Careers in Library Science

Libraries are the reservoir of knowledge and information. As India is moving towards a knowledge society with proliferation of learning and research institutes the demand and importance of library science is growing rapidly. Consequently, job opportunities for librarians are on the upswing. Librarianship is as profession is concerned with storage, organizing and maintenance of books, papers and journals. Nevertheless, with the advent of information technology and computers the traditional concept of is being redesigned to include not only books and other printed materials but also new tools of information like CD-ROM, internet, virtual libraries etc.

Course DetailsThe minimum qualification required to get an admission in Library Science is graduation. Graduates from any stream can go for Bachelors degree in library science the duration of which is one year. After that, students can go for Masters Degree in library science, which is of one-year duration. Some students who are interested in higher studies and research activities can also go for M.Phil and PhD in this field. There are also diploma and certificate courses in Library Science. Basically, a good librarian should have keen interest in books and varieties of topics, high organizing ability, excellent communication skills and customer service attitude.
Career ProspectsIn the age of information revolution, the employment and placement prospects of librarians are on the rise. Trained personnel in this field can get employment opportunities in wide areas like Public and Government libraries, Universities, professional and other academic institutions, news and broadcasting agencies, private libraries and special libraries meant for special categories of people. They also can be employed in museum, galleries, archives, information and documentation centres. They can also aspire to get a job in private publishing houses and other private companies handling with voluminous information. Some library technicians are also self-employed as researchers, consultants, cataloguers etc. on short- term contracts basis.
Institutes Offering
National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resource (NISCAIR) and Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) both in New Delhi are two prime institute offer Library and Information Science. Besides this many universities like Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi; Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Kurukhetra University, Haryana; Punjab University; Gujarat University; Madurai Kamarj University, Tamil Nadu; Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu; Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Institute of Journalism, Bhopal; Andhra University and Amravati University, Maharashtra; are other institutes offering degree courses in Library Science.
Remuneration
In the age of information revolution librarianship is a well paid job. However salaries of librarian vary depending upon their individual qualifications, experience, size and nature of the hiring institutes. Librarian employed in government museum, archives, galleries have higher earnings than those in collages and universities. Librarians working in private documentation centres and research institutes also have handsome earnings.