Quality Enhancement in Higher Education Institutions Through Best Practices in Library: A Case of SIMS

The library has a key role in supporting the academic activities of higher education institutions by establishing, maintaining and promoting the Information services within easy accessibility and greater efficiency. Srinivas Institute of Management Studies (SIMS) being a higher educational institution, is fostering the quality of education through modern infrastructure and best services keeping in view the quality as yardstick. In this regard, it has taken many steps to improve the qualities of information provided to its students as well as teachers for enhancing knowledge, skills and supports research activities which is a major part of higher education. This paper provides the best practices followed in Library and quality enhancement services and exposes the current challenges faced by the library and how it overcomes it by using the best practices. There are 30 best practices adopted for providing best service to its users. A best practice may be innovative and be philosophy, policy, strategy, program, process or practice that solve a problem or create new opportunities and positively impact the whole Institution. Collection and library environment are indispensable assets of the library. Almost all the services and outputs of a library are associated with these two aspects. The effectiveness services through automation and subscription of on-line journals and databases are also mentioned. Finally two best practices are elaborated by considering their aim, contextual features, implementation and uniqueness, and evidence of success, and which have contributed to the achievement of the Institutional objectives and/or contributed to the Quality improvement of the core activities of the library.