New Delhi: The endless wait for books will soon be over for students of the University of Delhi (DU), with the varsity planning to make the reference material for all courses available online.

While librarians in most of the colleges claim that the system of issuing books is smooth, students are of the view that popular reference material is always in short supply.

DU's Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh said that many complaints have been received from students regarding the poor conditions of books in libraries. Therefore, they are trying their best to make reference material available to students online or via other sources.

He further added that they are not sure how long it will take to change the system as this is a big problem, which colleges have neglected.

After being troubled for long to find reference material, students have welcomed this move. A student said that teachers have suggested them to make groups and study but it is impossible. It is very difficult to keep chasing one book for days together.

An MBA student from DU's faculty of Management said that if it will be a great idea to provide books online. He also advised that for starters, the colleges should provide essential readings in booklet form at the beginning of every semester. This facility is available at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

A first year economics (Hons) student from Hansraj College expressed that Librarians do not care about the condition of books or their placement in the library. It is not students' responsibility to hunt for books. Its librarians job to provide them with required material.

The situation is opposite abroad, where the attitude of librarians is not that languid. In most universities abroad, a student can submit a written request for a book even if it is out of stock and librarians inform the student once the book has been sourced from elsewhere.