LIBRARY DEPARTMENT NSOU: A PROFILE

NSOU Library has been set up to provide quality information service and a convenient environment for information access to its patrons, with a view of supporting the learning, teaching and research activities of the Netaji Subhas Open University.

The fundamental role of the university library is to serve the academia. It should not be operated as a mere storehouse of books attached to a reading room, but as a dynamic instrument of education. NSOU library is no exception. The Library Department, NSOU is developing in the direction of catering service according to the needs of Academic, Administrative and Supportive staff and learners.

NSOU Library commenced the journey on 1999. It is known from previous accession records that the Library started procuring various library documents such as books, journals, dissertations, self-learning materials from the beginning (First accession date 27^th October 1999).

There was a Central Library at Golpark Campus which was attached with Controller Department and restricted to a room only. Resources of erstwhile Central Library were finally shifted to NSOU Kalyani campus. Books were also purchased by various departments and schools, before establishment of present Library Department for developing their own reference libraries.

Present Library Department, NSOU started functioning from 24^th September, 2015.

Location of Library Department:

It is located at the second floor of the newly constructed 3 storied Warehouse Building of lush green NSOU, Kalyani campus. Nearest railway station is Kalyani Ghoshpara Station Road. It is also well-connected with Kalyani Junction station through Auto and e-rickshaw.

Infrastructure:

• Carpet area is 2194 sq. ft.
• e-library cum reading room with air condition machine facility - 1.
• Stack rooms - 2.
• Library is well illuminated with natural day light.
• There is a ramp stretched from ground floor to the top.
• Computer terminal with 24 hrs high-speed internet access - 1.
• Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Water purifier - 1.
• Online UPS - 1.
• Photocopier cum scanner - 1.
• Barcode scanner - 1.
• Barcode Printer - 2.
• Printer cum scanner - 1.

Objective of the Library Department, NSOU:

• To develop collections both printed and electronic on various disciplines for satisfying the needs of the diverse users.
• To provide reading, lending, reference, information and documentation facilities to all categories of Learners, Academicians, Officials, Various personnel of NSOU.
• To cater need based services to the learners of ODL situation.
• To provide comprehensive reference/information services to the users.
• To reach almost all learners and users of NSOU community scattered in all over West Bengal with the help of ICT.
• To provide personalized service to those who are in special need.

Library Hour:

Library Hour: 11:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., from Monday to Friday.
At the time of PCPs and practical classes at the Kalyani campus the Library remain open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Library Resources:

• Printed Resources:
  • Text books, monographs, handbooks on various subjects such as Bengali Literature, English Literature, English Language, Bengali Language, Linguistics, History, Geography, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Work, Library and Information Science, Research Methodology, Commerce, Management, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology, Mathematics, Computer Science etc.
  • Question booklets of previous year term end examinations of NSOU.
  • Dissertations.
  • Selected PH. D thesis/dissertations.
  • Journals on various subjects.
  • Reference books, such as, encyclopedias, handbooks, yearbooks, biographies, both language and subject dictionaries etc.
  • Large number of collections of various Bengali and English writers such as novelist, poets, drama writers etc. are procured in the Library.
  • Various Government as well as other reports are procured in the Library.
• E-Resources:
  • E-books available in perpetual mode of Cambridge University Press, Sage Publications (Sage knowledge), EBSCO collection.
  • World e-book Library is providing access to NSOU.
  • E-access of Employment News.
  • Library is subscribing JSTOR e-aggregator.
  • Library has access in Web Dewey.
• Other Resources:
  • The library is a member of DELNET.
  • The members of the Library also can access the British Council Library, Kolkata resources through institutional membership of NSOU.
  • NSOU has 7 study corners Govt. libraries throughout the West Bengal. Learners can access the documents of those libraries also.

Library Activities from 2015 onwards:

• A detailed library manual has been prepared for the users and Library personnel. Library activities are conducted following the Manual.
• Library information is uploaded in NSOU website under the heading Library Services.
• An authority file has been prepared which is guiding Library personnel for technical processing of books, journals, dissertations etc.
• Automation activities started by installation and customization of KOHA (version 3.22 released on November 2015) which was solely done by the Library personnel. After that KOHA has been upgraded to (version 18.11.10 which was released on September 2019). At present meta data are incorporated in the database which is in KOHA (version 19.05.06 released on December 2019) software.
• Recently KOHA database has been hosted to cloud supported by L2C2 Technologies. Both the staff client and OPAC is now available in 24x7 basis.
• Online catalogue is available in NSOU website (www.wbnsou.ac.in) under the heading Library Services. Above seven (7000) thousand books are incorporated in KOHA.
• The Library Department has received MARC organizational code (In-KoNSO) from Library of Congress in free of cost. This code will help union cataloguing in future. Also this will provide an identity of library meta data. If any other organization copies the data this code will be shown there as an identical mark.
• Stock verification of library resources are done with the help of hand held bar code scanner time to time on regular interval.
• Index is maintained for printed journals subscribed in the library.
• Library is subscribing various e-journals. A list of journals subscribed by Library Department has been prepared and uploaded in the NSOU website.
• Library professionals provide career guidance to the learners with the help of competitive examination books and newspapers like Employment news (online version).
• Meta data of e-books (which are having perpetual access) of the Library have been incorporated to the Library OPAC.
• E-books and E-journals have been arranged for access through dedicated IP ranges provided by NMEICT for Kalyani campus.
• Library Committee meetings are being arranged regularly as and when required.
• Library expert’s opinion and support was taken while upgrading KOHA.
• Library Department organised an awareness programme on e-resources of NSOU to aware faculty members of NSOU Kalyani Campus.
• Library Department regularly interact with 7 NSOU study corners and place printed report about the status of these study corners to the authority for information.
• Library Support information was incorporated for the first time in the NSOU Prospectus 2019-2020 in point 20.1 in Bachelor Degree Programme (BDP) and M.A., M.Sc., M.Com., MSW, MLIS course prospectus 2019-2020.
• Library Department provide necessary input to the Academic Council, Executive Council, NAAC Committee of NSOU etc. as and when required.
• The Library Department is maintaining a good cooperation with other Regional centre libraries and seminar libraries of NSOU.

Arrangement of Books:

• Books of the erstwhile NSOU library are arranged according to accession numbers in open access stack system.
• Newly purchased books from April 2016 are arranged according to call number and kept in close Wall to wall Cabinets.

Services provided by the Library Department to the Users/Learners:

• A reading room with a sitting arrangement of eight users has been arranged.
• Open access to the stack browsing facility for faculty members only.
• Information Retrieval Service.
• Online Public Access Catalogue service.
• Lending service to the Faculty members only.
• Online search services to the subscribed e resources.
• Digital Scanning of selected portions of printed documents.
• Photocopying service (only for faculty and NSOU employees).
• Inter library loan facility (with DELNET).
• Access of documents of BCL, Kolkata.
• Reference service both in face to face contact mode and over phone/e-mail.
• Linked Open Data service.

Contact Person:

• Madhusri Ghosh Upadhyay, Ph.D (Deputy Librarian), (dylibrarian@wbnsou.ac.in).
• Sri Anupam Ghsoh (Assistant Librarian), (asst.librarian@wbnsou.ac.in).
• Sri Subhajit Mandal (Junior Library Assistant).
• Sri Sourav Ghosal (Junior Library assistant).
• Contact No. - 033 2582 2248