Towards Innovative Library Services: A Case Study of Indira Gandhi National Open University, India

Indira Gandhi National Open University

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985, and since than has continuously striven to build an inclusive knowledge society through inclusive education. It has been a source of increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by offering high-quality teaching through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The University started with two academic programmes in 1987, i.e., Diploma in Management and Diploma in Distance Education, with a strength of 4,528 students and at present it serves the educational aspirations of over 4 million students in India and 36 other countries through 21 Schools of Studies and a network of 67 regional centres, around 3,000 learner support centres and 67 overseas centres. The University is now offering about 490 certificate, diploma, degree and doctoral programmes, with strength of nearly 420 faculty members and academic staff at the headquarters and regional centres and about 36,000 academic counselors from conventional institutions of higher learning, professional organisations, and industry among others. (IGNOU – Profile, 2012).

The National Open University mandate is to provide access to higher education to all segments of the society and offer high-quality, innovative and need-based programmes at different levels, to all those who require them. The university is committed to reach out to the disadvantaged by offering programmes in all parts of the country at affordable costs; and promote, coordinate and regulate the standards of education offered through open and distance learning in the country. For achieving all this the University is widening access for all sections of society and providing continual professional development and training to all sectors of the economy, the University uses a variety of media and latest technology in imparting education. The formulated vision of IGNOU, keeping its objectives in focus, is to be the National Resource Centre for Open and Distance Learning, with international recognition and presence, and provide seamless access to sustainable and learner-centric quality education, skill upgradation and training to all by using innovative technologies and methodologies and ensuring convergence of existing systems for large-scale human resource development, required for promoting integrated national development and global understanding (IGNOU – Profile, 2012).