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Wiley Library Award

The BITS Pilani library won the award for Digitally Transformed Academic Library 2019 in the Non-Government Category at the Wiley Library Awards. The English Press Club interviewed the librarian, Mr Giridhar Kunkur, about the award, the developments in the library, and his future plans.

The Wiley Library Awards 2019 received 273 nominations from various institutions including IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs, AIIMS, and PGIMER Chandigarh. A number of facilities and technological innovations available in the BITS library won it the award, including: 

  • OneSearch, a search function that lets users efficiently sift through all the resources available in the library—books, journals, e-books, e-journals, research articles, and many more. 
  • BookFinder4You, a unique technology that pinpoints the exact location of any book unlike a traditional catalogue.
  • The use of Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology, which has allowed the automation of issuance and return of books.
  • The use of QR codes for a variety of topics which direct to the library portal, showing the physical locations of top publications in the field. 
  • The Library Portal, which is highly interactive and provides access to other features of the library such as an audio-visual collection, an inventory of lost and found objects, and a section for the current news headlines. Previous years’ papers have been made available for the reference of all students. The portal also includes the provision to book certain library rooms—such as the Brainstorm room—for student gatherings.

When asked about future plans for the library, Mr. Kunkur elaborated on changes to the MakerSpace and the Research Zone. The MakerSpace has various facilities for 3D printing, modelling, and experiments based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and is open to all. Changes currently in the pipeline include an Ideation Room for people to convert their ideas into concrete plans. Also in the works is the BITS Heritage Gallery, which will showcase how BITS Pilani has evolved over the years from a pathshala to an institution of national eminence. A mobile application is planned for easier access to library services. 

There have been numerous developments in the library aimed at making all of its resources more accessible. According to Mr Kunkur and his team, the Wiley Award is just one milestone and they have a long way to go.