On August 12, 2025, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Library, University of Hyderabad (UoH) in collaboration with the Indian Library Association (ILA), New Delhi, celebrated National Librarian’s Day, marking the 133rd Birth Anniversary of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan (1892–1972), widely regarded as the Father of Library Science in India.
The event commenced with a welcome address and the introduction of the Chief Guest, Shri B. Srinivas, Finance Officer, by the University Librarian (I/c), Dr. O. Sivasankar Prasad, who also presented him with a bouquet of flowers. The Chief Guest inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp and paying floral tribute to Dr. Ranganathan by garlanding his portrait, in honor of his monumental contributions to the advancement of library and information science. Library staff members also participated in offering floral tributes, reflecting on Dr. Ranganathan’s enduring legacy and his transformative impact on library development and knowledge access in India and worldwide.
Addressing the gathering, Shri B. Srinivas emphasized that libraries should adopt new and innovative strategies to reach users through enhanced online access to information resources, thereby ensuring the optimum utilization of available materials. He reiterated the importance of procuring books and resources based on actual user needs, recommending that libraries acquire one or two copies of a title rather than purchasing multiple copies that may remain unused. He further suggested that libraries identify frequent and active users, incentivize them, and provide additional resources to encourage and support their sustained engagement in reading. He also underlined the necessity for library staff to regularly upgrade their skills in order to serve their clientele more effectively.
In his address, Dr. O. Sivasankar Prasad stated that the library offers multiple resources through a hybrid mode, combining physical and digital access, and continues to introduce new tools and services to meet current evolving user needs. He further highlighted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing a pivotal role in enhancing library and information services and should be adopted by every library. He stressed the need to train library staff in the use of relevant and practical AI tools to harness benefits such as improved information retrieval, discovery services, access to accurate and authentic resources, virtual assistance & chatbots, personalized user services, metadata generation, and AI-powered search and retrieval.
On this occasion, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Library also organized a training session for its staff on EBSCO Discovery Services and advanced search tools and techniques, with the objective of enhancing their skills in efficiently locating, accessing, and delivering relevant information to users.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Padmini, who expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar for their consent, to the Finance Officer for his gracious presence as Chief Guest, to the University Librarian for his coordination, and to the library staff for their active participation.