Chanrdragupt Institute of Management, Patna

ITM Assignment

Course Instructor : Prof Kalyan Agrawal

By: Jay Prakash Gopal Roll no- 40017 PGDM 2011-13

Information Technology: An Introduction:-

In day to day life IT or the Information Technology refers to the use of computers and software to manage informations. It is also known referred to as Management Information System or simply Information Service. This management is not only limited to collecting and storing data, but it also comprise of proper organisation and processing of the same and sharing the huge pile of informations with the entire industry concerned. Their work also include, protection of the informations in addition to transmission and retrieving the informations as and when required.

IT is also referred to as the Organization in an enterprise or business that is held responsible and accountable for the technology used for planning, design, construction, testing, distribution, support and operations of software, computers and computer related systems that exist for the purpose of Data, Information and Knowledge management and/or processing.

IT has become a very important and integral part of any industry in toady's era as more number of processes have become automated with time, up-gradation and advancement of technology and growing demand of the market and industries own requirements itself. It is supposed to discharge several complex functions these days, and to do all these stuffs the modern IT department use computers, servers, database management systems etc. Till a few years ago IT didnt have the status of an industry, and was dealt and controlled with the same rules as those applicable to the manufacturing industries. But today, this industry is is being provided the required support as a non conventional service industry. The evidences that support the changing shift in the status of this industry are1. IT is being recognised as an industry than it being considered as a mere sector or a subordinate branch of any industry.

2. Its role earlier, was limited to providing satisfactory services to existing increase in demand. Now it is viewed and valued as an essential component of any business which adds value to sustainable growth to the industry itself. 3. It, in its earlier days was considered as a tool of specialists. It is now an for masses. 4. It was supposed as a mechanism to fulfil external demand. This situation is changed and the same is now seen as a mechanism that creates and generates the internal demand as well. 5. The government used to have a greater say while controlling infrastructure and technology, while now a days government is facilitating the infrastructure and technology required by this industry.

The IT field is evolving and developing every day. New technologies in computers and mobile devices are shaping the way the world communicates with one another, gets work done, and spends free time. There is a growing need for individuals with a love of the field, a curiosity for the future, and a desire to be a force in it. Jobs in the field are on the rise, and employers are on the lookout for fresh talent; those who want to play a part in ITs future have no limits on their potential or on the potential of their specific field.

Objective: To analyse issues and problems of one aspect of technology used at

CIMP. Proposing a solution of the same and elucidating the prospective benefits of the solution . proposed.

Problem: Library Resource Centre and digitisation of the various processes associated with it.
Introduction: Library Resource Centre (LRC) is the hub of the Chandragupt Institute
of Management, Patna, that serve as a creative and innovative partner in supporting the teaching, learning, scholarly and research activities of the Institute. A vibrant centre

proactively acquires and organizes information resources, in a massive collection of printed as well electronic resources which include books, journals, e-databases, ebooks, e-journals, company reports, case studies, conference proceedings, training manuals and more .

The digitised resources like the various databases, e journals etc. are shared on the network for all students, faculties, staffs, and internal employees of CIMP, however there are certain aspects for which one have to take great pains while accessing the LRC. The obvious candidates for automation within the library are the processes associated with issuing books to borrowers and then retrieving them and returning them to the shelves at the end of the loan period. Whereas automating the loans process is a trail well-blazed (although not always successfully), automating the returns process is both a more recent and a relatively more complex activity. Of course there are many other processes in the library that could usefully benet from the application of technology. The basic and most important matters of concerns include-

1. The process of issuing books is still manual, despite having a self check kiosk. Some time and labour can be saved by automatising the process. A kind of self service would be of great help. 2. Making the cumbersome entries while entering and exiting the Library, this sometimes appears to be very hectic. 3. Issuing of books is not available beyond office hours. 4. The list of available books on various subjects is not available in any central database. Looking for a particular book is a painstaking task in the library in itself. 5. Database of non-book items is not available. Consideration should also be given to audio tapes, CDs, DVDs, video cassettes and other commonly borrowed nonbook items.

While we talk of the issues which are associated with the library we need to work upon some questions. Most of the points which have been raised here can be sorted out by automating the internal processes of the LRC. However this automation has certain

constraints cum points which must be taken into consideration before enacting the plans. These are discussed one by one.

1) Beginning with the process of automation; introduction of self check kiosk, the key concerns are as follows:-

Why Automate? Beginning with the process of automation, the first question that come across us is Why Automate? While libraries may have individual motivations for adopting an automated loans process (the process of borrowing something, books in this context), the majority would appear to be driven by the promise of productivity gains. The productivity motivation may relate to the desire to freeze staff levels in the context of increasing circulation or a strategy aimed at allowing existing staff to be redeployed in borrower-focused activities. Regardless of the exact driver, the factors that determine the success or failure of automated loans projects need to be considered if the desired outcome is to be realised.

What is the desired outcome? Moving on the point which come before us is that what eventually we have to get when all the renovations are introduced and implemented. Is the library to be 100% self service or a mixture of staff-facilitated and self-service loans? Sometimes when 100% self-service isnt the target (as is often the case), an actual target figure is not specified. Thus the ultimate effectiveness of the loans automation process is left to find its own level. Are the librarys work and traffic flows optimised for self service? The introduction of self-service loans may require changes to existing library orientation or the new set up. One of the most significant factors contributing to the success of self-service loans (highest utilisation of equipment by borrowers) is the location in which it is placed. Ideally, borrowers should have to walk right past the

equipment to leave the library. When planning, consideration should be given to the following: Signage - will the the equipment and its purpose be obvious to library users? Is the area well lit to attract the eye? Position - If part of a circulation desk, will the borrowers encounter the equipment before they reach the staff on the desk? If the equipment has a computer screen, will it be in full sun and therefore difficult to see at any part of the day? Space - is the self-service equipment convenient to use? Are multiple machines well spaced with room for borrowers to put down bags and library items while using the equipment? Depending on the style of the equipment, bench space either side may be required to enable a stack of items to be processed from one side to another. Supervision - Can the location be adequately supervised by staff? This is important both to facilitate prompt customer assistance as well as for monitoring security. Traffic flow - is there an identifiable approach pattern taken by borrowers as they move toward the current circulation desk? Are there opportunities to create a unified traffic pattern within the library? Such patterns should lead borrowers directly to the self-service loans equipment. Are the librarys circulation policies optimised for self-service? If borrowers attempting to use the self-service facility have multiple items and one item has an exception condition attached, its very likely that the borrower will bring all of the items to a staff member and may be reluctant to use the self-service facility on the next visit. Are the librarys materials ready for self-service? Barcodes are often a source of frustration for library users as well as staff. If the barcodes are of poor quality they may not be read by the scanner in the self-service equipment. If barcodes are to be found in multiple locations throughout the collections, all of the barcode positions may not be accessible to the scanner in the self-service equipment and may also be challenging for the borrower to locate.

Besides this Consideration should also be given to non-book material. A strategy will be needed for audio tapes, CDs, DVDs, video cassettes and other commonly borrowed non-book items. It is more than obvious that users may rush up with a mix up of materials some of which cant be read by the self service kiosk.

Are the staff & the borrowers of the library prepared for self-service? The negativity of the staffs may lead to the failure of the renovation project. It calls for an implementation plan for both the users as well as staffs.

2) Switching over to the next problem, i.e. the hectic process of making entries every time we enter to the LRC. The users i.e. the students are asked to quote the time of their entry along with their names, for every entry or exit they make, be it of a long duration or of a few seconds. Arrangements can be made to simplify this process.

3) Books are not allowed to be issued beyond office hours. This causes lots of inconvenience to the students as the space in the library is limited and fixed however not less. Sometimes it becomes very crowdy and noisy and it would be better to carry the books to the hostel room where studies can be made without any problem like that. This can happen only when the books are loaned by the student well in advance during the office hours. If this is not the case then studying in library in such a situation is a kind of punishment in itself. This needs a check.

4) So far the availability of a central database of books and non-book items are concerned a database like that will definitely help the students as it would be very hassle free to locate a particular book. Also the database will enable them to jump to the right book of their choice in no time.

Methodology: The methodology used here to analyse the issues and problems of one aspect of technology in Library, first of all a database of all available books has been prepared in

the excel sheet. Using Pivot Table various findings have been made like number of books in the library, number of books per subject in the LRC etc.

The records of the various activities of the students, related to the library, were taken of the month of May 2011. The data was arranged and properly analysed using the various powerful tools of MS excel. The key findings of the data and the informations thus generated have been discussed below.

Data Interpretation & Analysis : Key Findings: From the data generated lots of information could be drawn. These answer some of the very important questions. Some of them are discussed below-

1. What is the total no of books in library? From the pivot table on sheet one we can have the total number of books available in the library. Besides the total no of books particular subject category too can be found. 2. In total how many books were loaned in the month of May? From the pivot table on sheet 2 we can find that a total of 235 books were loaned in the Month of May. 3. Who got maximum number of books loaned in May? Again from the pivot table on the sheet 2 we can easily find that Aditya Singh and Sharanya got Most number of books loaned in May, i.e. 8 in number. 4. Who spent the maximum, and minimum time in LRC in the month of May. From the pivot table on the sheet 2 we can easily find that Girijanand Choudhary has spent the maximum amount of time (1569 Minutes), Jyoti Chetna (1395minutes) and Alok kumar (1372 minutes) in the LRC. 5. How many students stayed for more than 3 hours in a day in the LRC? We can find from the frequencies of number of hours spent in LRC in the sheet number 4 that there are only two range that fall in the category of more than 4 hours i.e. 5 hours and 6 hours whose total no of frequences is 50+1 = 51. Thus total of 51 students have spent more than 4 hours in the LRC in May.

6. On which days were the maximum and minimum number of books loaned? From the frequency table on sheet 5, we can find that on 31st May 2011 the maximum books were loaned (22 in number), and on 7th May the least number of books were loaned (zero in number). 7. Who has visited LRC for the maximum number of times in May 2011? From the frequency table on sheet 6, it can be easily observed that Roll no 40029 i.e. Pragya Verma has visited the LRC for the maximum number of times (13 days) in May 2011. 8. Which was the most preferred timing for the loan of books? From the frequency table on sheet 7, we get that most of the books (135 in number), were loaned before the office hour i.e. 4:00 pm. However the books now loaned even after the office hour using the self service kiosk, and the loaning activity has increased after the office hour and in the month of May 2011, 100 books were loaned after office hours.

After this technological advancements such as Self Service Kiosk has been brought to service. Students have been given digital library cards having an electronic identity of the students. An automatic time keeper has been installed at the entry of the gate of the LRC, where students can record their entry by simply swiping their library cards and may exit in the same way. The machine will keep the track of time. Thus time saving. All the books have been given a digital identity and a gate tracker has been installed near the gate. Thus in no way possible books can be theft or stolen, or be taken out without getting it loaned. All the staffs within the LRC have been properly trained and instructed about the functioning of the newly installed devices. Thus ensuring minimum human error. Using the self service kiosk, students can now get books loaned anytime. Thus relieving the grievances up to great extent.

Limitations : However introduction of technological upgraded equipments, proper training to the staffs and proper maintenance, it has certain limitations as follows Non-book materials such as movies, video files, CDs, DVDs etc. cant be issued without manual work. There is no provision for keeping the track of the faculties and eminent personalities and the internal staffs as well. Getting fully dependent on machines can be dangerous as sometimes they may run out of order. There is no digitised record of periodicals and daily newspapers. In fact its very difficult to keep a digitised record of them as they are replaced by their fresh issue by their new edition every-time.

Conclusions and recommendations : Introduction of IT to automate certain processes is always good as the efficiency of human resource multiplies manifolds. The same was true in the case of Library Resource Centre of CIMP. Once introduced with digitised processes it it could be managed and the processes inside it could be carried out in a much better way and with lot of ease. Using the self service kiosk students can loan the books themselves thus freeing the internal staffs and give them time to look after other processes like keeping back the books if they are left on the study desk by the students or anybody else. It will definitely make the various processes of the LRC hassle free and less cumbersome. The technical aspects discussed above can be implemented and their effect is expected to be positive, as per the raw data collected, which was analysed to come to this conclusion. Hence the discussed technological aspects can be introduced in the LRC.