The Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) and the National Information System for Science& Technology (NISSAT) organized a two-day workshop on `Effective Use of Internet Information Resources' at New Delhi during 22-23 January 1998. The workshop was designed to cover topics like Internet service providers in India, Internet access, setting up the dial-up access to Internet through VSNL using Windows 3.1/95, Internet tools, locating resources on Internet and accessing the web sites devoted to energy, environment, and sustainable development.
Ms Nivedita, Dean, Information Services, TERI, extended a warm welcome to the participants on behalf of the Director Dr. R.K. Pachauri, who was away and could not be present at the workshop. She mentioned that TERI's Information Services Division is the oldest division of TERI, and incorporates three areas namely the Library, the Documentation & Information Centre, and the Publications Unit and is involved in a wide range of information activities, from maintaining a rich research library to providing user-specific services to bringing out information products and their outreach. It also focuses on developing linkages and networking with similar institutions and information centres for resource sharing and exchange of information. Apart from these, it also undertakes sponsored information projects, organizes workshops and training programmes, basically for disseminating information and sharing skills and experiences.
Inaugural session in progress [Photograph]
Discussing the objectives of the workshop, she mentioned that the rapid growth of the Internet over the last few years had radically changed the scenario of information dissemination and retrieval globally, but locating information resources has become very difficult. Information resources in different formats, e.g., pre-prints of the articles, databases, library catalogues, discussion forums, mailing lists, etc. are continuously being made available on the Internet and it is this availability of such vast information that is making the location of information on the net a formidable task.
Inaugurating the workshop, Dr. A. Lahiri, Advisor, NISSAT, DSIR, emphasized the need to locate information effectively on the Internet. While praising the excellent facilities being made available by TERI, he said that finding specific information on the Internet is not all that simple. In fact, information tracking could prove to be quite an adverse process. Many people are of the opinion that one gets a lot of information on the Internet. But as one gets down to looking for specific information on Internet, one may increasingly find more and more irrelevant information. However, it is another matter that what is not useful to some people may prove to be quite useful to others. Dr. Lahiri added that in the present workshop special emphasis was being given to resources on energy, environment and sustainable development issues. While comparing the run-of-the-mill training courses on Internet being offered commonly and a specialized workshop being conducted by TERI, he mentioned that this kind of training with subject focus was only possible in research institutions like TERI. Dr Lahiri particularly stressed on the importance of hands on sessions and practical experience in the context of subject background, which was really the strength of the workshop.