BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The unprecedented developments in the field of Information and Communication Technology and the rapid advancements in the internet technologies and services had a transformative influence on how information is accessed and disseminated throughout the world. The current transformation has facilitated access to enormous amount of information and a wide variety of services to enhance the use and delivery of such information. This has resulted in a disparity of information overload at one hand and information scarcity on the other especially because of the inability to exploit the advancements of technology. As new technologies and services are emerging, new challenges have started surfacing. These new challenges have pushed the library and the information professionals to be well equipped to face these challenges. While acknowledging the changes taking place in the mode and service of information delivery and usage, it is important that the library profession rediscover the need of the industry and the nation so that it can reevaluate its services, revitalize the users and reinvigorate the library professional. The future of the libraries and information centres depend on the information professionals to understand in-depth these emerging changes and equip them accordingly. In particular, they need to learn skills that allow them to find, manage, share and use information and knowledge. They need information literacy to supplement their information and management skills in order to upgrade their libraries and information centers as per the modern day.

In this mission it is essential to focus through a well-resourced association like the Society for the Advancement of Library and Information Services (SALIS) and other concerned institutions to gather the information professionals to analyze the impending changes and update their professional knowledge on the emerging technologies and services. In 2008, JIIT, in collaboration with SALIS and other likeminded partners, took an initiative to bring library professionals and other players in the industry under one roof in ETTLIS-2008 to embark on a mission to bolster a partnership towards achieving this mission especially to evaluate and educate the transformation in libraries and information centres and the emergence of newer technologies. Today we feel that there is a need to follow-up on this mission as the technology is continually evolving and so are its services. We strongly believe that with a continued dialogue, deliberation and discourse we will be able to equip the information professionals for the betterment of the profession and its users.

The aim of the International Symposium on Emerging Trends and Technologies in Libraries and Information Services (ETTLIS-2010) is, once again, to bring researchers, academicians, business community and research scholars on a common platform to share their experiences, innovative ideas and research findings about the aspects of emerging trends and technologies in the field of knowledge resource centres and information services. It also proposes to discuss the practical challenges encountered by them and the solutions adopted.

The major objectives of the symposium are: