Availability of Library Resources and Services in Pharmacy Colleges of Karnataka: A Study

Abstract

This study attempts to examine the information resources and services available in Pharmacy college libraries in the central part of Karnataka. The survey method was adopted and the questionnaire tool was used for data collection. A total of 6 pharmacy colleges have been selected for this study. The findings of the study shows that, all libraries selected under this study do not receive any funds from the government or UGC, they merely depend on student fees and institutional funds. The majority of Pharmacy college libraries under this study have not purchased library resources according to the norms of AICTE. Only 50% of libraries have partially automated, only two libraries using barcode technology and two libraries have OPAC facility. As far as e-resource is concerned HELINET consortium is common among all libraries. This study recommends that libraries need to have staff pattern as per the norms of AICTE. Pharmacy college libraries need to add a variety of resources such as patents, research reports, encyclopaedias, yearbooks, etc. to meet the information needs of the user community. The higher authority needs to provide a sufficient budget to improve the resources, services and infrastructure of the library.