The Library Soup : In good books (for those aiming to enter the field of library and information ) -- by Usha Albuquerque (Source: The Tribune, 20 May 2014, Chandigarh Ed.)

In good books -A love for books and skill to organise and a methodical approach are the must-haves for those aiming to enter the field of library and information science
Usha Albuquerque

[Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140521/jobs.htm#1]

Even if you are no longer curled up with a book, but more likely with your Ipad or kindle, it is the love for the written word that can transport you to the new world of library science.

In India, there are over 500 large public libraries as well as academic libraries catering to academic institutions, specialised libraries which concentrate on particular subjects, language or professional group, or private collection, archives, and information centres. Due to digital technology miles of pages of archived material can be easily stored, and so you can read and access the Times of India over a hundred years old ( or any other major newspapers) which has been digitally stored.

A library’s primary purpose is to systematically store and catalogue information for easy access by users. For centuries these vast stores of knowledge have existed within sheets of paper. Books of all shapes and sizes, periodicals, newspapers, and so on have filled shelf upon shelf of libraries across the world. With the advent of information technology, the traditional concept has been revised to include new age tools of information like CDs, Internet, e-libraries etc, and more recently to web-enabled, participatory and interactive information from a range of sources, including online resources.

Library science (often termed library studies or library and information science) is a systematic process of organising and maintaining books, magazines and journals and all kinds of data in order to make is easily accessible to a larger number of people. An individual who is engaged in this profession is known as librarian, or information manager. A well-resourced library not only contains periodicals and books but also cassettes, microfilms, videos, education records and reference books. As more and more information is stored digitally now, much of the work of a librarian is that of a knowledge or information manager, preserving documents through computerised systems, enhancing and refreshing content, and making it available online and digitally. Library science is, therefore, an information science, providing the means to manage the explosion in knowledge and information, utilising the new technology to collect, store, categorise, compile, and make information available to a larger audience.

The work

The most important function of a library is to organise, acquire and disseminate information. Librarians select and purchase materials from publishers, wholesalers and distributors, classify them according to subject matter, and arrange them in the library in a way that users can easily find them. Librarians have to constantly keep a track of all the books in the library, update catalogues, and stock the library with new books as soon as they arrive. For this they have to remain in constant touch with publishers and booksellers.

As more and more information is stored digitally, librarians are required to determine the users’ needs, and search, acquire, if necessary and prepare materials for use in the new formats. Much of the work of the information manager is to preserve documents through computerised systems, enhance and update content, and make it available online and digitally. This involves wide range of reading and processing of the information content through cataloguing, classification and indexing, storing documents, and retrieving the required information and so on.

While in large libraries, librarians specialise in a particular function, in smaller ones they may be required to handle all the work. The chief librarian is normally overall in charge of technical, administrative and financial matters, acquisitions and so on, while other posts such as those of library attendant, library assistant, junior librarian etc, would be required to handle classification, cataloguing, bibliography, ordering books/material, inter-library loans, memberships and subscription renewals, book binding, location of missing books, reference services, computer programming and so on.

Those working in Information centres work as database managers, reference tool developers, system analysts, indexers etc.

Getting in

You can join a library at different levels depending upon the qualifications acquired.

A library attendant needs a matriculation or school leaving certificate, with a certificate/diploma in Library science. A library assistant can enter with a bachelor's degree in library science, while for senior positions you would need a master’s in library science, or even MPhil or PhD.

For getting into this field you need to complete a one-year course Bachelor in Library Science (BLib) after graduation in any subject. This course is offered by many universities. Several also offer short-term certificate courses of between three and eight months, as well as diploma programmes of 1-2 year duration. There are also several correspondence courses of one-year duration. Master's in Library Science is a one-year course after BLib.

National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resource (NISCAIR), New Delhi, www.niscair.res.in and Documentation Research & Training Centre (DRTC) Bengaluru are two prime institutes offering Library and Information Science courses. NISCAIR conducts training programmes in library and information science, documentation, and science communication, and a two year master's level academic course [Associateship in Information Science (AIS)] in information science.

Besides this, almost 80 Indian universities offer degree, certificate and diploma courses in Library and Information Science.

Job prospects

As India moves towards becoming a knowledge based society with a proliferation of learning and research institutes, the demand for and importance of library science is growing rapidly. As a result, job opportunities are on upswing. Qualified librarians are employed as teachers and librarians in various libraries and information Centres, academic institutions, schools, news and broadcasting agencies, universities and in private libraries. Graduates can also seek employment in galleries, archives, museums, and documentation centres. Graduates can also work for publishing houses and statistical research centres.

Information is a very powerful tool in today’s age so there is a great demand for information and data services in almost every commercial, academic and media organisation. Librarians or Information specialists are recruited for information brokerage services, archival work at universities, private collection, photo/film libraries, media organisations, and with software companies for research and content management.

You can also do independent research for organisations according to the subject specialisation you have acquired, work with museums, archives, historical foundations, non-profit organisations, track industry or market trends as a research analyst and virtually chart your own course in digging the goldmine of data.

The compensation for librarians depends upon their qualifications and experience. It also varies depending upon the nature of the organisations. Many colleges and universities have adopted UGC scales of salary for the library staff while librarians working in academic institutions, schools, government libraries, media sector, universities and in private libraries can start on salaries of approximately ~1-2 lakh per year.

While a love for books in whatever form, is a pre-requisite in this career, you also need to be methodical and organised in your thinking, resourceful, persevering and computer literate. A curiosity and an interest in a wide variety of subjects are other useful personal qualities that can ensure your growth in this vast world of information. Moreover, in today’s competitive times, a librarian also needs to be a good administrator with excellent communication, teamwork and leadership skills

— The writer is Director, Careers Smart Pvt Ltd. , New Delhi

Institute watch
Prominent institutes offering courses in Library and Information Science include:

Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi

Kurukhetra University, Haryana

Panjab University

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (Website: www.bhu.ac.in)

Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh

University of Delhi, Delhi

Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu

Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Institute of Journalism, Bhopal

University of Rajasthan, Bhusawar , Bharatpur, Rajashthan

Bangalore University, Bangalore