The Prof. RP Padhi Central Library of the Berhampur
University is in bad shape now thanks to corruption and mismanagement for
years.
The library, according to some faculty members and
intellectuals, is ‘university’s greatest shame,’ as it could not attract the
best students or retain top faculty as its potential stakeholders due to non
availability of nascent learning resources, peer reviewed high quality foreign
journals and absence of a dynamic and competent librarian.
The university library is currently starving intellectually
and suffering from a heap of irregularities and unfair practices by violating
standard procedures as well as accounting norms. The library is crippled by
inadequate library facilities including latest text books of credible authors,
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) service for users, Institutional
Repositories (IR) for scholars and faculty, RFID technology to check the
inherent pilferage of priceless documents, digitisation of learning resources
and finally lack of a solid financial
commitment from the State exchequer and the UGC to construct a new and larger fully digitized multi-storey
library.
Unfortunately, none of the Vice-Chancellors, who are learned
academicians and researchers par excellence, have given due attention to the
library which is considered as the nerve centre of the institution.
According to the information available, the library is
reportedly having a weak list of low-quality books, cheaply produced, but
procured at exorbitant prices ignoring the heads of department (HoDs) and other
faculty members, subject specialists, and more importantly the Professor in
charge of the library. Librarians being the experts at making such judgments
have reportedly been ignored while making such purchases.
Surprisingly, a senior Professor, who has been appointed as
In-Charge of the library, too was reportedly ignored while selecting documents
and taking purchase decisions. Ironically, some officers who have hardly any
idea about the library and close to the university administration were given
the task of purchasing books worth rupees lakhs to appease a specific supplier
apparently for vested interests, sources said.
Even some HoDs were neither consulted nor asked to recommend
titles for procurement of learning resources during last three years. During
last two years, the university’s library reportedly purchased books worth Rs 42
lakhs out of the UGC grant bypassing the Professor I/C of the library, sources
said.
The library is currently having a total collection of 1,
25,132 volumes including some valuable documents. Due to lack of vision and
forward planning, the library’s automation programme is also in a state of
jeopardy.
Many attribute such grim situation to the non-availability
of a com petent senior librarian with strong ICT back ground to lead the
library’s automation programme which has gone directionless.
According to confirmed sources, the university library
purchased SOUL library software package (designed under INFLIBNET programme of
the UGC) on February 20, 2003 and using this software, 17,807 data entries were
completed by three staff members.
But later, under the pretext of technical problems, the
software was discontinued, causing huge loss of manpower and money from the
library exchequer. Again the university library procured NewGenlib software in
2009 using which a database of 73,116 books was reportedly created.
Again on the ground of non-compatibility, technical snags,
failing to meet the myriad approaches of the readers, the university is now
contemplating to shift to the SOUL software. According to library experts,
while both the softwares were open source softwares and available freely, why
the university had purchased the software for its automation programme?
Now lakhs of rupees spent on training of the library staff,
salary for data input, other overhead expenditure incurred for the automation
has become sheer wastage of university fund which need to be probed, feel an
insider who did not wish to be identified.
The post of university librarian is lying vacant for about
last five years due to apathetic attitude of the Government and lack of
interest and internal politics of the university administration.
Out of the eighteen professional staff members (including
four regular, seven temporary, two outsourcing, and five trained professional/technical assistants), five
professional assistants who were trained
in automation at the cost of the university were deliberately transferred from
the library to different sections of the
university for some vested interests which brought automation work to a halt.
Such transfers were surprisingly made without consulting the
Professor in Charge of the library. How could the technical staff who received
training to lead automation work were transferred to different sections to carry out secretarial work without
consulting the Professor I/C?
According to reliable sources, the library reportedly does
not have its proper stock register from 1967 to 2011 in regard to its
furniture, fittings and fixtures and equipment which surprised many.
During this long period of 43 years, furniture, fittings and
fixtures and equipment worth crores of rupees have been purchased. To avoid
audit objection and administrative action for misappropriation, the stock
registers were allegedly destroyed for vested interests, feel an observer.
The stock register has reportedly been maintained by the
library only since July 2011, the date from which the Professor I/C of the
library PK Padhi took over the charge. The physical verification of the library
has not been conducted for about a decade. One server and half a dozen
computers are lying defunct causing set back to library’s automation programme.
Similarly, though lakhs of rupees are claimed to have been
spent by the university in the name of repair and renovation of a sitting room
for the Professor I/C of the library, but surprisingly, the room has neither
been brought to habitable condition, nor the Professor I/C has been given a
room for his office inside the library yet.
The library has reportedly collected Rs 14 lakh, including
Rs 13 lakh as user’s fee and Rs 1 lakh as fine, is yet to be deposited in the
library’s account for the reasons known to the university administration.
Mention may be made that, the Syndicate of the university
has reportedly decided to deposit the sum in the library’s account. The library
authority could have utilised this amount in library automation or for
infrastructural development. Since 2007-08, one of the servers worth lakhs of rupees in
the library has been lying defunct from lack of attention.
Surprisingly, no bills pertaining to purchase of equipment,
fittings and fixtures are available with the library which has raised many
eyebrows.
There is a strong public perception that the stock and store
of the university library should be audited by an independent agency as
materials and learning resources worth crores of rupees have reportedly been
purchased during the last three successive VCs which remained under cloud.
Thousands of valuable books are reportedly missing. The new
VC Prof Deepak Behera, however, has given priority for the development of the
library and completion of automation programme. But the intellectuals feel that the reported
misappropriation of fund and loss of valuable documents require a thorough
investigation by an independent investigating agency. Source: The Pioneer
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