Quality Assured Innovative and Best Practices in Library and Information Services

Abstract

Quality assurance in library and information services is a conscious and planned activity to create competition among the libraries, customer satisfaction by maintaining some international standards and bench marks through accountability. This further improves employee’s morale and satisfaction which in turn bring credibility, prestige, status, image and visibility of the institution nationally and internationally. Quality in library and information services can only be assured through innovative services and best practices to meet the changing information needs of the customers. Libraries of all categories were used to cater traditional library and information services like bibliographic, database, literature search, documentation, CAS, SDI, translation, reprographic etc. Besides libraries adopted some best practices as extension services like organising book exhibitions, essay and quiz completion to promote reading habits, best library user award, best library worker award, orientation programme. Advances in information and communication technology, changing information scenario and its application in library and information activities have compelled the library and information professionals to revamp and reorient the existing library and information services and professionals. Dramatic developments in the library and information activities have taken place due to the emergence of knowledge society, library resource sharing networks, digital library, content development and content management. Institutional repository, RFID, Web learning, MOOC, information/digital literacy and web based library services like social networking so as to supplement global reforms in education system as value added library services. Impact of information and communication technology have further compelled to develop the information management skills of the library and information professionals in the areas of Library Automation, Networking, Design and Development of Information System, Networking, Internet, Digitization, Content Development, Managing and Organizing Information Resources and Services, Applying Information Tools and Technologies and more importantly web based library and information services (Library Web 2.0) including social networking. The present paper shall discuss in detail the above mentioned quality assured, innovative and best practices in both traditional and networked environment for a sustainable development of library and information services that a knowledge society demands.