[LIS-Forum] Re: [nmlis] Abscence of recognition - Who will bell the cat?

Thu Jan 20 17:12:30 IST 2005

Dear professionals,

Vasu (as we in Mumbai know her) has so precisely pointed out areas for revamping in the education being imparted to LIS students. I wish to share with you my perceptions on a major area of learning in LIS, namely MARC. While we have a course work on it in library schools, how many of us have actually been inducted into the training of cataloging using MARC (school or after words). Not that it hinders our work, but with the divergent plethora of libraries we work in, I am sure a very basic training would have gone a long way. No wonder we have no Labs from LIS departments specifically on say Metadata or Digital Preservation (I may please be corrected). 

Sometime back, I heard this at a lecture and also from major players (ethical and knowledgable) of our field, that we in India, need to start building our libraries from the very basic, by educating people to "read". We are not a society where people read to gather information. People do not "use" libraries because they do not know what to read either. 

I feel we need to work towards :

1. Project work for school students, such that it includes the usage of libraries. We need 
    people representing us, to make effective statements with major bodies like the UGC, 
    NCERT, etc, etc. Same goes the case with our IT policy. 

2. Our personal appearence makes the first impression on people, for we talk later. Likewise,
    how effective will a "Hi-Tech Library" be, with dusty, cramped, and dark shelves? We Indians
    support supperior technical jargon, nothing less. For eg., if we convey people that a 
    conference on libraries is being organized, no body would probably even listen out, but, 
    if we were to modify and say a conference on "information management and digitial libraries" 
    is being organized, they would be more than awed. The way our national newspapers 
    cover any course work, or conference with the above mentioned terminology is proof to that. 
    Maybe, we need to cash on the trend since we are already at such sinking depths, for that  
    is what works here ! 

2. More International exposure of professionals in libraries of the schools, colleges, museums.
    We need activities for creating libraries and introducing reading programs, just like they are 
    doing it in Africa. Please check, worldlibraries.org/itw/itwoverview.shtml, to get an idea of   
    what I am stating.

3. Working in correlation with major international associations, not only for conferences and  
    conferring 'yet another' international award, but also, for training courses and workshops in   
    India. We do not need technically loaded concepts for basics, but very fundamental skills to 
    strive. It is not difficult to understand and implement new technology, until we learn to put 
    forth our requirements to our respective managements, which can happen only when we 
    prove our efficiency.  

4. Somedays back, we saw a message posted about a new certificate course at UIUC 
    available also via their LEEP program (distance education). We need our library schools to 
    partner with major schools from all over the world, so that we can do something similar in 
    our country. 

The list is long and as it comes to mind I might just keep jotting down, but I hope this is enough for a weekend (an early one this time :-)).

I have seen people from most fields who choose to remain mediocres the rest of their lives. And I am talking to you about CAs, doctors, engineers, scientists who just do not excell, after all remember it is not our profession which runs (ruins) this country, but our bureaucrats and technocrats. Excellence in all fields are exceptions, but having a high morale about our profession and ourselves is not. 

Thanks for hearing me out,

Cheers,

Smita Chandra
Librarian
Indian Institute of Geomagnetism
New Mumbai
Vasumathi Sriganesh <vasu at qmedin.com> wrote:
I think N. Sreeharsha has hit the nail on the head.

"...............Okay, now who is going to tie the bell on the cat's tail"? 

a). I am not on the IATLIS list, since I am not a teacher in LIS. I request those who are on the IATLIS list to send a mail to that list members, our ideas about 

i) Standardization of a Two year MLIS, scrapping BLIS, and introduction of a short course of Certificate in LIS
ii) Make Language and communication a VERY STRONG focus in the MLIS course
iii) Focus on Marketing Information Services
iv) Improve Management and Technology based subjects
v) Introduce an element on ethics, copyright and legal issues 
v) Make a compulsory element of a Summer Training (or whichever months are best). This training should be something, where students do a serious project, which has good impact for the Institution (Eg - developing an area of the library website). They should not be given only those jobs that normally get sidelined in a library. I am aware that some libraries take students for internship projects, and give them only shelving and clerical work. Such jobs could be given to certificate students.

The objective is to have a one year plan and have the right course, with the right syllabus, WITH a plan for some upgrade every year. We need to bring IT and Management people to be involved. 

b) Admission to the above "new" MLIS course. We need to plan to get professional entrance tests created. And to market the course by
- Proper ads in the papers
- Talking to career counsellors to talk / write about the course
- Any other innovative methods - even talking to Degree students about the course
- Market it to other subject teachers - eg degree course teachers, so that they may recommend this course to students

c) Interaction with the Industry. This should be done with an objective of having jobs ready for the first batch of students. The course and calibre of students should be marketed to the industry, by telling them that by employing people with such training, their organization would have  xyz benefits.

d) In terms of UGC and funding and implementing such changes, I think the best thing to do, is to have a group of us making a proper plan and asking for an appointment with the President of India. He loves children, he loves education and he loves libraries. If we get his blessings for this change, I think things can move.

As I said, in the beginning, I am not a teacher of Lib. Sc. 
For those who do not know me, I am not a working librarian either (I was for about 7 years)
I am an entrepreneur - and I feel very very strongly for the profession.

I am willing to spend time and money on this entire "belling the cat" exercise. 
I am willing to take plenty of initiatives (what I already have done, is to employ three librarians, and am giving them salaries, working environment and teaching - to the best of my ability)
This entire thing requires huge effort and commitment, and importantly sacrifices. The biggest sacrifice being giving up one's ego and not worrying about getting a name for this entire activity. Whoever heads this activity should not think that his/her name is important. And anyone who wants to work for this should be ready for doing a lot.

Any more takers? 

Vasumathi Sriganesh
Director, QMed Services Pvt. Ltd.
A-3, Shubham Centre, Cardinal Gracious Road
Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai 400099, India
Ph: 91-22-28229223    Fax: 91-22-28224358
Mobile: 98211-14510
Email: vasu at qmedin.com,     Web: www.qmedin.com

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-------------- next part --------------
Dear professionals,
Vasu (as we in Mumbai know her)�has so�precisely pointed out areas for�revamping�in the education being imparted to LIS students. I wish to share with you my perceptions on a major area of learning in LIS, namely MARC. While we have a course work on it in library schools, how many of us have actually been inducted�into the training of cataloging using�MARC (school or after words). Not that�it hinders our�work, but with the divergent plethora of libraries we work in, I am sure a very basic training would have gone a long way.�No wonder we have no Labs from LIS departments specifically on say Metadata or Digital Preservation (I may please be corrected).�
�
Sometime back, I�heard this at�a lecture and�also from major players (ethical and knowledgable) of our field, that we in India, need to start building�our libraries from the very basic, by educating people to "read".�We are not a society where people read to gather information. People do not "use" libraries because they do not know what to read either.�
�
I feel we need to work towards :
�
1.�Project work for school students, such that�it includes the usage of libraries. We need
����people representing us, to make effective statements with major bodies like the UGC,
��� NCERT, etc, etc. Same goes the case with our IT policy.
�
2. Our personal appearence makes the first impression on people, for we talk later. Likewise,
����how effective will a "Hi-Tech Library"�be, with dusty, cramped, and dark shelves? We Indians
����support�supperior technical�jargon, nothing less. For eg., if we convey people that a
��� conference on�libraries is being organized, no body would probably even listen out, but,
��� if we were to�modify and say a conference on "information management and digitial libraries"
��� is being�organized, they would�be more than awed. The way our national�newspapers
��� cover�any course work, or conference with the above mentioned terminology is proof to that.
��� Maybe, we need to cash on the trend since we are already at such sinking depths, for that�
��� is what works here !�
�
2. More International exposure of professionals�in libraries�of the�schools, colleges, museums.
��� We need�activities�for creating libraries and introducing reading programs, just like they are
��� doing it in Africa. Please check,� http://worldlibraries.org/itw/itwoverview.shtml
worldlibraries.org/itw/itwoverview.shtml
, to get an idea of��
��� what�I am stating.
�
3.�Working in correlation with�major international associations, not only�for conferences and�
��� conferring 'yet another' international award, but also, for training courses and workshops in��
����India.�We do not�need technically loaded concepts for basics, but very�fundamental skills to
��� strive. It is not�difficult to�understand and implement�new technology, until�we learn to put
��� forth our�requirements to our respective managements, which can happen only when we
��� prove our�efficiency.��
�
4.�Somedays back, we saw a message posted about a new certificate course at UIUC
��� available�also via their LEEP program (distance education). We need our library schools to
��� partner�with major schools from all over the world, so that we can do something�similar in
��� our�country.
�
The list is long and as it comes to mind I might just keep jotting down, but I hope this is enough for a weekend (an early one this time :-)).
�
I have seen people from most fields who choose�to remain�mediocres the rest of their lives. And I am talking to you about CAs, doctors, engineers, scientists who just do not excell, after all remember it is not our profession which runs (ruins) this country, but our bureaucrats and technocrats. Excellence in all fields are exceptions, but having a high morale about our profession and ourselves is not.
�
Thanks for hearing me out,
�
Cheers,
�
Smita Chandra
Librarian
Indian Institute of Geomagnetism
New Mumbai
Vasumathi Sriganesh <vasu at qmedin.com>
wrote:
I think N. Sreeharsha has hit the nail on the head.
�
"...............Okay, now who is going to tie the bell on the cat's tail"?
�
�
a). I am not on the IATLIS list, since I am not a teacher in LIS. I request those who are on the IATLIS list to send a mail to that list members, our ideas about
�
i) Standardization of a�Two year MLIS, scrapping BLIS, and introduction of a short course of Certificate in LIS
ii) Make Language and communication a VERY STRONG focus in the MLIS course
iii) Focus on Marketing Information Services
iv) Improve Management and Technology based subjects
v) Introduce�an element�on ethics, copyright and legal issues
v) Make a compulsory element of a Summer Training (or whichever months are best). This training should be something, where students do a serious project, which has�good impact for the Institution (Eg - developing an area of the library website). They should not be given only those jobs that normally get sidelined in a library. I am aware that some libraries take students for internship projects, and give them only shelving and clerical work. Such jobs could be given to certificate students.
�
The objective is to have a one year plan and have the right course, with the right syllabus,�WITH a plan for some�upgrade every year. We need to bring IT and Management people to be involved.
�
b) Admission to the above "new" MLIS course. We need to plan to get professional entrance tests created. And to market the course by
- Proper ads in the papers
- Talking to career counsellors to talk / write about the course
- Any other innovative methods - even talking to Degree students about the course
- Market it to other subject teachers - eg degree course teachers, so that they may recommend this course to students
�
�
c) Interaction with the Industry. This should be done with an objective of having jobs ready for the first batch of students. The course and calibre of students should be marketed to the industry, by telling them that by employing people with such training, their organization would have� xyz benefits.
�
d) In terms of UGC and funding and implementing such changes, I think the best thing to do, is to have a group of us making a�proper plan�and asking for an appointment with the President of India. He loves children, he loves education and he loves libraries. If we get his blessings for this change, I think things can move.
�
�
As I said, in the beginning, I am not a teacher of Lib. Sc.
For those who do not know me, I am not a working librarian either (I was for about 7 years)
I am an entrepreneur - and I feel very very strongly for the profession.
�
I am willing to spend time and money on this entire "belling the cat" exercise.
I am willing to take plenty of initiatives (what I already have done, is to employ three librarians, and am giving them salaries, working environment and teaching - to the best of my ability)
This entire thing requires huge effort and commitment, and importantly sacrifices. The biggest sacrifice being giving up one's ego and not worrying about getting a name for this entire activity. Whoever heads this activity should not think that his/her name is important. And anyone who wants to work for this should be ready for doing a lot.
�
Any more takers?
�
Vasumathi Sriganesh
Director, QMed Services Pvt. Ltd.
A-3, Shubham Centre, Cardinal Gracious Road
Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai 400099, India
Ph: 91-22-28229223��� Fax: 91-22-28224358
Mobile: 98211-14510
Email: mailto:vasu at qmedin.com vasu at qmedin.com
,���� Web: http://www.qmedin.com/ www.qmedin.com
�
�
�
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To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nmlis/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nmlis/
�
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