ACQUISITION AND DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT

ACQUISITION AND DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT

Major traditional libraries, particularly academic libraries, shifted to electronic or digital libraries and began to provide information services without boundaries. Library users could access library resources at any time and from any location. The Library’s Changing Face

Services aided in the development of the country’s learning society and the environment for life-long learning.

These events occurred as a result of the library’s adoption of information technology and automated library systems. This paper focuses on the acquisition and deployment of technology that has an impact on such development. Keywords:

ThaiSarn, ThaiLIS, UNINET, Academic Libraries, Technology Infrastructure

INTRODUCTION

The majority of academic libraries prioritize acquiring maximum information resources by purchasing textbooks, reference works, journals (both in printed and electronic media), course materials, and consortia. Can we assume in this context that “better library and laboratory facilities facilitate better education”? Recently, the argument has been modified to say that “better access to resources and well-informed users are lifelong learners,” which creates a good academic environment. Whereas,

Technology-based developments point to a broad spectrum, ranging from simple administrative requirements to high-end grid computing for e-research. Typically, in a university setting, all functional units are interconnected, which may be at an admission of

a student or high-level research activity in which usage is proportionate to

Their requirements. In Thailand, information infrastructure is built as national infrastructure, then optimized and deployed at the university level to meet a wide range of functional requirements. The

The requirements, standards, and recommendations of standard development organizations are used to guide the selection and deployment of infrastructure at the enterprise level or desktop applications.

Infrastructure Development for Technology The government began major development of information technology infrastructure in Thailand in 1992 through the National Information Technology Committee (NITC), with the mandate of planning, facilitating, and monitoring implementation. The committee was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic and social development and consisted of 22 members from leading public and private organizations. National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), a statutory government agency under for inter-organization as well as intra-organization communications including cross- database access for the participating parties.