University of Ladakh hosts One-Day INFLIBNET training to strengthen Digital Research access

LEH: The University of Ladakh on Tuesday organised a one-day awareness programme on INFLIBNET services, providing around 100 faculty members, research scholars, students and other academic users with practical exposure to digital library resources and research-support platforms.

The programme was organised by the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ladakh, Leh Campus, in collaboration with the Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET), Gandhinagar.

The sessions focused on digital resources available for scholarly research, academic communication, literature review and maintaining academic integrity, with participants introduced to platforms including Shodhganga, ShodhGangotri, ShodhShuddhi, e-ShodhSindhu, One Nation One Subscription (ONOS), VIDWAN, ShodhChakra, IndCat, SOUL, N-LIST, e-PG Pathshala, SWAYAM and IRINS.

The keynote address was delivered by Manoj Kumar K., Scientist-F (CS), INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar, who outlined the role of INFLIBNET in supporting higher education institutions, faculty members, research scholars and students through digital library services, scholarly databases, institutional repositories and research platforms.

During the technical sessions, participants received practical exposure to IndCat, the online union catalogue providing bibliographic information from university libraries across India. The sessions also covered research-oriented platforms such as Shodhganga and ShodhChakra, besides plagiarism detection tools and resources related to academic integrity.

Emphasis was laid on originality, proper citation and referencing, and the ethical use of academic information. Participants were also guided on using doctoral theses available through Shodhganga for literature reviews and scholarly research.

In his Presidential Address, University of Ladakh Vice Chancellor Professor Saket Kushwaha stressed the growing role of digital library networks, information-sharing platforms and technology-enabled academic services in higher education. He urged faculty members, research scholars and students to make effective use of available digital resources to strengthen the University’s academic and research ecosystem.

The inaugural session was addressed by Dean, Research Studies, University of Ladakh, Dr Sonam Joldan, while the keynote session was moderated by Dr Rinchen Dolma, Assistant Professor, Department of History.

The programme concluded with a valedictory session moderated by Dr Stanzin Dolkar, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics. Prof Devika P. Madalli, Director, INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar, and Manoj Kumar K. were felicitated.

During the valedictory proceedings, the Registrar, University of Ladakh, underlined the need for effective utilisation of digital resources. Prof Madalli spoke on ONOS, Shodhganga, ShodhChakra and other research resources, while the Vice Chancellor highlighted ONOS as a means of improving access to scholarly resources at the University.

Certificates were distributed among participants. Archo Sara, Programme Coordinator, proposed the Vote of Thanks, acknowledging the support of the University administration, INFLIBNET resource persons, faculty members and participants. The programme concluded with the National Anthem.