FIELD OF FOCUS: LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE:Get booked

By Usha Albuquerque

If you love browsing about in book stores looking for something interesting to read and your hobby is to curl up with a good book, library science is where you get paid to do just that. Books are available in all shapes and sizes, periodicals, newspapers, and so on have filled shelf upon shelf of libraries across the world. But the traditional concept of a library is being redefined, from a place to access paper records or books, to one which also houses the most advanced media, including CD-ROM, the Internet, virtual libraries, and remote access to a wide range of resources.

Library science is 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 larger and larger numbers of people.

Librarians select materials, organise those materials and help people use them effectively. Although librarians traditionally worked with printed resources, they have kept up with ever-evolving technology and now work with electronic resources that include the Internet, computerised databases and ebooks. Librarians are, therefore, also referred to as information professionals, and the field of work is library and information science.

There are different kinds of libraries depending upon the individuals to which these are catering to. Various kinds of libraries are public, reference, children's libraries and those attached to offices and institutions of both private and public sector organisations. These could include a mobile-lending library. There are also specialist libraries attached to the research and academic institutions that cater to specific readers in specific subjects such as medicine, engineering, art, music, or types of books such as Braille or collections for children. Newspaper and news agencies maintain indexed records of their own work and reference material. Foreign missions in different cities set up information centres to promote an understanding of their country's culture.

Work profile

The most important function of a library is to organise, acquire and disseminate information. Some tasks of librarians are to:

n select and purchase materials from publishers, wholesalers and distributors, classify them according to subject matter

n organise and arrange books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other materials in a way that users can easily find them.

n show users how to efficiently search for information on the Internet and in other online resources;

n supervise assistants who prepare cards, computer records, or other access tools that direct users to resources;

n read book reviews and publishing catalogues to stay updated about recent literature and academic resources.

n keep a constant track of all the books in the library, update catalogues, and stock the library with new books as soon as they arrive.

n In technical libraries, librarians may be required to determine the user's needs, and search, acquire, if necessary and prepare materials for use.

n coordinate programmes such as story-telling for children, and literacy skills and book talks for adults;

n preserve documents through computerised systems, enhancing and refreshing content, and making it available on-line and digitally.

Librarians in administrative services oversee the management and planning of libraries, they negotiate contracts for services, materials, and equipment, supervise library employees, perform public-relations and fund-raising duties, prepare budgets, and direct activities to ensure that everything functions properly.

Courses

You can take up a course in library science after study in any field of discipline. Some courses in Library and Information Science include:

n Certificate course in Library and Information science (CLISc or CLIB) 3-6 months.

Eligibility: Plus II.

n Diploma course in Library and Information Science (DLISC or DLIB) 1-year. Eligibility: Plus II. 

n Bachelor in Library and information science (BLISC or B.LIB) 1-year.

Eligibility: Graduate in any discipline from recognised university

n Bachelor in Library and Information Science - 3-year.

Eligibility: Plus II.

n Master in Library and information Science (MLISC or M.LIB) 1-year.

Eligibility: BLISc or B.LIB from recognised university.

n M.Phil in Library and Information science.

Eligibility: MLISC or M.LIB from a recognised university

n Ph.D in library and Information Science.

Eligibility: MLISC from a recognised university

Most state universities offer courses in library science at the graduate, postgraduate, certificate and diploma levels. In view of the increasing use of computer and information technology in libraries, several universities in India have started various courses focusing primarily on information technology and computer.

NISCAIR under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, conducts a two-year programme leading to the award of Associateship in Information Science (AIS).

The Documentations Research and Training Centre (DRTC) at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore offers Associateship in Documentation and Information Science (ADIS).This award is also recognised as equivalent to MLISc degree, and is widely sought after in the employment market.

The National Informatics Centre funded by UGC offers a one-year training programme for library science graduates in technology and e-content management.

Prospects

Depending on your level of training you can work as a Librarian, Documentation Officer, Scientist (Library Science/ Documentation), Library and Information Officer, Knowledge Manager, Information Analyst, and so on, with any category of libraries, including libraries of government organisations and agencies, public libraries, as well as with those in schools, colleges and academic institutions.

Librarians are also 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.

Remuneration

Starting salaries in this field can range from Rs 10,000 - 40,000 depending on your qualification. Research and academic institution such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and others offer good opportunities for trained professionals, with salary scales similar to those applicable to scientific staff.

Skill set

While a love for books is a pre-requisite in this career, you also need to be methodical and organised in your thinking, resourceful, perservering 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.

INSTITUTE WATCH

n National Institute of Science Communication & Information Resources (NISCAIR- formerly INSDOC), New Delhi www.niscair.res.in

n Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC), Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore www.drtc.isibang.ac.in

n Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra www.kukinfo.com (BLISc, MLISc, Ph.D)

n Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar www.gndusite.com (BLISc , MLISc, Ph.D)

n Punjabi University, Patiala www.universitypunjabi.org (DLSc, BLISc , MLISc, Ph.D)

n University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (BLISc and Documentation, MLISc and Documentation, Ph.D)

n Panjab University, Chandigarh

n University of Jammu, Jammu (BLISc, MLISc, Ph.D)

n Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.

JOBSCAPE

n Public/government libraries

n Libraries of ministries and other government departments

n Universities and other academic institutions

n News agencies and organisations

n Private organisations and special libraries

n Publishing companies

n Foreign embassies and international organisations

n Photo/film/ video/ TV libraries

n Information centres/documentation centres

n Organisations with large information handling requirements

n Research organisations such as CSIR, DRDO, ICSSR, ICHR, ICMR, ICAR

n Museums and galleries having reading rooms and research facilities 

— The writer is a career expert
SOURCE: THE TRIBUNE, NEW DELHI, 11 APRIL 2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120411/jobs.htm#top

The Future of Libraries and Library Careers by Lana Brand

A must see Video for Library Professionals !!

Please click below to view full video:

The Future of Libraries and Library Careers 

Karnataka Legislative House library to get facelift to lure back legislators

The musty smelling State legislature library, rarely visited by its members, is undergoing a transformation. The aim is to motivate the legislators to make use of the library’s literature, archived from 1879 onwards.

The library, which comprises books on the Constitution, law, political science and history, is available to the members of both the Legislative Assembly and Council. However, due to lack of a proper reading area, apart from other constraints, the library is not a favourite among many.

To make up for this shortcoming, the secretariat has decided to modernise the library at a cost of Rs one crore, said Council Chairman D H Shankarmurthy, who performed the ground-breaking ceremony in Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday. Upgrading of the library will take place in the existing space on the ground floor of the legislature. Here, a general reading area for about 40 people will be created, along with small cubicles with airconditioning. This space will be reserved for the legislators.

While the Public Works Department will take up the civil works of the library, Godrej has been awarded the contract to furnish the library. Shankarmurthy said his secretariat was inspired by the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, which is said to be Asia’s largest modern library, Technical advisor for the library, Vasudev Rao said efforts were also on to digitise the library, starting with committee reports, commission reports, reference books and select Parliamentary books that are frequently referred to by the readers. 

He said plans were afoot to install a common screen inside the House, where digitised records/books/reports can be displayed for the benefit of the entire House. The modernisation works are expected to be completed by the end of May and the digitisation process by June, Rao said.

There are 49,768 books in the library. Of these, 20,300 contain debates and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and Council between 1879 and April 2007. There is a collection of about 12,500 Lok Sabha debates from 1955 to 2007 and about 12,300 Rajya Sabha debates from 1953 to 2007. There are about 12,300 Central gazettes from 1935 to 2009; 12,750 State gazettes from 1952 to 2009; 550 volumes of House of Commons debates; and 350 volumes of House of Lords debates. The library subscribes to 43 daily newspapers, apart from weekly, monthly, fortnightly and complimentary magazines.

In all, the total number of books include - those in the library section, Legislators Home library, reading room -  and research and reference books stood at three lakh.

SOURCE: DECCAN HERALD, Wednesday 11 April 2012, News updated at 9:55 AM 

A Librarian's Career as an Internet Consultant, or How a Library Degree can Get You around the World

by Phil Bradley

Being a librarian doesn't mean that you have a work in a library.  I wanted to be a librarian since I was about thirteen years old, and I've still not managed to work in a library at all.   I hope this article will give you some ideas about where a library degree can take you. In my case it's taken me around the world a couple of times, so I suppose that the first thing I would say to any budding librarian out there that the world can quite literally become your oyster.

Qualifications and background

I got an honours degree in librarianship at an English polytechnic (essentially the same as a university) back at the beginning of the 1980s.  It took me four years of full time study to earn the degree, plus a further two years of probationary work before I could call myself a “Chartered Librarian.”  While I had always wanted to be a librarian, I didn't really know where I wanted to work, so after I had finished my degree I did short term temporary work in a number of specialist information centres.  I'd suggest that every new librarian do this as it gives you the opportunity to try out a lot of different jobs to see which of them, if any, particularly appeals to you.  It will also give you the opportunity to find out what you enjoy as well as what your strengths and weaknesses are.  For example, although I enjoyed cataloguing and classification at library school, it was purely as an academic pursuit, and when I was actually faced with a large number of books to catalogue and classify I found my interest quickly diminishing.

Discovering strengths

Luckily, however, I discovered fairly quickly that I liked teaching.  My first “proper” job was for an organisation called the British Council, which was responsible for getting students to come and study in Britain, performing a variety of duties including overseeing a ”books abroad” project.  For an overseas organisation to qualify for free books they had to be able to provide qualified librarians to look after them, or allow us to train their librarians.  One of my very first teaching jobs was to travel to Lesotho in southern Africa to teach 25 people with no information background at all how to set up and run a small library, and I had to do this in a two-week course.  I really wasn't sure that I'd be able to do it, but my boss knew me rather better than I did, so I trusted her judgment more than my own.  I think that my second piece of  advice would be that you should try anything you get the chance to try; the very worst that can happen is that you'll fail, and even if you do fail, you will have learned something from the experience!  However, I managed to run the course well, and that one project opened up a whole world of teaching for me.  I always took any opportunity that I could to learn more on the job; I taught individuals and small groups and ran briefing sessions for larger audiences.
 In the mid 1980s CD-ROM technology started to develop, and while I didn't have a particular interest in computers, I was interested in information retrieval.  Consequently I decided that it was time to make a slight career change, so I got a job running technical support for a small CD-ROM publisher.  When I got the job I knew very little about computers, so I had to learn quickly by trial and error.  I spent weeks teaching myself how to open up computers, insert interface cards, install software, and troubleshoot.  It was quite scary leaving behind everything that I knew and starting something very different, but that was exactly why I did it.  I've never taken the safe option, and have always been tempted by the job that scares me the most because it's likely to be the most challenging and interesting.  As well as doing technical support I also started to run training courses for staff and clients, which was something that I initiated, and the company was keen to try it.  If you get the chance, it's always worth working for a small start-up company, since they're usually much more flexible about what they do and how you fit into the organisation; established organisations often have very fixed ideas on what you can do.

Building on strengths

I also had the opportunity to take my newly-found knowledge into a wider spectrum when I began to work with a training organisation, teaching librarians all about CD-ROMs and new technology in general.  In the early 1990s, I discovered the Internet and simply fell in love with it.  I bought a computer to use at home and taught myself as I went along, and spent much of my time trying things out on the Internet.  At the same time I began to write about it, first for use inside the company I worked for, and then later by offering free articles to various professional journals.  If you want to be successful in your chosen career you need to invest a lot of your own time exploring and discovering new things and then apply your knowledge appropriately, and you must also promote yourself.  Early in your career, if you're offered money or experience, take the experience every time; money will come later.

Working independently

In 1996 I undertook another career change.  I'd been doing an increasing number of training courses, and realised that I knew more about the Internet than most people, so I decided to give up my job and become an independent consultant.  I won't go into all the ins and outs of how I set this up, but suffice to say that I did my homework and decided that I could make a living for myself.  I wouldn't recommend going independent to everyone, incidentally, because it's not the kind of thing that would appeal to all people. It's quite a solitary occupation (even though I usually get out of the house once or twice a week to run training courses), and you do need to be pretty self sufficient!  There are also the other considerations: no pension, no sick leave, and no holiday pay, for example, but for me the benefits  outweigh everything else.  I work when I want to, I choose jobs that really interest me, and I have a lot of  fun.  In fact, if people ask me what my job is, I tend to say that I don't have a job – I have a hobby that pays  well!  I also have a particular skill set: although I'm a librarian, I can do technical things as well, such as  setting up a home network and sorting out most computer-related problems.  I'm also a writer and am  good at speaking in public.  If you're thinking of working for yourself, you really need to sit down and work  out what you're good at, and then see how you can capitalise on your abilities.  Consequently I spend a  lot of my time teaching, writing about the Internet, designing web sites for clients, and so on.  However,  that's only part of it –- you need to be able to market yourself, make yourself known in the industry within which you want to work, and get people knocking on your doors.  Expect to do a lot of work for little or no money to begin with; I created websites for nothing when I was starting out in order to get a portfolio together, and I also wrote articles for various magazines for nothing except the details at the bottom of the article telling readers who I was and where they could contact me.

If I thought that my days of travelling were behind me when I became an independent consultant, I was incorrect: since I often get asked to travel abroad to speak at conferences or run in-company training courses, I keep my passport ready at all times.

Summary

In conclusion, don't think that because you have a library degree it means that you have to work in a library; it can open doors that enable you to work in a wide variety of different areas.  Know your strengths and play to them, try something new (and learn from your mistakes if it goes wrong), and never be afraid to branch out.   Above all, enjoy what you do; if you enjoy it, you'll do it better and more effectively, and who knows where that will lead?

About the Author:

Phil Bradley is an information specialist and has worked in the area of electronic publications for over 20 years.  He became an Internet Consultant in 1996 and specialises in search, often being referred to as the “UK Search Guru.”  He teaches many varied courses on aspects of the Internet, both publicly  available and in-company.  He also writes and designs web pages and is an SEO (Search Engine Optimiser).  Phil is also well known for his writing, and he has written several books on different aspects of the Internet, and is also very well known on the conference circuit.  Phil is also one of the Microsoft “Search Champs,” providing them with feedback on their developments in search technology.

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in Library Soup's articles are those of their respective authors and do not  necessarily represent the views of the Blog Writers.

Career as a Knowledge manager

Knowledge Manager

Librarianship isn't about just storage, organising and  maintenance of books, papers and journals. It's a lot more than that and a modern librarian has to constantly analyse and cater actively to the readers’ needs

BY-Jayanto Goswami

Librarianship as a profession is concerned with storage, organising and maintenance of books, papers and journals. But the modern librarian, instead of merely cataloguing books and journals, has become the nerve centre of intellectual development of a nation.

As India moves towards becoming a knowledge-based society with a proliferation of learning and research institutes, the demand and importance of library science is growing rapidly. As a result, job opportunities are on the upswing. With the advent of information technology, the traditional concept is being revised to include new-age tools of information like CDs, Internet, e-libraries etc.

 “Today, a good librarian must be IT-savvy, a good manager and should be able to read the mind of every member,” says Dr VK Anand, librarian, Panjab University, Chandigarh, who is currently on a visit to Cambridge University to deliver a talk on radio-frequency identification technology (RFID), a tagging system used in modern libraries.

“Someone wanting to take up library science should have a basic knowledge of all major subjects, a methodical approach and organising ability,” says Bipin Kumar, manager, British Library, Chandigarh.

“The librarian should arrange information (books, journals, CDs) in such a way that everything should be at the reader’s fingertips,” says Gurpreet Singh, chief librarian of CT Group of Institutions, Jalandhar.

A librarian today needs to steer the set-up in a direction where people will want to come and spend their time at the library and leave with a feeling of wanting more.

Accomplishing this requires more than a degree. “The qualification will get you through the door, but when we talk to a candidate, we look for that creative spark, lateral thinking,” says Mike Welch, director, young audiences and future leaders programme/customer experience, British Council, New Delhi.

The modern library now actively caters to people and their needs - the British Council library has classified its books under two broad categories, ‘Be successful’ and ‘Be inspired’, separating material on management, medicine etc from fashion, films, art etc. This is the kind of innovative approach that a librarian is expected to come up with to draw readers in.

Jobs are available in public and government libraries, universities, professional and other academic institutions, news and broadcasting agencies, private libraries and libraries meant for special categories of people. They can also work in museums, galleries, archives, information and documentation centres. Some library technicians are selfemployed as researchers, consultants, cataloguers etc on a contract basis.

What's being a librarian all about?

As information experts, librarians find, collect and organise information, and implement systems that make information easy to access. Librarians have a variety of roles, depending on where they work. A librarian has to ensure that a person gets the relevant information in the minimum time with the least effort. The modern librarian may also devise ways to draw more people into trying out new material, thus becoming a knowledge manager.

The payoff:

• Entry level: Rs 1 lakh-1.5 lakh per annum
• Middle level: Rs 1.8 lakh-Rs 2.4 lakh per annum
• Senior level: Rs 3 lakh or more per annum
• In government organisations, salary will depend on the grade and scale

Skills:

• Must be a team player
• Command over infotech
• Good managerial skills
• Ability to analyse readers’ needs
• A knack for listening
• Knowledge of major topics

How do I get there?

Graduates from any stream can take a Bachelor’s degree in library science, a one-year course. The Master’s degree course in library science is also of one year. There are also diploma and certificate courses. The courses are Bachelor of Library & Information Science (BLISc), Bachelor of Library Science (BLSc), Certificate Course in Library Science, Diploma in Archives & Documentation, Diploma in Library Science (DLSc), MPhil, Master of Library & Information Science (MLISc), Master of Library Science (MLSc) and PhD.

Institutes & URLs:

• National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resource (NISCAIR), New Delhi www.niscair.res.in
• Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), New Delhiwww.insdoc.org
• Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi jmi.nic.in/
• Banaras Hindu University www.bhu.ac.in/banaras.html
• Aligarh Muslim University www.amu.ac.in
• Kurukshetra University www.kukinfo.com
• Panjab University www.puchd.ac.in
• Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) www.ignou.ac.in
• Madurai Kamarj University www.mkuniversity.org
• Andhra University www.andhrauniversity.info

Pros & cons:

• Career progression largely depends on one’s performance
• Opportunity to meet people and develop contacts
• Must never lose track of current events
• The hours may be long, depending on the set-up
  
  

Library and Publication Officer, NIPHM, Hyderabad

National Institute of Plant Health Management Department of Agricutlture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India Rajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500 030., A.P, INDIA Telephone : 9140-24015374, Tele-Fax   :  9140-24015346 e-mail : niphm@nic .in,    http://.niphm.gov.in

National Institute of Plant Health Management invites applications for the following Posts on DIRECT RECRUITMENT OR TRANSFER ON DEPUTATION OR CONTRACTURAL BASIS. The gist of pay and number of posts is given below:

Last Date for receipt of application: 25/04/2012

4.

Library and Publication Officer – Direct Recruitment or Deputation basis

1

Rs.9,300-34,800 & GP  Rs.4,600

1. ONE Library & Publication Officer on  direct recruitment OR deputation basis:

Upto 35 years for Direct Recruits,  relaxable, in case of deputationists

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: For Direct Recruitment-

A. ESSTENTIAL:

a)       A First or Second class Masters Degree in Library Sciences.

b)       Minimum work experience of 5 years in Library Management.

For Transfer on Deputation:-

a)       Persons under  Central / State Governments / Universities / Recognized Research Institutions / PSUs / Statutory Boards or Autonomous organizations of Central and State Governments

b)       Holding analogous posts on regular basis or

c)       With five years of service in the Post having Grade Pay of Rs.4,200/- or above

d)      Possessing qualifications mentioned above in Essential for direct recruitment and however two years relaxation from total of 5 years in case of deputationists.

 NOTE: 1. The transfer on deputation shall be as per the rules & provisions of Government of India

2. The applications of those who applied in response to our earlier advertisement dated 01/12/2011 for the post of Scientific Officers will also be considered as per our revised criteria regarding experience. 

DUTIES OF THE POSTS
LIBRARY AND PUBLICATION OFFICER:

Knowledge in:

1)       To manage the library and undertake the publication activities of NIPHM

2)       To manage and responsible for maintaining Library activities

3)       To undertake and upkeep the books, publications, Journals upto date.

4)       Subscribing,  renewing the periodicals & articles through online E-Journals

5)       To maintain and manage the integrated Library system

6)       To maintain the library related databases like OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue), LIBSYS, LIBTECH etc.

7)       Having knowledge in E-learning, Ditigial/virtual library, online database searching, knowledge management and CD-ROM data base searching.

8)       Having sound knowledge in Library Automation, Networking, Administration, Consortia of libraries, procurement of Books, Bill passing etc.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ALL THE POSTS:–

  i.      Age limit will be reckoned with reference to the closing date for receipt of the applications.

ii.      Relaxation in upper age limit as per Government of India orders.

iii.   As per the existing Rules relating to Reservation all the posts advertised above fall under unreserved category and hence open to all. The Rule of Reservation is not applicable in the case of deputationists. However, subject to availability, eligible candidates belonging to reserved categories will be duly considered as per rules in force.

iv.      The Medical facilities applicable to government employees will be extended to the deputationists.

v.      In the case of direct recruitment the selected candidates will be governed by the New Pension Scheme, 2004, Govt. of India.

vi.      The Probation period for direct recruits will be Two years as per the rules in force.

vii. The positions of Research Associates is for contractual engagement in the Institute purely on temporary basis

viii. Candidates may apply in the prescribed application proforma duly completed and enclose attested copies of certificates/documents, testimonials and Caste Certificate in the case of SC/ST/OBC candidates and Disability Certificate in the case of Physically Handicapped candidates issued by the Competent Authority, duly Superscribing the name of the post in bold letters should be sent to Registrar, National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030 on or before 25^rd April, 2012 in case deputationists it takes time to obtain clearance from the Head of Department, an advance copy of the application can be sent or before the closing date.  Applications sent without enclosing attested copies of documents/certificates etc., liable for rejection.

ix.  Please visit NIPHM website http://niphm.gov.in for the details of duties to be performed and for downloading the prescribed application proforma.

x.     The applications of those who applied in response to our earlier advertisement dated 01/12/2011 for the post of Scientific Officers will also be considered as per our revised criteria regarding experience.