The new Information professionals are here

Librarianship is a scholarly profession with promise 

HI-TECH LIBRARY: An automatic book issue machine
In the present global economy, the future of a country is tied up with knowledge-leveraged growth. The prime movers to achieve such growth are (i) education, (ii) research, and (iii) communication. A formidable infrastructure in education, reinforced with well-knit communication and dissemination work-out, is sine qua non for knowledge-based growth. Life and living all around today is virtually under the grip of information and communication. The unlimited information flow has to be managed and systematically transformed into a useful input. As such, automation of library is the need of the hour worldwide for online access to books, journals and allied material.
The work culture in libraries is changing fast. Cyber libraries are happening; packed with digital documents, CDs and books. Newspapers, journals, textbooks and reference books, all will be on CD-ROMs and digital multimedia. Publishers like Penguin have started issuing classics on CD. Great books of India and are made available on internet. Libraries will soon possess even robots (with artificial intelligence) and other such machines which will perform various services for the readers. Paper-library and paperless-library will co-exist. Low-cost, light-weight electronic book-readers, with built-in modem, will be used more conveniently, instead of PC.
Several libraries are being connected for resource sharing. Information like research findings; data; databases; online yellow pages; electronic mail services; investment guides; travel guidelines with related maps; educational and career guidance and the like can easily be retrieved. As publishing is now moving on to digital-media formats, library likewise needs to advance its devices and networking to make use of the digital materials. The collection is stored and maintained in computer-accessible form and accessed digitally through computer networking, regardless of the location of libraries. The process makes well-ordered, instant information-retrieval possible, globally. People are getting net-savvy and so is the demand for online digital information service increasing manifold swiftly.
For Indian libraries, digital movement is lagging far behind, primarily due to financial limitation and compulsion. The old systems of acquisition, storage, organisation and dissemination are giving way and becoming obsolete. The present library is is more ‘service-adept' and less ‘resource-oriented.' Likewise, the staff has to be technically accomplished. Today, a Librarian (no, Information Professional) functions as “navigator” and filler of information to intellectual reserves, with the help of search engines, e-resources, digitalisation and tools like Gopher, FTP, Telnet, Unix, MS-Office, Windows, Linux etc.
Jobs Jobs in library consists of also budgeting, accounting, acquisition of collection, organisation and management of the institution, besides rendering service to readers. In the areas of self-education, distant learning and online schooling, the library is indispensable. The training courses in the profession have been designed to meet emerging requirements and challenges. Currently, following levels of education and courses in LISc are held by the universities:
Bachelor of Library and B.LI.Sc Information Science (admission requirement: degree in any discipline)
Master of Library and M.LI.Sc Information Science (truncated course-one year M.LI.Sc.) (admission requirement: B.L.I.Sc.)
Master of Library and M.L.I.Sc. Information Science (Integrated Course) (admission requirement: degree in any discipline).
Master of Library and M.L.I.Sc Information Science (Bachelor degree in any discipline with Library and Information Science as one of the optional subjects).
Certificate course in Library Science of three to six month duration is conducted at some places by Library Associations, for higher secondary students to work as librarian in a small library. Knowledge of foreign languages is an advantage in this profession.
A knowledgeable librarian works as a guide, making the reader aware of the relevant literature, like any other teacher. In academic libraries, library professional's grades and status have therefore, been prescribed by the UGC at par with those of teachers of the universities and colleges. University Librarian, D.y Librarian and Assistant Librarian are placed in the pay-scales of University Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor respectively, provided they possess qualification at par with those of the teachers, as prescribed by the UGC. In the institutions of science and technology and scientific research also, library professionals are treated at par with those of the corresponding scientists. Job satisfaction of librarians of these institutions of learning and research are quite satisfactory. In public libraries, however, librarians' grades are not uniform and satisfactory. Grades differ from State to state and much needs to be done to ameliorate the conditions of the staff of these libraries.
With increased emphasis on spread of literacy and education, and a good number of new Universities, IITs, engineering colleges, business and management schools and industrial establishments coming up, the job-market for library professionals looks good in the public and private sectors.
Regarded as a noble, soft profession, it is much suited to women, assisting the information-seekers, especially children. Women make good children librariana. Here, she is not only distributor of books but also an affectionate friend to children, a mentor and guide.