? Human Resource Development NISCAIR is well-equipped with the necessary facilities and expert manpower to impart training and develop human resource in the domain of science communication, and library and information sciences for meeting the challenges of current times. NISCAIR's Human Resource Development programmes conducted by the Education and Training Division (ETD) of NISCAIR can be broadly categorized as follows: Associateship in Information Science (AIS) The institute has been offering an advanced master's degree level course in Documentation and Reprography since 1964. The course was renamed in 1977 as Associateship in Information Science (AIS). The course has been revised A view of classroom 49 and redesigned to incorporate the expanding dimensions of documentation and information science to suit the changing information needs of the country as well as other developing countries. From the academic session 1999-2001, one seat has been earmarked for each member country of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The course is run under overall guidance of the Board of Studies, which consists of eminent information professionals, industry personnel and academicians of the country. The objective is to train the students in techniques of information handling and management with special emphasis on application of information technology for designing, implementing, operating and managing information systems. An important feature of this two-year course is the periodic holding of colloquia and seminars, which provide opportunities to students for debating, articulation and collective thinking. Besides, the students are also given the opportunity to participate in seminars, workshops and short-term courses conducted by NISCAIR from time to time. Opportunities are also provided to the students to visit, observe and study the working of a variety of institutions such as documentation and information centres, libraries, government departments connected with industrial development, planning, etc.
The course comprises theory classes, practicals, training in different divisions, seminars and the final examination in the first year. In the second year, research work is assigned to students and they are required to submit a dissertation based on their work. For the 2007-09 batch, 22 students (20 Indian and one each from Bangladesh and Nepal) have joined the AIS Course that commenced from 5 September 2007. The Indian students were admitted on the basis of qualification, written test and interview. The students from Bangladesh and Nepal have been sponsored by the SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC). Annual Report 2007-08 Short-term/Attachment Training Courses NISCAIR organizes short-term and attachment training courses on various topics, particularly in the areas of information technology, computer applications and communication. This year 13 courses were organized comprising four courses on Information Technology for Information Management, two courses each on Library Automation and Resource Sharing and Patent Drafting, one course each on WINISIS, Herbarium Techniques, Technical Communication, e-resource Management and Recent Trends in Library and Information Science. The details are covered below: Sr Course Name Course Date SAARC Indian Total No participants participants participants 1 Information Technology for 23 May to 27 10 5 15 Information Management June 2007 2 SDC Attachment Training Programme on 23 May to 23 4-4 Information Technology for Aug 2007 Information Management 3 Library Automation & 23-27 July 2007-31 31 Resource Sharing 4 Information Technology for 12 Sept - 17 Oct 8 11 19 Information Management 2007 5 SDC Attachment Training Programme 12 Sep - 12 Dec 3-3 on "Information Technology for 2007 Information Management" 6 Patent Drafting 22-26 Oct 2007-28 28 7 WINISIS 4-8 Dec 2007 10 3 13 8 Technical Communication 10-14 Dec 2007-34 34 for DESIDOC participants 9 Herbarium Techniques 17-21 Dec 2007-15 15 (Pusa Campus) 10 Library Automation & 21-25 Jan 2008-27 27 Resource Sharing 11 e-resource Management 21 Jan- 2 Feb 2008 2-2 12 Recent Trends in Library and 11-15 Feb 2008-11 11 Information Science 13 Patent Drafting 17-21 March 2008-40 40 50
A total of 37 participants from SAARC countries and 205 participants from India attended the courses. The ECF generated from these courses amounted to around Rs. 13.6 lakh. IGNOU Sponsored Courses NISCAIR has been identified as the Study Centre for the following IGNOU sponsored programmes: i) Master in Computer Applications (MCA) ii) Master in Library and Information Science (MLISc) iii) Bachelor in Library and Information Science (BLISc) NISCAIR has the responsibility of organizing and conducting the following components of the above mentioned programmes: Theory Counselling, Practical Training, Seminars, Practical Examination, Evaluation of Assignments and MCA projects. In all, 559 students were trained for MCA during February 2007 to December 2007 and in MLISc and BLISc, 120 and 139 students respectively were admitted. About 1265 students appeared in Term End Practical Examination of MCA and BCA. The faculty members for these courses were from NISCAIR, IGNOU and other institutions. The ECF generated from these courses is around Rs 4.28 lakh. The break up is as given below: Computer Courses (MCA) Semester (February 2007 June 2007) MCA 1 st MCA 3 rd MCA 4 th MCA 5 th Total 60 40 38 75 213 Semester (August 2007-December 2007) MCA 1 st MCA 2 rd MCA 3 rd MCA4 th MCA 5 th MCA 6 th Total 54 73 35 80 35 69 346 Library Science Courses (MLISc & BLISc) September 2006 June 2007 Session September 2007 June 2008 Session MLISc BLISc Total MLISc BLISc Total 50 66 116 70 73 143 Term End Practical Examination (MCA/BCA) January 2007 July 2007 MCA BCA Total MCA BCA Total 380 317 843 176 392 568 51
Classroom and lab facilities were provided for PGDLAN course for the semester July-December 2007. The PGDLAN course is associated with Study Centre 0700 (IGNOU Regional Centre-1, Tughlakabad). Training / Workshop on Herbarium Techniques Short-term training/ workshop of 5-10 days duration is offered on Herbarium Techniques. The workshop covers the latest scientific methods of collection of plants and their identification, imparting knowledge of nomenclature, plant processing, herbarium management and the role of herbarium in education, research, environmental protection and bio-diversity conservation. During 2007-08, a five-day Workshop on Herbarium Techniques was conducted (17-21 Dec 2007). The workshop was targeted at herbarium curators, bioscience teachers of schools, college/university lecturers, scientists from research institutions and state forest institutes, research scholars and students and those interested in setting up a regional herbaria to house medicinal, Annual Report 2007-08 educative, bio-diverse and historic plants of their locality. Eleven participants attended the workshop. The participants were given training on scientific methods of plant collection, preservation, identification, techniques of database preparation, documentation of information on plants, management of herbaria, etc. Besides, they were acquainted with the herbarium and its functions, materials required for developing a herbarium, role of herbaria in research, education, preservation and conservation of biodiversity and genetic resources, protection of environment and climate change. A visit was arranged to the Herbarium of Plant Pathology of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Herbarium of Wild Genetic Resources of Cultivated Plants and facilities like cryo-preservation of genetic resources of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi. Human Resource Development in IT NISCAIR provides short-term courses, attachment training programmes for persons requiring specialized Dr H B Singh (extreme right) explaining to the participants of workshop about the exhibits displayed at NISCAIR Herbarium Participants of workshop on Herbarium Techniques on a field visit alongwith Dr. H.B Singh 52
training in the field of ICT. During the year, one batch of students completed their training under this programme. NISCAIR utilizes these young minds to develop programs for automation of in-house activities. Manpower is also trained through Short-term Courses on Computer Applications, Website Designing and Library Automation. NISCAIR also provides six-months training to M.C.A. students and to other students pursuing Computer Science/IT course leading to M.Sc., B.E., B.Tech., M.E., and M.Tech. degrees to work on projects in the area of application of IT as part partial fulfillment of their degree course requirements. During 2007-08 two batches: one of five students (1 Jan-30 June 2007) and second of eight students (1 Jan-30 June 2008) attended the on-job training programme. 53