LIRC@SFIT

UGC’s norms lead to thriving ‘pay and publish’ business, HRD   ministry to remove all bogus journals The “publish or perish” criterion in the university system has to led to a very high volume of low quality publications, a problem that lowers India’s image in the international academic domain. A requirement that scholars get at least two research papers published in a University Grants Commission-approved journal before submitting their doctoral theses, coupled with pressure on university teachers to get their research published regularly in academic periodicals, has produced an unexpected side-effect: It has led to a proliferation of dubious journals. A study to be published in the March 25 issue of Current Science notes a spurt in the number of predatory and dubious journals offering ‘pay and publish’ services to gullible authors. For the study titled “A critical analysis of the ‘UGC-approved list of journals’”, a team of six researchers, in association with the human...

Petitions for H1-B visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, will be accepted from April 2, a federal agency announced on Wednesday. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also announced the suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions, which are subject to the annual caps. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. Source:  https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/h-1b-visa-application-to-begin-from-april-2-premium-processing-stopped/story-NLw7Irchj1V7UWC4FjoM2L.html To read more: Hindustan Times dated March 21, 2018

In a historic decision today, the University Grants Commission has granted autonomy to sixty Higher Educational Institutions which have maintained high academic standards. This was announced by the Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar at a media briefing in New Delhi today. Shri Javadekar said that the Government is striving to introduce a liberalized regime in the education sector and emphasis is on linking autonomy with quality.  Giving further details, Shri Prakash Javadekar said that the sixty Higher Educational Institutions which have been granted autonomy includes 52 Universities i.e. 5 central universities, 21 state universities, 24 deemed universities, and 2 private universities. Shri Javadekar explained that these universities will remain within the ambit of  UGC but will have the freedom to start new courses, off campus centers, skill development courses, research parks and any other new academic programs.  They will also have...

Image Source:  https://viralknot.com/slogans-save-trees/  (Accessed on 21/03/2018) International Day  of  Forests : 21 March  2018 . The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the  International Day  of  Forests  (IDF) in 2012. The  Day  celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of  forests . References: www.greeningtheblue.org/event/international-day-forests   (Accessed on 21/03/2018) For More Information: International Day of Forests   (Accessed on 21/03/2018) Forest Survey of India   (Accessed on 21/03/2018)

A half day workshop on” High Impact Presentation Skills” was organized by BKC Knowledge Network and Bai Ratanbai Gharda Memorial Library on 16 March, 2018. The well attended event sourced together nearly 33 participants from most of the well known premier institutions. Shiv Khera has aptly said “Leadership is about persuasion, presentation and people skills” and this suits all of us in every walk of life and especially in the academic sector. As we all might agree, our library profession also encompasses all the three P’s stated above by Shiv Khera. We create presentations for orientation to new students, faculty and various committees. A presentation, in essence, could also be a brochure which says “Know Your Library”. Most of us include more of text (textual matter) and less of images. The success of any presentation depends upon the way information is captured (understood) by the audience. So, you might agree that the presentation should be appealing at all times. Ve...

It's World Storytelling Day And We Give You Fun Ways To Enjoy Books Mar 20, 2018, 08:37 IST | Trina Chaudhuri On World Storytelling Day, Change The Way You Look At Books And Make Every Time, Story Time, With These Apps   The one thing that sets Mumbai apart from the rest of the country is its speed. And caught in that speed, it's very difficult to find some time for a good old storybook. But on World Storytelling Day, no excuse is going to be enough for all the stories that you don't read or listen to, at least not for the day. So, if getting hold of a paperback is difficult or reading from the Kindle not all that favourable while on your commute, here's a suitable and very affordable alternative — audio books. All it takes is for you to download the apps, and hit go. Headphones recommended, please. Storytel Headquartered in Stockholm, the app operates in 14 countries, among which are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Finland, Russia, Spain, Poland and Indi...

This is our first attempt at "Infographic" and it is beautifully curated by your library trainee - Ms. Ankita Tiwari (M.L.I.Sc. Student at SHPT School of Library Science, Churchgate, Mumbai). SFIT LIRC has more than 70 books on Entrepreneurship - a few on its basics, some highlighting its financial section and many others on start-ups, their founders and their success stories. We had organized a display of all these books to complement PRAGATI 2018 which is an annual event of SFIT hosting an inter college innovation competition and startup talks for students. We thought of creating this Infographic so that our students get to know exactly what genres are available and what is to be read... Have a look here - INFOGRAPHICS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP Infographics...... Infographics are a better way of guiding people visually. There are many posters available for Infographic on Libraries. Libraries have so much of information to be shared but at many times if it is not presen...