Monday, September 3, 2012

Career as Librarian

Libraries are the place where one can get the treasure of knowledge, information and entertainment. The basic purpose of a library is to disseminate knowledge. As the new educational institutions opened across India, the field of learning and the intensification of research activities increased and this lead to the increased importance of libraries. The increasing importance of libraries has helped the librarianship to attain the status of a separate discipline in the universe of information. Librarianship is concerned with organising, maintenance and storage of books in a library. Librarians assist people in finding information and using it effectively in their personal and professional lives.
Libraries contain books, E-books, newspapers, periodicals, journals, magazines, micro-films, videos, cassettes and slides - for education, research, reference and pleasure. The people who systematically catalogue, store and display these items are known as librarians. Previously libraries are known for a place to access books, but now they houses the most advanced media, including DVD-ROM, E-boos, the Internet, virtual libraries, and remote access to a wide range of resources.
There may be categorized as public, reference, children’s libraries and those attached to offices and institutions of both private and public. There are libraries attached to the academic and research institutions that cater to specific readers in specific subjects such as medicine, art, music, engineering, or types of books such as Braille or collections for children.

 

Eligibility

Minimum qualification to join a course in Library Science is graduation. One with graduation can go for Bachelors degree in library science. Duration of this bachelor’s course is one year. Those with Bachelor degree in library science can opt for Masters degree in library science which is of one year duration. One can also go for M.Phil and Ph.D in this field. Many diploma and certificate courses are also available in this field.
Many universities, colleges, polytechnics, as well as distance learning institutions across India offer courses in Library Science. In most of the institutes selection is through an entrance test.
Subjects offered in library science are library and information systems management, bibliography, documentation, preservation and conservation of manuscript, classification/cataloguing systems, library management, research methodology, computer applications, information processing, archives management, indexing, library planning etc.

 

Skills

Librarians must have the following skills:

  •     Good IT skills

  •     Good communication skills

  •     Enthusiasm and motivation

  •     Teamwork skills

  •     Flexibility

  •     Good organisational skills

 

Job Prospects and Career Options

Job prospects

Trained personnel in this field can find employment opportunities in areas like:
  • Companies and organisations with large information handling requirements
  • Foreign embassies
  • Information centres/documentation centers
  • Museums and galleries, which have reading rooms and research facilities
  • News agencies and organisations
  • Photo/film libraries
  • Private organisations and special libraries
  • Public/Government libraries
  • Universities and other academic institutions

Career Options
The career for a librarian may start at the level of library attendant and though the promotions may differ from organization to organization. Following types of jobs are available after completion of course in library science.
Library Attendant: His responsibilities include taking care of inter-library loans, processing bills, shelving books, subscription renewals and new memberships.
Library Assistant: His responsibilities include levying of fines, accession, shelf arrangements, maintenance and binding of books and other materials, location of missing books, and related technical work. 
Junior Librarian/Semi-Professional Assistant: His responsibilities include to works at the counter to receive and issue books, send out reminders on overdue loans, looks after accessioning.
Junior Librarian/Professional Assistant: His responsibilities include accessioning, classification, cataloguing, ordering books, as well as handling computer data.
Junior Librarian/Assistant Librarian: His responsibilities include selecting and acquiring books and material, taking care of reference services and computer programming, as well as supervision of semi-professional assistants.
Deputy Librarian: His responsibilities include overseeing administration, supervision, and computer programming.
Librarian: He the one who has complete charge of technical, administrative, and financial matters. His responsibilities include library supervision and management, delegation of duties, budgeting, classification and cataloguing, personnel administration, and recommendation of new acquisitions.
Director/Head of Information Centre: He works at the policy and planning level. His responsibilities include center's organization, coordination, control, leadership, external relations, supervision and administration.

In information services, designations could be:
Senior Information Analyst: His responsibilities include processing of information, indexing, documentation etc.
Junior Information Analyst: Assists senior analyst in all aspects of work.
Information Assistant: His responsibilities include transferring; processing, storage and dissemination of information under supervision of senior staff are the main tasks in this position.

 

Remuneration

Salaries of librarians depend on individual's qualifications, experience, type, size and the nature of the hiring institutions. Librarians with administrative duties have good earning opportunities. Governments of India scales are higher than those of the University Grants Commission. Average monthly salaries of librarians are around Rs 8,000 to 12,000. Librarians must be willing to change location and role in order to progress in their career. Changing roles is often essential to gain the necessary experience in different sectors and this often involves changing employer and even city.

Institute offering this course
  • Isbella Thoburn College,  Lucknow, India
  • Tilak Maharashtra University (TMU),  Pune, India
  • Jadavpur University-Faculty of Engineering, Kolkata (JUFOE-K),  Kolkata, India
  • Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University,  Lucknow, India        
There are many more colleges which are offering this course. 




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