The Department
of Culture is working on modernisation of central and public
libraries. A national bibliographic database in electronic format
is under preparation in a number of central libraries including
the libraries under the administrative control of the Department
of Culture. The two largest libraries namely, National Library,
Kolkata and Central Secretariat Library, Delhi have already
initiated the work for creating the electronic resource has
of the existing holdings. These electronic databases would be
made available to all other central and state libraries throughout
the country for easy access and dissemination of available resources
in the country.
This was informed
by the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Shri Jagmohan in a
reply to a question by Shri Ratilal Kalidas Varma in Lok Sabha
today. He further stated that the project of retro-conversion
of existing catalogues in the National Library and Central Secretariat
Library is anticipated to cost around Rs. 10 crores and would
be completed during the Tenth Plan.
