Dr. T.B. Rajashekar – 20th Memorial Lecture 2025 on “Building open access infrastructure using interoperable technologies and capacity building – the idea behind T.B. Rajasekar’s initiatives” by Dr. Madhan Muthu, Director (Library), OP Jindal Global University: Sonipat, Haryana, IN (Date & Time : Tuesday, 24 June 2025 at 3:30 pm)

Title : Building open access infrastructure using interoperable technologies and capacity building – the idea behind T.B. Rajasekar’s initiatives

Speaker : Dr. Madhan Muthu, Director (Library), OP Jindal Global University: Sonipat, Haryana

Date & Time : Tuesday, 24 June 2025 at 3:30 pm

Abstract of the Talk :

Interoperable institutional repositories came to India as early as the open access movement began gaining momentum across the world — thanks to the pioneering initiatives of T.B. Rajasekar and his colleagues at NCSI in the early 2000s. They established India’s first such repository and made significant efforts to empower librarians across the country by conducting workshops to share their expertise on open-source platforms. Indian librarians had valuable opportunities and support — such as tools and training — to promote open access in India. However, have they truly taken advantage of those opportunities?

Madhan’s talk will explore Rajasekar’s emphasis on interoperable, institutionally-defined repositories that enable easy, web-wide access and visibility of research papers through seamless metadata sharing. He will also discuss why Rajasekar’s foundational work remains important, why it must be continued, and what librarians in India can do to carry forward his legacy — particularly now (though belated), when there is growing global recognition of the value of interoperable repositories. Madhan will further highlight recent developments in metadata aggregation and improvements in secondary information services.