Expert & Distinguished Speakers

Hon'ble Vice Chancellor

National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU)

Presidential & Keynote Address

A world-renowned pioneer in forensic science education, directing the expansion of cyber security, behavioral forensics, and secure infrastructure studies globally.

IAS Retd. & Chairman

Advance Information Network of Libraries (ADINET)

Shri P. K. Laheri is a former Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat. During his career in civil services, he has worked in various departments. He has also worked in Government of India as Executive Director- National Institute of Fashion Technology. He worked with five Chief Ministers of Gujarat as their Principal Secretary. Post retirement, Shri Laheri was associated with Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited as Chairman and Managing Director.

Campus Director

NFSU Gandhinagar

Professor Dr. S. O. Junare is forensic accountant and behavioral economist, combining insights from fraudology, economics and psychology to improve decision-making in organizations and society, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective.

He is shouldering responsibilities as Campus Director at National Forensic Sciences University Delhi and is responsible for all aspects of the University’s teaching mission and works on a broad range of academic and faculty issues, including academic planning, curriculum, Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE), and educational technology.

He previously served as Gandhinagar Campus Director, Dean-Faculty of Management, Dean-Faculty of Forensic Science and Dean-Faculty of Doctoral Studies. In addition, he served as member of Board of Governors, Academic Council, Finance Committee, Board of Studies and providing a comprehensive policy inputs to strengthen the academic and research activities at the University.

His teaching focuses on Forensic Accounting, Micro Finance and Business Laws and Criminal Laws. Dean Dr Junare has diversified combination of education and talent and he earned Bachelor degrees in Commerce, Literature, Education and Law. He also possesses Master degrees in Management, Commerce and Philosophy and Doctoral Degree in Commerce and Management.</p><p class="text-justify">His most recent research examines role of forensic science in prevention of economic crimes design to co-relate application of forensic science in fraud investigation and prevention.

Professor Junare is a Dean-School of Management Studies; Dean-School of Forensic Science and also a Dean-School of Doctoral Studies & Research. He serves on the boards or advisory boards of Banks, Universities, Educational Institutes and the advisory board of NITI Ayog (Agriculture & Rural Development Branch) as well as numerous academic journals. His research interest areas are Forensic Accounting, Criminal Laws and Forensic Science.

Executive Registrar

NFSU Gandhinagar

As an effective Administrator with the best conceptual skill, he is a strategic decision maker to run the University efficiently by maintaining high standards. He has vast experience of working as an Academic Administrator, and a Researcher.

He is serving as an Executive Registrar of NFSU, an "Institution of National Importance ''. He is also a member secretary to various committees and boards to provide leadership, planning, organizing and managing all the activities related to records with regard to registry.

Before serving at the world's first and only Forensic Sciences University; i.e. NFSU from 26 August 2014 and continuing, he had served in the premium institute like the IIM-Ahmedabad at a Higher Position where he had contributed as a researcher in the World Bank Project.

He has 33 years of vast experience of working at premier education institute.

All the experiences in the varied field of Academia and Administration made him a proactive professional and a congenial individual to make the Institution a world-class.

Advisor

National Board of Accreditation (NBA)

Secure Knowledge Networks: Libraries in the Era of Cyber Security and Digital Collaboration and Research Ethics in the AI Era and Library Networking

Dr. Jagdish Arora, currently Advisor, National Board of Accreditation (NBA) was the Director of INFLIBNET Centre from August 2007 to Dec. 2018. He worked as Librarian at the IIT Delhi (2003 – 2007) and Librarian at IIT Bombay (2002-2003), Documentation Officer at National Institute of Immunology, Delhi (1983 - 1991) and Asstt. Documentation Officer, ICRISAT, Patancheru, A.P. (1980 - 1983).

Dr. Arora is recipient of several national and international awards including Fulbright Professional Fellowship in Library and Information Science, NDLTD Leadership Award (2017), Young Librarian of the Year (SATKAL), Librarian of the Year (IASLIC) and ILA-Kuala Best Librarian Award, etc. More recently, he has been awarded Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research (2025-2026).

Dr. Arora was awarded a citation and memento in 2017 for his commendable contribution to digital initiatives for higher education by the Honourable Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the then President of India. He is recipient of three life-time Achievement Awards.

Dr. Arora has more than 100 research articles to his credit that were published in learned research journals and as chapters in books and conference proceedings. He has presented research papers in several national and international conferences and symposia in India and abroad. Dr. Arora is Course Coordinator for course on Digital Library that is being offered for tenth consecutive time on SWAYAM platform from 2017 onwards.

His current research interests include consortia-based subscription to e-resources, digital libraries, digitization of old and fragile documents and their storage, database-driven Web interfaces and Web-based library services, Web-based learning and education, MOOCs, access management technologies, scientometric analysis, ranking of institutions of higher education, etc.

Vice President & Provost

SHREYARTH UNIVERSITY

Panelists

Dr. R. Venkata Kesavan is a Science Graduate from the University of Madras, and he has obtained his Master’s as well as M.Phil. Degrees in Library & Information Science from the Annamalai University (Tamil Nadu). He has also been awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the LIS field from the University of Mumbai.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan has over three decades of rich Experience in various Corporate Leadership Roles and been offering Modern and World-Class Library and Information Services, with extensive interactions and collaborations with academia from IIMs, IITs, Central & State Universities. In his long-standing career, he has touched the professional lives of thousands of ‘information users’ and ‘knowledge workers & scholars’ at the National as well as International levels by facilitating access to millions of high-quality information and knowledge resources in multimedia formats, in the hybrid library environment, using
the latest LIS Digital Technology Tools and Facilities.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan has had successful stints (all in Leadership Positions) as the Head of Dhirubhai Ambani Resource Centre (Reliance Group, Mumbai – was then working under the direct guidance of Shri. Mukesh Ambani, CMD, RIL); Head of Library and Information Services, British Council - South India (Chennai); and Head of MAGINDIA.COM, Mudra Communications Ltd. In the past, he has also worked as the LIS Head for reputed Organizations such as, EDI India, Gujarat Samachar and ATIRA, located at Ahmedabad.

From Jan 2006 - May 2026, for over two decades, Dr. Venkata Kesavan was working with The Times of India Group as the General Manager & Head, Times Archives & Knowledge Centre (TAKC), Mumbai and here he was spearheading the LIS, Digital Preservation, Knowledge Management and Media Business Information Services, Learning & Development activities for the Group by reaching out to 1000s of internal as well as external users, 24x7. During the last 15 years, in recognition of his exemplary performances, as the LIS Head, Dr. Venkata Kesavan was promoted Four Times within The Times of India Group!.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan, on June 1, 2026, has joined the Shreyarth University, Ahmedabad, as its ‘Vice President & Provost-Add’l. Charge’, and serving in the top-level leadership role of the university, been spearheading academic as well as administrative responsibilities, under the visionary leadership the Shri. Shreyans Shah, Founder President of the University.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan has published / presented / delivered over 60 scholarly papers / presentations / talks in various publications and National as well as International conferences such as ILA, INFLIBNET-CALIBER, ICDL, MANLIBNET, AMLA, IFLA, ICAL and FID.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan’s online advertising archives project MAGINDIA.COM (Mudra Communications) had won over 50 international web awards between 1999-2002. In the year 2000, he had won the ‘ILA-DR C. D. Sharma Award’ for Best Paper Presentation during ILA National Conference. In the year 2012, he has won the MANLIBNET-3B (Bharat Book Bureau) Best Paper Award in MANLIBNET 2012, International Conference. He had conceptualized the Librarians’ Day programme for Ahmedabad Library Network (ADINET) way back in 1994 and was the Convener of the programme during its first two years.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan is a Life Member of the MANLIBNET, Indian Library Association (ILA), Gujarat Library Association and Madras Library Association (MALA). BOSLA, IATLIS, ADINET, etc. He is also a regular member of many specialized e-groups of LISForum, India, International Federation for Library Associations (IFLA), CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, UK, Special Libraries association (SLA) and ALA, USA.

Dr. Venkata Kesavan was a Member of the ‘Ad-hoc Board of Studies in Information Science’ of the SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai (2010-2012).

Dr Venkata Kesavan has served as the Hon. Printer & Publisher, TOI-BCCL, Hon. Secretary of Times Cricket Shield Tournament (an affiliated Cricket Tournament of Mumbai Cricket Association) &The Times of India Sports Club, Chairman of Employees Wellness Club, Co-Ordinator, Times Foundation, etc. (2008-2025)

Dr Venkata Kesavan is also an Hon. Vice President Association of Media Libraries & Archives (AMLA), India.

Associate Dean, Library Director & Professor

American University of Antigua

Panelists

Dr. J. K. Vijayakumar has long-standing international experience in Librarianship. He is currently the Associate Dean, Library Director & Professor at American University of Antigua in the West Indies. He also served as Library Director & Strategic Information Advisor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, and as Scientist at UGC’s INFLIBNET, Gandhinagar in India.

Dr. Vijay is the first Indian librarian on the Board of Directors at the International Association of University Libraries (IATUL) and also active in international associations like IFLA. He visited more than 49 countries for professional engagement and networking.
He is the recipient of IFLA-OCLC fellowship in the USA, Salzburg global fellowship in Austria, IFLA-ALP travel grant to Argentina and Goethe BII visiting study grant in Germany.

Dr. Vijay holds an MSc in information studies from Robert Gordon University UK, a doctorate in information science from Bundelkhand University, a master’s in library science from Annamalai University, and a bachelor’s in mathematics from Kerala University.

Associate Professor (Cyber Security)

School of Cyber Security & Digital Forensics, NFSU

Cyber Security and Data Protection in Digital Libraries

Detecting and Defending against Cyber Threats, Exploring Dark Web, OSINT Mini and Case File, DIGITAL SKILLS: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Introduction to Machine Learning, Introduction to Anti-Corruption, Advanced Anti-Corruption: Prevention of Corruption, Data Journalism, The Fundamentals, Investigative Reporting and Multimedia Storytelling, Publishing a, AccessData Certified Investigator, CNSS Certified Network Security Specialist, Understanding Transnational Organized Crime, NSE 2 Network Security Associate, NSE 1 Network Security Associate, The Evolution of Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity for Security Personnel, Cyber Insdier Threat, Cyber Warfare and Terrorism, Information Security Incident Handling, Digital Forensics, Cryptocurrency for Law Enforcement Public Version, COVID-19: Operational Planning Guidelines and COVID-19 Partners Platform to support country prepared, Fundamentals of Cyber Risk Management Public Version, Reverse Engineering Public Version, Critical Infrastructure Protection Public Version, COVID-19: TACKLING THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), IBM Blockchain Essentials, OSForensics Certified Examiner, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 ISMS LA, AccessData Certified Examiner, Smart Cities, Forensic Science and Criminal Justice, The Internet of Things, Introduction to Cyber Security, Online Course in Data Privacy Law, BE Computer Engineering, MTech Computer Science and Engineering, PhD.

Chief Librarian

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research

Panelists

Dr. Shamprasad Pujar is the Chief Librarian at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research [IGIDR], Mumbai, India. He is a recipient of the Commonwealth Professional Fellow-2008 at the Institute of Development Studies [IDS] , University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.

Honarary Director

ADINET

ADINET Services and Activities

Shailesh R. Yagnik, M.A. (Eco.), MLIS, Ph.D.

He has 46 years of experience in the Library and Information Science field. Before MICA, he provided services at MES High School, Sarabhai Research Centre, Baroda, Operations Research Group (now AC Nielsen), Baroda, and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad.

He had worked with MICA for thirty years in various capacities. He retired as a consultant to the MICA Indian Marketing Intelligence (MIMI) project and the Knowledge Exchange and Information Centre (KEIC). The MIMI database is subscribed to by leading management institutions, government organizations, and industries.

He is Honorary Director of the Advance Information Network of Libraries in Gujarat (ADINET) and Vice President of the IASLIC, West Zone. He is actively promoting ADINET activities and involved in secondary research, particularly government open data.

Librarian

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

AI, Privacy, and Trust: Safeguarding Data in Academic Libraries

Dr. Kannan P is the Librarian at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar. He specializes in Research Information Management Systems (RIMS), digital library development, and cloud computing. His career features a strong focus on building open-source institutional repositories and showcasing scholarly communication activities.

Librarian & Head NICMAN

IIM Ahmedabad

Library Networks, Resource Sharing, and Research Collaboration

Dr. Banka Bihari Chand is the Librarian at Vikram Sarabhai Library. Earlier he has served as Deputy Librarian and Head at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, as Librarian at National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, as a Librarian at US Library of Congress, New Delhi, and as Professional Assistant at Indian Institute of Management Indore.

Dr Chand has received his doctoral degree in Library and Information Science from Bangalore University. He earned his Master's degree in Library and Information Science from Sambalpur University, Odisha.

His areas of professional interest are Research Data Management, Digital Libraries and Information Management.

Scientist - D(LS)

INFLIBNET Centre

Coming Soon...!

Sh. Dinesh Ranjan Pradhan is presently working as Scientist - D(LS) at INFLIBNET Centre.

He has completed BSc & MLISc from Utkal University, Odisha. He has been associated with INFLIBNET Centre since October 2007.

He is involved in the E-Resource Access and Management Group and managing, e-Shodh Sindhu Consortium and One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) Initiative, INDCAT Database of INFLIBNET, and several other projects of INFLIBNET Centre. His areas of interest are e-resource management, library automation, open source software in the field of library science.

Ex Deputy Director General

National Informatics Centre, Government of India

Emerging Technologies, AI, and Secure Scholarly Communication

Dr. Sukhdev Singh is a senior technology and information systems leader with over 3 decades of experience in building India’s national digital platforms and research information infrastructure.

He served as Deputy Director General at the National Informatics Centre, Government of India, where he shaped large-scale information systems used across ministries, research institutions, and public service organizations.

In his career, he pioneered the introduction of international biomedical databases in India in the pre-Internet era, designed national-level indexing systems, and built full-text digital collections and open-access services for scholarly communication.

As Head of the Bibliographic Informatics Division at NIC, he led work on metadata standards, digital repositories, and research information systems. Later at NIC HQ, he managed Programme Management and Parliament Matters, handling national-level project performance and policy coordination.

Today, his focus is on Artificial Intelligence for information-intensive environments. He works on how AI is reshaping discovery, literature analysis, data workflows, and content generation. He trains professionals, consults on AI adoption, and runs active communities like AI Ideas and The AI Librarian to promote practical AI literacy.

He holds an M.S. in Software Systems from BITS Pilani, M.L.I.S. and M.Sc. in Anthropology from Panjab University, and is a Certified Software Quality Professional.

Deputy Librarian

National Forensic Sciences University

LIBRARY NETWORKS, RESOURCE SHARING & RESEARCH COLLABORATION

Dr. Miteshkumar Pandya serves as the Deputy Librarian at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, an Institution of National Importance under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Bringing over 16 years of practical experience across academic librarianship, teaching, digital archiving, and research administration, he plays a key role in steering the university's library framework into a modern digital era. Prior to his leadership position at NFSU, Dr. Pandya spent over a decade as a Scientist in Library Science at the INFLIBNET Centre, where he managed key national database projects, research evaluation initiatives, and institutional data services. His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. and Master’s in Library and Information Science, alongside early professional training at top-tier organizations like IIM Ahmedabad and IGIDR Mumbai.

At NFSU, Dr. Pandya specializes in driving digital library transformation, focusing on DSpace institutional repositories, RFID automation, interoperable cataloging systems, and forensic science collection development. Beyond his administrative duties, he is an active researcher, guest faculty member, and workshop speaker across premier Indian universities, widely recognized for his work in social sciences thesaurus, reference management systems, and modern digital preservation systems.

Scientist - F (CS)

INFLIBNET Centre

Research Ethics in the AI Era

Sh Manoj Kumar K, Scientist - F (CS), INFLIBNET Centre

Territory Sales Manager

Drillbit

Ethical use of AI and Plagiarism Detection using Drillbit

Mr. Akhilesh Yadav works with Drillbit SoftTech India Pvt Ltd and looking after the west India.

Librarian

Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management, Gandhinagar

With over 15 years of professional experience, Dr. Shilpa Pandya currently serves as the Librarian and Assistant Manager at the GIDM, Gandhinagar. An alumna of Bhavnagar University, she has published 3 books and several research articles to her credit. Recently, Dr. Pandya as the sole participant from India to attend an International Librarian Programme “ELLSSA 2026” in Singapore, supported by a scholarship from Singapore Management University. In addition to her active involvement with ADINET, she regularly contributes to GIDM's ongoing training programs in Disaster Management and Fire Safety.

Librarian

IRMA School, Tribhuvan Sahakari University

Dr. Saurabh Karsanbhai Prajapati has been serving as the Librarian at Ravi J. Matthai Library, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), now part of “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University, Anand, Gujarat, since 2014. With over 20 years of experience in LIS, he has previously served at the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT), Gandhinagar, and the British Library. He holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from Sardar Patel University and an M.L.I.Sc. from Gujarat University.
His professional interests include electronic resource management, digital library services, library automation, bibliometrics, and technology-enabled library services. He presented his research at the Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference in Austin, USA, and received the ER&L Student Award in 2021. He was also awarded the ALCTS online course grant for library professionals from developing countries in 2020.

Customer Success Manager

Elsevier

Scopus AI

Shivalika Verma, Customer Success Manager at Elsevier

Is supporting academic and research institutions across South Asia. In her role, she works closely with researchers, librarians, and institutional leaders to help them maximize the value of Elsevier's research and analytics solutions, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, LeapSpace (AI Solution) and SciVal.

She is passionate about empowering the research community through effective use of technology, data-driven insights, and best practices in scholarly communication. Through workshops, training sessions, and strategic engagement, she helps institutions strengthen research visibility, enhance impact, and navigate the evolving landscape of AI-enabled research.

Senior Account Manager

Clarivate Analytics

Web of Science

Neeraj Singh is Senior Account Manager with over 20 years of experience in business development, account management, and customer engagement across the academic, government, research, and publishing sectors. Currently serving as Senior Account Manager – Academic & Government, Clarivate Analytics India Pvt. Ltd. , Neeraj is responsible for managing and expanding business for research intelligence and academic solutions across Central Part of India. His role includes key account management, territory development, and revenue growth. Prior to Clarivate, he held sales and account management positions with leading global publishing and information companies including Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, where he successfully managed regional sales operations, institutional adoption programs, customer relationships, and strategic business development initiatives.

Senior Library Professional

MICA

Presentation on Innovative Library Services

Shubham Bhatt serves as a Senior Library Professional at the Knowledge Exchange and Information Center (KEIC) at MICA, where he oversees collection development and serials control. An alumnus of MS University with over 8+ years' of professional experience, he is dedicated to delivering value-added reference and placement information services, as well as conducting information literacy sessions for the MICA community. Furthermore, he actively contributes to the ADINET Yuva Group and is deeply engaged in exploring emerging library technologies.

Librarian

CEPT University

Session Co- Chair

Dr. Hayat Ahmad, libraries are not just about the past, they are tools for the future. He is Senior Librarian and Head of Library Services at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, with over two decades of experience across India and the Middle East.

In the last 24 years, his work has taken him to more than 10 cities — a journey that has made him a traveller at heart, always curious about the world. He carries that same curiosity into everything he does, working to take the profession to a better, more meaningful place.

Deputy Librarian

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII)

Innivative Presentation - 4

Jaykumar Joshi is a Library and Information Science professional with over 13 years of experience in the field. He currently serves as Deputy Librarian at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Library and Information Science at Sardar Patel University.

Library Officer-D

Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad

PRL- Innovative Idea Presentation - 3

Dr. Md. Nurul Alam is working as Library Officer-D at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad. He brings over two decades of professional experience in libraries of national repute, along with teaching tenure at Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

His professional and research interests include metadata management, scientometrics, digital libraries, information retrieval, and discovery services. His work bridges traditional Library and Information Science with emerging information technologies. His recent work focuses on applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enhance library services, improve information access, and enrich the user experience

Assistant Librarian

Gujarat Vidyapith

Agentic Applications in AI

Dr. Viral Asjola currently serves as an Assistant Librarian at Gujarat Vidyapith. He holds a Ph.D. and a MLISc from Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University. With a diverse professional background, his career includes key library and information management roles within premier technological institute and corporate information services sector.

Associate Libray Professional

ADINET

Anchor

Ms. Sangita Bhatt, Associate Libray Professional, at ADINET.
With over 17 years of experience in the field of school libraries, she is a dedicated library professional committed to strengthening and enriching school library practices and library professionals.

For over a decade, she has been actively serving the ADINET as an honarary Associate Library Professional . She has supported LIS professionals by sharing her knowledge and experience through workshops, seminars, and professional development programmes.

Her work focuses on empowering librarians with practical knowledge, innovative ideas, and best practices, helping them create more engaging, resourceful, and learner-focused library environments.

Librarian

Shri & Smt. P.K. Kotawala Arts College, Patan

Anchor

Dr. Vallari Harsiddh Hathi, an accomplished academic and library professional, is currently serving as a Librarian in the Shri & Smt. P.K. Kotawala Arts College, Patan, for the last 28 years. She has excelled in her educational and professional journey with remarkable dedication. She earned her B.Sc. in Physics (1992), followed by Bachelor of Library & Information Science (1995) and Master of Library & Information Science (1996) from North Gujarat University, securing first-class distinction with Gold Medals in both library degrees. She further pursued doctoral research and was awarded a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science (2019) from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Ahmedabad.
Dr. Hathi has been a visiting faculty member in the Department of Library & Information Science, HNG University, Patan, for the last 15 years, with extensive academic experience as a paper setter, examiner, and evaluator. She has attended and presented papers at numerous seminars, workshops, and national conferences, covering topics such as copyright law, digital resources, library automation, and professional ethics.
Her research contributions are noteworthy, with over 20 publications in reputed journals, edited volumes, and conference proceedings. Her works explore themes like digital copyright, plagiarism, academic librarianship, information needs, women’s education, and the evolving role of libraries in the digital era. Dr. Hathi is deeply committed to promoting library science as a vital discipline and continues to contribute to the academic excellence of higher education.