The official Website of an academic library has a different role to play in the Internet scheme of disseminating information. In this respect, considerable thought should be given on the kind of information provided and the way of its presentation on the Web. This chapter aims to study NIT and its library Websites in India. The analysis of the data represents the extent and the level of credibility possessed by the NIT Websites in India, which is the key to any successful Website of any organization, especially of any academic library.
TopIntroduction
Information and Communication have become two of the most important strategic issues for the success of every enterprise. Computer network is a new kind of organization of computer systems produced by the need to merge computers and communications for sharing information and resources. Several such networks have been joined together across the world to form the Internet. The World Wide Web is a collection of linked documents or pages on millions of computers and spread over the entire Internet.
The World Wide has became one of the most important media for sharing information resource, digital documents, images, movies and various other types of resources can be accessed through the WWW. The research results, new findings, and opinions can also be put on the Web from anywhere at any time. Owing to the dynamic nature of Web information, the contents of many Websites and their Web pages are constantly being updated to reflect the latest changes.
The Web has also freed the user’s dependence on library resources for finding information related to address and contact details of a person/institution, contents pages of books, journals, etc. As far as possible, especially for reference and information services, looking at the Web has become an innovative trend in the reference service to complement dated print sources. At present many academic institutes in India, have their own Website and present all kinds of information about themselves. Information content is, however, one thing; Web site design and organisation is quite another matter. The existing institutions of Web sites are as different as are the institutions—perhaps more different, some would say, because even a high-quality institutions may have a low-quality Web site that turns users off. Obviously, different institutions have a wide range of target groups, level of service, resources, etc.
Web Credibility: An Overview
Fogg and Tseng (1999) Web Credibility is a perceived quality, which does not reside in an object, a person, or a piece of information. Therefore, in discussing the credibility of a computer product, one is always discussing the perception of credibility.
Fogg (2001) studied that Web credibility is about making our Website in such a way that, it comes across as trustworthy and knowledgeable. Many scholars agree that credibility 790 perceptions result from evaluating multiple dimensions simultaneously. Although the literature varies on how many dimensions contribute to credibility evaluation, the vast majority of researchers identify two key components of credibility (1) Trustworthiness and (2) Expertise. A person makes an assessment of both trustworthiness and expertise to arrive at an overall credibility assessment. In nutshell, Web credibility is a perceived quality of a Web site by a user, whereas Web evaluation is the process of Web credibility.
National Institutes Of Technology (Nit): A Brief Note
The National Institutes of Technology (NIT) is a group of higher education engineering institutes in India. Comprising thirty autonomous institutes, they are located in one each major state/territory of India. On their inception decades ago, all NITs were referred as Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) and were governed by their respective state governments. Jawaharlal Nehru sought to develop India as a leader in science and technology. In 2003, all RECs became NITs.
NITs were founded to promote regional diversity and multi-cultural understanding in India. Therefore, in the NIT school system, half of the student population in each batch is drawn from the respective state of the NIT and the other half is drawn from the rest of India on a common merit list. NITs offer degree courses at bachelors, masters, and doctorate levels in various branches of engineering and technology. In 2010, the government announced setting up ten new NITs in the remaining states/territories. This would lead to every state in India having its own NIT.