Refrence Sources in Telugu- A Comprehensive Guide

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Reference sources in Telugu, A comprehensive Guide, is an invaluable contribution to the field. The author surveys all the major sources in Telugu since 1800 A.D. He also analyses and classifies these sources: Dictionaries

Encyclopaedias

Biographies

Geographical sources

Proverbs and idioms

Yearbooks and Directories

Government. Reports and Publications

Bibliographies

Abstracts, indexes and concordances. This book records and presents the usefulness of these various sources in a comprehensive manner. It is a guide to future research scholars of Telugu studies and students of LIS. The novel feature of the book is the Author. Index, Title Index and Subject Index which make the reference easy. It is written in simple and lucid style to make it interesting and is thus a major publication in Telugu Studies.

Dr. M.Sankara Reddy has M.A. (AIHC & A) and M.L.I.Sc from OU and Ph.D. in LIS from the Gulbarga University. His thesis was awarded gold medal. Dr. Reddy has a rich and varied experience of over 28 years in LIS field. He has published many, papers in professional journals, participated and presented several papers in regional, national and international (Kaulalumpur (1981), Hyderabad (1985), New Delhi (1992) and Mauritius (1995)) conferences. He is a life member of ALSD, IASLIC and ILA, APLA. He is associated with these professional organisations as General Secretary, Vice- President of ALSD and council member of ILA. He has been a member of Selection Committee of Director of Public Libraries and examiner, resource person, Board of studies of O.U. and A.P Government examinations and other universities. He is an advisor to the State Central Library. He was coeditor of seminar papers of Collective Mobilization of Library Resources published by the Telugu University. His forth coming publications are (0 Indes for Bharati, Telugu literary journal 00) Directory of oumens Teluge Periodicals.

This work, a slightly modified presentation of the author's Ph.D thesis, not withstanding a couple of similar works already that are there, is certainly a maiden attempt and a major effort as well, to bring together all the varieties of information sources in Telugu. As we progress on the path of knowledge, we not only create more knowledge but also often create conceptual and terminological problems needing solutions. I feel that the two terms viz., reference and source illustrate this point amply presenting themselves as conceptual conundrums. I am not aware of how librarians and other information specialists would define and explain these words. As a non- librarian, but certainly as a constant user of libraries, my experience tells me that a source could be any published/unpublished reading material while the act of reference is consulating, reading, quick look up, or gleaning of documents for specific pieces of knowledge/information. Necessarily therefore, a reference source can be anything, ranging from a text-book or a monograph to an article in a key journal or a personal diary or any kind of compilation of data/ information. However, as a convention, librarians mark and segregate into separate collections, certain categories of materials like bibliographies, catalogues, indexes and abstracts, reviews, digests, advances, progresses, etc; encyclopedias, data compilations like hand-books, almanacs, manuals, tables, statistical and other year books, biographical, geographical source books, dictionaries, glossaries, thesauri, directories, guides and host of other materials. While some of these sources serve as access tools to recorded/published literature in general, others serve as the prime sources for retrieving any kind of information sought by the users. The wealth (Volume and variety) of reference sources in any language is a direct measure not only of the extent (vastness and richness) of the recorded knowledge in the language but is also an index of the complexity of the intellectual environment and the consequent demands for retrieval tools. Telugu, as one of the oldest among the major languages of the country, has a rich cultural and literary tradition. It has accumulated, over the past many centuries, a great abundance of literature covering every field of knowledge which is comparable to the richness of any other national The formation of the linguistic state of A.P. has brought back the Telugu Language to the centre stage of all the activities in the state: education, science, commerce, adminstration, etc. This has given a further fillip to the language development, as a medium of communication, in all walks of life including the intellectual and cultural pursuits. The increasing use of the language in all the fields requires facilitation of greater social utilization of the exisiting literature for enabling creation and recreation of more knowledge, i.e., literature for larger communication. Wider communication and larger social utilization of the recorded knowledge are possible only when there are access tools and information sources. The determined efforts of the state at naturalising and converting the world's knowledge into Telugu points out to the imperative need of reorganising and restructuring our knowledge system so that necessary bibliographical apparatuses are also undertaken. Much of the training and education of librarians/information specialists, naturally concentrates also on reference sources because such a knowledge should form part of the Professional equipment of library and Information workers. Dr.M.Sankara Reddy has endeavoured in this book, to make a comprehensive survey and study of the different types of extant reference sources in Telugu. A Work of this nature is no less tedious and exacting than a lexical compilation. The reason is obvious, One who undertakes a task of this nature has to tread the labyrinthine route beset with uncertainity because of the vastness and scatter of the materials. Time is another constraint. Despite these difficulties, the author has greatly succeeded in his efforts. It is indeed a worthy contribution to the field of Library & Information Science and Telugu Studies. I am confident that this will win him appreciation as a useful work needed by students, Librarians and others including the international community. I also wish that the author will eventually bring the Telugu Version of this work.

McLuhan's theory that it is the medium that shapes the content of the message, and the universally accepted linguistic fact that the medium (language) not only serves as a means of human communication but also as a tool that shapes the cultural content and pattern as well, are very much relevant to librarianship. Librarianship as a system of bibliographical/ textual interpretation and communication of knowledge has naturally a linguistic dimension also. Despite the increasing value of Knowledge/information as an international commodity and all the efforts at eliminating the linguistic barriers of communication across the world, the cultural essence of the message in the respective media cannot also be underestimated because of the obviousness of the specific linguistic and cultural significance and relevance that they may possess. Librarianship, therefore, has a definite language dimension which shapes it. Information services in many instances have a linguistic contour also about them. There may be no commonality and general relevance. Every language develops a variety of reference tools to suit its own needs. An understanding of this aspect as well as awareness of such sources are also important for librarians serving specific linguistic groups and cultures. In the context of the growing importance of our national languages, and the bibliographic & information demands thereof, a deep knowledge of reference work and reference sources are indispensable. Instruction for librarianship offered through any Indian Language will be insufficient if this factor is not considered. This study, therefore, surveys and evaluates some of the primary, secondary and tertiary reference sources published in Telugu. It is also an investigation of the history and development of dictionaries, encyclopaedias, biographies, geographical sources, directories, year books, government reports and publications, bibliographies, abstracts, and other categories with analyses. About 700 items have been totally listed. My experience as a Librarian serving the user community in Telugu University has convinced me of this fact. There is indeed a great demand and a great scope as well in rendering reference services to our clientele. I have, therefore addressed myself to this task. This book is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to sources of information in Telugu. I also feel that this will serve as a basic book for imparting instruction in reference sources in Telugu. I hope that the fellow librarians, students and others will receive this book well and also will make useful suggestions for improvement.

**Contents and Sample Pages**