Receiving requests from Heads of Departments for new books, duplicate checking, ordering, accessioning of books and processing bills for payment are the main functions of this section. Suggestions and recommendations for the purchase of new books can be submitted to this section. All the books received from vendors/publishers and the donated books are physically processed and accessioned in this section. The section also has the responsibility of scrutinising and passing the bill for books received. Since this section is automated, the manual accession register was discontinued and presently pre-printed accession register is used.
Dewey Decimal Classification scheme is used for classifying books according to the subject. Each book is assigned a Call Number which consists of a class number and Book Number. Class Number is assigned to a book according to its subject matter. Book Number individualises a book among others having the same Class Number. The Call Number is written on the spine label of the book.
The bibliographic details like edition, year of publication, subject, keywords, etc. are prepared by this section. The details entered in this section are indexed on various fields like Author; Title, Subjects, Classification Number, Keywords, etc., and can be retrieved through the OPAC service.
Both Indian and Foreign journals currently subscribed and journals received as gift are displayed in the shelves in this section. News papers and popular magazines are also available for reading. At present, 260 Indian and 283 Foreign journals are subscribed by the Library. ---- journals are received as gratis. A journal, on completion of its volume will be processed for binding. After the binding is over, the volume will be accessioned and added to the Back-Volume shelf. Necessary reading tables and chairs are provided for reading and reference.
Automated and Digital Library Services are provided from this section. All sections of the Library have been connected through LAN. Computer Data Base of the holdings of the Library has already been created using the Library Management Software LIBSYS. Maintaining Hardware and Software, Providing Internet Service, E-resources Access Services, WEBOPAC Service, Remote Login Service Document Delivery Service, Maintaining Library Databases, Generating Bar-Coded Identity Cards, Barcode Labels for books, etc., and Spine Labels for books, Creating Membership Details, etc. are some of the activities of the I.T. section. The following Servers are maintained by the IT section.
1. Library Management Server
2. Web Portal
3. Scifinder Scholar-NAT Server
4. EZ Proxy Server
5. Institutional Repository Server
Library is having more than 125 desktops to cater various needs of the users and Library staff. More than 50 desktops are provided for the users for browsing the e-resources, 10 desktops for OPAC service, 20 desktops for training and orientation and 3 desktops equipped with book scanner and Audio/OCR software for Visually Challenged.
The library has a good reference collection consisting of various encyclopaedias, dictionaries, year books, almanacs, atlases, biographies, etc. of the national and international coverage and other reference books. Sufficient reading tables and chairs are provided to the members.
This is the most important section of the Library. Its function is the display and maintenance of books that are issued on loan. The whole section is arranged in three floors. Members have the facility of open access to most of the collection available in this section.
Books are arranged on the shelves according to Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. Each book is assigned a Class Number and Book Number. Class Number is assigned to a book according to its subject and Book Number individualises a book among others having the same Class Number. In this arrangement books on the same subject are kept together. Members are advised to check the availability of the books through the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Service. After obtaining relevant information through OPAC, the users can proceed to the respective stack area to take the books of their choice.
Pondicherry University Library has been recognised by the United Nations Organisation, New York, as its Depository. Publications of the United Nations are received by the University Library and arranged according to the subject in this section. The documents are available for reference only. The documents are available in CD-ROMs and On-line also.
Ph.D. Theses and M.Phil. Dissertations of the University and affiliated colleges are received and maintained by this section. The bibliographic details of the Theses and Dissertations are available on OPAC. The required Theses/Dissertations could be searched through OPAC and referred.