Information Enquiries Analysis for Technical Enquiries

In a specialised information centre like in the CMTI, the enquiries that flow-in can be broadly divided into Library enquiries and Technical enquiries. The former demands a well developed system for information storage and retrieval whereas 'the latter type of enquiries, in addition to storage and retrieval demands expertise in analysis and consolidation of the retrieved information before disseminating same to the user. With this in view, a technical enquiry cell has been recently set up in the CMTI to handle such analysis of information. This paper speaks about the need and evolution of information analysis, the type of technical enquiries received, the methods and techniques used in the retrieval and analysis of relevant information, the professional skill of the group involved in such an exercise, the methods of dissemination including costing and evaluation of the system as a whole. The plans and experiences of the CMTI form the background for this paper.