E-Resources Preservation:Challenge with Libraries of Twenty First Century

This paper aims to address the issues and challenges which prevail during the preservation of e-resources which are available through online or vendors list. The transition from print to electronic is meant great changes for library system. Users are accessing information in an unimagined ways. With these electronic contents, the orientation of the libraries got changed and users are being enjoyed the speed of delivery of contents. The e-resources are strengthening the libraries in rapidly technological changing environment. Personal observations and experience were used to develop the concept i.e. the preservation of e-resources is really the challenge with libraries in the twenty first century. The inferential observations of this paper is that the perpetual access of the e-resources, journals and books may lead to provide the solution of drastic cut in the allocation of budget. The perpetual access of any type of e-resource leads to become the permanent asset of the concerned library and end users can enjoy the accessibility and stakeholders will also feel strengthen. For under-budgeted-developed libraries, the perpetual access is just like a boon. Every library, stakeholder and information and resource centre has to take the initiative to sign an agreement or license for the perpetual access whether the contents are accessed for time being or at the time of visit of accreditation team. The paper proposes that e-resources are responsible to change the concept of libraries as the electronic contents have been reached at the threshold of the end user. However, to make these electronic resources available and accessible forever, the libraries and information & resource centres will have to do copious efforts and to maintain the proper IT infrastructure. Even, Government of India has to take the responsibility of funding so that more and more e-contents may be preserved for forever.