CD – ROM DATABASE SERVICES IN NETWORK USING ‘SLINGSHOT’: AN EXPERIENCE AT CENTRAL LIBRARY, I.I.T. KHARAGPUR.

Abstract

This article deals with concept and scope of Local Area Network (LAN) , Intranet and their applications in the area of Online Database Services in any modern automated library system, with specific reference to the current status of online database services, presently in operation, at Central Library , I.I.T. Kharagpur. In the introduction, authors present a short description of the ongoing trends in information management field with special attention to the need of the day for network based online library services to overcome the age old barriers of geographical distance and time . Further to this, authors present an outline of the existing strong and secure computer network infrastructure available at IIT kharagpur, which has created a favourable condition for switching over to large scale online library services from the conventional stand alone mode of services. They also present a simple but useful description of ‘Slingshot‘, the interfacing software, and its application to put some of the CD – ROM databases into online services through LAN/ Intranet.