The evolving role of librarians in India in the context of One Nation One Subscription

Megha Balani, Executive Director-Balani Group of Companies explores how ONOS is reshaping the librarian profession and enhancing academic and research outcomes.

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The role of academic librarians in India is undergoing a profound transformation, particularly with the implementation of the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) initiative. Designed to provide nationwide access to scientific and scholarly resources, ONOS marks a significant shift in how academic and research libraries operate. Librarians are now pivotal in maximizing the potential of this policy, transitioning from traditional resource management to becoming key players in digital access facilitation, research support, and collaborative information management.

Redefining resource management

Traditionally, academic librarians managed procurement and subscription processes for individual institutions. With ONOS centralizing access to journals, databases, and e-resources, the focus shifts to optimizing usage rather than acquisition. Librarians must:

  • Guide users: Educate students, faculty, and researchers on navigating ONOS-provided platforms efficiently.
  • Monitor usage trends: Analyze data on resource usage to ensure effective adoption and identify gaps.
  • Collaborate on access protocols: Standardize access procedures across institutions to create a seamless research experience.

Enhancing research support

ONOS enables a richer repository of research materials, but access alone does not guarantee impactful research. Librarians enhance research outcomes by:

  • Integrating ONOS resources into research workflows: Supporting researchers in incorporating relevant journals and databases into their studies.
  • Providing advanced search assistance: Helping users leverage advanced search tools to find precise information.
  • Facilitating interdisciplinary research: Connecting resources across domains to foster cross-disciplinary studies aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Information Literacy and Digital Skills Development

With expanded access comes the need for stronger information literacy programs. Librarians play a crucial role in:

  • Training on information evaluation: Ensuring users critically assess the quality and relevance of scholarly content.
  • Combating information overload: Teaching strategies to manage and filter vast quantities of available data.

Collaboration and national resource networks

ONOS emphasizes collaborative resource management, requiring librarians to:

  • Participate in national consortia: Engage in collaborative governance models to shape policies and resource-sharing agreements.
  • Contribute to knowledge hubs: Develop localized repositories and contribute to nationwide knowledge databases.

Challenges and Adaptation

While ONOS offers immense potential, librarians face challenges such as adapting to new procurement structures, managing increased demand, and aligning institutional needs with national frameworks. Professional development and continuous learning are critical to staying ahead of these shifts.

The One Nation One Subscription initiative represents a paradigm shift for academic librarians in India. By embracing new roles as digital facilitators, research collaborators, and literacy educators, librarians are key to unlocking the full potential of this national policy. Their evolving responsibilities will continue to shape the future of academic research, equitable knowledge access, and collaborative learning in the country.

Publishers are also partners and beneficiaries of the ONOS scheme. Their role is essential in ensuring the success of the initiative by providing high-quality content, negotiating sustainable terms, and facilitating access to a vast repository of scholarly resources for the benefit of the Indian research community.

For the success of ONOS , it is the duty of publishers to maintain rigorous quality control standards for the content they publish, ensuring the scholarly integrity of the research disseminated through their platforms, incorporating emerging features like search, discovery tools, metrics like impact factor, citations and other social media features.

For more info, email: megha@balaniinfotech.combat

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