New Information Technology Interfaces in Libraries and Information Centres. Kerala Library Association National Seminar 2013 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN LIS-FORUM: A SURVEY Anish G. Asst. Librarian Heera College of Engineering & Technology Thiruvananthapuram. anishg83@gmail.com Vimal Kumar V. Technical Assistant Mahatma Gandhi University Library Kottayam vimal0212@gmail.com ABSTRACT This survey examines the popularity of LIS-Forum email discussion forum among Library and Information Science professionals in India. This study sort out the limitations of this email based discussion forum on the basis of perceptions of LIS-Forum users. LIS-Forum community also recommended new features and suggestions to improve the service in the context of web 2.0 phenomenon. KEYWORDS: Professional communication, Discussion forum, LIS-Forum, email, web 2.0 INTRODUCTION Communication between professionals in same domain is very important. In the past, there existed very few opportunities only for communication between professionals. There were seminars, training programmes and periodical publications to gather and express their views and share messages. Traditional methods of professional communication were not interactive and were very time consuming. Email based discussion forums made a revolution in professional communication. LIS-Forum is considered as the most popular and authentic email discussion forum for Library and Information Science professionals in India. Through LIS-Forum many issues related to Library and Information Science were raised for discussion at the national level. Many issues were brought to the attention of concerned authorities and found solution for them. Clay Shirkey observes that “as the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action” (Shirkey, 2010).