National Social Science Documentation Centre

The National Social Science Documentation Centre (NASSDOC), a constituent unit of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), was established in 1970. The primary objective of the NASSDOC is to provide library and information support services to social science researchers. It is considered to be one of the largest repositories of bibliographical databases in the area of social sciences.

Facilities available at NASSDOC

Library and Reference Service
NASSDOC Databases / Publications
Current Awareness Service
Bibliography on Demand/Literature Search Service
Acquisition of Theses
Document Delivery/Interlibrary loan/Reprography Service
Study Grant (for consulting libraries)
Grants-in-Aid to Bibliographical and Documentation Projects
Continuing Education Programme
Preservation of Documents: Microfilming
Library Automation (for modernising the services)
ICSSR Sales and Distribution Unit.

Library and Reference Service

The ICSSR-NASSDOC library has a rich collection of reference sources viz, bibliographies, encyclopedias, doctoral theses, research project reports, books on social science research methodology, computer and information technology, research surveys and also on all social science disciplines.

The collection is augmented by bound volumes of periodicals, current Indian/foreign periodicals including ICSSR publications and other abstracting and indexing journals in social sciences, newsletters and annual reports of different organizations. Government reports/serials and institutional publications are also acquired on regular basis.

Library collection

Doctoral Theses = 5,406
Research Project Reports (funded by ICSSR) = ,3725
Bound Volumes of Periodicals = 12,000
Books = 13,615
The collection is augmented by 900 current Indian/foreign periodicals
Publications including ICSSR publications and other abstracting and indexing journals in social sciences.
Government reports/serials and institutional publications are also acquired on regular basis.

Library membership

ICSSR-NASSDOC library’s membership is open to the following categories of readers :

Official Members

These include ICSSR Council members/ senior officials of the ICSSR secretariat and regular professional staff of the ICSSR (i.e. Research Assistants/Documentation Assistants and above are official members) They are entitled to borrow books from the library.
Institutional Members –This type of membership is open to autonomous organizations, corporate houses, and research wings of public/private bodies. Institutional/Corporate membership fee is Rs. 4000 per annum. An institutional member can borrow five books at a time for a period of one month.

Consulting Members

Consultation facility is extended to academicians, research scholars, students and members of general public that may include retired persons and other categories of readers. Consultation membership fee is Rs. 200 per annum (minimum Rs. 50 for one month).

Borrowing Members

Borrowing facility is extended to social scientists, academicians, students and general readers who are registered as members of the library. Books are issued against a deposit of Rs.500/- per book. Two books are issued to individual members at a time.
There is no fee for the guest readers who want to consult the library for a day or two. They are issued a guest card for the day.
Admissions and renewals are done only from Monday to Friday between 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Library members/research scholars are expected to show their Admission Card at the entrance of the Library before entering the Reading Room.
Researchers who want to have Attendance Certificate should sign in the attendance register lying at Reference Desk at the time of entering & leaving the Reading Room every day.

Facilities and services for the readers

A user–responsive collection of books, periodicals and electronic databases in the field of social sciences.

Online Public Catalogue (OPAC) is for use by the library members/readers so that subject /author or keyword based searches can be made from the holdings of library books, Ph.D. theses, research reports, journals, etc.

Members of the library can refer to the following online bibliographic as well as indexing and abstracting databases to search relevant references on subjects of their study : EconLit, ERIC, International Political Science Abstracts, LISA, Sociological Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts in the Reading Room of NASSDOC library.

Reference queries in the field of social sciences from the scholars are responded to via e-mail, telephone, fax, in person, or through postal correspondence.

Research related information is provided to scholars from NASSDOC’s own library databases and also by exploring electronic sources and certain internet based sources.

Books are issued/returned through automatic circulation system based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology.

Referral Service- The scholars are assisted through inter-library loan service and even referred to other institutions/libraries to consult material that are not available in the library.

Bibliography on demand

Bibliography on demand is a widely known support service provided by the NASSDOC to social science research community. Normally, the requests for this paid service are received from scholars living in cities and small towns where library and documentation services are severely limited. Bibliography is a systematic descriptive list of published books, periodical articles, etc. as well as unpublished PhD theses and reports on specific subject. Compilation charges are Rs 25/- for 25 references plus postal charges.

Literature Search Service From Electronic Resources

NASSDOC has a very large and rich collection of CD-ROM/on-line based information sources. These are used for searching literature/references on specific topic on demand. Some of the most used CD-ROM/ On-line databases in NASSDOC are:

Dissertation Abstracts on Disc (Humanities and Social Sciences)

 EconLit
 International Political Science Abstracts
 POPLINE
 PsycLit
 Sociological Abstracts
 PsycINFO
 ISID CD-ROM database

Rs 100/- is charged for 20 references with abstracts. Rs 50/- is charged for 25 references without abstracts. Registered Postal charges are met by the scholars.

Online databases

NASSDOC has subscribed to the following online databases w.e.f. 2004 - 2005

1. EconLit
2. ERIC
3. International Political Science Abstracts
4. LISA
5. Sociological Abstracts
6. Social Services Abstracts
7. PsycINFO

Acquisition of Theses

NASSDOC has a programme of acquiring copies of unpublished Ph.D. theses in social sciences accepted by Indian universities. Since 2003 NASSDOC has revised its thesis acquisition policy. It has been decided to pay Rs 1500/- to a scholar for a copy of Ph.D. thesis. A scholar is required to submit a soft version, preferably CD-ROM, along with a hard copy (print version) of the thesis.

Document Delivery / Inter-Library Loan

Document delivery service is provided through Inter Library Loan or by photocopying the papers published in periodicals to help the scholars. NASSDOC borrows books, periodicals, reports etc. from other libraries to meet the demands of the research scholars. The demand is normally met through inter library loan service.

NASSDOC as a member of DELNET (Developing Library Network) can access various databases hosted by the DELNET on its website. NASSDOC can get documents on inter library loan through DELNET from the member libraries.

Reprography service

Photocopies are provided to the scholars from NASSDOC collection and also from its own network, if the document is not available within the premises.

Photocopying charges are Re1/- per page + postal charges.

NASSDOC Databases Publications

NASSDOC is involved in creation of databases and information locating tools. Theses tools are available in printed form and some of them are also available on floppies. These are of different type as mentioned below:

Library databases, Directories, Indexes, Union Catalogues, Bibliographies

Annotated Index to Indian Social Science Journals, 2005
Bibliographic Data Bank (1), 2005
Bibliographic Data Bank (2), Jan.2002-Dec.2004
Conference Alert July 2005 onwards
Directory of Social Science Research and Training Institutes in India 2005
Directory of Social Scientists in India
ICSSR Research Project Reports, 2000-2005
INSPEL (Indian Social Science Periodical Literature) up to 1970
Online Public Access Catalogue (all the documents available in the NASSDOC library e.g. Books, Theses, Research Reports etc.
Union List of Current Social Science & Humanities Periodicals : Delhi Libraries 2004-05.
Doctoral Dissertation Abstracts 2003-2004
Holding List of Periodicals 2007
Accession List (Qly)

Current Awareness Service (CAS)

NASSDOC provides current awareness service by bringing out different publications at regular intervals. Moreover, photocopies of references included in the CAS publications are provided whenever there is a request for that by the scholars. Following are the serial publications of NASSDOC available at the sales counter of the ICSSR :

Accession List (Rs25/- per copy).

Annotated Index to Indian Social Science Journals (Rs 25/- per copy).

Conference Alert : A Quarterly Calendar (Rs 25/-per copy).

Study Grant Scheme

Under this scheme, Ph.D. research scholars get financial assistance from the ICSSR to consult libraries and archives that are located in other cities. Traveling allowances and daily allowance (i.e. subsistence allowance) are paid to the scholars for this purpose. Rates for ICSSR Study Grantees have been revised in the101st meeting of the Council held on 7 November 2005.

According to the new rules, a scholar availing this facility is entitled to the following:

Reimbursement of Second Class Sleeper rail fare/bus (a combination of both is also permissible) from the place of his/her residence to the place of visit (where libraries are located) and back. A scholar is allowed to visit two cities by round trip via shortest route.

A fixed daily allowance @ Rs.400/- per diem to meet boarding and lodging expenses during the visit for a maximum period of 30 days in a financial year.

An additional amount of Rs.1000/- to meet conveyance and other miscellaneous expenses.

Application for financial assistance under this scheme are sent on the prescribed form along with the recommendation of the Head of the University Department/Research Institution. Application form for study grant are available with the Director, NASSDOC, Indian Council of Social Science Research, 35, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi-110001. Form can also be downloaded from www.icssr.org

Grants-in-Aid to Bibliographical and Documentation Projects

Under this scheme NASSDOC provides financial assistance to conduct research in the field of Library and Information Science and compilation of research/reference tools for social scientists. The project proposals should fall under one of the following categories :

Research in fields like bibliometric analysis, information seeking behavior, library users’ study , etc.

Compilation of users’ guide, directory, annotated bibliography or union catalogue etc., meant for locating information on a specific subject/topic of interest.

Duration and Value

Normally, the projects under this scheme are tenable for two to three years. The proposals are invited throughout the year. The applicant is required to submit a detailed budget estimates under the different heads for the project on the basis of the guidelines given in the ICSSR website.

Continuing Education Programme

In order to familiarize the librarians, information intermediaries and social scientists, with new techniques of information technology, NASSDOC organizes short-term training workshops, seminars and lectures on regular basis under its Continuing Education Programme in different parts of the country.

Preservation of Documents: Microfilming

Microfilming of Theses Collection
As advised by the experts in the meeting held in 2003, the NASSDOC has started microfilming of Ph.D. Theses collection. So far approximately 1500 theses have been microfilmed in three phases during the year 2003–2004, 2004–2005 and 2005–2006. An amount of Rs. 14,52,727 has been spent for this purchase from the head modernization. Microfilm is still considered as a better media for preservation of old documents or research material. NASSDOC has rich collection of microfilms/microfiches of Ph.D. theses, some of the Indian and foreign journals, Economic Working Papers, Union Catalogues, Government Publications and rare publications are available for consultation in the Microfilm Section in the Reading Room at ground floor.

Library automation

Retro Conversion of Catalogue Records

Under this scheme, several initiatives have been taken during the past five years. The catalogue database of the library has been converted into machine readable or electronic form with the help of an agency. In total 6000, catalogue records have converted using UNIMARC so that this data can be exchanged with other libraries. An amount of Rs. 1,12,028 has been spent for this purpose during the year 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 . RFID Technology

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been introduced for inventory management of books and members. This technology obviates the need for human intervention in issuance of books/journals to the members in the Library. The different components used in it are electronic chips, which are pasted on books; Membership cards (i.e. smart ID cards); two Mid Range readers and Pad Antenna. So far 10,000 books have been processed.

Library Automation Software

LIBSYS software is being used for library automation.
NASSDOC has upgraded its LIBSYS Software version 3 to LIBSYS version 4 release 5 under Windows 2000. It works now in LAN.
Different modules used in the package are :

• Acquisition (Purchase of books)
• Cataloguing (Organisation of documents)
• Serial control (Pertaining to periodicals)
• Circulation (Membership Record and Books issue and Return)
• Article Indexing (Database of articles published in journals).

UNIMARC

For making the software compatible for exchange of catalogue records UNIMARC utility was purchased. To make catalogue available online on the web, purchase of webopac add on facility is under process. This facility has been implemented within NASSDOC building but not on Internet scale, due to lack of infrastructure. The vendor (i.e. Libsys Incorp.) has advised us to have RF link for this. However, we have asked the vendor to explore the possibility of providing this add on facility within the existing infra-structure.

INTERNET

Internet connectivity has been provided to all the officials and also library to scholars in the library. This Internet is used for electronic communication, accessing and retrieving information from the subscribed online databases and from other Internet resources. We have 1X 64 kbit/s ISDN line and two broadband line of 2 Mbit/s.

Established a Cyber Cafe for the researchers with high speed Internet connection (TCP/IP Based Leased Line with a proxy server) and an Information Gateway in Social Sciences to facilitate access to Internet resources on social sciences.

New Equipment

Following equipments have been procured for the newly renovated NASSDOC building. The purchase is to enhance the infra-structural facilities so that a state of the art library and documentation center can provide training, seminar and research facilities to the social scientists.

One CD Server for mirroring of CDs and developing an on-line multi-user databases has been purchased at a cost of Rs. 2,92,400.00. The server contains a hybrid of network ready computer and CD Server, one DVD ROM drive, 288 MB RAM, one CD R/W drive and three 120 GB disk drive.

One plasma screen of 42” with its accessories has been procured for Multi-Media center of NASSDOC at a total cost of Rs. 4,39,796/- and one LCD projector with ceiling mounting and other required accessories has been procured for the Training Room of NASSDOC for providing training related to Library and Information Science and social science information access. It has been procured at a total cost of Rs. 2,51,000/-.

Indian Social Science Literature in Electronic Form

Under this project, started in 2003 -2004, digitisation of Indian Social Science Periodical Literature was undertaken. The purpose was to digitise Indian Social Science Literature published in 119 periodicals since their inception to 1970. It has 97492 references. Two disciplines i.e. Economics and political science have been taken for this project. The work was outsourced to a commercial agency M/S Udbhav Computers Ltd. The product has been completed and the database has been released in CD - ROM (INSPEL).

The references in CD - ROM can be searched by name of the author, title of the article, subject of the article, name of the journal in which article has been published. Free search (i.e. the term may exist in any field) can also be conducted. The search results can be printed, saved, or exported to MS word. INSPEL has been developed in Visual Basic as Front End for circulation on CDs. It shall be distributed to all the ICSSR institutes and Regional Centers free of cost.

Digitization of Theses Collection

NASSDOC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Vidyanidhi Digital Library Project of Mysore University to digitise the Ph.D. Theses collection of NASSDOC for wider dissemination to scholars. More than 2000 Ph.D. Theses have been digitised and put on CD – ROM format. The ultimate objective is to put them on the web, so that research scholars can view them on the website.

Future plans

To establish a Microfilming unit with microfilm reader cum printer for researchers who want to consult theses and research projects reports collection.

To extend the library hours on the basis of feed back received from the researchers, officials of ICSSR, government officials, students of recognised institutions and general readers.

To have an exhaustive collection of government serials, commission and committee reports, working group/expert group reports published by the Planning Commission statistical yearbooks/abstracts published by the State Statistical Bureaus etc. (All important Government publications which have a bearing on social science research are to be acquired).

To have a network based computer-communication infrastructure so that the members in a multi-user environment can use catalogue database of resources available in the NASSDOC as well as various CD-Rom/On-line databases.

To introduce Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) as a personalised research information service. Interviews with the researchers would be conducted in order to ascertain their need and the service will be designed on the basis of the feedback received. The emphasis would be on primary sources of information, and provision of full text of the data/information.

To establish a social science libraries network in the country linking the libraries of ICSSR supported research institutions and other major social science libraries of the country. Major objective of this proposed network is to start consortia based subscription to electronic journals for ICSSR supported institution’s libraries.

ICSSR Sales & Distribution Unit

To promote sale of its publications, the Council has a sales counter at NASSDOC. There has been an active participation of the Council in various book fairs/exhibitions.