Open+ Libraries: Need of the hour for Tech savvy India!!!!!

Abstract

Open or Staff-less libraries are the new face of libraries which work with fewer staffs or even without staffs on site. This paper sheds light on the opportunities of establishing unstaffed libraries in India for unbarring needy patrons to access library collection without any access/time limits. The concept, opportunities and challenges of open libraries are portrayed in this article. Since the libraries including academic and non-academic in India have their own time of operation, there is a great need for such kind of open libraries which keep the door open always to the information thirsty users. This article is first of its kind at the national level to suggest the opportunities for staff-less libraries which could be a blueprint for establishing such ones in the country in the time to come.

Full text

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Kerala Library Congress 2019
RE-INVENTING THE ROLE OF
LIBRARIES IN DIGITAL SCENARIO
KERALA LIBRARY CONGRESS 2019
Editor
Dr. K. C. Abdul Majeed
Associate Professor
Department of Library and Information Science
Farook College (Autonomous)
Proceedings of the National Conference on Re-inventing the role
of libraries in Digital Scenario organized by the Department of
Library and Information Science, Farook College (Autonomous)
20-21 December 2019

2
Re-inventing the Role of Libraries in Digital Scenario
KERALA LIBRARY CONGRESS 2019
RE-INVENTING THE ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN DIGITAL SCENARIO
Proceedings of the National Conference on Re-inventing the role of libraries in
Digital Scenario organized by the Department of Library and Information Sci-
ence, Farook College (Autonomous) in collaboration with RUSA and Kerala State
Library Council held at Farook College (Autonomous) on 20-21 December 2019.
COPYRIGHT © 2020
Edited by
Dr. K.C. ABDUL MAJEED
Fir Edition 2020
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Cover: Shareef Punnassery
Published by
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION, FAROOK COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)
Farook College P.O., Calicut 673632, Kerala, India
Price: ` 500
ISBN: 978-81-935852-2-1
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means now known or to be invented, electronic or mechanical, including photo-
copying, recording, or by any information orage or retrieval syem without permission
in writing from the publishers.

Open+ Libraries: Need of the hour for Tech savvy India!!!!!
Vysakh. C*
*Research Scholar
Department of Studies and Research in Library & Information Science
Tumkur University, Tumakuru, Karnataka-572103.
chingathvysakh@gmail.com,9744050979
**Corresponding Author
Dr Rajendra Babu. H**
Department of Studies and Research in Library & Information Science
Tumkur University, Tumakuru, Karnataka-572103.
hrajendra.babu@gmail.com
Abstract
Open or Staff-less libraries are the new face of libraries which work with fewer staffs or
even without staffs on site. This paper sheds light on the opportunities of establishing
unstaffed libraries in India for unbarring needy patrons to access library collection without
any access/time limits. The concept, opportunities and challenges of open libraries are
portrayed in this article. Since the libraries including academic and non-academic in India
have their own time of operation, there is a great need for such kind of open libraries which
keep the door open always to the information thirsty users. This article is first of its kind at
the national level to suggest the opportunities for staff- less libraries which could be a
blueprint for establishing such ones in the country in the time to come.
Keywords –Open Libraries, Open Plus libraries, Staff-less libraries, Unstaffed libraries,
Self- Service libraries, India.
Introduction
The mode of access to information has taken a paradigm shift with the digital information
being available freely with almost no access barriers. Mobile and other portable devices have
become common devices nowadays which help to access needed information with less effort
(Mansour, 2016). But, the excess use of mobile phones of course adversely affects the health of
mankind. The study conducted by Naeem (2014) shows that excessive use of mobile phones leads
to changes in brain activity and adverse sleep patterns to quote from many. The main reason for
the debacle of physical books is the easy and 24 hours availability of them in e-format. Though,
majority of the users still prefer physical books over e-books as they are more emotionally
attached with physical books and they use physical books to establish a sense of self and
belonging (Association of American Universities, 2018). In order to promote the circulation of
physical books, it needs to be made available 24/7 to the user community. Since the majority of

the libraries in the country are not opened after working hours, there is an immediate need for a
sophisticated system which can make the library accessible round the clock. In this paper, we
propose such a system called Open Library which has been implemented overseas and yet to be in
India. The term ‘Staff less’ and ‘Open’ shall be used synonymous throughout the paper.
Significance of the Study
Majority of the users prefer physical books over e-books as they are more emotionally
attached with physical books according to the Association of American Universities (2018). In
order to promote the circulation of physical books, we need to make the library opened 24/7 basis
to the users. Since the majority of the libraries in the country doesn’t operate after office hours,
there is an immediate need for a system which can make the library open 24 hours a day. It is felt
that there is a need for a system of Open Library or Self Service libraries which have been
implemented in foreign countries successfully. We also have found through the extensive review
of the literature that no such studies have been conducted in our country India on the concept of
open libraries or Self Service libraries.
Review of Literature
The concept of Open Libraries is absolutely a new one and on which studies are found
very less. A worldwide search in Google, Google Scholar, Springer, Emerald insight, JGate Plus
and JSTOR brought only a very few studies. The keywords for literate search include Open
Libraries; Staff less Libraries, unstaffed libraries which actually brought/directed/diverted
journals relating to open access. The available pieces of literature are reviewed below.
Johannsen (2014) evaluated two major projects being implemented at the Danish library as
a part of the development drive. The first one was to study the staff less public libraries in
Denmark while the later one looking into the new roles for staffs and users in such libraries. Both
evaluations were based on empirical data collected by questionnaires and interview/observation.
The findings of the study showed that staff attitude towards staff less libraries are surprising and
staff-intensive practices have been somewhat reluctant and skeptical.
Public Libraries News (2019), an online blog enlisted the number of open libraries in the
United Kingdom. There are 180 open libraries in Denmark where the users are getting entry
through a library ID card which can be used even as a national identity card there. The blog also
discussed the major pros as long opening hours, user preference and impersonal. While the cons
are noted as high cost, equality issue and higher chance for vandalism.
The need for a 24/7 library at the University of Oklahoma is studied by Debra, Womack,
& Ursula (2002). The findings of the study showed that 30.8% of the total respondents used the

library at wee hours which signals the need for the library to be kept open 24 hours a day.
Majority of the respondents (74.2%) visited the library for study purpose.
From the above, it is clear that no studies have been conducted in our country on open
libraries which makes this paper absolutely afresh.
What is Open Library?
Open libraries are those libraries which are accessible to the public without the presence of
any library staff. To get access to these kinds of libraries, patrons must get hem registered first.
They can later get access by scanning the library card on a keypad reader and entering their secret
pin (Counterpoint, 2019) or any other access/check mechanism. Carl Gustav Johannsen in his
book titled Staff-less libraries: Innovative staff design defines open libraries (Carl Gustav, 2017).
as following;
Avail access to the library through different types of identity through an e-access system.
The services of the library are available on during unstaffed opening hours.
The physical library is monitored through installed cameras.
Staff can be available at the library but not committed to offering services
How Open Library Works
The entire process outside and inside the Open Library system is automated. In order to
get an entry into the library, a user has to get registered himself with the library and its access
system. After the successful registration, a library card will be issued on his name with security
pin (with barcode or RFID entangled to it). By swiping and entering the secret pin a patron will be
allowed to get inside the library premises. The automatic gate and door will be letting the
registered users enter into the library after the successful confirmation of the user as a genuine
one. The user can further select the needed books and check out at the self-check-out-kiosk. The
entire process will be under the surveillance by the cameras. Even though the name is unstaffed
library, staffs and volunteers will be available behind the scene to offer any support.
Check in with
Library card
Library
Accessing
Library
Materials
Check Out at the
Kiosk
Entry
Main Gate
Exit
Camera
Surveillance
Picture:-1 Modus operandi

(https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/about-public-libraries-news/unstaffed-libraries)
Picture:- 2 Swipe, type and enter (Scandinavian Open Public Library Check-in)
https://twitter.com/anne_clarke/status/931921687850954752
Picture:- 3 Open+ Library Check-in Kiosk at Golders Green Library
Major Pros and Cons
The open-access initiatives at national and international level make information potentially
available to all the categories of users ranging from researchers to a common man. There are
barriers to overcome in terms of technical infrastructures, point-of-access, digital and cultural
divide (Fontanin & Castellucci, 2019). Concerning the pros of an open library, there are points
like long opening hours, less expensive as the reduced number of staffs, user preference, improved
community feel and increased social capital. At the other end, open libraries are largely
condemned due to absence of personal touch, lack of providing insights, equality issues, higher
chances for vandalism, need of expertise to deal with people & their emotions and also a high cost
for setting up.

Conclusion
The need for physical open libraries has become the need of the hour even though mobile
and digital libraries are getting momentum. There is a high demand for physical books as the
excess use of digital devices leading to major health disorders (Jared, 2013). The main problem of
unused physical books is its non-availability as per wish and at the same times the easy
availability of its alien digital substitutes. Through the prototype that we proposed can address all
the issues to make the libraries keep-up-their-services 24/7. Open libraries help in saving money
and letting patrons use technology to serve themselves (Lambert, 2017). There are both pros and
cons for the system even though which can be tackled by the proper planning and implementation.
To start with it is suggested to start with open hybrid libraries with maximum e-approach and
minimized manpower to assess the success of open concept libraries in a country like ours.
References
Association of American Universities. (2018). Paper or Digital? When it Comes to Books, Format
Matters. Retrieved December 2, 2019, from https://www.aau.edu/research-
scholarship/featured-research-topics/paper-or-digital-when-it-comes-books-format-matters
Carl Gustav, J. (2017). Staff-less libraries: Innovative staff design. Retrieved December 3, 2019,
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Counterpoint. (2019). What is a “staffless library”? Retrieved December 3, 2019, from
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Debra, E., Womack, Lk., & Ursula, E. (2002). Opening a library 24 hours. Journal of Library
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