ഇന്ദ്രൻസ് / ഷംസുദ്ദീൻ കുട്ടോത്ത് (2016)

സൂചിയും നൂലും

ഡി സി ബുക്സ്, പേജ് 80, വില 90.00

പട്ടിണിയുടെ ബാല്യത്തിൽ നിന്നും വർണ്ണങ്ങളെയും അഭിനയത്തേയും സ്നേഹിച്ച പാലവിള  വീട്ടിൽ കൊച്ചു വേലുവിന്റെ മകൻ സുരേന്ദ്രൻ എന്ന ഇന്ദ്രൻസിന്റെ ജിവിതത്തിൽ നിന്നും പകർത്തി വെച്ച ചില അദ്ധ്യായങ്ങൾ. പന്ത്രണ്ടാം വയസ്സിൽ അമ്മാവന്റെ തയ്യൽ കടയിൽ തുന്നൽ പഠിക്കാൻ പോയി തുടങ്ങിയത് മുതൽ ആദ്യമായി നാടുവിട്ടതും സ്വന്തമായി തുന്നൽ കട തുടങ്ങിയതും നാടക അഭിനയ ഭ്രാന്തിൽ കട പൂട്ടി പോയതും പിന്നീട് സിനിമയിലെ വേഷാലങ്കാരത്തിലേക്ക് പിച്ചവെച്ചതും ഒരു നിയോഗം പോലെ സിനിമ നടനായി മലയാളിയുടെ മനസ്സിൽ കയറി കൂടിയതുമൊക്കെ കലർപ്പില്ലാത്ത തന്മയത്തത്തോടെ പുസ്തകം പറഞ്ഞ് തരുന്നു. ഇന്ദ്രൻസിന്റെ ജീവിതത്തെ സ്വാധീനിച്ചവരും  സ്ഥലവും സന്ദർഭവുമൊക്കെ ഇടയ്ക്കു കയറി വരുന്നുണ്ട്.

ആദ്യമായി ഒരു സിനിമക്ക് സ്വതന്ത്രമായി വസ്ത്രാലങ്കാരം നിർവ്വഹിക്കാൻ അവസരം കിട്ടിയപ്പോൾ മദ്രാസിലേക്ക് വണ്ടി കയറിയതും തിരികെ വരുമ്പോൾ യാത്രയിൽ ഒരാളെ കണ്ട് മുട്ടുന്നതും വിവരിക്കുന്നുണ്ട് 'നിഴൽ പോലെ ഒരാൾ' എന്ന പതിമൂന്നാം അദ്ധ്യായത്തിൽ.

'രണ്ട് മൂന്നു ദിവസം കൊണ്ട് സിനിമക്ക് വേണ്ട വസ്ത്രങ്ങളെല്ലാം തെരെഞ്ഞ് പിടിച്ച് വാങ്ങി. അതിനിടയിൽ തല വേദനയും പനിയും മൂർഛിച്ചു.  അഡ്മിറ്റ് ചെയ്യണമെന്ന് ഡോക്ടർ  പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ എത്രയും പെട്ടെന്ന് നാട്ടിലേക്ക് തിരിച്ചു. ജനറൽ കമ്പാർട്ട്മെന്റിൽ തനിച്ചാണ് യാത്ര; കയ്യിൽ തുണികളുടെ ഭാണ്ഡവും. അകത്തു സീറ്റില്ലാത്തതിനാൽ വഴിയിൽ ലഗ്ഗേജ് വച്ച് അതിൽ ചുരുണ്ട് കൂടി.  കണ്ണ് തുറക്കാനോ, എഴുന്നേൽക്കാനോ കഴിയാതെ അവശനായി കിടന്നു. ആരോ ഒരാൾ പുറകിൽ തട്ടി വിളിച്ചു. 'അകത്ത് സീറ്റ് കാലിയുണ്ട് അവിടെയിരിക്കാം' എഴുന്നേൽക്കാൻ കഴിയാത്ത എന്നെ താങ്ങി എടുത്ത് അയാൾ ഒരു സീറ്റിൽ ഇരുത്തി, എന്റെ മുന്നിൽ ഇരുന്നു. കുറ്റിത്താടിയുള്ള മധ്യവസകനായ കുറിയ ഒരു മനുഷ്യൻ. എന്നെ തൊട്ടു നോക്കി. നല്ല പനിയുണ്ടല്ലോ എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു.  കുടിക്കാൻ എവിടുന്നോ അയാൾ അൽപം നാരങ്ങ വെള്ളം കൊണ്ട് വന്നു തന്നു. ഞാൻ അത് ആർത്തിയോടെ കുടിച്ചു.  യാത്ര തുടർന്നു. 'അടുത്ത സ്റ്റേഷനിൽ നല്ല ചായ കിട്ടും വാങ്ങി തരാം' അയാൾ പറഞ്ഞു. ഞാൻ തല കുലുക്കി. ഞാൻ വീണ്ടും മയങ്ങി, കണ്ണുകൾ അടഞ്ഞു, സുഖമായി ഉറങ്ങി.  ഒരലർച്ച കേട്ടാണ് ഉണർന്നത്. ഏതോ സ്റ്റേഷനിൽ നിന്നും ട്രെയിൻ ഓടി തുടങ്ങുന്നു. ആൾക്കാരുടെ ഒച്ച കേട്ട് ഞാൻ പുറത്തേക്ക് നോക്കി . വാതിലിന്റെ കമ്പിയിൽ തൂങ്ങി   ഒരാൾ. കാലുകൾ പുറത്തേക്ക്, കൈകൾ വഴുതി വീഴുന്നു. കാഴ്ച്ച തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞ് ആ കൈകളിൽ  പിടിക്കാനെത്തുന്നതിനു മുമ്പ് ഒരു കരച്ചിലോടെ ആ രൂപം താഴേക്ക് വീണു. ഞാൻ സ്തംഭിച്ചു പോയി. ആളുകൾ പറയുന്നത് കേട്ടു, ചായ കൊണ്ട് ഓടി വന്നു കയറിയതാ, കാലു വഴുതിപ്പോയി. ഞാൻ വാവിട്ടു കരഞ്ഞു പൊയി. എനിക്ക് ചായ വാങ്ങാൻ പോയതാണോ ആ മനുഷ്യൻ? (p57-58)
108 ലേറെ സിനിമകൾക്ക് വസ്ത്രാലങ്കാരം നിർവഹിച്ച, 412 ൽ പരം ചിത്രങ്ങളിൽ അഭിനയിച്ച മലയാളത്തിന്റെ എക്കാലത്തെയും   മികച്ച ഹാസ്യ   നടന്മാരിൽ വേറിട്ട ഉടലും അഭിനയവും കാഴ്ച വെച്ച ഇന്ദ്രൻസിന്റെ ജീവിതം നല്ലൊരു വായനാനുഭവമാണ്. ചെറിയ അദ്ധ്യായങ്ങളിലായി സരളമായ വാക്കുകളിൽ ഷംസുദ്ദീൻ കുട്ടോത്തുമായി ചേർന്ന്   ജീവിതം പറയുകയാണ് ഇന്ദ്രൻസ്. 

Book Exhibition at TKM College of Arts and Science, Kerala, India

A rare kind of book club

 

With 50,000 members, the Rare Book Society of India is more than a digital library ­ it's also a forum for discussion and debate

 

Interest in Indian history is near universal, says Subbiah Yadalam, the founder of the Rare Book Society of India.

Within minutes of his posting details about a new (old) book on the society's vibrant, 50,000-member community page on Facebook, there are views and `likes' from places flung as far apart as Uganda, the US and Slovenia, says Yadalam, who started the society's website and Facebook page to connect with bibliophiles ­ especially those who share his passion for rare, out-ofprint books ­ from all over the world. “There are viewers from 72 countries at any given time,“ says the 52-year-old founder, who is as passionate about the power of sharing and social media as he is about rare books; his goal to make these books accessible to everyone through digitization and free downloads.

The obsession with rare books started a decade ago when Yadalam came across a book, The Castes and Tribes of Southern In dia, a scholarly and encyclopaedic tome by Edgar Thurston and Kadambi Rangachari published in 1909, at his club library. He found it fascinating and wanted to buy it from the club, which refused to sell it. But Yadalam had tasted blood and started hunting down old, rare titles at bookstores, auctions and online, starting with bibliophile KK Murthy's Select, where serendipity ­ a quality abundant in that most gloriously anarchic of bookstores ­ played a huge role in helping him start his collection.

Today , while his personal collection of rare books on Indian history numbers around 175 titles, Yadalam also sources digitized versions from websites such as Gutenberg.org and Archive.org. The focus of his collection is books on Indian history, and he has created a digital library of hundreds of rare, out-of-copyright books on the subject, meticulously digitized to retain the look and feel of the original volume.

Not just that, they are curated and tagged by subject; so if you are looking for books under the subject, say, `Pallava Expansion', you would find posts on the website related to the topic along with URLs, using which you can download PDF versions of the books. There's also an option to read them online.

“Many of these books could be considered as history , opinion or plain propaganda, but the aim is to show that there is no wasteful source in the study of history, there is only an added perspective,“ says Yadalam. He's proud of the fact that what started off as a group for rare book collectors has been transformed into a forum for history buffs, scholars and “the silent curious.“

Yadalam is fanatical about the need for us to go to primary sources to know more about historical events and personalities and form an objective opinion. The intermediation of historians, who always bring their own biases and slants into the interpretation, often results in a warped idea of history, he believes. “It is time for us to look at the reference sections of books and go read those books ourselves. Research empowers you, it makes you appreciate the fact that there are always many versions to the truth; that there is often no one `definitive version'. We need a society that can see layers and nuances, and this will only happen when we familiarize ourselves with the many versions of history,“ he says. 

Source | Times of India | 30 July 2015

Work and Achievements of S. R. Ranganathan

1. SUMMARY OF CHIEF EVENTS

1924 Designed the Colon Classification
1925 Trial of Colon Classification with the printed catalogue of the Madras University Library and the Ship Library on board SS Dumana (June-July)
1928 Formulated the Five Laws of Library Science
1929 Started the School of Librarianship of the Madras Library Association
1931 Started the School of Library Science at the University of Madras(April) Duration as Certificate Course 1931-1937 Duration as Diploma Course 1937-1960 Duration as Degree Course 1961-
1934 Designed the Classified Catalog Code
1938 Designed Chain Indexing
1950 Designed Facet Analysis
1956 Founded Annals of Library Science Classification of Library Management1957 Founded the Sarada Ranganathan Chair of Library Science, University of Madras
1961 Founded the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science
1963 Developed the Dynamic Theory of Library Classification
1964- Editor of Library Science with a Slant to Documentation; author of 53 books and about

1200 articles on library science

ENDOWMENTS

1934 Edward B. Ross Studentship, Madras Christian College
1956 Sarada Ranganathan Chair of Library Science, University of Madras
1958 Sarada Ranganathan Prize for Mathematics, Government College, Mangalore
1958 Sarada Ranganathan Merit Prize, Sanskrit College, Sriperumbudur
1959 Sarada Ranganathan Merit Prize, High School, Ujjain
1961 Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, incorporated with the Treasurer for Charitable Endowments in India

HONORS/AWARDS

1935 Rao Sahib, Government of India
1948 D. Litt. (Honoris causa), Delhi University
1951 Honorary Fellow, Virginia Bibliographic Society
1954 Patron, Delhi Library Association
1956 Honorary Member, Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centers
1957 Padmashree, Government of India
Honorary Vice-President, Library Association (London)
Honorary Fellow, International Federation for Documentation
1962 Founder-Patron, Mysore Library Association, Bangalore
Two-volume Ranganathan Festschrift
Volume 1: Kaula, P. N., Library Science Today, 1966 (Asia Publishing House, Bombay)
Volume 2: Das Gupta, A. K., Essay in Personal Bibliography, 1967 (Asia Publishing House, Bombay)
1964 D. Litt. (Honoris causa), University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A.
1965 National Research Professor for Library Science (Government of India)
1967 Honorary Fellow, Indian Standards Institution
1970 Margaret Mann Award (American Library Association)
1971 Grand Knight of Peace (Mark Twain Society, U.S.A.)

FAMILY

1892 Born August 9 at Shiyali, Tanjavoor District, Madras State
Family home: Ubhayavedanthapuram, Tanjavoor District (India)
Father: N. Ramamrita Ayyar, landlord (1866-1898)
Mother: Seethalakshmi (1872-1953)
1907 Married Rukmini (1896-1928), July
1929 Married Sarada (1908-1985), November
1932 Son, Yogeshwar, born April 12

EDUCATION

1897-1908 Sabhanayaka Mudaliar's Hindu High School, Shiyali
1909 Matriculation
1909-1916 College Education, Madras Christian College
1913 B.A. degree
1916 M.A. degree
1916-1917 Professional Education, Teachers' College, Saidapet, Madras
1917 L.T. degree, Secretary of the Mathematics Association of the College
1924-1925 School of Librarianship, University College of London Honors Certificate

Practical work experience in the Croydon Public Library under W. C. Berwick Sayers

EMPLOYMENT

1919-1920 Assistant lecturer in Mathematics, Government College, Mangalore Founded the Mathematics and Science Association of the College
1920 Assistant lecturer in Mathematics, Government College, Coimbatore
1921 Assistant lecturer in Mathematics, Government College, Mangalore Assistant professor in Mathematics, Presidency College, Madras
1922-1923 Secretary of the Lunch Club, Presidency College, Madras Secretary, Mathematics and Science Section, Madras Teachers’ Guild
1923 University Lectures on the Theory of Groups (Madras)
1924-1944 First University Librarian of the University of Madras
1924-1925 School of Librarianship, University College, London Apprenticeship in the Croydon Public Libraries under W.C. Berwick Sayers
1924 Design of Colon Classification begun in November
1945-1947 University Librarian and Professor of Library Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

HONORARY WORK

1928 Vacation lecturer in laws of library science, University of Madras (at Chidambaram)
1928-1933 Lecturer on school library work, Teachers' College, Saidapet, Madras
1929-1944 Professor in library science, University of Madras
1983-1937 Vacation lecturer on school library work, University of Madras
1944 Visiting lecturer in library classification, University of Bombay
1945-1947 Professor in library science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
1948 Member of the faculty, UNESCO International School for Public Librarianship, Manchester
1949-1955 Professor in library science, University of Delhi
1956 Visiting lecturer of library schools, United Kingdom
1957-1959 Visiting professor in library science, Vikram University, Ujjain
1958 Visiting lecturer of library schools, United States of America, Canada, and Japan
1962 Honorary professor, Documentation Research and Training Centre, Bangalore
1963 Visiting lecturer of library schools, University of Pittsburgh

LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT PLANS (unpublished)

1942 University of Delhi
1946 Library development plan for India
1946 University of Allahabad University of Nagpur
1947 Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
1948 University of Bombay Parliament Library, Delhi
1956 University of Mysore
1957 All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
1959 Scientific and Technical Information Centre for the Third Plan Period, a draft for the
Planning Commission
1964 National Aeronautical Laboratory, Bangalore
Mysore Legislature
1966 All-India Institute of Mental Health, Bangalore
Library Building and Development Plan for the Parliament Library, Delhi
Note: For published library development plans, see Sec. XVII, Books Published.

LIBRARY BILLS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANS (unpublished)
1931 Bengal
1936 Drafted the First Library Bill for Madras
1946 Central Provinces and Berar
1947 Cochin Travancore
Note: For published library bills and development plans, see Sec. XVII, Books Published.

COMMITTEE WORK WITHIN INDIA

1930-1944 Member, Academic Council, Madras University
1933-1935 Member, Imperial Library Committee
1942-1947 Member, Board of Managment, Beasant School, Kashi
1947-1966 Chairman, Documentation (Sectional) Committee, Indian Standards Institution,New Delhi
1948-1963 Member, Adult Education Council, Delhi Municipality
1948 Member, Committee on National Central Library
1948-1951 Member, National Library Committee
1958-1960 Chairman, Library Buildings, Fittings, and Furniture Committee, Indian Standards Institution, New Delhi
1958-1959 Chairman, Library Committee, University Grants Commission
1959-1961 Member, Banaras Hindu University Court, Varanasi
1959 Consultant on Library Development Plan, Kerala State
Chairman, Board of Studies in Library Science, University of Madras
1960 Chairman, Review Committee on Library Science, University Grants Commission
Chairman, Library Science Courses Committee, University of Madras
Chairman, Expert Committee on Library Science, Banaras Hindu University
Member, Board of Studies in Library Science, Osmania University
Member, Board of Studies in Library Science, Utkal University
Chairman, Committee for Library Science Course, University of Mysore
1961-1963 Chairman, Committee to Draft the Library Bill for Mysore State
1962 Chairman, Board of Studies in Library Science, University of Kerala
1965 Member, Academic Council, Bangalore University Member, Gandhi Centenary Bibliographic Committee
1966 Member, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society
1967 Member, Executive Council, Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR,New Delhi Member, Executive Council, INSDOC
1968 Chairman, Tanjavur Sarfoji Maharaja Saraswati Mahal Library Committee Member, Government of India Committee on Development of Libraries

COMMITTEE WORK OUTSIDE OF INDIA

1948 Member, International Committee of Library Experts, United Nations
1949 Negotiated with UNESCO for the establishment of the Delhi Public Library as a pilot project
1950 Negotiated with UNESCO for the establishment of INSDOC Consultant, UNESCO, for preparing the place of machines in literature search
1951-1961 Rapporteur-general, FID/CA (Committee on General Theory of Classification of the International Federation for Documentation)
1951-1953 Member, International Advisory Committee on Bibliography of UNESCO
1963- Honorary Chairman, FID/CR (Committee on Classification Research of the
International Federation for Documentation)

CONFERENCES WITHIN INDIA

1916 Delegate, First Indian Mathematical Conference, Madras
1919 Delegate, Second Indian Mathematical Conference, Bombay
1926 President, Pudukkotta Library Conference
1927 Local Secretary, All-India Public Library Conference, Madras
1928 Delegate, South India Educational Conference
1930 Secretary, Library Service Section of All-Asia Educational Conference, Banaras
1931 Opened the first traveling library of Madras at Mannargudi
1933 Delegate, First All-India Library Conference, Calcutta
1934 President, Tirunelveli District Library Conference
1942 Inaugurated the Twenty-Fourth Andhra Desa Library Conference, Hindupur Delegate, Fifth All-India Library Conference, Bombay
1944 Delegate, Sixth All-India Library Conference, Jaipur President, Malabar Elementary Educational Conference
1946 Delegate, Seventh All-India Library Conference, Baroda President, First Library Conference of Central Provinces and Berar
1947 Inaugurated the First Travancore Library Conference, Kottayam
1948 President, All-India Adult Educational Conference, Mysore
1949 President, Eighth All-India Library Conference, Nagpur
1950 President, Gwalior Library Conference
1951 Delegate, Ninth All-India Library Conference, Indore
1952 President, Conference of Local Library Authorities of Andhra Pradesh, Patamatalanka
1953 Secretary, Seminar on Literature for Neo-Literates, Okhia, Delhi Silver Jubilee Conference, Madras Library Association
Delegate, Tenth All-India Library Conference, Hyderabad
1954 President, First Hyderabad Library Conference
1957 Delegate, Seminary on Productivity Drive, Government of India, New Delhi
President, Delhi Library Association Conference on Library Movement in India, New Delhi President, Documentation Section, Indian Standards Convention, Madras
1958 President, Madhya Pradesh Library Conference, Bhopal 
1959 Director, Seminar on Social Science Research and Libraries, New Delhi President, Bengal Library Conference, Nawadip 
Director, UGC Seminar on Work Flow from Publisher to Reader—Work- flow in college and university libraries, New Delhi
Chairman, Indian Library Convention, Delhi Chairman, Documentation Section, Second Indian Standards Convention,
Hyderabad
1961 Chairman, Preservation of Documents Section, Indian Standards Convention, Kanpur
1962 Director, Government of India Seminar on School Libraries, Bangalore
Director, Government of Andhra Pradesh Library Seminar, Hyderabad 
1963 President, Fourth IASLIC Conference, Poona
1963-1972 Director, Annual Seminars of the Documentation Research and Training Centre,Bangalore
1967 Director, Social Science Research and Library Development in India Seminar, New Delhi
1968 Chief Guest Speaker, Fifth IASLIC Seminar, Durgapur

CONFERENCES OUTSIDE OF INDIA

1948 Delegate, FID Conference and Conference of ISO/TC 46, The Hague
Delegate, Commonwealth Universities Conference, Oxford
Delegate, IFLA Conference, London
1950 Delegate, FID Conference, Ascona
Delegate, Special Libraries Association Conference, Atlantic City, N. J., U.S.A.Chief Speaker, Golden Jubilee Celebrations, Classification and Cataloging Division, American Library Association 
Delegate, Conference on Bibliographic Organization, Chicago
Delegate, Centenary Celebration of the British Library Act, London
1954 Delegate, ISO/TC 46 Conference, Brussels
Delegate, FID Conference, Belgrade (September)
Delegate, FID Conference, Zagreb
Delegate, IFLA Conference, Zagreb
1955 Delegate, German Library Conference, Dusseldorff
Delegate, Third World Congress of Librarians and Documentalists, Brussels
Delegate, ISO/TC 46 Conference, Stuttgart
1956 Delegate, German Library Conference, Berlin
Delegate, FID Conference, Stuttgart
Delegate, IFLA Conference, Munich
1957 President, International Study Conference on Classification Research, Dorking
1958 Panel Member, International Conference on Scientific Information, Washington, D.C.
Delegate, Conference on Common Language for Machinery Search, Cleveland
1959 Delegate, FID Conference, Warsaw
1961 Special Invitee, International Conference on Cataloging Principles, Paris
Leader of the Indian Delegation, Third Centenary Celebration, National Library of East
Berlin
1964President, International Study Conference on Classification Research, Eisinore
Principal Speaker, International Seminar on Colon Classification, Rutgers University,
New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.
1966 Concluding Speaker, Symposium on Syntactical Relations in Classification, Mary land,U.S.A.

ASSOCIATION WORE
1916-1972 Member, Indian Mathematical Society
1917-1920 Founder-President, Mathematics and Science Association of the College
1922-1923 Secretary, Mathematics and Science Section, Madras Teachers Guild
1923 Secretary, Non-Gazetted Collegiate Officers Association
1928-1934 Treasurer, Indian Mathematical Society
1928-1953 Founder-Secretary, Madras Library Association
1928-1972 Fellow, Library Association, London
1930-1933 Member, International Library Committee of the World Association for Adult Education
1933-1972 Member, Indian Library Association
1937-1944 Vice-President, Indian Library Association
1944-1963 President, Indian Library Association
1949-1953 Secretary, Indian Adult Education Association
1953-1956 Vice President. FID
Vice President, Indian Adult Education Association
1954-1964 Secretary and Chairman, FID Committee on general classification
1968-1961 Vice-President, International Federation for Documentation
1951 Promoted the formation of the Asian Federation of Library Associations at Indore (April)
1953-1957 Vice-President, Madras Library Association
1958-1967 President, Madras Library Association
1958 Founded the Madhya Pradesh Library Association
1965-1972 Vice-President, Governing Council, Indian Statistical Institute

LIBRARY TOURS
1925 United Kingdom
1945 Kerala and South Kanara
1948 Western Europe, United Kingdom, and United States of America
1950 Western Europe and United States of America
1952 Ceylon
1956 United Yugoslavia and West Germany
1955 East Germany Kingdom
1957 United States of America, Canada, and Japan
1959 United States of America, Poland, and Russia
1961 France, East Germany, and West Germany
1964 Western Europe and United States of America
PERIODICALS EDITED
1937-1947 Editorial Board, Modern Librarian
1939-1944 Conducted Memoirs, Madras Library Association
1947 Editorial Board, Indian Librarian
1949-1953 Editor, Abgila, Indian Library Association
1951 Associate Editor, Libri
1954-1963 Editor, Annals of Library Science
1959 American Documentation
1964-1972 Editor, Library Science with a Slant to Documentation

Source: 

LIS Links post  by arun kumar on September 18, 2014 at 13:09 in Discussion / News / Article

Kerala School shuts textbooks, open tablets

In a quiet start that has the potential to revolutionize the way kids are taught, a school run by a Muslim educational organization in Kerala's Palakkad district has completely replaced textbooks with tablets for Class 8-12 students from this academic year. Other schools in the state may soon follow the example set by Muslim Educational Society International School, Pattambi.

“We have given 552 tablets to students from classes VIII to XII and students have been asked not to carry textbooks to school. This has improved the teachinglearning process as everything can be visually explained,“ said school principal Asha Byju. To reduce possibility of misuse, the school has also developed a programme by which teachers can monitor the content students are viewing. They now plan to introduce tablets from classes IV to VII from the next academic year.

Various school principals take pains to point out that tablets are not another cool toy but rather a powerful and versatile tool with multiple educational applications.“Tablets are set to change the way we teach, as students can have easy access to extra in formation. Also this will reduce the school bag load,“ said Sunitha Sateesh, principal, The Choice School, Kochi. Her school will introduce tablets from next year.

Not all are convinced though. “This is nothing but `elitisation' of education that will bring in profits for schools. Though tablets are being introduced as part of technological change, one is not sure of the nature of comprehension and quality, if one goes strictly by the parameters of knowledge,“ said educationist Rajan Gurukkal.

Sanjeev Kumar, principal (in-charge), Peevees Public School, Nilambur, said: “The most important challenge for us is to ensure that students' writing skills are not affected.“ The government too doesn't want to be left behind. Its IT@School Project plans to introduce free tablets for class VIII students in 140 schools -one each from every assembly constituency . 

Source | Times of India | 21 August 2014

Accessible Books Consortium Launched

The World Intellectual Property Organization and a group of key partners are launching a new alliance to boost the number of books in accessible format for use by hundreds of millions of people around the globe who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled, most of whom live in less-developed regions.

The partners of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) officially inaugurated the new multi-stakeholder entity today at a ceremony in Geneva.

ABC was created to help implement the objectives of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled at a practical level through work in three areas: the sharing of technical skills in developing and least developed countries to produce and distribute books in accessible formats, promoting inclusive publishing, and building an international database and book exchange of accessible books. The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted by WIPO’s members on June 27, 2013 and will enter into force once it has been ratified by 20 nations.

“The launch of the Accessible Books Consortium advances global efforts to increase the number of books available for use by people with print disabilities,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “We are pleased that ABC’s stakeholders are fully committed to collaborating and ensuring the success of this initiative,” he added.

According to the World Blind Union (“WBU”), over 90% of all published materials are inaccessible by blind or low vision people. This scarcity of published works in accessible formats has been referred to as the “global book famine”.

"The Accessible Book Consortium provides a practical way to address the enormous problem of the lack of books in accessible formats in the world today" said Ms. Maryanne Diamond, Immediate Past President of the World Blind Union and Chair of the International Disability Alliance. Persons with print disabilities have the right to information and the right to read on an equal basis with their sighted peers. The ABC provides an excellent platform to bring together key stakeholders in the delivery of holistic solutions to this very large and complicated global problem."

“The lack of books in accessible formats has been a true barrier for education and employment opportunities for the blind and visually impaired in developing and least developed countries,” said Mr. Dipendra Manocha, President of the DAISY Forum of India. He noted that “The ABC offers a golden promise that through collaboration among key stakeholders we can end the global book famine.”

Through its work on capacity building in developing and least developed countries, the ABC is helping to boost technical knowledge in how to produce accessible books, particularly for school books in national languages. The ABC also promotes inclusive publishing, which encourages publishers to deliver digital publications for sighted audiences that are equally accessible to the print disabled – a system known as “born accessible” – as well as encouraging the adoption of an industry-wide accessibility standard.

International Publishers Association President Y.S Chi said “The Accessible Books Consortium embodies the spirit and the collaboration that is needed to achieve equal access to all readers regardless of their abilities. Successes such as these are indicative of where WIPO’s strengths lie. Publishers and the IPA look forward to continuing our accessibility work with WIPO, the ABC, and the World Blind Union.”

Under the auspices of ABC, WIPO also hosts the Trusted Intermediary Global Accessible Resources (TIGAR) book exchange, a database of over 238,000 accessible format books in 55 languages from libraries from around the world.

The ABC includes the following umbrella organizations: World Blind Union, DAISY Consortium, International Authors' Forum, International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations, and the International Publishers Association.

Background for Editors

The World Health Organization estimated in 2013 that some 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired: 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. This issue has an important development dimension given that more than 90% of persons who are visually impaired are resident in developing countries and face reduced educational opportunities and employment prospects.

According to the World Blind Union (“WBU”), over 90% of all published materials are inaccessible by blind or low vision people. This scarcity of published works in accessible formats has been referred to as the “global book famine”.

The WBU estimates that in developed regions like North America and Europe, employment of blind people is approximately 25% while in developing areas of the globe like Africa, Asia and Latin America, fewer than 10% of blind people are employed.

In June 2013, WIPO’s 187 member states adopted the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. This Treaty lays the international legal framework for boosting access to accessible works.

The Treaty, which takes effect after it is ratified by 20 signatories, requires its contracting parties to adopt national law provisions that permit the reproduction, distribution and making available of published works in accessible formats – such as Braille -- through limitations and exceptions to the rights of copyright holders. It also provides for the exchange of these accessible format works across borders by organizations that serve people who are blind, visually impaired, and print disabled.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the leading global forum for the promotion of intellectual property as a force for innovation and creativity to achieve positive change. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 187 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society’s evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.

Source | http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2014/article_0009.html

National Workshop on Research Methodology and SPSS

Calicut : The department of library and information science, University of Calicut, in association with University Grants Commission, New Delhi organised One week national workshop on research methodology and SPSS during - 24-29 March, 2014. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Abdul Salam inaugurated the program. Training in research methodology is an essential pre requisite for quality research, he said. These type of workshops must be continued in future and the department may conduct such regular workshop in the university. 

Dr. TM Vasudevan, HOD, library Science and Dean, Faculty of Humanities presided over the function. Dr. Sailas Benjamin, Director, Directorate of Research, Prof. Mani KP, Dr. Abdul Azeez attended the program. Dr. Mohamed Haneefa welcomed the gathering and Dr. Mohamed Musthafa extended vote of thanks.