Taking Well to Thirsty: Library Toolbar-Changing of the Users Environment into New Environment

Abstract

A Well known phrase in Hindi which elucidate that the ‘Thirsty needs to go to well, well will not come to thirsty’. Toolbar has now changed the scenario in respect that it taking well to the thirsty. This paradigm shift is due to advancement in information and computer technology. The thirsts for the information are increasing day-by-day. Information wells are deepens rapidly, library resources are increasing in collection as well as characters and flowing along with the technology. Library and Information Centers adopting various methodology for collection building, from print media to digital collection, from individual subscription to consortia based collaboration in order to saving budget, library automation for resource management, Web 2.0 technology for information literacy and user education and other tools and technology such as audio visual methods, forum, emails, list-serves, and many more lists are added up during the time for ‘save the time of reader’, what S R Rangnathan’s philosophy reveal. Library services are fading out of sight for most user groups and how these users and their expectations have changed, without us realizing. It contains a strong plea for a focus shift for librarians, a focus into the environments where the users are, instead of expecting them to come to us, or our resources. Exploration of all relevant user environments for your organization, the use of new web-based technologies with Web 2.0 elements and certainly a more structural technical re-design of library information systems is required to deliver library services and resources at the place of need. A simple shortterm solution like a Quick-Search Library Toolbar is explained here as a tool for taking library to user. This paper will discuss the Technology, Methodology and Usability and1 multitasking nature of Library Toolbars for enhanced search methodology. This will also discuss how toolbar can be helpful in getting latest information about the happenings around the globe, latest availability of resources in the library, email check with single click and how the library toolbar has been adopted at authors institution for better user education and information communication. The paper concludes with the remarks for research on more tools like library toolbar for enhancing library activity for user unreached.