* To Promote better, faster and more cost-effective ways of providing information resources to the officials at the consortia member institutions.
* To avoid duplication of subscription of Journals and E-resources and promote the rational use of funds by the consortia members.
* To ensure continuous subscription of e-resources and availability of these to the scientists working at the consortia member institutions.
* Better rates and terms for purchase of electronic journals
* Availability of a larger spectrum of journals to the DBT Institutions with lesser costs.
The ‘DBT’s Electronic Library Consortium (DeLCON)’ is major project of the ‘Department of Biotechnology (DBT)’ to bring qualitative change in their research Institutions. It was launched in January, 2009 with the 10 DBT member Institutions (including DBT H.Q. & ICGEB) with a large number of high impact online journals. It is a national initiative for providing access to scholarly electronic resources including full-text and bibliographic databases in all the life science subject disciplines to DBT Institutional community. It facilitates access to high quality e-resources to DBT research Institutions in the country to improve teaching, learning and research.
The access to all major e-resources was given to 10 DBT Institutions in the beginning of the year 2009. It was extended to 17 more DBT Institutions in 2nd phase of extension in the year 2010 and further 07 members were added in the 3rd phase of extension in the Year 2011. The ‘DeLCON Consortium’
provides current as well as archival access to more than 927+ core and peer-reviewed journals and one bibliographic database (SCOPUS Database) in different disciplines from 20 foreign publishers and some of aggregators.
The Faculties, Scientists, Research Scholars, Students and Project Assistants of Institutions covered under DeLCON are the primary beneficiaries. DBT sponsored the entire expenses for DBT organizations for providing e-Journals access through 'DeLCON Consortium'. The DeLCON comprises the currently following 34 Member Institutions. In terms of number of users, the DBT’s Electronic Library Consortium (DeLCON) is the largest Consortium in India constituted in the area of Biotechnology and life sciences with a vision and plan to reach out to all DBT Institutions departments, Research Institutions, Universities, and their colleges affiliated to the DBT, over a period of time.