A very interesting post by Rama

Three women pictured in this incredible photograph from 1885 – Anandibhai Joshi of India, Keiko Okami of Japan and Sabaat Islambouli of Syria – each became the first licensed female doctors in their respective countries. The three were students at the women’s Medical college of Pennsylvania; one of the only places in the world at the time where women could study medicine.

Just another example of true Women Power – Nari Shakti Zindabad.

Recreation Club - New Office Joinees

And, we have the winners now!!

So, it were two days of campaigning, canvassing and loads of folded hands, posters and excitement!! Fantastic to know we have such creative colleagues amongst us. 

And we have the office bearers now!! Hold them to every promise that they made.  :-).  It was a stupendous 88% voting turnout, with participation from staff of all departments.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!! 

We look forward to your productive, eventful and participative innings ahead.

** Please do remember your promises :P 

President: Sanjay Dutta

           Secretary: Rituparna Sengupta

Treasurer: Harish Arya

International Women's Day 2015

Thank you everyone for participating wholeheartedly in the women's day celebrations. A special thank you to all the men colleagues who gave encouraging messages for the women colleagues. 

Did you know that the first International Women's Day was held in 1911. So, we celebrated the 104th year of women'd day with the world!! 

The cafeteria board certainly looked very appealing with messages from Mr Bhambal, Gopi, Pankaj, Gagandeep, Vivek, Onkar, Ashwani, Ankit, Amit, Sabya, Arijit and many more. 

The winners of both the quizzes are Women!! Women's Day was celebrated in its true sense. :-) 

I am happy to announce the winners of the two competitions that we launched:

1. Who's that Kid? I am sure you all would like to know who were the 15 beautiful women from the office whose pictures we showcased. Here are their names:

Nidhi Yadav got 13 faces right out of the 15 that we put up.  Congratulations!!

2. Know your Colleagues: Interesting facts about Europa colleagues were out up on the wall inviting everyone to guess who these were. We didn't know our colleagues were so talented!! The winner of the quiz is SWATI GAMBHIR who got all the answers right!! 

Many congratulations girls!!! Your gifts are on the way and will reach you soon :) 

A big vote to thanks to Rituparna, Sonali, Dimple and Bincy for making this event a big success. 

Shafina.

Professional Excellence in Library Services Award: India

as announced in Ignite, Issue 6, 2015

Taylor and Francis announce the award for Professional Excellence in Library Service: India

There are three awards constituted under the Professional Excellence for Library Services, India award. These are as follows:

Best Librarian

Dr H Anil Kumar
Librarian
Indian Institute of Management

Young Librarian
Dr. Sandeep Kumar Pathak
Deputy Librarian
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal

Life time achievement

Dr. Christina Birdie
Indian Institute of Astrophysics ( former librarian)
Bangalore

Criteria:

We welcomed nominations recognizing the efforts of particularly talented librarians who have made an invaluable contribution to their library through their innovation and enthusiasm. We invited librarians to send in their nominations in no more than 300 enthusiastic words along with the reason for their nominations including length of service of the nominee and any case studies and examples demonstrating their professional excellence in library services that support your nomination. 

Perhaps they have:

·        -  revolutionized your cataloging system

·        -  introduced a social media policy

·         - overseen the building of a new library

·         or supported students beyond expectations in their studies?

We hope that this award will serve to recognize the contribution librarians make to academia and their institution in providing professional excellence.

We invited them to write a minimum of 300 word summary explaining their nomination. Awards were adjudicated by Taylor & Francis representatives.

Move to Improve - Lessons in Office Renovation and Leadership

Taylor & Francis India Moves to Improve - 

Leadership Lesson from Ignite, Issue 6, 2015

Nitasha Devasar, Managing Director, Taylor & Francis India believes that every aspect of life has leadership lessons to offer. Here she talks about the importance of team engagement and involvement. These lessons are applicable to any sphere of work and we share them with you.

As an organization that has grown very rapidly over the last five years or so, the search for appropriate premises to house our burgeoning staff and meet our growing infrastructural needs had been gaining momentum for some time. When I took over as MD about 20 months ago I was told that locating an appropriate new workspace and moving should be on my agenda with a time line of about 18 months or so.

This is the story of our shifting to new offices and of the leadership lessons we learnt in the process. Anyone who has had to go through the experience (of moving house or office) will wonder why we feel the story of our move is worth sharing. First of all because right from the beginning the shift to new offices was not just a move for the practical reasons cited above. We saw it as a major business move, a platform for future growth for Taylor & Francis India, a ‘move to improve’. Secondly, and more subtly, it was also a major leadership journey, a transition and growth in the leadership quotient of the organization.

So ‘move to improve’ became the mantra and the first task was to get all employees to buy in and share this conviction. The challenges were immense, we had eight weeks to renovate and move and the timing coincided both with our year end (always a tough time from the viewpoint of the business) and with the onset of the Christmas holidays, leaving no scope for extensions.

In leadership terms, the vision on the top had to be shared to gain engagement and involvement, which then had to translate at the ground level to planning, coordination and implementation. A ‘Move Committee’ was set up a few months before the move and the contours of the task ahead outlined. In hindsight, what clearly emerged from these meetings was a practically grounded approach with a clear set of priorities, meticulous and detailed planning and delegation for execution and an honest assessment of our weaknesses. Based on this, a technical sub-committee took charge of the move of equipment and drew up a detailed plan for both continuous and last mile connectivity.

The Move Committee quickly realized that the only way to ensure a smooth and affordable move was to get the staff to see the shift as a personal one, like a move to a nicer home with all the promise of more comfort and an upgraded lifestyle. As a result ‘Change Agents’, one in each of the 12 locations our staff were housed, were appointed to share the details of the new office, unveil the visuals and plans that were emerging and support on-ground implementation.

Exercises of this sort are fraught with unforeseen problems, seemingly insurmountable obstacles and the need to manage the external which is often outside our control. What stood us in good stead was a team that was continuously reviewing and updating plans, flexibility in approach and the willingness to readjust priorities in the face of immediate realities. Egos were left at home and humor was often the only nourishment. Leadership in all its myriad manifestations was on display.

What we got out of the process: a timely, affordable and inclusive move; the before-time completion and then exceeding of our sales targets; a well-designed, professional and forward-looking workplace; functional synergies, scope for greater cooperation and teamwork; a collective sense of achievement and ownership; and the emergence of several leaders, strategists, managers and communicators. Also, sore muscles, baggy eyes and several ripped jackets and messed up jeans!

In the end, we did move to improve.

Some lessons from the move I believe are universal to work and life:

•   Providing the concept and creating the momentum

•   Setting teams and accountabilities: the right people for the right tasks at all levels

•   Meticulous planning and periodic reviews

•   Setting priorities and delegation

•   Attention to detail: ordering of tasks at the ground level; labeling and numbering of cartons; on the     ground volunteers

•   Visualizing pitfalls and accepting practical realities

•   Intelligent outsourcing with focus on internal strengths and weaknesses

• Getting personal: going the extra mile and then some

Know your Customer: STAR Interview from IGNITE Issue 6 - Newsletter for librarians in South Asia

Dr P. Y. Rajendra Kumar  Director General,
National Library of India, Kolkata

“A ship is always safe at the shore but that is not what it is built for.”― Albert Einstein

 Dr Rajendra Kumar is a humanitarian with a very different outlook to life. He believes that to be successful, one needs to be like water – ever flowing – and adjusting to every shape.

A treasure of stories from his professional life of more than 40 years make listening to him a rich learning experience. Dr Kumar believes in the theory of karma and strongly postulates that one should enjoy their work, big or small. Starting as a young Librarian in National College, Bangalore to holding the current position of Director General of the largest public library in the country – the National Library, Kolkata – it has been a journey of many learnings, collaborations, disappointments, successes and achievements. The eldest of six siblings, Dr Rajendra Kumar learnt the importance of team spirit and humble leadership from his childhood.

A recipient of several prestigious awards, Dr Kumar came into the LIS profession by choice and is proud to be a part of the library profession that is undergoing a paradigm shift and constant transition. He dedicates his success to his family members and strongly believes that in all of our lives – personal and professional – a lot of who we are is derived from a combination of where we have come from and the place and people we now travel alongside.

Dr Kumar has never taken a single earned/commuted leave during his service of 33 years in the Department of Public Libraries and he enjoys his work believing that one should always strive to do good to others. He postulates that the advent of computer and internet facility library revolution has become a global phenomenon and such innovative technological development should be capitalized by library enthusiasts.

IGNITE spoke to Dr Rajendra Kumar to understand what qualifies successful working in the public libraries. Here’s an insight into our talk with him:

Q: Thank you so much, sir, for meeting us today. Please talk us through a particular challenge from your professional life that you remember fondly today as you look back.

Life is always built through and on challenges. A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. About 40 years ago, I was posted in Raichur as a District Library Officer. I landed in Raichur one morning only to find that there wasn’t even a building formalized for a library. Instead of waiting for things to happen, I not only located a probable venue for a building on the same day, I was successful in convincing my seniors to open a library there. From arranging for tables, chairs, books, and eventually opening a beautiful children’s section, the whole experience was a very gratifying one.

Q: How important are public libraries in reaching out to rural and marginalized sections of the society?

Public libraries have the potential to bridge the gap between the ‘information poor’ and ‘information rich’ by ensuring that people from all sections of the society have easy access to the knowledge they seek.

Actually, very important. Libraries should not limit their benefits to the few English knowing readers, but should see to it that their good work permeates through to the many, especially the rural population of the country. As a Chief Librarian, I am proud of having started the Rural Mobile Library with the support of Kodagu District Administration. These mobile libraries reached out to the farthest of rural areas and ensured that the love of reading was instilled in people of all age groups and generations.

We started 100 libraries for the nomadics while 200 libraries and 400 reading rooms were opened in slums of Bangalore city to reach out to the less privileged.

Q: How do public libraries in the country encourage advancement of vernacular languages? 

It should be the responsibility of every public library to promote vernacular languages and encourage local authors and poets.

In 2006, we made plans to digitize one lakh Kannada books to encourage vernacular language growth in the south. As a Director of Public Libraries in Karnataka, we also launched ‘Kannada Saraswathalokha’, a web directory of Kannada writers. We also developed ‘Suvarna Karnataka Antharjala Vahini’, a Kannada portal. The Bulk purchase of Kannada books through single window was introduced in order to encourage the Kannada writers and publishers.

We also converted some bestselling Kannada books into the braille format.

When Karnataka government conferred Dr G. S. Shivaradruppa, a renowned poet, with the ‘Rastrakavi’ award, all his nine books, (2,500 copies each) were reprinted and distributed to newly-opened gram panchayat libraries. A unique way honoring the “Rashtrakavi”.

Libraries should not limit their benefits to the few English knowing readers, but should see to it that their good work permeates through to the many, especially the rural population of the country.

Q: Tell us a little bit about the history of National Library, Kolkata. 

The National Library, Kolkata is an institution in itself. Lord Curzon started a library in Kolkata for public use. He merged the Calcutta Public Library with the Imperial Library and opened it to the public on 30 January 1903. The aims and objectives of the Imperial Library were well defined in a notification in the Gazette of India: ‘It is intended that it should be a library of reference, a working place for students and a repository of material for the future historians of India, in which, so far as possible, every work written about India, at any time, can be seen and read.’ After the independence, the Government of India changed the name of the Imperial Library as the National Library, and the collection was shifted from The Esplanade to the present Belvedere Estate. On 1 February 1953, the National Library was opened to the public.

So, as of 30 January 2015, the National Library completed 178 glorious years.

Q: Do you think that comics and movies play an important role in reaching out to people, especially the rural population?

Definitely, yes. Comics and films can be a powerful educational tool, especially for children with deprived backgrounds. So it is important to place these at the heart of every library and make them an integral part of the young people’s learning experiences.

Throughout my professional career, I have worked in taking movies and comics through Rural Mobile Libraries joining hands with local bodies and governmental departments. This has led to an increase in the readership of our libraries while also connecting the rural audience to the concept of libraries. Films have the power to make an emotional connection with people and that experience can be effectively used through education.

Q: Have you also been inspired by Dr S. R. Ranganathan in your professional life?


Well yes! Dr Ranganathan passed away a month after I joined the LIS profession but I have always been deeply influenced by his teachings. What I am today is, to a large extent, because of his teachings. I apply his five laws to the administrative running of my libraries as well as every other aspect of my professional life. For the first time in the country, 12 August the birthday of Dr S. R. Ranganathan, father of library movement in India, was declared as the ‘Librarians’ Day’ by the Govt. of Karnataka when I was a Director of the Department of Public Libraries.

Q: We hear that 2,500 gram panchayat libraries were opened in one year during your Directorship in Karnataka. Please tell us more about it.

Karnataka is the only state in the country which has libraries at all the gram panchayats. After the implementation of Panchayat Raj Act, 3,251 grama panchayat libraries were opened in the last 18 years. During my tenure, we ensured that 2,500 gram panchayat libraries were opened in one year, leading to complete coverage of the entire Karnataka region.

Q: How is constant innovation important for a library to prosper? Do you think a library can become a self-sustaining model?

The mind is a golden hand. Constant innovation is required in every phase of life to prosper. As a Director, the collection of library cess was raised from nine crores (2003-04) to 24 crores (2007-08). This definitely led to more sustainability for the libraries to use those funds.

Decentralizing and decomplicating things is very important for streamlining processes and getting more people involved in contributing to the innovative upturn of a library. There are various innovative schemes that we launched.

Off the top of my head, I can think of the introduction of bulk purchase of books (300) under the Single Window System that we introduced along with an increase in the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation financial assistance with the government matching the grant from 100 lakhs to 600 lakhs. In 1991 in Mandya, Karnataka, we planned and constructed the library complex by raising funds from the public. Many shops spaces were opened on the ground floor of the library which even today generate funds for the library leading to more sustainability.

Q: Sir, what is your vision for transforming the public libraries in the future?

There is a lot of work to be done to take the current vision of the public libraries forward.

One important aspect that must be addressed moving forward is that all the
states in the country must have public libraries legislation. 

Currently only 19 states have the legislation while 17 states are yet to adopt it. Further, there must be uniformity among the Public Libraries Legislation, which will lead to better collaboration.

I would also like to see an electronic forum and network of public libraries created. I know of many LIS forums where librarians exchange ideas and regularly share information. However, there is no such email forum existent for public libraries. No one gets to know what is happening in the neighboring state and I think it will be a wonderful idea for all the public library LIS professionals to connect to each other, sharing information and contributing ideas.

Your message for the young librarians of today?

Work hard with all sincerity and success will come to you.

Welcome to the T&F India blog

Hello All,

Welcome to the T&F India blog. 

Ever since all of you indicated (through the employee survey conducted last November) that you would like a forum to share and air news and views we have been planning a launch and revival of the blog. However, all good things need the right time and place and women’s day seemed to many to be appropriate. It is nice to celebrate women and womanhood but the fact that we do so is also, sadly, a pointer to the fact that it is a man’s world.

At T and F globally we are privileged to have many women colleagues and leaders and in India the numbers are more or less even. We all know that this is quite unusual, even in the publishing industry, where there have always been a lot of women. We certainly need to strive to sustain this balance but we all also need to do a bit more. What does this mean for professional men and women in the workplace? Well, here are some ideas for thought and discussion:

• Women need to speak up and be heard while everyone else, both men and women, need to interrupt them less and listen more, when they do.
• Men need to share much more in the ‘office housework’, i.e., all the tasks that need doing but getting them done goes unrecognized and often unacknowledged in the workplace.
• Both men and women need to guard against gender stereotypes (so ingrained in us all) while performing at work.

We have women managers leading all boy teams and visa versa, we have departments where women are a minority and other where men are so. Gender stereotypes are at work all the time, whether we realize or acknowledge it or not. Awareness is the first step but it is not enough, we need actions to follow.

I once worked with a manager whose attitude to gender I remain ambivalent about to this day: “I want whose best for the job, man, woman or monkey”! Well, I was chosen above the monkey and did work with him for years but always wondered about the nuances of that remark. What do you think?

Once again, welcome to the blog and I hope it will be used as a platform to share, be heard and to listen.

Nitasha Devasar, Managing Director T&F India

Book Launch of 'Beyond Kolkata: Rajarhat and the Dystopia of Urban Imagination'

Book Launch of 'Beyond Kolkata: Rajarhat and the Dystopia of Urban Imagination'

Authored By: Ishita Dey, Ranabir Samaddar and Suhit Sen

Organised by Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata

Venue: Academy of Fine Arts (Seminar Hall)

Date: August 20^th, 2013, Tuesday at 4.30 pm

The day started with one of the heaviest showers in decade in the history of Kolkata. Though still people came in braving the heavy rains. The program started with the Third Jayanta Dasgupta Memorial Lecture by Naba Dutta, Eminent labour and human-rights activist on present conditions of labour movement in West Bengal. This was followed by the release of the book and discussion on Beyond Kolkata: Rajarhat and the Dystopia of Urban Imagination.

The book was released and the discussion was started by Prof. Brett Nielsen, Institute for Culture and Society, University of Western Sydney, who spoke about why there was a need for this study and this research work and how it would help the scholars to understand the real meaning of modern urbanization and the myths attached to it. This was followed up by the detailed review of the book by Prof. Samita Sen Vice-Chancellor, Diamond Harbour Women’s University and Prof. Anup Sinha, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, who spoke in his own capacity about what he felt about this book and also was glad that Routledge published this research work and this book and which was very essential.

Finally the author Prof. Ranabir Samaddar, Director of Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group and co-author Ishita Dey spoke on what they felt behind writing this book and the journey they went through which made them discover new things about the so called urbanization of spaces and geopolitical factors involved with it.

The event was attended by approx. 60 invitees who made every attempt to reach the venue despite all the odds caused by the heavy rains. All the participants were given Routledge folders which were specially prepared for this event, the folders contained the following materials: 

• Coloured flier of the book
• RIO colored catalogue
• CD containing RIO catalogue
• A page about RIO Publishing program
• Contact Information of sales & Marketing of T&F India

It was indeed delightful to see each and every participant browsing through the folders, the pages and the catalogue during the entire event. 

An Evening with the South Asia Archive in Kathmandu, Nepal

45 academicians from Kathmandu valley were introduced to the South Asia Archive on May 24, 2013 at Hotel Yak & Yeti. The list of delegates included the Indian & Chinese Embassy, Nepal Library Foundation, The British Council, Nepal English Language Teachers Association and Institute of Advanced Communication Education and Research amongst others.

The event ran smoothly, with our team ensuring delegates were registered and received their welcome packs (comprising of a bag containing South Asia Archive gift calendar and branded folder containing printed testimonials, a printed running order, branded pen, notepad, catalogue, promotional postcard and newsletter sign-up form). The programme started with the T&F India MD, Nitasha Devasar welcoming the guests highlighting our presence in Nepal and introducing the archive. After the welcome note, Neeti Verma presented the South Asia Archive to the guests for about an hour.  The presentation included both online and off line explanation of the archive.  The site performed well during the live part of the demo, giving the audience an idea of how quick and easy the finished product will be to use.

The South Asia Archive is a very contemporary product that uncovers the history of South Asia as you’ve never seen before containing digital access to 5 million pages of primary and secondary sources. More information can be sourced at www.southasiaarchive.com 

Ahmedabad National Book Fair

Taylor & Francis Group participated in the 2^nd Ahmedabad National Book Fair from 1 May to 7 May 2013. The event was organized by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in association with Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, Gujarat Prakshak Mandal and National Book Trust, India. There were around 80 participants covering 318 stalls in the fair. The participants included some international publishers  like Sage Publication, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Pearson Education, Harper Collins and Taylor & Francis Group. We had displayed our entire range of titles and the complete product range for Routledge India Originals, Special Indian Edition titles and UK Original books. A good response was received towards Classic Series, Routledge India Originals, Engineering, Business Management, Political Science and on History from faculties, librarian, students.