Clarification on E-books with Reference to AICTE Process Handbook 2019-20

[Adesh Kr. Sharma]

Dear All,

As per AICTE Process Handbook 2019-20, it is mentioned that 50% of the total number of Titles and Volumes shall be in the form of e-books with intranet access is mandatory in case of Post Graduate Level Programme(s) and shall be desirable in case of UG / Diploma Programme(s).

I have following queries:

1. E-books can not be purchased in volumes, then how to calculate 50% of volumes?
2. In this context, which kind of access to E-books is allowed?  Perpetual  or subscription based?

How it is possible for added 50 % of the total number of titles and volumes, each can be in the form of e- boos. If we added a hard copy format of books 1 title 5 volumes is possible. But in this case e-book 1 title 1 volume only possible.  For example as per the AICTE Norms (2019-20) for any library, 500 volumes for MBA have to be added every year. As per this norm, the library in engineering college one Dept. PG MBA (60 intake) have to added 6000 volumes of books in 650 titles (MBA Starting From 2008-09).

Can anyone throw light on this issue?

 

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Adesh Kumar Sharma,

Thanks for your post.

Incidentally, many e-book titles can be purchased (both on ownership as well as subscription basis) for various number of users  like Single user, 5 Users, 10/15 users as such. The books are licensed to institutions on the basis of IP encryption. now if you buy a book for 5 users, The publisher's system will allow not more than FIVE log-ins at a single time for that book. Once a reader log outs from the book or cluster of books then only 6th or subsequent user will be able to access the e-book.

Regarding the AICTE Approval Process Handbook 2019-20, it does have several ambiguities.Never the less, not only this, if you go through the AISHE manual, or the NAAC Manual, you will encounter more or less similar issues. However NAAC material is smarter among its other counterparts. Actually, mostly the items are prepared by bureaucrats having inadequate knowledge/experience about Libraries; some times, the parts are composed by high-profile Library professionals and s/he puts on quite hi-fi issues. which are quite different or unwanted or irrelevant to the given context. As such, they even ask during inspection of University's Bengali Department how many paper they have published in journals indexed in SCOPUS!!

There is no denying that  there are reasons behind to be so ridiculously strict. A section (mostly the Private funded) of the Institutions  do not want to invest in Libraries & Laboratories and as I foresee, if any forward-looking person becomes the PM (as Late Rajeev Gandhi did for computerization) and allows selected Foreign Universities to open their Campus in India, most of the Private institutions will either be closed down or merge with those foreign universities within a few years!! As a Library professional I look forward for this to happen as our students will be able to get quality education.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

[Adesh Kr. Sharma]

Thank you Sir for your cooperation and support.

[uma rani]

Sir

 In AICTE Handbook 2019-20  50% of the total number of Titles and Volumes shall be in the form of e-books with intranet accessis mandatory in case of Post Graduate Level Programme(s) and shall be desirable in case of UG/  PG .

For intranet Access we can use CDs of books?

[Sunita Gurav]

sir, can give the links of mba e books

[Sunita Gurav]

sir, can give the links of mba e books