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DESIDOC has made considerable efforts over the years towards collection development and database development to serve the large number of scientists/engineers working in various Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs/estts and top management at DRDO HQrs.The Defence Science Library (DSL) of DESIDOC has developed into a major information resource centre by way of over 2.39 lakh documents in its collection. For achieving the optimum use of LIS resources, a user-friendly library automation software, DeLAS, has been developed with six integrated modules: acquisition, cataloguing, OPAC, serial control, circulation control, and Web OPAC. The DSL has been regularly subscribing CD-ROM and online databases. DESIDOC has initiated a project 'Virtual Walkthrough for Defence Science Library.' It has two modules: Module 1-General Browsing-Through DRONA, users can take virtual tour of the DSL which is completely user interactive that means that user can take the tour at his own pace and Module 2-Guided Tour-complements the text-based search of the user for the books with an extended multimedia interface.DESIDOC made significant progress in the development of digital resources underlying digital library technologies that include: Full-text CD of Defence Science Journal ; Patrika (Newspaper Clippings 2000-2005; DRDO Science Spectrum; Popular Science and Technology Series (13 books), Database of Photo Negatives of important events and so on. DESIDOC is bringing out a large number of regular and ad hoc special publications such as Defence Science Journal, Technology Focus, DRDO Newsletter and DRDO Samachar which have undergone various changes in terms of coverage, quality, and timeliness over the period of time. A large number of special publications are also brought out each year to meet the needs of DRDO HQrs and labs/estts. DESIDOC developed a large-sized 'DRDO website' providing information on key activities of the DRDO labs/estts, and technical directorates. This paper highlights some of the products created and services offered by DESIDOC to fulfill its vision of processing and dissemination of information to defence scientists. It provides scientific and technical information, based on its library and other information resources, to the DRDO HQrs, and its chain of laboratories located at various places through out the country. HISTORY Charter of Duties VISION OF DESIDOCDESIDOC has a vision to be a centre of excellence in defence scientific information processing and dissemination and its mission is to create databases and data management systems for the scientists.It has core competency in development of information resource; database creation; design and development of application software for library automation; information retrieval system in a central environment; development of content, digitisation, and multimedia; web-based software applications; and technical editing and publishing. DEFENCE SCIENCE LIBRARYThe Defence Science Library (DSL) of DESIDOC has been developed into a major informa...

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Computers waved a (magic) wand and the whole process creation, access, delivery and preservation of information changed for the literary, scholarly, artistic, scientific and domestic community. Computers transformed the analogue world in to the digital world of 0 and 1. Digitisation came as a most wonderful and welcome tool in hands of libraries, museums, archives, societies, publishers, and others for preserving billions of paper/analogue documents in digital format for retaining their original look as well as with a point of view of their future relevance and potential. Preservation is the activity of protecting something from loss or danger. Digital preservation includes the preservation of print and non print material in digitised form for effective, efficient and purposeful use.Any library can't digitise all its resources. What should it do? What should it preserve? Why should and for whom should it preserve? How this ever changing digitisation scenario is putting a pressure on librarians/archivists, etc. This paper is making an attempt to seek answers to these questions. This paper also explores the concept of preservation by digitisation, the need of digital preservation, and the problems of digital preservation. How digital preservation activities are being carried out by DESIDOC for its publications: Defence Science Journal, DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, PST Series, etc., are described. A detailed case study of development of database of negatives of photographs taken at various events, being developed by DESIDOC by use of various software like MS Access, Corel Draw, PhotoShop, etc., is discussed.