22-07-2014, 02:25 PM
Medical Libraries as centres of information in digital era: A case study of Pushpagiri Medical College Central Library
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Abstract:
Library and information centres confront with dramatic changes in technology, media and financial boundary conditions. In order to enhance customer satisfaction and gain new customers, demonstrate efficiency and increase the attractiveness of their products, economic measures are becoming increasingly important even in largely publicly financed libraries. Services clearly differ by several central criteria from goods such as consumer products and capital goods. The presentation will discuss on the technological advancement in librarianship and adaptation of all advanced techniques to Pushpagiri Medical College Central Library to develop an information Center for the enrichment of library services. For which personal interviews are conducted to collect views and suggestion from the users of the PIMS library. It will finally be shown that certain technical hazards forced to limit the adaptation of all available advancement in a single point. Quality management in libraries is an ongoing process which never ends as the technologies are changing.
1Pushpagiri Medical College :
This paper is about the resources and functions of the Central Library of Pushpagiri Medical College (PMC) which is in a period of transition in the digital era. PMC is an institute under Pushpagiri Medical Society,which is Established in the year 1959 as a clinic with eight beds at Tiruvalla by Catholic Diocese of Tiruvalla which became the Pushpagiri Hospital and got itself grown into a multi speciality hospital. Pushpagiri Medical Society (Reg. No. P.73/92) is a charitable Society registered under Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific & Charitable Societies Registration Act - 1955. The Society is the official organ of the Malankara Catholic Diocese of Tiruvalla in its health care, medical and para medical educational ministry. H. E. Dr. Thomas Mar Koorilos, is the Patron of the Society and Rev. Dr. Abraham Mulamoottil, Secretary is managing the day to day affairs of the Society. In the year 1992, the pushpagiri Medical Society was started with the main aim of catering to the health care needs of the prople in and around Tiruvalla and to achieve its objective, the society took over the Pushpagiri which by then had further grown in to a super speciality hospital with 550 beds and a large number of medical professionals on its team of staff.
The decision to start the medical College wa taken when it was taken when it was noiced that a major section of the students community were facing difficulties in getting seats within the state to pursue their studies especially in a noble and most essential profession like Medicine. Students were migrating to other states for getting Medical seats. But the goverment was helpless either in starting new medical collegess or even in increasing the number of seats in meager five colleges it had. Naturally, Pushpagiri Medical society thought it as its duty to come to the aid of the government and help over come its limitations. The attitude of the government was felt conducive in taking up the responsibility of setting up a college in private sector and helping the goverment and the people. Everything was smooth, straight and peaceful in the initial stages of the establishment. Controversy in the apportioning of seats between the management and the State Goverment stirred the peaceful situation that existed. The Pushpagiri management was very much in agreement with the formula proposed by the Government; but then the matter went out of control of either parties because a few people in the goverment who were adament on an unreasonable and unacceptable propotion of 70 : 30 seats for government and management. Subsequent developments led and compelled Pushpagiri and like minded self-financing medical College managements to submitting the matter to the judiciary for justice and settlement. The issue got further complicated and deriorated with multitude of problems. Pushpagiri had always been choosing the right path based on principles, truth and human considerations keeping in view the social status and responsibilities of the institution.
Library Facilities
The PMC library has 20 Desktop Computers with DVD drive and a server. There is a laser printers. The library has one digital photocopy machine that can also be used as a printer and scanner. The library has Internet connection. The computers are used by students for the academic purpose .It is also used by the faculties, PG students,DNB students and the house surgeons for various academic purposes. Scanning of journals contents pages and old question papers, etc are progressing.
9. Library collection
The collection of PMC library is built around the teaching and learning process of the parent organization. The library caters the needs of the students by ensuring a sound reference collection, circulating text books and general books, supplying CDs, and journals. New arrivals are displayed for some days.
Conclusion
The Pushpagiri Medical College Central Library is an important centre of learning, teaching and research in all fields of medical science. Its mission is to "To work towards a Knowledge Society with life in abundance through Science and Technology, improving Health Care for our immediate community, state, country and the world at large".