Partha Bhattacharya
Coordinator, National Centre for Publications on CD-ROM
FITT, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110 016, INDIA
E-mail: parthab[at]fitt[dot]iitd[dot]ernet[dot]in

ABSTRACT

Describes the objectives; process of acquisition, cataloguing and classification of CD-ROMs; and services of the Centre.

KEYWORDS: CD-ROMS; India; National Centre for Publications on CD-ROMs; NCPC: NISSAT.

INTRODUCTION

The National Centre for Publications on CD-ROM (NCPC) was set up in 1996 by NISSAT at the Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi. This Centre is intended to become the National Collection Centre of all the CD-ROMs published in India and on India, covering Indian art, culture, heritage and other aspects barring games, music, entertainment and software. The Centre was created with a mandate to become a National Repository Centre. The Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act 1954 amended in 1965 to Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act of India obliges all publishers to deliver copies of books to the National Library, Calcutta and other three Public Libraries in India free of cost for record. The Act does not include any non-print media like audio and video educational programmes and CD-ROMs . The Act, therefore, precludes registration of CD-ROMs published in India and on India for reference purpose. To bridge this gap and pending a new legislation to include publications in non-print media, NCPC is playing the pivotal role of acquiring CD-ROMs published in India and on India.

OBJECTIVES

The Centre aims:

• to systematically procure all CD-ROMs published in India and on India (except software, games, music, purely entertainment CDs, and foreign CD publications reproduced for the Indian market) and build up a National Repository of CD-ROMs;
• to act as a single window information service centre for Indian CD-ROMs;
• to create awareness about usage of CD-ROMs; and
• to keep regular updates of CD-ROM technology trends in India.

ACQUISITION

Initially the Centre procured all the products at prevailing market price. Now it is being impressed upon the CD publishers that their products are part of national heritage worthy of preservation and they should cooperate in this national venture. Some of the commercial publishers and many non-commercial publishers have seen the reason. As a result, the Centre now receives some of the CDs free of cost or at a heavily discounted price.

CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING

Presently all the titles are being organized on the basis of accession number. The Centre is implementing a software which will automatically generate classification and catalogue for the CD-ROMs.

SERVICES

• The Centre was conceived to provide the following services:
• Search service from the CD-ROMs available at the Centre.
• Compilation of common catalogue of all Indian CDs with price and source of information.
• Compilation of union catalogue of CD-ROMs available in the libraries and information centres in India.
• Review of CD-ROM products.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

The Centre has come a long way after it was set up in 1996. Its activities has increased manifolds over the last few years. The facility at the Centre has created a platform to have access to Indian CD-ROM products.

At present, the Centre has created a mechanism whereby CD-ROM vendors and publishers can inform about their new products. The publisher also offers special discount to the Centre. The Centre has brought out a catalogue of Indian CD-ROM products and distributed it to a large number government and non-government organizations. It has also compiled a Union Catalogue of CD-ROMs available in Indian libraries and information centres and distributed the catalogue in floppy to all the respondents. The Centre has created a Web page at http://www.indiancdproducts.org and all the CD-ROMs available at the Centre has been listed thereon. To date the Centre has collected nearly 275 titles of CD-ROMs in addition to the titles received from NISSAT.

CONCLUSION

The Centre has been progressing gradually to achieve its objectives. It is hoped that the Centre will be able to fulfil the objectives for which it has been set up.

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Information Today & Tomorrow, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2001, p.13, p.15
http://itt.nissat.tripod.com/itt0103/ncpc.htm