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Till recently the popular perception about librarians
had not been very positive. But of late, from the image
of a mere book keeper to the significant position of
information/knowledge managers the image of the librarians
has taken a revolutionary change. Facilitating data is
considered critical to every field of activity these
days. Small or big, libraries are becoming ubiquitous.
They are increasingly harnessing the professional services
of trained librarians. More so, by research and development
sections of various organisations, institutions and industries.
I’ve come to take up this responsibility in the
parliament library from my parliament secretariat services.
My observation is, there has been a major curricular
change in the Library Science courses offered by Indian
universities. Information Technology is predominantly
introduced in the curriculum as the response to innovations
in digital data storage and retrieval techniques.
Every year more than 80% Library Science students get
assimilated in jobs in various sectors. And the profession
is no less lucrative.
By a 1992 government review committee plan, a library
having more than 30,000 books or if your collection grows
and crosses that number the librarians posts are upgraded.
It is often seen that students fail to explore the vast opportunities
existing and also opening up in this profession. Apart from the usual
work areas, prospective career opportunities are there in foreign missions
in India, outfits of multilateral organisations like SAARC, UN etc.,
Indian missions abroad, and in various Ministries.
Professionals in Library Science are witnessing a never
before opportune time in recent years. Suitably trained
students now have exciting possibilities in a hitherto
uninteresting job profile of a ‘librarian’. |
