NASSCOM’s multi-stakeholder effort Indian Public Library Movement goes digital
New Delhi, November 24, 2016: Indian Public Library movement (IPLM) is a multi-stakeholder initiative by the NASSCOM Foundation across 100 plus districts spread across 22 states. The movement brings in variety of stakeholders together to revitalize public library space in the country, transforming them into knowledge and information sharing centers catering to the needs of communities across India. IPLM has partnered with credible organizations such as MSSRF, Prajayatna, KEDES, DEF and others to handhold in the process which requires strong community engagement and partnership.
To take this initiative forward, Indian Public Library Movement recently hosted an event ‘The Beginning’ in New Delhi. The event was aimed at creating partnerships and working towards repositioning of public libraries through various measures, such as digitalization and responding to community needs and technology-enabled services to engage with diverse stakeholders. Through this initiative, IPLM aims to support the Government initiatives to transform the Indian Public Libraries as ongoing institutions responsive to the surrounding eco-system. The event also witnessed the launch of an app and a web portal dedicated to the library community by P Jayarajan, Chairman, IPLM Advisory, thereby taking the initiative digital.
N K Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India launched an app and a web portal on the occasion followed by releasing a detailed recommendation report from the Indian Public Library Conference (IPLC) that discussed the challenges and opportunities in the public library domain.
Speaking on the occasion P Jayarajan, Chairman, IPLM Advisory said, “The Indian Public Library Movement is now gaining traction. The involvement of our partners helps bolster the initiative and bring in the critical support needed for a diverse nation-building program like this. The two Indian Public Library Conferences held in 2015 and 2016, saw the involvement of multiple stakeholders and helped kick-start the initiative. The transformation of Indian Public Libraries will play a game-changing role in the development of our country.”
Addressing the gathering, Shrikant Sinha, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation said, “It is an honor for NASSCOM Foundation and other stakeholders to be entrusted with the responsibility to reposition and transform public libraries in India. With the app and website launch, it is an important step towards re-emphasizing the importance of libraries in our lives.”
The event concluded by Dr. Shubhangi Sharma, Executive Director, IPLM Secretariat who stated and highlighted the objectives of IPLM. Furthermore, she stressed on the how an image makeover will certainly bring back the lost sheen of public libraries and how IPLM strives to build that enabling environment taking all stakeholders along by supporting new services, new activities and new ways of engaging and interacting with the community which is ‘inclusive’ in nature.
About Indian Public Libraries Conference (IPLC):
Indian Public Libraries Conference was launched in 2015 to serve as a multi-stakeholder platform to engage various public library stakeholders across sectors, discuss challenges and opportunities, and share learnings, innovations and best practices in the public library domain. It is supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The second edition of the Indian Public Libraries Conference was also recently organized with an aim to showcase how, in spite of public challenges; public libraries are reposting themselves with the help of technology and innovative content and services to serve the communities in the 21st century.
About NASSCOM Foundation:
NASSCOM Foundation is a leading non-profit organization driving technology for good. The Foundation’s work is just as expansive and evolutionary as the potential that technology and corporate India entail. Drawing strength from its parent body, NASSCOM, the foundation works closely with four major stakeholders: NASSCOM member companies, NGOs, emerging social enterprises and the Government to foster a strategic relationship between technology and development. NASSCOM Foundation score initiatives include working for Persons with Disabilities, fostering innovative solutions for social good, creating unique skilling models for underserved communities, and digital literacy where it is the industry partner to the Government of India’s National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM/DiSHA) and digital libraries.