REPROGRAPHIC SERVICES IN DELHI LIBRARIES

Surveys the repro graphic facilities available in thellbraries of Delhi. The various types of equ t pment aval:-able in these libraries are mentioned. Analyses the lmp!t~cations of the copyright law and development of indigenousreprographic e qul.p me nt . Suggests better utilisation of theexisting facilities and stresses the need for inter-libraryco-operation.

Introduction

After independence. Delhi has become an im-portant centre of research activities in India. It hasthe iarge~i: number of educational institutions andresearch establishments. In addition to threeuniversities for post-graduate studies in engineer-ing, the Indian Institute of Technology was esta-blished in 1961. There are over fifty collegesaffiliated to Delhi University which have facilitiesfor post-graduate studies. According to the'Directory of Scientific Research Institutions inIndia, 19613', there were 46 scientific researchinstitutions, in Delhi alone, in 1969. 'Directory ofSocial Science Research Institutions in India, 1971'lists ·27 institutions in Delhi engaged in research invarious disciplines in Social Sciences. There areover ten institutions providing research facilitiesin the humanities. Dur ing 1973-74, the IndianCouncil for Social Science Research granted a Burnof Rs. 13, 20. 73~ for Delhi State [3].

With the increase in research activities thenumber of learned publications, research reportsand scholarly journals has accelerated tremen-dously. The availability and growth of Unioncatalogues, indexing and abstracting journals, havealso necessitated the demand for copies of docu-ment. from different sources. It is virtuallyimpossible for any research institution, library ora learned body to collect, collate, classify, cata-logue, store and retrieve all the published and un-published information that is relevant to their fieldof study today or which may become relevant at a

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Rahat HasanAssistant LibrarianBritish Council LibraryNew Delhi

future date. The enormous rate at which docu-mentary material is growing, m ake-s the use ofsimple, inexpensive and exact cop.ying of suc~material, a vital means for effective communi-cation.

During the past few years, the cost of print-ing pape r has risen notably. As a result, prices ofbooks and pe riodicals have become almost prohi-bitive. This problem is more serious in developingcountries where due to economic pressures andpaucity of funds, limited numbers of copies ofessential items are available to research workersand scientists. For obvious reasOns it is cheaperto obtain a photocopy of a periodical article, ratherthan to buy the original.

Reprographic techniques enable one toobtain from an original document, a copy or copieswhich resemble it in all respects except .perhaps thesize which can be varied as required in some tech-niques. The language of the original or any com-plicated diagrams, maps, etc. that it may containdoes not in any way prevent copying. Reprographictechniques, also by reduction in size such as inmicrofilming or reduced size copying, can produceeasy-ta-handle copies from large-size documents,maps, etc. These advantages have found numerousapplications in every place where documentarymaterial is being used: in the office as a substitutefor many laborious and time -consuming clericaloperations such as retyping; in industry for theconvenient copying of large -size drawings, plans,charts, etc. and in libraries, archives and re·search institutions fo~ obtaining copies of out -oi :print material and unpublished works, for savingstorage space, for publication in limited editionsand for use in information retrieval systems.

I. Types of Reprographic Techniques

Most of the reprographic equipment of to-day is of the push-button type requiring little skillon the part of the operator. Comparatively in-

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expensive copies can be made in a matter of se-conds. The equipment is generally compact andcan be placed on the desk top. Some of the equip-ment pro duce d iff er ent kinds of copies usablefor pur pos e s such as 'vma scer s LUr sp ir rt aupli-cation, offset printing and diazo printing, trans-parent copy for use in projectors, colour-coatedcopy, and copy on various kinds of paper rangingf r om tis sue to card. The chart shows varioustypes of reprographic techniques in use in DelhiLibraries (see Fig. 1).

2. Libraries providing reprographicfacilities in Delhi

Delhi has a large number of librariesattached to government, academic and researchinstitutions. Some of them have arrangements forreprographic Cacilities for a limited number ofclientele. Most of the institutions under govern-mental auspices have been making use of repro-graphic techniques on a limited scale. Govern-mental involvement with reprography has been inconnection with the following activities:

Scientific documentation, archives, regis-stration of title deeds, financial audit, touristtraffic, census operations and public sector indus-tries.

2 (A) Government Libraries

2 (A). 1 Central Secretariat Library (CSL)

CSL serves as a departmental library forthe Ministry of Education and Social Welfare andis one of the largest departmental libraries withm or e than 400, 000 volumes and over 100, 000government publications. It receives about I, 000periodicals.

Their reprographic equipment' consists ofa 'Panaprint Photo Copier' developed and manu-factured by M/ s Advani Oerlikon of Bombay and amicrofilm reader. Reprographic services arestrictly for official use and are not open to public.Reprographic section especially caters to the needsof its parent body, the Ministry of Education andSocial Welfare.

2 (A). 2 Central Road Research InstituteLibrary (CRRI)

CRR l' s libr a ry has about 25, 300 volume s ,The Institute specialises in research on all aspectsof road building and traffic flow.

The reprographic section is a part ofCRRI's library. Their services are confined onlyto the users of the Librarv and research scholarsengaged i1\ road research and related activities. Thefollowing equipment are available in the library:

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(I) Microfilm camera, manufactured byKodak, England.

(2) Xerox.

They use indigenously developed diazo paper.

2 (A). 3 Defence Scientific Information &.Documentation Centre (DESIDOC)

DESIDOC has an independent reprographicunit. Their services are available to the DefenceServices staff and those engaged in DefenceScience research. They also have a separatephotographic unit. Since reprographic servicesare available only for official use, there is noservice charge. , The following equipment areavailable at the Centre:

(I) Agfa Gevaert processing camera(2) Xerox-pylorys KS2(3) Kodak printer.

2 (A). 4 Department of Tourism, Govermnentof India

Under the supe r vraron of the CentralGovernment, the Department of Tourism installedaround 1959, the diffusion transfer equipmentalongwith contact/reflex copiers at important portsfor copying the documents containing records ofthe incoming foreign tourists.

2 (A). 5 Indian Council for Agricultural Research(!CAR)

Among the institutions working under theICAR the Indian Agricultural Research Institute(IARI) library in New Delhi has perhaps the bestreprographic unit. The equipment available at theIARI library consists of the following:

(I) Microfilming camera(2) Document printer(3) Microfilm reader -cum-printer(4) Enlarger for processing photocopies

from microfilming negatives(5) Photostat machine(6) Xerox(7) Camera for making projective slides.

The IARI provides the following reprogra-phic services; Microfilm strips, photo cop ie s ,diazo copies and slides to over fifteen hundredscientists, students and research workers.

2 (A). 6 Indian National Scientific DocumentationCentre (INSDOC)

It was not until 1952 that an organised andwell-equipped reprographic service accessible toa wide range of users came to be established.UNESCO played an important role in the establish-ment of INSDOC. It was with their help that anextensive programme of microfilming and photocopying was started.

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Besides furnishing copies of scientificdocuments demanded by the users, INSDOC alsoundertakes to produce various kind s of reprogra-phic ver sions of documents brought in by theclients.

The photography section of INSDOC has afull range of microfilming and photocopying equip-ment. Document s obtained from local and outsidelibraries for document procurement services arecopied in this section. The work load of thissection is about a lakh of prints and 20,000 micro-film strips (each strip covering ten pages) in ayear.

The following reprographic equipment areavailable at INSDOC:

1. Rank Xerox model1385

2. Coronostat copier

1. Microfilm camera

2. Electro microfilmcamera

3. Leica Reprovit copyingunit

4. Microfilm processingunit

5. Photostat carnera6. Leica camera7. Autofax8. Microfilm roll-to-roll

contact printer9. Contact document

printer10. Microfiche camera11. Micr ofiche reader12. Micro card camera.

3. Savin copier

4. Majox

2(A).7 National Archives of India (NA).

The National Archives of India is consi-dered the richest depository of the nation's recordsrelating to the British period. It possesses severalmillion archive s and microfilm copies of record sobtained from the India Office Library and otherpublic and private sources inGreat Britain.Be sides, it has an excellent collection On modernIndia including a large collection of governmentpublications.

It has also the oldest organised reprogra-phic unit set up under the auspices of the Govern-ment of India. No other organisation has reachedthe volume of microfilming work as done by theNA, It has a continuous programme of micro-recording. This unit is equipped with a battery ofRecordak cameras and ancillary equipment. But ithas yet to put On microfilm, our state records ofthis century, particularly the bulk of documentscreated after independence.

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2(A1.8 National Medical Library (NML)

NML is equipped with a Xerox-PylorysKS 2. Its r epro gr aph ic services are open tocne users of the library. It also cooperates withother libraries in the field of rnedical sciences.Indigenously developed diazo paper is used in theXerox. They charge seventy five paise per im-pres sion.

2(A).9 Nehru Memorial Museum and Library(NMML)

The NMML specialises in modern Indianhistory, starting with Raja Ram Mohan Roy andending with the Nehru era. It has made specialefforts to build up a collection of books by and onNehru in all Indian and foreign languages. It is adepository of the records of the All India CongressCommittee.

It has about 40,000 volumes, 2,435 news-paper files as well as over 35,200 photographsconnected with the life of Nehru and Indian NationalMovement. It subscribes to 213 periodicals.

NMML has an independent reprographicunit which caters to the needs of the researchscholars working under its auspices, along withacademicians and scholars from other institutions.It has also the following reprographic equipment:

(1) Automatic processing apparatus(2) Xerox-Pylorys KS 2, manufactured by

Varmix .co, Poland(3) Microfilm reader -curn -printer(4) Microfilm recorder, manufactured

by Karl Zeiss of East Germany.

For photo copies, it charges 50 paise per page.

2 (B) Academic Libraries

2(B).1 Indian Institute of Technology (lIT)

llT in New Delhi has a well-equipped r e ,prographic unit for the use of its students,teachers, and research workers. The followingitems of equipment are available there:

(1) Photo copying machine - model 55 SeM,manufactured by SCM Corporation ofNew York

(2) Xerox 1385(3) Microfilm printer(4) Microfilm processor(5) Micro card reader, manufactured by

Micromethods, London(6) Microfilm recordak(7) Process camera(8) Co r ona sta.t: This machine uses electro-

fax process, The disadvantage of thisprocess is that the special paper usedin the pr oc e ss is not manufactured in

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India but is imported.(9) Offset printer: It is used for obtaining

multiple copies.

They als 0 have a photography section which is aseparate unit and is well equipped with moderncameras. They charge Re 1/ - per impression.

2 (B). 2 Jawaharlal Nehru Univer sity (JNU)

JNU has recently started reprographicservices for the use of their research scholarsand teachers. Reprographic section is functioningas a part of the Central Library and is equippedwith a Xerox Pylorys KS 2 and microfilm reader s.

3. Public Libraries

British Coun •..I Library

The British Council Library in New Delhihas recently started reprographic services whichare open to its members, local libraries and out-side research institutions. Their reprographicsection has the following equipment:

( 1) 3 M Copier 191: this is an automaticphoto copier and uses imported paper

(2) Ultrafiche reader PCMI

Their service charge is Re 1/_ per page.

The Delhi University Library is also plan-ning to start a reprographic unit which will func-tion as a part of the Central Library and will alsocater to the needs of other libraries in the system.

The Indian Council of Social ScienceResearch has also plans to start reprographicservices. The library of Social Science Docu-mentation Centre is acquiring material on micro-fo r rn s which is not easily available in the country.Their plans also include the provision of readablemicrocopies of the required research paper,article or extract.

4. Copyright and Reprography

Copyright is essentially a safeguard de-signed to ensure economic reward to both authorsand publishers for their intellectual labour andinve stment s respectively.

The first copyright act in India was the'Indian Copyright Act of 1914', based on theBritish Copyright Act of 1911• India signed theBerne Convention in Brussels in 1948 and theUniversal Copyright Convention in 1958. Accordingto the current copyright act of 1957, the period ofcopyright is the life time of the author and 25 yearsafter his death (compared with the post mortemfifty years formerly required by Berne Conventionand amended accordingly after the revision con-ference of Berne and Universal Copyright Con-

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vention which took place in Paris in July, 1971 ).~Section 14 of the Indian copyright act of 1957 setsout the contents of the author's right, therefore itis important for the librarians offering repro-graphic facilities to know it. This act gives theauthor exclusive right to reproduce the work in anymaterial form. The reproduction of any copy-righted material, unless it is authorised by thecopyright holder, is, therefore, an infringementof the Indian copyright act of 1957.

The published as well as unpublished workscan be registered with the registrar of copyrights.The intended purpose of this registration is to helpthe authors to (a) enforce their rights againstexploitation by the publishers; and (b) provide themwith proof in order to establish their ownership ofthe copyright.

Practice at INSDOC

INSDOC requires a person asking for theirreprographic services to assume the responsibilityof the act of copyrighting. For the periodicalarticles, only single copies are reproduced andthey are meant for personal use.

5. Development of Indigenous ReprographicEquipment

The phenomenal progress abroad in repro-graphic technology and heavy demand for repro-graphic equipment have encouraged a number ofresearch organisations, documentation centres,academic institutions and private manufacturersto develop indigenous reprographic technology.Development work in certain directions has beenfruitful in the National Physical Laboratory (NPL),Indian Institute of Technology (lIT) (New Delhi) andINSDOC.

The NPL has successfully developed indi-genous equipment similar to the first commer-cially popular design of xerocopying equipmentinvented by the then, Haloid Xerox Inc in the U. S, A.This is called Xerox type 1385 indicating themaximum size of image as 13 x 8.5", with theelectrostatic charging, dry powder developing andheat/vapour fusing units. The NPL has licensedthree firms through the National Research Deve-Iopm ent Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, for the commercialexploitation of xerox copying equipment developedby them. The trade names and the addresses ofthe manufacturing firms are given below:-

( 1) Panaprint Photocopier

(a) Model No. REx 101: reproductionratio: 1:1, 1:2,2:1. Processor, camera anddev eLope r in three independent units take threeminutes to produce a copy. Approximate cost:Rs 27,000.

(b) Model No. DeX-202, reproductionratio: 1:1

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(c) Model No. ECX -3 03, repr oductionratio: 1:1. It uses any ordinary paper like sunlitbond and takes three minutes to give. a copy.

Manufacturers: M/s Advani Oerlikon (Pvt) Ltd,Radio House, 6, Rampart Road,Bombay.

They have their regional office in New DeIh i ,

(2) Majox-121 Electrostatic Copier, Model:,LIBRARiAN'

The above photocopier can reproduce copiesfrom the original on ordinary sunl it bond paper.It is equipped with a horizontal camera system andspecial object screen with facility to take directcopy from bound books/magazines up to 3/10"thickness without disturbing the binding. Sixdifferent models are available in this range. Theabove model costs Rs 26,000.

Manufacturer: Macneill & Barry Ltd. ,C-ll Corm ought Place,New Delhi 110001

(3) Kor e st at c l j I Photocopier

Five models are available. 'Library'model costs Rs 22,000.

Manufa'cturer: Kores India (Pvt) Ltd., New Delhi

The advantage of the above machine is thatit has adjustable camera like Rank Xerox and thecopying ratio can be fixed.

INSDOC has designed an attachment forXerox 1385 for obtaining Xerox copies from micro-films. It has been registered as a patent. Adeveloping powder for electrostatic processes hasalso been developed at INSDOC.

IIT, Delhi, has indigenously developedzinc oxide coated paper for electrofax copying.

Diazo paper is being manufactured byKilburn & Co, with a network of branches inmajor cities. They als 0 offer reprographic faci-Hties, at these centres, at nominal charges.

6. Import of Foreign Equipment

The import of reprographic equipment fromany foreign country is banned by the Governmentof India. It can be procured only through foreignaid or as a gift.

7. Training Facilities in ReprographicTechnology

INSDOC has played a pioneering role inproviding training in reprographic technology. Aone-year course in documentation, includes a

Vol 23 No 2 June 1976

paper which covers s y s t e rn s , pr(Jc.:"~"'·I"·:, n"u·l!i(V!<:;

and techniques of r epr cg r aphv. "e','"gular course, INSDO, orc aniz e s s o,courses in r epr og r aphv f r orn time t o .

M/s~ Ma cnc i l l & B"'l·ry,i'\~:..v/ n. l h i, :"dscpr ovid e s-part-time t r a ininy L\cihtl<'s ir- rqHo,graphy for candidates s,·.ansored by the l ibr a r iesand research institutions.

8. Summing Up

Under the pre sent economic conditions,Our libraries, research organisations and docu-mentation centres can hardly be expected to beadequatately equipped with suitable r ep r og r aph ic .equipment, partly because the import of foreignequipment is banned by the Government. Spareparts for imported equipment are neit he r ii·. ~ ila u:locally, nor can they be imported. The CCiU!pmenttherefore in many institutions and libraries ·is-lying idle. It is suggested that indigenous equip-ment should be made m or e popular and manu-facturing firms should be given incentives by theGovernment.

Now indigenous equipment uses locally-made diazo or ordinary sunlit bond paper, theneed for imported paper has been eliminated whichis an important development.

Since INSDOC is the only agency havingtraining facilities in reprography, it is suggestedthat CSlR Or NPL should assume the responsibilityfor starting another cornprehensive programme oftraining in reprography, both at central and regio-nal level. Our departments and schools of libra·rianship attached to a riurn be r of universities shouldalso introduce a paper in reprographic techniqueswhich will help solve the shortage of trained tech-nicians in reprography. It is suggested that thereshould be three separate training programmes inreprography (a) for technicians and operators,(b) for those who are already working in repro-graphic units,and(c) for managers and executiveswho are to organise and manage' reprographicservices.

Great economy can be achieved by meansof cooperation amongst the libraries. The demandsof all the libraries and documentation centreswhen pooled together may help programming, notonly towards better utilization of the existingservices, but also installation of more efficientand up-to-date apparatus. This will provide scopefor a wider variety of reproduction work. Micro·-fiche units should be installed under the supervi-sion of CSIR. With their establishment there maybe the possibility to handle a l~.rger v ol urrie ofduplication work and the possibility to make aprogramme furnishing a large number of manu-scripts and rare documents to research wor ke r sand scientists.

RAHAT HASAN

Bibliography

(1) Datta N: Photo duplication service a ,Library Herald Vol6 (2-3), October 1963.

Ghosh G B and Banerjee B N: Trends of 0:7information services in India. Calcutta,World Press, 1974. 286p.

(9] Krishnamoorthy C S: Educational Explo-sion and its effects on the compos ition ofscientific and technical manpower.Manpower Journal, Vol~ lx(4), January-March, 1974.

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ICSSR: Annual Report, 1972-73, 153p.

ICSSR: Directory of Social Science t>Research Institutions in India, 1971.200p.

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[5] INSDOC: Lectures on Documentation,Translation and Reprography.

(13] Saha J: Reprographic equipment. IASLIC ,,/Bulletin, Vol.9(1), March, 1964.

[6] INSDOC: Papers for Workshop on Planningof Branch Information Centres in CSIR,1974.

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Nagarajan K S: Reprography in India.Annals of Library Science 8. Documentation,Vol. 14(4), Decern.ber, 1967.

(II) Prasher R G: An introduction to repr~- )graphy. Delhi, Research Co. 1975, 147p.

[7] INSDOC: Directory of Scientific Research ':IInstitutions in India, 1969. ~

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[8] Krishan Kumar: Research Libraries in ~Developing Countries. Delhi, Allied, 1973,464p.

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Rao N P: Defence Scientific Informati'onand Documentation' Centre. Herald of Lib.Science, Vol. 7(2), April 1968.

Saxena T P: Reprography for libraries. v'Indian Librarian, Vol. 18 8. 19.

Shonfield A and Cherns A B: Social scienceresearch in India: a report. ICSSR. 1971, J56p.

University Grants Commis sion: UniversityV'development in Ind ia.: basic facts andfigures. March 1973.

RfPROGRAPHIC TECHNiQUES

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