'Librarian: A scholarly profession'

A retired university professor and a librarian, says that the job-market for library professionals looks optimistic in both the public and private sector

 

   Today, our life is virtually under the grip of information and communication. The enormous, unlimited array of information has to be managed and systematically transformed into a useful input for instant use, hence a need for librarians. As such, automation of libraries is the need of the hour, worldwide, to provide online access to books, journals and allied materials.

GROWTH AREAS

Work-culture in libraries is changing fast. Cyber libraries are packed with digital documents, CD-Roms and books among others. Newspapers, journals, textbooks and reference books will also be on CD-Roms and digital multimedia soon. Publishers, like Penguin, have already started issuing classics on CDs. Moreover, various Indian books are made available on the internet. Libraries will soon possess gadgets, gizmos, even robots (with artificial intelligence) and other such machines will command and perform various services for readers, hence a need for skilled librarians.
   A few years hence, paper-library and paperless-library will co-exist. Low-cost, lightweight electronic book-readers, with built-in modem, will be used more conveniently, instead of computers. As publishing is now moving on to digital-mediaformats, library likewise needs to advance its devices and networking to make use of the digital materials. Here, collection of the library is stored and maintained in computer-accessible-form and accessed digitally through computer networking, regardless of the location of libraries. The process makes wellordered, instant informationretrieval possible, globally.
   Staff, book and reader form the 'trinity' in a library. Jobs in library also consist of budgeting, accounting, acquisition of collection, organisation and management of the institution, besides rendering service to readers. IT, digitalisation, online global information, automation have added new dimensions. In the areas of self-education, distant learning and online schooling, library becomes indispensable.

SKILL-SET REQUIRED

Present libraries are a liaison in communication progression and thus, they are more 'service-adept' and less 'resource-oriented.' Likewise, staff has to be technically accomplished and skillfully proficient. Today, librarians (rather, information professionals) functions as 'navigators,' fillers 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 among others.
   The library profession has truly perceived the diversified dynamics of its job-paradigms and so, the training courses have been designed and drawn accordingly, to meet emerging requirements and challenges.
   Universities are also conducting research and PhD programmes in library and information science. Besides, a certificate course in library science of three to sixmonths' duration is conducted at some places by library associations, for higher secondary students to work as semi-professional or librarian in a small library. Knowledge of foreign languages is an advantage in this profession.

REMUNERATION

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, deputy 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 here differ from State to State and much needs to be done to ameliorate 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 optimistic in both - the public and the private sector.
   Regarded as a noble, soft profession, it is also suited to women, to work in a quite environment, assisting the information-seekers; especially children. Women make good children-librarians. Here, she is not only distributor of books but also an affectionate friend to children; a mentor and a guide.
   A librarian's job is scholarly; a career with promise and growth; meant for a person interested in books and reading; keeping his knowledge abreast with contemporary literature and research.