With the modern academic and research library come new kinds of acquisitions, such as e-journals, on-line databases, and resources on micro media, such as compact disks. The need for large libraries, with millions of feet of shelf space has given way to a need for well-designed libraries that accommodate the traditional resources and provide comfortable access to modern technology. At IITB the library is neither large nor well designed for modern library technology. In truth, the library needs to be substantially revamped to meet current and future needs of a world-class teaching and research institute.

Library resources in most traditional areas have actually been reduced over the last decade as inflation in the price of reference materials increased, the Rupee lost value against the dollar, and new areas of academic teaching and research have been added to the curricula at IITB. This has required acquisition of new journals and other materials.

Despite allocation of over 8% of available government grants for journal subscriptions over the past decade, for many departments three to five journals were eliminated and none added, due to inadequate amounts of money. One department was given a choice of retaining several foreign journals or keeping the few remaining Indian journals in their area of research and teaching. Department faculty choose to retain the foreign journals, only to have these cut in the following year. The need for research and academic reference materials echoes throughout IITB as faculty and students clamor for world-class recognition.

Consider that over the last several years the new research oriented "dual degree" program was established, three new schools were added, and over 2300 graduate students, and 400 research staff and faculty are now actively pursuing their research work in a wide spectrum of areas in basic sciences, engineering and technology.

Journal subscriptions have been trimmed from 1370 in 1992 to about 1,000 today. Endowments and annual contributions would add needed journals and subscription databases. Plus allow IITB to resubscribe to the many journals dropped over the past decade of increasing costs and diversifying need.

Endowment:$7.5 million
Annual: $750,000

SciFinder Scholar offers access to "Chemical Abstracts" including a chemical registry file with over 22 million substances, and access to patents and conference proceedings, providing a comprehensive database of chemical literature, including more than 8,000 scientific journals.

Endowment:$550,000
Annual: $55,000

IEL Online serves several Engineering disciplines, providing Journals, conference proceedings, and technical standards from 1988 to the present. It includes more than 12,000 publications containing over 450,000 articles from over 135 journals and over 465 conference proceedings.

Endowment:$500,000
Annual: $61,000

New Building. The Central Library building is almost 40 years old and poorly configured for modern needs. A new building is now required, designed as a library for modern world-class research and reference.

Approx: $4 millon

Storage. Books have deteriorated in the harsh and humid Bombay environment. Even addition of air conditioning in some areas of the library has not halted the degradation. Transfer of reference books to digital media is the answer to preservation, use and storage of these irreplaceable materials.

Approx: $500,000

Network Databases. Using services from other libraries via electronic “networks” is limited, but can be enhanced by using “interlibrary networks” to gain access to various references, including Web of Science, Derwent Innovations Index, Aerospace Database, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, GrayLIT Network, Society of Automotive Engineers, and many more...

Endowment:$5 million
Annual: $500,000

E-journals: 200,000 yr
Endowment: $2 million