Scenario of Indian agrarian librarianship: an evaluative study

This paper examines the library users, collections and the services of various agricultural university libraries and research institutes in India on various parameters and the role of apex bodies of Indian agricultural development such as Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in shaping the libraries. It examines the contribution of training institutes such as Documentation Research and Training Center and National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) in imparting specialized education and training for careers in agricultural librarianship. Presents the results of data of a survey conducted via stratified random sampling, questionnaire and interview methods. The study revealed that majority of library user preferred electronic resources over print. Many preferred the use of mobile phones for accessing agricultural information from home. A sharp increase in the use of Internet in the libraries was noticed.