Internet of Things in Indian Information Resource Centres: An Empirical Study of Institutions of National Importance

This study explores the present status of IoT adoption and implementation in Information Resource Centres (IRCs) of Institutions of National Importance (INIs) in India. It aims to identify the extent of integration, commonly adopted technologies, and challenges faced, proposing insights for strategic implementation. A quantitative survey was conducted among IRC administrators from 18 selected INIs in South India, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs = 5), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs = 4), Indian Institute of Science (IISc = 1), National Institutes of Technology (NITs = 5), and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS = 3). Data were collected via physical questionnaires and online Google Forms. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to analyze demographic patterns, the present status of IoT adoption and challenges across different institution types. The response rate was 88.88 % and reported some level of IoT adoption, reflecting positive institutional attitudes. Basic IoT services such as real-time notifications, QR codes, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking display high and uniform implementation across IRCs with high mean values (≥4.00). In contrast, advanced applications like virtual/augmented realities, smart infrastructure, and mobile-based tools remain underutilized (≤M = 2.20), primarily due to cost, technical difficulty, and personnel limitations. The study also shows no statistically significant difference in IoT adoption levels across the various types of INIs ( p > 0.05), representing a consistent pattern in digital transformation efforts. Key challenges identified include financial constraints, data security concerns, limited strategic planning, and lack of trained personnel. The study focuses on selected INIs in South India and provides an inclusive snapshot of the IoT implementation landscape in top-tier academic libraries and suggests effective strategies for scaling up adoption efforts. This is an original and first study exclusively on different categories of premier academic institutions allied with the given status of INIs, to investigate the current status of IoT adoption and implementation in IRCs. This empirical indication contributes to guide policy, planning, and future research on smart library transformation.