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Dissertation Information for Taverekere Srikantaiah

NAME:
- Taverekere Srikantaiah

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Southern California (USA) (1973)

ADVISORS:
- Martha Terosse Boaz

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Edward Jorgen Hess
- Raymond Earl Oliver Kilpela
- Gilbert Siegel

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: A study of some aspects of the publication program of the government of India with recommendations

Abstract: The objective of this research is to examine some aspects of the publication program of the government of India, with an emphasis on the following areas: Bibliographic control system: bibliographical tools and their scope; Distribution system: policy operation and its effectiveness: and Price determination: cost factors involved in the production of a publication and the price fixing policy.

The investigation begins with a brief outline of the salient features of the functions of the Indiana government of its organizational structure. A discussion of the background of government publications, dealing with their origin and importance, definition, types and authors, follows. A preliminary survey was conducted as a fact-finding measure, through availbale literature and through correspondence with the various offices of the government of India. The survey aimed at generating a list of all the government of India offices that bring out publications in various categories and the ways in which they are prepared, controlled or distributed.

The study revealed more than 500 central government offices that are comprised of attached offices, subordinate offices, autonomous bodies, registered societies, underserviced organizations, and other organizations that are controlled by different ministries and departments. The survey also led to the analysis of five major bodies and a decision to study the various aspects of the publication program that have already been pointed out in the first paragraph.

Analysis of the data showed that each office within the government is established for a specific task, a great majority of them having come into existence after the country's independence. The process of publishing differs considerably from office to office and there is no uniformity in the concepts of the publication program, such as preparation, symbolization, printing, pricing, bibliographical control, and the sale and distribution of publications.

The investigation indicated the following findings. The government is the largest publisher in the country in terms of both quantity and variety. The publication program is highly decentralized and complex. There are 14 government presses responsible for printing publications. These presses have a tremendous workload and their printing work is felt to be more utilitarian in nature than quality work, as evidenced by the poor quality of the paper, ink, and format they use. The publications carry certain recognizable features (such as symbol, seal of the government) but the proactive is not uniform. The great majority of the publications are in English, followed by Hindi, with a negligible number of publications in the regional languages. There is no single bibliographical tool to point out all these publications. Catalogs, when issued, seem to be mere price lists and do not measure up to professional standards. Distribution of publications is done from many different outlets, the most popular being the agents, who are actually commercial booksellers. The appointment of agents involves tedious procedures, and the rates of commission received on the sales differ from office to office. Pricing of publications is not uniform, and there are inconsistencies in conversion into foreign currencies. Sales promotion and public relations are inadequate, resulting in poor sales and distribution.

Recommendations included to improve the current ineffective system are: a) to centralize the publication program, b) to give sufficient freedom to the government offices to choose presses from the private sector to meet their needs and improve quality, c) to establish certain standards for recognizable features such as symbols, d) to prepare bibliographical tools of professional standards, e) to set up a centralized clearinghouse for effective distribution, f) to formulate a uniform pricing policy, g) to use modern and scientific sales promotion methods, h) to establish an office, preferably an autonomous body, to coordinate the program, and i) to conduct an in-depth study of all areas of the publication program.

MPACT Scores for Taverekere Srikantaiah

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-06-27 20:53:57

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