CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) will soon undertake a comprehensive study of library facilities in all 188 government arts and science colleges in the state, amid concerns over poor infrastructure, inadequate digital facilities and a shortage of librarians.
More than 60 government colleges currently function without librarians, while several college libraries lack adequate computers and other facilities, limiting their use as regular academic spaces for students.
The proposed study will assess the overall functioning of libraries, including infrastructure, accessibility, availability of books and digital resources, staffing, funding and student usage. It will also examine how effectively the libraries support teaching, learning and research.
Officials said the exercise will begin with TANSCHE seeking detailed information from all 188 colleges on the present condition of their libraries. Institutions will be asked to provide details of available facilities and resources, staff strength, funding and the extent of student use.
The council will subsequently verify the information through random surveys and field visits to selected colleges. The inspections are intended to provide a clearer picture of conditions on the ground and identify gaps that may not be reflected in the reports submitted by institutions, officials said.
The data collected from colleges and the field surveys will then be analysed, following which TANSCHE will submit a detailed report with recommendations to the Higher Education Department. The recommendations are expected to cover improvements in infrastructure, staffing, resources, digital facilities and accessibility.
TANSCHE vice-chairman M P Vijayakumar said work on the project is likely to begin next month. He said the initiative is aimed at developing college libraries into one-stop academic centres capable of meeting the learning and research requirements of students.
The shortage of librarians has emerged as one of the major constraints on the functioning of government college libraries. Poor infrastructure and inadequate facilities, including the absence of sufficient computers in several institutions, have further restricted their use by students, officials said.
