Impact of Digitalisation of Academic Institutional Libraries on Research in Internet Age:A Study

Research and development in different discipline are the core activities of institutions of higher education. Researchers and teachers carrying research require essential, relevant, and authenticate information to write their research papers, dissertations, and theses without wasting time. The academic libraries across the world have been digitalized by their respective organisation with the use of computers technology known as automation or digitalisation or digitisation. Digital libraries have digitalised their in house collection in electronic format, that too with the help of Internet technology can be accessed all over the world either free or licensed depending upon the policy of the library. Digital libraries provide access to e-resources, e-consortiums, online bibliographical databases, online full text databases, online catalogue (OPAC) search of its own collection, and OPACs of other participating libraries across the world. Digital libraries also provide different search strategies such as author, title, subject, ISBN, keyword search to find relevant resources required by the research scholars. In addition, digital library also provide web links to essential websites subscribed by it. Library professionals keep themselves up to date with latest developments in digital libraries technologies to provide best search practices and supply of relevant sources to its clientele. Digitalisation of academic libraries have proved boon for both, the library professionals and research community across the world.