Sudhir Kumar Jena and Cliff Dkhar of IIM Shillong’s Knowledge Centre underscore career prospects in library and information science
THE MODERN world is passing through the age of information explosion. Information is available in print media such as books, periodicals, newspapers and maps as well as in non-print media such as compact disks, phonograph records, film tapes and microforms. Management of various types of information is a challenge and a highly scientific task. There was the necessity to manage the information explosion and hence the library and information centers emerged. That was followed by the emergence of library and information science (LIS).
Library science emerged as a discipline only in the end of the 19th century. With increase in micro-literature such as scientific periodicals, patents and theses, the new array of techniques emerged which was termed ‘documentation’. Next to that, the society is facing the exponential growth of scientific literature, automation and new media of communication (such as Information Communication Technology-ICT). This brought sea change in the outlook of Librarians and Information professionals and more so in the users of information. Thus emerged information science where ‘information’ is at the centre. We can depict the phases of LIS as follows: Books – library science; documents (books + micro literatures) – documentation; information (documents + non-print media + automation + ICT) – information science.
Library and information centers are repositories of knowledge, information and entertainment. They contain books, periodicals, microfilms, CDs, i.e., print and non-print media for education, research and entertainment. Those who scientifically and systematically organize and disseminate these information sources through various processes such as acquisition, cataloguing, classification, reference works and dissemination of information, are called ‘librarians/information managers’. This profession is among top ten most coveted professions in developed countries.
LIS deals with all kinds of aspects related to library and information centers with a target to link the information seekers with the required information through vivid Library and Information operations.
Objective of LIS programmes
~ To provide the students knowledge about basic principles and fundamentals of LIS
~ To train the learners about various methodology and techniques of librarianship and information handling
~ To make students understand the purpose and function of the library/information center in the changing scenario of the society
~ To acquaint the learners of the application of different management techniques in managing the Information systems and services
~ To familiarize the students with fundamentals and methodology of planning, designing and developing the library and information centers and their services at local, national, regional and global level
~ To make the students aware of application of information technology/ICT to LIS
~ To familiarize the learners about the basic knowledge of the quantitative and qualitative techniques in LIS such as statistical methods, quality management, informetrics and scientometrics, etc.
~ To provide the students the basic knowledge of preservation and maintenance of the collections in library and information centres, technical writings, etc.
Job prospects in LIS
Today there are bright career prospects in LIS.
Academic library sector: The librarians and information professionals are needed for various academic libraries, which are established in order to satisfy the informational needs of the parent bodies. Academic libraries/information centers include school libraries, college libraries, university libraries, institutional libraries/information centers, etc.
Special library sector: Various technical institutes have special libraries/information centers which include engineering colleges, medical colleges, management colleges, specialized institutes/organizations such as Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). There is vast scope of career for qualified library/information professionals in these libraries/information centers.
Public library sector: There is large network of public libraries at administrative levels of governments such as village, panchayat, block, district and state. In India we have a large number of public libraries. Some NGOs are also running various public libraries.
Corporate sector: Big companies maintain libraries/information centers for their informational needs. These companies employ qualified professionals as information scientists, information managers, database managers, resource managers, knowledge worker, library supervisor, librarians, etc.
There is good news that the National Knowledge Commission of India has recommended the formation of the National Library Commission to strengthen the library networks in India. Thus the scope of librarianship becomes brighter. With the information revolution, qualified library/information professionals are diversifying to several new growth areas such as database management, reference tool development, training of database users, systems analysts especially relating to computer work, documentation works, bibliographical works and organization and management of information units. Entrepreneurial librarians/information professionals also start their own consulting practices, acting as freelance librarians or information brokers and providing services to other libraries, businesses or government agencies.
Conclusively today career in LIS is multidimensional, ever growing and bright which is significantly enriching the knowledge base of the society for prosperity and progress.