The paper is a case study which gives a summary of the experience in disseminating information through an institutional repository at the Automotive Research Association of India, Pune. The paper has proven to cover different aspects of Knowledge Management (KM) and discusses more about Institutional Repository in Knowledge Management perspective. In this paper, we emphasize the need for deploying and share our experience in creating a state-of-art Institutional Repository using the DSpace software. The method of developing the IR, which includes, the installation, defining the communities and collections, content development and management are illustrated. The paper also illustrates the library services and mode of information dissemination to its users by engaging with knowledge management. It also discusses the proposed initiative of incorporating the library database from LibSys and linking the e-Modules from Learning Management System (LMS) to the institutional repository for the benefit of user community at ARAI.
TopArai Knowledge Centre (Library)
The Automotive Research Association of India, well known as ARAI established in 1966 as a Co-operative Industrial Research Centre by the Automotive Industry and Government of India. It has grown substantially to become a Prime Research, Development and Testing Institute in India, bringing complete automotive technology under one roof. ARAI has entered into Golden Jubilee Year. To mark this significant milestone, we are celebrating Golden Jubilee of ARAI from 10 December 2015 to 10 December 2016. The Library was set-up in the year 1975 is a fully automated special library and is one of the finest libraries in India possessing a specific automotive collection. It assists users in the field of Automotive Engineering, like Students, Professionals, Faculty and various Government Organizations in respect of Automotive and its allied subjects. It provides free access for reference to all SAEINDIA members in India.
Currently the library has a collection of around 15,000 books on various topics like Powertrain, Electric & Hybrid Vehicles, Emissions, Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH), Brakes, Fatigue, Vehicle Dynamics, Safety, Automotive Electronics, Automotive Materials, Management, Soft Skills, etc. and technical reports, seminar/conference proceedings such as SAE, IMechE, etc. Every year, more than 100 books are added to the library. It has a rich collection of National and International standards like IS, SAE, JASO, ISO, DIN, ASTM, BS, EEC/ECE, ADR, AIS, etc. It also has a good collection of national and international journals with back volumes. Collection of SAE Technical papers is another valuable addition to the library.
Table 1. Library collection-at-a-glance
| Book, Conference Proceedings & CDs | +15,000 |
| Standards | +8,000 |
| SAE Technical Papers from 1974 onwards | +70,000 |
| SAE SP/PT/P Publications | +500 |
| Subscription of Periodicals (2013) | 40 |
| Periodicals on Gratis & Exchange | 12 |
| Student Project Reports | +650 |