Preparedness for personalizing content in IIT libraries

Abstract

Purpose -The paper aims to assess the level of preparedness of the Central Libraries of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to personalize content and seeks to determine whether the personalization service prototype being developed at IIT Kharagpur can be extrapolated to the remaining IITs. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire was sent to the Librarians of the seven IITs, designed to compare the available information resources and services, with special emphasis on user interests and personalization aspects. The survey was supplemented by study visits to a couple of the Institutes. Findings -Kharagpur and Mumbai have implemented personalization services in some form while the remaining IITs plan to adopt them in the near future. There is also a strong case for extending Kharagpur's personalization service, currently in project mode, to the other IITs. Research limitations/implications -IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur failed to return the questionnaires, so relevant information regarding these Institutes had to be collected from their web sites and other available sources. There is also scope for further research to accurately access the current status of personalization activities in all the IITs. Practical implications -With parallel interests and similar research and information facilities, personalization services in one IIT can be replicated and utilized by all the others, leading to greatly enhanced library services in all the Institutes. Originality/value -This one of a kind survey underlines the need for and possibility of making content personalization a reality in advanced technical libraries. The results obtained are valuable to all IIT libraries in particular and academic/technical libraries in general.

Services personalization in digital academic libraries: a Delphi study

“…The criteria for selecting Delphi panel members included individuals who specialize in digital libraries and services personalization. The members of the Delphi panel were Iranian experts who had one or more of the following characteristics: Kamali (2015) Creating personalized content through: access to databases, e-journals, reference works, other information sources and possibility to add intended resources to the list of documents and personal library Jeevan and Padhi (2006); Jeevan (2008); Morgan (1999); Di Giacomo et al (2001); Ghaphery and Ream (2000); Rozic-Hristovski et al (2003); Lan and Ping (2009); Holmström (2002) Defining access levels based on the role assigned to the user/the services need to be tailored according to each and every user's rights and privileges Tonta (2004); Janmohammadi (2018) Providing the possibility to view the user's loan, reservation and return documents Koochaki (2014); Abam and Arastoopoor (2015); Janmohammadi (2018) Providing reports of user's renewed, reserved and returned documents Janmohammadi (2018); Abam and Arastoopoor (2015); Koochaki (2014) Possibility to renew and reserve the library documents by the user Janmohammadi (2018) Viewing the user's delay, fines and reckoning Koochaki (2014); Abam and Arastoopoor (2015) User's following about purchase suggestions from the library Abam and Arastoopoor (2015); Koochaki (2014); Shahraki Sanavi (2016) Following up the correction suggestion Abam and Arastoopoor (2015); Koochaki (2014) Providing feedback and suggestions to the library through interactive forms and other available tools Janmohammadi (2018) Multilingual support Rozic-Hristovski et al (2003); Shahraki Sanavi (2016) Sending a variety of messages from the library to the user including public message, librarian message, specialized librarian message (related to user's major), messages related to library events Morgan (1999); Di Giacomo et al (2001); Rozic-Hristovski et al (2003);…”

Use of web technology in providing information services by south Indian technological universities as displayed on library websites

“…Kanamadi and Kumbar (2006) reasoned their findings with "cursory approach of librarians' in developing academic online services at Mumbai business school libraries". Moreover, Jeevan and Padhi (2006) assessed the preparedness of premier IIT libraries in India on "personalised content delivery and information services and found this customised service prototype to be in nascent stage among the Indian Institutes of Technology libraries". In studying the library automation and networking in India, Vyas (1997) found that "academic libraries are not under pressure as against the scientific and technical libraries".…”

A personalised information support system for searching portals and e‐resources

“…The systems aim to search automatically and retrieve information resources of interest from online journals and databases for the faculty members of IIT, Kharagpur who are actively engaged in the frontier areas of science and technology teaching and research using web usage mining, proxy data, and vector space modelling. Jeevan and Padhi (2006a) review the literature on content personalisation and Jeevan and Padhi (2006b) report on the preparedness of other libraries in IITs for this development.…”