Search for Free Books

Thursday, November 29, 2007

What Could Make Your Library World Class - R.Krishnamoorthy

Indian institutions have to take giant strides to make libraries the sought-after knowledge centre for research, according to S.Raghavan, Senior Faculty of Electronics and Communications Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi.
Only a handful libraries in elite institutions qualify for the world class categorisation. Before according digital status or considering libraries as world class, there are quite a few factors to be kept in mind, says Dr.Raghavan, citing the observations he made during his recent stay at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) as visiting scholar.
They are: Book drop in boxes; Photocopying and printing facilities in every floor (self operation with smart cards); good number of high-tech computer terminals; automatic issue and full RFID (Radio Frequency Identification); a fool-proof unmanned exit gate; a dedicated floor for music library; individual and presentation rooms; typewriters; silent zones; and appealing furniture.
The user-friendly CSUN Library in spacious setttings, for instance, contains 1.4 million volume collections with three million microforms. The library provides extensive electronic databases, full-text journals and books and services through its web presence. It also contains an automated storage and retrieval system which houses 700,000 volumes. Few of the databases are Lexis Nexis database, Thomson Gale database and Chicano database.
Its Music and Media wing holds a collection of printed music scores and books and sound recordings on CDs, audio cassettes and laptops. Besides books on music, over 9,100 music tapes and DVDs for faculty or classroom use are kept in this area. Listening and viewing facilities are available for a variety of media.
Three new state of the art microfilm and microfiche self-service, digital laser printers are available in the Microform room. Viewing carrels are available for individual study, and a group viewing room provides preview and discussion space. Students also could bring their own videotapes, DVDs, audio tapes, CDs or slides for viewing or listening. The library has access to over 28,000 full-text electronic journal, magazine or newspaper titles from the databases to which the library subscribes.
Photocopying, printing and scanning services are available on all the four floors of the library. This is a boon to researchers. Most visitors utilize a value-added debit card. In addition, coin-operated machines are also available. Colour photocopying, facsimile services, drop-off photocopy services, and colour scanning including scanning with paper print, scanning to file, transparency page creation, and colour printing are available.
The library has three large rooms namely Presentation room that a seating capacity of 200, built-in sound with microphone, a video projector and built-in screen. There is also a conference room with conference tables and a built-in screen. Administration conference room has in addition to the above facilities, a smart board.
Quiet zones are available wherein study rooms are built. Group study rooms with white boards are open to the users. Two manual typewriters for patron use are located in one floor. Pay phones and 'campus only' phones are at the disposal of the users.
Courtesy: R.Krishnamoorthy, The Hindu, Madurai, November 5, 2007

All Those Books Online, More to Come! - AP

Major digital library project led by Indian-origin Professor surpasses initial goal of books
Pittsburgh: Nearly a decade ago, computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University embarked on a project with an astonishingly lofty goal: digitise the published works of humankind and make them freely available online.
The architects of the Universal Library project said on Tuesday they had surpassed their latest target, having scanned more than 1.5 million books and are continuing to scan thousands more daily. Most of the books scanned are in the Chinese language.
"Anyone who can get on the Internet now has access to a collection of books the size of a large university library," said Raj Reddy, a Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at the university who led the project.
Much of the recent work in the Million Book Project has been carried out by workers at scanning centres in India and China, helped by $3.5 million in seed funding from the U.S.National Science Foundation and in-kind contributions from computer hardware and software makers.
The U.S., China and India each have contributed $10 million to the project, undertaken with partners at China's Zhejiang University, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, and Egypt's Library at Alexandria.
At least half the books are out of copyright or scanned with the permission of copyright holders. Excerpts of copyright-protected works are available, though the organisers expect complete texts to become available eventually.
Other Projects
The project is not the first of its kind. Online search engine operator Google and software giant Microsoft have begun similar endeavours, though Carnegie Mellon representatives say theirs is the largest university-based digital library of free books and that its purpose is non-commercial.
It is a step toward the creation of an online library that would make traditionally published books available to all, said Professor Reddy. "The economic barriers to the distribution of knowledge are falling," he said in a statement - AP
Courtesy: AP and The Hindu, Madurai, November 29, 2007

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Memorable Quotes-10:

From your parents you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other. But when books are opened you discover you have wings - Helen Hayes

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Book of the day-5: 'The Bhagavad Gita : Royal Science of God-Realization' by Paramahansa Yogananda

A work of unparalleled scope and vision that reveals the esoteric meaning of the immortal dialogue between soul and Spirit. In this book, Paramahansa Yogananda breaks the "code" of symbolism and allegory that conceals the Gita's deepest spiritual, psychological, and metaphysical truths.

It presents an enlightening and deeply encouraging guide to the ultimate mysteries of human existence and an unfailing source of spiritual solace for the modern world. It unfolds the essence of India's age-old philosophy of yoga, its time-honoured tradition of meditation, and how yoga meditation leads to higher states of consciousness.

This comprehensive work offers an in-depth look at the origin, evolution, and nature of cosmos; striking correlations between the Vedic view of reality and the discoveries of modern science; and the subtle aspects of Kriya Yoga - the ancient science of meditation.
About this work, Paramahansa Yogananda said, "I am not giving an interpretation, but am chronicling what I perceived as the Spirit pours Its wisdom into an attuned soul's devotional intuition in various stages of ecstasy."

Published by

Yogoda Satsanga Society of India
Paramahansa Yogananda Path
Ranchi-834001
Jharkhand
Price: Rs.595/-