Libraries: Food for the soul

                             

More and more attention is being paid to expand the field of library sciences, which is why it promises to be a good career choice. The shift from a physical/print model to virtual/digital one has created new opportunities and challenges for delivering information solutions to library user.

``Books are my balloons!

They lift me out of one world into another''!

LIBRARIES are repositories of knowledge, information and entertainment. The traditional concept of a library as a place to access papers, records or books, is being redefined to one that also houses the most advanced media, including CD-ROMs, the Internet, virtual libraries, and remote access to a wide range of resources. Librarians organise information by classifying, cataloguing, recording and storing books and materials in a manner that are easily accessible to the clientele. Librarians also compile, collect and organise lists of books, periodicals, pamphlets, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.

Librarians are classified according to the type of library they work in - public libraries, school libraries, media centres, academic libraries or archives and the type of work they do - classifier, cataloguer, reference librarian, assistant librarian, archivist, curator and so on. Librarians are also called information professionals in libraries maintained by government agencies, corporations and special libraries.

The work

The different tasks carried out by librarians are -- administrative services, technical services and user services. There are specialised areas where a librarian may choose to focus entirely on a particular topic, e.g technical writing, writing reviews, abstract writing, computation and data evaluation, bibliography and so on. A deputy librarian looks after administration, supervision and programming. A reference librarian researches, retrieves, and disseminates information; documentation librarian manages the library's online database- organisation, training, maintenance and assisting the information service.

The work of an assistant librarian is to acquire books, reference services, computer programming and supervising of assistants. Professional assistant help in ordering books, accessing, classification and cataloguing. Semi-professional assistants (candidates who have done a certificate course in library science after SSLC/intermediate) do charging and discharging of books, shelf arranging, maintenance of books etc. Certain libraries have specific jobs like an archivist in an archives library or a media librarian in a publishing agency etc.Courses

Library and Information Science is not a mere academic discipline. It is a professional course, which involves practical, observational and experimental study. Education and training in the discipline is imparted in India at various levels, ranging from semi- professional, professional to specialised courses and research programmes.

Certificate and diploma courses range from 3 months to one year conducted by colleges, universities, and professional library associations as well as by some women's polytechnics. These courses are open to students who have completed their matriculation or intermediate/higher secondary level studies.

Bachelor of Library and Information Science-

This one-year degree course is open only to graduates. In some cases admission is based on academic merit, in others an entrance examination determines selection.

Master of Library and Information Science

This is a one-year course for BLiSc students. Graduates from any other discipline have to undergo a 2-year course.

Distance education programmes or correspondence courses are useful for working professionals and for those who stay in places where full-time programmes are not available. It is always better to opt for a full-time course in this type of discipline, where there is as much to learn by observing and doing as there is from theoretical study.

Training

* Students with a professional degree can get hands-on- experience through apprenticeship in British Council Libraries and also in some special libraries that offer certifications by Board of Apprenticeship and Training.

* Master's degree holders in any discipline or anyone who has completed BLISc and has two year library/documentation information handling experience can avail of the opportunity and apply for:

*2-year Associateship in Information Science (equivalent to MLISc.) at Indian National Scientific and Documentation Centre (INSDOC), New Delhi

*2-year Associateship in Documentation and Information Science(ADIS) at Indian Statistical Institute, Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC), Bangalore.

Qualifications

Recruitment to jobs in university libraries is conducted through the University Grants Commission (UGC) and terms of work and remuneration are also offered as per UGC rules. However, there are many private libraries that offer challenging work and good prospects. A master's degree or at least a bachelor's degree in library science is necessary for a librarian's position in most public, academic, and special libraries. In addition, most special librarians supplement their education with knowledge of the subject specialisation, sometimes earning a master's, doctoral, or professional degree in the subject, like in law, engineering and MBA.

A Ph.D or an M.Phil degree in library and information science is advantageous for a teaching position, research work or for higher position in a university library or a large library system. In fact, with the information boom, qualified librarians can diversify to several new growth areas like database management, reference tool development, training of database users, systems analysis especially relating to computer work, as also documentation work, desktop printing and publishing, bibliography work and organisation and management of information units.

Consultancy

Entrepreneurial librarians sometimes start their own consulting practices, acting as freelance librarians or information brokers and providing services to academic libraries, businesses, or government agencies. Many companies turn to consultancies because of their experience, and knowledge of computer databases and library automation systems and organisational skills as per the company's specific needs.

Soft skills

In addition to the professional skills mentioned, a librarian must be equipped with a wide range of personal and transferable skills for successful interaction with users. A vital part of their role is to enhance their professional performance by improving their communication and interpersonal skills.

Libraries, being the primary source of information in our society, have had to keep pace with the rapid growth of information available through technology.

The Information specialist, for that is what a librarian is today, thus has to deal with a range of sources far beyond boos and other printed material and play a key role in the process of communication information.