Contents: Preface. 1. India and its public libraries. 2. Public libraries, legislation and information technology. 3. Library legislation in India. 4. Components of public library legislation. 5. Model library acts/bills for the states in India. 6. Model state library and information services policy. 7. Model public library and information services Act (Madras Pattern). 8. Model public library and information services Act (after implementation of the 73rd and 74 th amendments to the constitution of India). 9. Library legislation in the Indian union and the Model union library Act of/S.R. Ranganathan.

"Legislation is the only way for a systematic and planned development of library service. The work of library legislation in India during the last 50 years has been slow. Even after five decades of independence, only thirteen states enacted library legislation. It is happy to note that in almost all remaining states, the work on library legislation is in progress. In the coming few years, there is a grater possibility for library law being enactment in more states.

Public libraries have to gear up to meet the challenges of ever-increasing volume of information, decreasing ability of libraries for comprehensive acquisition of documents, growing demands of increasing number of users, and the complex and multifaceted user requirements in the information age. This is possible with proper amendments in existing library legislation in states and proper vision of the central government and state governments in India." (jacket)