Computers pose problem for MSU

VADODARA, Sept 22: The installation of computers in the M S University's Hansa Mehta Library, which was done a few years ago, was probabl...

VADODARA, Sept 22: The installation of computers in the M S University8217;s Hansa Mehta Library, which was done a few years ago, was probably the easy part. Manually entering the data for six lakh books is now proving to be an arduous task.

The staff-starved library is working overtime to meet the year 2000 deadline for completing the entry, but they lament that it would be impossible without roping in a private agency for the work.

Consider this: The computers were installed in the library about three years ago. Till date, only the data for about 5,000 books has been entered.

Even if the staff were to dedicate themselves wholly to data entry, the task would be Herculean. 8220;If the staff is engaged in the process of data entry they would have to keep themselves away from other daily work,8221; said a library staff member.

The library is currently 23 people short. 8220;Even if they work overtime there is very little possibility that they would be able to complete all the work by 2,0008221; he said.

He added that keeping all this in mind, the library committee has recommended that the university should go in for a private agency who would help the university in completing the work. 8220;MSU is not going to be the first library to do so, other universities in the state have already done it, but there are lot of inaccuracies also involved,8221; said another staff member.

If the proposal is recommended then it would not be the end of the work for the staff as they would still have to re-check whether the names of books and authors were spelt correctly.

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8220;Yes, we have a problem, and with the ban on recruitment from both the state government and the University Grants Commission there is very little we can do,8221; said assistant librarian Ila Maharaja.

Other problems, too, exist. 8220;The staff have to be trained to use the computers to scan through all the names of the books etc. They should also be in a position to tell their students where to look for the books and the journals,8221; said an employee of the library.