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Tuesday 13 December 2016

Information and Communication Technologies in Human Life

Historically, the industrial revolution in the second half of the twentieth century spearheaded the transformation towards a technologically advanced society. Development of such a society needed unrestricted access to information, the most valuable resource and commodity. Creation, organization and access to information became the most important activity of nations who were eager to prosper. The research in the field of Information and Communication Technologies or ICTs resulted in the development of more products and services in all spheres of human life. The impact is more evident in service oriented sectors such as health, banking, education, transportation and libraries.

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Let us primarily understand the two rather interchangeably used concepts, Information Technology (IT) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by studying two definitions. The first broader definition is by UNESCO whereas the second one, Library and information Science oriented towards Library and Information Science, is by the American Library Association (ALA).
UNESCO defines Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as “the hardware and software that enable society to create, consolidate and communicate information in multimedia formats and for various purposes''. It means, ICTs include both networks (fixed, wireless, satellite and broadcasting) and applications (internet, database management systems and multimedia tools).
The American Library Association (1983) defines Information Technology (IT) as “the application of computers and other technologies to the acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. The computers are used to process and store data, while telecommunications technology provides information communication tools, which make it possible for users to access databases and link them to other computer networks at different locations.”
The impact of the ICT's on libraries and information centers is most felt by two basic fields. These are:
i. Management of information resources (library housekeeping operations), and
ii. Delivery of library and information services.
The execution of library housekeeping operations such as acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, serials control, etc. are now enabled by or based on a number of information and communication technologies. The most important one is the Integrated Library Management System (ILM's). Modern libraries now function in a completely networked and automated environment where every operation is done with the help of one or many of information or communication based tools or technologies.
When we think about the delivery of library and information services, it is nearly impossible to carry them out without the help of ICTs. Internet has become the most visible and dependable information gatherer and discriminator for a researcher as well as a layman. A user can now access information at any given time from any corner of the globe with the help of a number of devices and technologies. More and more libraries are

redesigning their traditional services and devising new or innovative strategies to live up to the expectations of the users. Incorporation of new ICT based user services helps them to realize these efforts.

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