Srinagar, Oct 17: The University of Kashmir has directed heads of departments, directors of research centres and directorates, and other campus authorities to undertake physical stock verification of books in their respective libraries, with the university setting a two-month deadline for submission of verified reports and details of missing books.
A circular issued by the University Librarian, Allama Iqbal Library has called for a systematic assessment of library holdings to ensure accountability, proper maintenance and accurate updating of book inventories across the university.
The circular requires departments, research centres and directorates to constitute internal stock verification committees and submit a final verified report, along with the prescribed annexures, to the office of the University Librarian within two months of the circular’s issuance. The matter has been marked urgent.
Under the prescribed procedure, the physical verification data must be compiled in the formats attached to the circular. Authorities have been asked to calculate the percentage of book losses in accordance with the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, Rule 215, as adopted by the University Library Committee through its decision attached as Annexure-B.
The verification exercise is also intended to establish whether any reported loss falls within the permissible limits under the rules. For this purpose, committees must compare the total number of books issued or consulted during the period under review with the total number of missing books.
The prescribed stock-verification format requires details of the total collection, present collection, weeded-out books, books damaged in the 2014 floods, books lost by users for which costs have been recovered, books currently in circulation, and books issued or consulted from January 2001 to December 2025. The format also requires the total number of missing books and a remarks column.
The circular separately stipulates that where a missing book has a purchase cost exceeding Rs 1,000, the concerned head of department or director must provide a detailed written clarification and justification explaining the circumstances of the loss.
For recording missing books, the attached format requires the accession number, title, author and printed price of each book. The total price is to be calculated by Allama Iqbal Library. The completed list must be prepared in MS Excel and emailed from the official email address of the head of department to the designated library email addresses specified in the circular.
The document also refers to a Library Committee resolution dated January 23, 2025, which amended the interpretation of permissible book losses under the university’s stock-verification regulations.
According to the resolution, the earlier wording referred to losses of five volumes per 1,000 volumes of books issued in a year. The corrected wording, aligned with GFR 2017, refers to books “issued/consulted” in a year, provided the losses are not attributable to dishonesty or negligence. The correction was approved with retrospective effect.
The resolution also defines books counted as “consulted” to include those accessed by users within library premises for reading, reference or study, as well as books taken off shelves for photocopying but not formally issued.
For estimating consultations, the resolution directs libraries to use visitor data derived from footfall registers maintained by Allama Iqbal Library, seminar libraries and campus libraries. Where visitor registers are missing, outdated or unavailable, the total number of visits is to be determined by the librarian or head/director of the respective library, duly endorsed by the relevant departmental committee. A verification certificate must then be prepared and forwarded to Allama Iqbal Library for further calculations.
The circular’s requirements place responsibility on individual departments and centres to establish the status of their collections, account for missing volumes and provide supporting records rather than relying solely on aggregate library figures. [KNT]
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