Indian Universities constitute one of the largest educational system in the world. Fast changing curricula, frequent introduction of new subjects, globalization of education and competitive research, has increased the demand for scholarly journals over the years. But due to insufficient funds, devaluation of Rupee against major currencies and escalation in the cost of foreign publications, there is a continuous reduction in the subscription to scholarly journals and databases, which affects the research and academic activity.

UGC-INFONET

Realising the need for a common mechanism for access to scholarly information, University Grants Commission (UGC) set the priority for providing access to scholarly information for the research and academic community by supplementing the existing collection in the individual universities. Under this initiative UGC is modernizing the University Campus with state-of-the-art campus wide net work and setting up its own nation wide communication network named 'UGC-Infonet". UGC, INFLIBNET and ERNET came together to meet the challenges that may face the education community with respect to real time information.

Under this programme it is proposed to use information and communication technology (ICT) and Internet to transform learning environment from a mono dimensional one to a multi dimensional one. All the Universities and other Higher Education centres will be linked together under this project. The UGC-Infonet is overlaid on ERNET infrastructure in a manner so as to provide assured quality of service and optimal utilization of bandwidth resources. The network is run and managed by ERNET India. The project is funded by UGC with 100% capital investment and upto 90% of recurring costs. INFLIBNET is the nodal agency to monitor, decide, the connectivity and provide content over the network. Universities have been provided the bandwidth ranging from 128 Kbps to 2 Mbps depending on the perceived needs of the specific university and the infrastructure available. More than 115 universities have already got the connectivity under the scheme during the last one year. INFLIBNET is also responsible for providing training to University Library professionals in the use of this network, for providing variety of services to the users. In the long run each university will become a hub for the colleges affiliated to it.

MAIN FEATURES OF UGC-INFONET

·Provides internet connectivity to Universities across the country

· Scaleable Architecture to grow from Universities to affiliated   Colleges

· Nation-wide Terrestrial Backbone using Fiber Optic links

· Integrated Satellite WAN supporting broadband and SCPC VSAT   technology

· Comprehensive Network Management Systems for overall monitoring   of the network, down to each and every device

· Access to world's information resources

· Academic & research users can have full text access to scholarly   journals and archival access to back issues of journals in all areas of   learning

· Provides multi media content to supplement traditional learning   process

· Linkage with other Academic and Research Networks all over the   world

· Data security and virus protection using firewalls and Intrusion   Detection Systems

· Dedicated Data Center for Web hosting, e-Journals and Mail Boxes

· Mirror sites spread all over the country for content hosting

· Broadband Multimedia and Video Channels for Distance Learning

· Act as a channel for globalization of education and for marketing   the   services and developments of universities.

E-JOURNALS CONSORTIUM

Literature from major publishers covering research articles, reviews and abstracting databases are subscribed on consortium basis, and made available to the participating universities through UGC-Infonet E-Journals Consortium. Consortium subscription provides the greater buying power and wider access facility. The E-Journals Consortium is the corner stone of UGC-Infonet programme. The programme has been made possible due to close understanding and cooperation between the UGC, ERNET, IUCAA, INFLIBNET and CEC, and the national and international publishers. A bouquet of E-Journals was presented to the nation by his Excellency the President of India on 28th December 2003 on the concluding day of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of UGC. Access to various E-Journals has been started from 1st January 2004. It provides the best current and archival periodical literature from all over the world to the university community.

As the First phase, 50 universities were selected to avail this facility and many other universities joined subsequently. UGC Infonet is based on open IP platform, employing state-of-the-art technologies like IP or TV, enabling on-line response to queries. Open system architecture will ensure support for current and future applications. Users from educational Institutions would enjoy high data rates while accessing Intranet and Internet resources. The resources are accessed, based on the IP ranges supplied to the publishers and the individual university has to sign MoU with UGC and INFLIBNET to use the resources for academic purpose. The members will get access not only to current year literature but also to 8-10 years’ back literature in many cases. There are few publishers like JSTOR, American Chemical Society, Institute of Physics etc., that provide access to literature available from volume number 1, issue number 1. This facility enables the subject experts and academicians to browse, download and print the relevant articles for their research and academic development. The databases and journals licensed to this consortium are available to all the universities simultaneously, irrelevant of number of users accessing it. INFLIBNET Centre, Ahmedabad also maintains a print copy of the journals subscribed in many cases, as a national archive.

Journals and databases from more than 21 international publishers, representing all areas of learning are now available in this consortia, including two portals. Chemical Abstract Service is provided to more than 100 universities, using Scientific and Technical Information Network (STN), and for 10 universities using Sci-Finder Scholar. Now universities can supplement the existing collections with these journals and databases. The consortium do not encourage discontinuing of the journal subscription by individual universities. It encourages the universities to maintain their print subscription as the entire programme is funded by the UGC and the individual universities enjoying the precious service free of cost. The programme is initially meant for three years and will be reviewed at the end of three years.

UNIVERSITY OF KERALA AND UGC-INFONET

Kerala University Library started in the year 1942 is the oldest University Library in the state. The University Library system consists of the central library at Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Campus Library at Kariavattom, about 50 department libraries and three study centre libraries. These Libraries which were mainly aimed at serving the academic community of the teaching departments of the University has now become the main centres of study and research to the academic community of the affiliated colleges of this university. Nearly 400 to 500 students, teachers and others visits the main library daily for reference and issue of books.

University of Kerala is one of the first 50 universities identified in the Phase I for providing electronic access to scholarly E-Journals. Though the E-Journal access to universities is intended to be provided from 1st January 2004, our University has started receiving E-Journals from the mid of 2003, since were having the necessary infrastructure facilities at Kerala University Kariavattom campus and at Kerala University Library. Most of the publishers have offered their trial versions to our university from the beginning. Local Area Network (LAN) at Kariavattom Campus connecting the Campus Library with all the teaching and non teaching departments, University College of Engineering, Academic Staff College etc using a backbone of 256 Kbps broadband from VSNL, is functioning since September 2003. At Kerala University Library a 64 Kpbs leased line connectivity is provided through Asianet cable and modem and Internet access and access to E-Journals is provided through 10 computers

On 12th December 2002, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has signed by our University for E-Journal Consortia, with UGC, ERNET India and INFLIBNET Centre. Under this agreement University of Kerala has received Rs. 26.43 lakhs from the UGC for the implementation of the Project. Out of this amount Rs 10.71 lakhs has transferred to ERNET India for establishing a terrestrial link with 1 Mbps bandwidth leased line connectivity at Campus Library, Kariavattom. ERNET India has authorized M/s Asianet to establish the 1Mbps bandwidth cable link and this connection is also now working flawlessly at the campus. In future the UGC-Infonet Project will be linked to the Kerala Education Grid of the Kerala State Government and will be supervised by Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala (IIITM), Techno Park, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram.

E-Journal access is now possible at Kerala University Library, Campus Library Kariavattom and all the teaching departments simultaneously. More than 10,000 scholarly journals from all over the world, are now available to our members under this consortia. This is highly beneficial to the academic community of the University Teaching Departments at Kariavattom and Thiruvananthapuram campuses.

The University of Kerala is now receiving E-Journals in all areas of learning, from the following major publishers.

1. American Chemical Society
2. American Institute of Physics
3. American Mathematical Association
4. American Physical Society
5. Annual Reviews
6. Blackwell
7. Cambridge
8. Cambridge University Press
9. Carfax
10. Elsevier Science (Life Sciences)
11. Emerald Insight
12. Encyclopedia Britannica (National Site Licensing)
13. Guilford
14. Institute of Physics
15. JSTOR
16. Kluwer Online
17. Nature
18. Portland Press
19. Project Muse
20. Royal Society of Chemistry
21. Science online
22. Springer Link
23. Taylore and Francis

In addition, we are getting access to Ingenta Gateway Portal which is a free-searchable bibliographic database of 15.2 million articles from 28,000 journal titles from 11,400 publishers.

KERALA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY NET INFORMATION CENTRE (KULNIC)

The Kerala University Library Net Information Centre (KULNIC) was established during August 2002 with the financial assistance from the Information Technology Department, Government of Kerala. Kerala University Library is providing the E-Journal access to its users, though this centre. It has a well furnished air conditioned spacious cabin for Internet browsing, working from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The Internet browsing facility is used to its maximum by the members. Research scholars from other universities and research centres like RGCDEST, RRL, VSSC, C-Dit, ER&DC, CDS etc visit the centre for accessing the E-Journals. KULNIC is now turned to the status of one of the best Information Gatekeepers in the state. Normal internet tariff is only taking from the users, and no separate charges for accessing E-Journals. Users can take printouts of Dot Matrix, Inkjet and Laser printers and can download journal articles in CDs or floppy diskettes. No separate charge is levied for CD writing.