives
The INDEST-AICTE Consortium Workshop and the User Meet is being organized with the following objectives:

1. To promote the optimal use of e resources.
2. To suggest means to enhance the uses of e resources.
3. To identify the ways and means to increase the INDEST-AICTE Consortium membership.
4. To hold the INDEST-AICTE Consortium users met.
5. To provide a forum to the librarians and academic administration to discuss and share their problems and experiences of using e resources with core as well as members, INDEST-AICTE functionaries, information solutions providers, experts and users.
6. To create awareness and understanding about the importance of introducing and executing information technology in Libraries and Information centers for effective and efficient management of e-resource to achieve excellence.

Scope of the Workshop
The Workshop will have presentations on the core objectives followed by a panel discussion on the subject. The speakers and panellists include known authorities in their respective subject fields. The Workshop will also have presentations from the e-publishers and aggregators whose resources are being subscribed by the Consortium. Scope and contents of the Workshop can further be expanded depending on the feedback received from the participants.

Any one interested to present a paper / case study is requested to contact:
Mr. Kishor Chandra Satpathy, Workshop Director and Librarian
Indian Institute of Management, Indore, Prabandh Shikhar, Rau-Pithampur Road, Indore – 453 331, M.P , Ph : 91-0731-4228626 (O), 4228817(R), Fax: 91-0731-422800, E-mail: statpathy@iimidr.ac.in

Contact Person in INDEST
Bibhuti Bhusan Sahoo, Assistant Librarian, Central Library INDEST-AICTE Consortium, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi - 110 016, E-mail: bibhuti@library.iitd.ac.in Phone: : 011-2659 1444

* IIMI PGP Participants are requested to share their views , highlight the problem faced in searching or accessing the e-resource in the workshop on 4th Dec at 4PM in the Audi.