1Dept of Agricultural Extension, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, India
2Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Panangad, India (Retired)
The 1999 Expert Committee Report on the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) Library and Information System was among the earliest Indian policy documents to anticipate the impact of emerging information technologies on academic libraries. At a time when automation, networking, multimedia, and Internet-based retrieval were nascent, the Committee articulated a forward-looking vision for restructuring KAU’s library system. Many recommendations foreshadowed global transformations in higher education and scholarly communication. Nearly three decades later, however, the assumptions underlying the report have been overtaken by profound technological and organizational change. Libraries have evolved into digital knowledge ecosystems supporting artificial intelligence, open science, research data management, digital scholarship, institutional repositories, and enterprise-wide governance. This paper critically reviews the rationale for rewriting the report’s conceptual chapters generalising it for all SAUs in light of developments up to 2026, arguing that the revised framework represents a paradigm shift from conventional library administration to strategic knowledge infrastructure management.
Knowledge Management, Heritage Conservation, University Libraries, Banaras Hindu University, Education, National Movement, Ancient Indian Kowledge Traditions
