Financial needs and problems of university and research laboratory libraries in India

In the developing knowledge society and emerging electronic environment, university and research laboratory libraries in India are facing several challenging situations and problems. Due to unavailability of funds, libraries are finding difficulties not only in modernising and restructuring their work operations but also in maintaining traditional services to their users. The rising cost of reading material and currency fluctuations considerably reduce the purchasing power of libraries while growing user demand and additional requirements for modernisation put many libraries in a predicament. This paper discusses the financial problems of university and research laboratory libraries in India in general and describes case studies of such problems faced by the University of Jammu library and the Regional Research Laboratory Library, Jammu.