DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology

Augmented Reality in Library Management System and Services

Naseem Eqbal — 2025-11-06

Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative technology in library systems, enhancing user engagement, information retrieval, and interactive learning. This study investigates the integration of AR in library services, focusing on its role in resource accessibility, digital literacy development, and user experience. Significantly, Aurasma, PoLAR, myLibrARy, etc., determine that AR technologies contribute to automated book sorting, wayfinding, interactive storytelling, and digital content visualisation. Furthermore, this study explores global implementations of AR, including National Library of Medicine (USA), National Library of Korea, and National Library of Sweden, etc. These initiatives highlight the potential of AR-driven interactive exhibits, immersive learning environments, and historical content augmentation in enhancing knowledge dissemination and cultural heritage preservation. This study emphasises the necessity of strategic funds, standardised implementation frameworks, and interdisciplinary collaboration to maximise the benefits of AR in library services. Furthermore, the present study evaluates the application of AR in libraries so that library management services can be improved. Additionally, the study tries to fill the research gap by providing different applications of AR in libraries and its impact on global libraries.

Medical and Local Disease-Related Research on Nepal

Raju Vaishya — 2025-11-06

This study explores medical and local disease research in Nepal from 1994 to 2023, utilising selective publication metrics to reveal the nature, patterns, and trends in the field. A total of 5186 relevant papers were identified from the Scopus database by searching for ‘Nepal’ in both “Affiliation” and ‘Title’ tags within the ‘medicine’ subject category. From these, the top 100 High-Cited Papers (HCPs) were analysed using descriptive analysis and science mapping techniques. The analysis highlighted participation from 120 organisations and 449 authors, with 71 authors from Nepal contributing to a total of 14244 citations (CPP=142.22). Of the HCPs, 36 % received external funding, and 90 % featured international collaborations. Notably, the USA, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, and India emerged as the most significant contributors to these collaborations. The key research priorities identified included communicable/infectious diseases (33 papers), maternal, newborn, and child health (25 papers), non-communicable diseases
(24 papers), and nutrition and food safety (9 papers). The findings emphasize that the current research infrastructure and resources in Nepal are insufficient for independent national research efforts, underscoring the vital role of foreign collaborations in achieving national research objectives in the field of medical studies.

Doctoral-Level Research in Indian CFTIs

Gopalji — 2025-11-06

This case study focuses on the status of doctoral-level research in top Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs) in India. It investigates trends in doctoral thesis submissions, subject distribution, rights allocation, and completion duration by analysing 10,879 doctoral thesis contributions from nine CFTIs ranked among the top 20 universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of 2024. The findings reveal significant disparities in submission rates and subject focus across institutions, with Technology and Science being the dominant fields. Furthermore, there are notable variations in intellectual property rights policies, with some universities primarily endorsing institutional ownership, while institutions like IIT Guwahati show a higher incidence of author self-ownership. The findings might be of significance to policymakers, doctoral research programme designers, and faculty members in understanding the research focus of CFTI and niche research areas. The study concludes by offering recommendations to enhance the visibility and documentation of doctoral research and suggests reforms in institutional policies to improve ETD submission rates and optimise research dissemination.

Comparison of Citation Tracking in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science

Gautam Bahl — 2025-11-06

The study is a comparative analysis of citation data from three databases-Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar-pertaining to 597 publications authored by academics from six selected teaching departments within the Faculty of Science at Panjab University, Chandigarh. The objective was to identify the most comprehensive individual or combination of databases for citation-based studies. The methodology included extraction of citation data for 597 publications from the three databases, limited to citing publications published up to 2022. These were analysed for overlap, exclusivity, and the proportion of total citations covered by each database, both individually and in cross-database comparisons. Additionally, by merging citation sets from individual databases, the study also explored the potential benefits of using multiple databases in combination. The findings indicate that Google Scholar is the most comprehensive database, followed by Scopus and Web of Science. Furthermore, the study found that combining all three databases yields the most extensive citation coverage and provides a broader picture of a publication’s impact and reach in the academic community.

A Scientometric Analysis of Research Productivity of Karnatak University, Dharwad

C. Krishnamurthy — 2025-11-06

The paper deals with a scientometric analysis that evaluates the research productivity of Karnatak University, Dharwad, a significant institution in India. A total of 3522 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science database during 1993 to 2022. The scientometric indices serve as essential instruments for assessing the scientific research output of institutions, groups, and individuals. The study reveals the outcomes of Karnatak University through qualitative & quantitative methods. The result shows that the Council of Scientific Industrial Research, India has produced the maximum number of publications (10.42 %). The study examines the university’s research output, citation impact, and trends in scientific productivity over a specific period. By analysing authorship patterns, levels of collaboration, co-authorship indices, collaborative indices, the most productive institutions, authors, and preferred types of publications, this study aims to assess the university’s research performance, identify areas of strength and weakness, and provide insights into its academic excellence.

SWAYAM as a Contingency Plan for Future Pandemics

Raghvendra B Bonal — 2025-11-06

This research aims to explore the SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) initiative of the Indian government as a contingency plan to prevent the educational damages that transpired worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary data was assiduously analysed to cover all the facets of SWAYAM concerning the courses offered and the number of enrollments. The data is analysed to determine the following aspects of SWAYAM as a contingency plan: learner willingness, institutional involvement, education level dissemination, discipline spectrum, the collection of courses, geographical coverage, and sustainability of courses. The study found the SWAYAM program’s feasibility in learner willingness, institutional involvement, education level dissemination, discipline spectrum, and various courses. However, there are discrepancies in the geographical coverage and sustainability of courses. This study concludes the SWAYAM program as a viable contingency plan across India and worldwide during a future pandemic by refining the ambiguities and closing the loopholes. The analysis of this study is broad research that refers only to the SWAYAM project for MOOCs in India. This study attempts to apply the Indian MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform, SWAYAM, as a contingency plan for future pandemics and not repeat the colossal damages the educational sector incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIDOC Journal of Library Information Technology

Salam Binoy Singh — 2025-11-06

This study explores the publication trends of scholarly papers in DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology from 2010 to 2024. The result showed that 851 articles were published during the study. The study examined various aspects such as the authorship pattern, year-wise distribution of publications, degree of collaboration, author productivity pattern of contribution, year-wise authorship pattern of publication, and category-wise classification of paper contribution. The study identifies the author who published the most articles during the study period. Additionally, the paper analysed the category-wise classification of paper contributions and examined the year-wise distribution of publications. The study revealed the authorship pattern during the study. The study found most articles are contributed by two authors, followed by single and more than three authors. The study also revealed the total number of papers published in the Journal from 2010 to 2024. This bibliometric study provides an in-depth analysis of the DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology (DJLIT) from 2010 to 2024. The co-authored papers dominate the journal’s output, reflecting a collaborative research approach. The journal’s content has evolved to encompass a wide range of topics within LIS, including digital libraries, information retrieval systems, and knowledge management. This thematic diversification aligns with global trends and reflects the journal’s responsiveness to emerging issues. While the majority of contributions are from Indian authors, there is a noticeable increase in international collaborations, particularly from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. This trend highlights the journal’s expanding global reach and relevance. The DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology has demonstrated significant growth and evolution over the past 15 years.

Adoption and Future Potential of QR Codes in Academic Libraries

Somyajeet Dey — 2025-11-06

QR codes have emerged as a valuable tool for academic libraries, transforming administrative, academic, and communication processes. This study explores the adoption of QR codes in academic libraries based on responses from 37 systems librarians across 104 Institutions of National Importance (INIs), achieving a 35.5 % response rate. The study underscores the growing role of QR codes in bridging physical and digital library resources while highlighting the need for strategies to improve user awareness and engagement. Future advancements in QR code technology, including integration with Augmented Reality (AR), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), are expected to enhance their functionality and security further. By embracing these innovations, academic libraries can optimize their services and foster a more efficient and user-friendly digital environment.

Trends in Statistical Methods in Indian Library Science Research (2012-2022)

M. Leeladharan — 2025-11-06

This research surveys statistical techniques used in Indian Library and Information Science (LIS) studies by investigating 624 articles published during 2012-2022 in two prominent indexed journals-DJLIT and ALIS. The study classifies statistical techniques under descriptive techniques, parametric inferential techniques, nonparametric inferential techniques, and predictive techniques to gauge prevailing practices and identify trends. Analysis indicates descriptive statistics, in the form of frequency distributions and percentages are predominant in LIS research. Of inferential techniques, F-test/ANOVA and Chi-square tests were most common under parametric and nonparametric categories respectively. Predictive statistics were found to have had limited use, and of those, Pearson correlation was the most used technique. Reliability analysis was applied only in 6.09 % of articles, suggesting a large methodological gap. Microsoft Excel was the most used statistical package followed by SPSS, indicating low use of advanced analytical tools. Binary logistic regression analysis illustrated that multi-authored papers and papers with academic affiliations were more likely to use predictive approaches, while foreign authors made greater use of advanced statistical methods compared to Indian researchers. The results call for increased statistical training, better standards of research methodology, and more use of advanced analytical techniques in Indian LIS studies to solidify the empirical underpinnings of the discipline.

Citation Inequality Among Top NIRF-Ranked Universities

Simya K — 2025-11-06

This study investigated the inequality in citation distribution of the publications produced by top ten universities ranked under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024. The analysis aimed to understand the extent of evenness in the distribution of citations across academic publications which is crucial for accurately assessing scholarly impact. Using the affiliation organisation field in the advanced document search in Scopus, a search for publication and citation data of each university was carried out. The search results were refined for the period 2021-2023 to align period of publication and citation data with that of NIRF rank data. The resultant dataset of 56791 publications garnering 725925 citations for period 2021-2023 was exported from Scopus database. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel. Calculations and visualisations were performed using R statistical analysis software. Gini coefficient, an index to measure the degree of inequality, was used to discover the degree of inequality of citations across publications. The overall Gini coefficient value of 0.6458 revealed a high degree of citation inequality among universities, indicating the concentration of higher number of citations within a small number of publications. Gini coefficient values of open access and non-open access publications were 0.6683 and 0.6152 respectively, highlighting a higher degree of citation inequality among open access publications. No significant association was found between research and publication practices score and Gini coefficient values. In-depth understanding of citation inequality can provide deeper insights on the characteristics of citations in terms of evenness of their distribution and can help uncover a phenomenon where a small number of publications bear the ‘burden’ of enhancing the citation impact of the entire institution.

Annual index

2025-11-06

Cover page

2025-11-06