Dear friends,
I too agree with S K DEsale and P B mangla. We cannot keep on giving endless
services and in return expect nothing. The working conditions of the
librarians and their status is very poor in our country. Even after earning
a post graduation in LIS, many of the librarians are taken on a beginner's
scale. As we say for better services a user has to pay. The same thing
applies when it comes to salary and working conditions. If you are paid
well, you serve better.
What Ms. Smita Chandra says is correct and I think these are the very basic
things which most of the librarians do. We should also understand that
librarians have to depend on the parent organization and libraries come last
when budget is to be allocated and comes first when services are to be
given. So I would say that IT progresses, ordered and neater libraries can
be expected when there are no budget problems and min. man power is a must.
And the important facor is the LIS education There are exceptions where
librarians don't work inspite of having good budgets etc.
I would like to throw some light on out LIS Education too and that is
where what Smita and Parinita says holds true. In earlier times there were
very few universities/colleges offering Lib. degrees. Now so many
universities and colleges are offering these degrees. But how many have a
standard? I have come across several applications for a higher post where so
many candidtes have M.LIb degree with distinction but their basic graduation
scores are just 35-40%. They cannot communicate, organize collection,
knowledge of subject is zero and the very basic lib. functions are so badly
handled that I doubt their Lib. degrees and Phds. On top of all this they
have papers( highly sub-standard) published and presented at various
conferences and seminars. These are the people who are spoiling our
profession and thereby our professional status. The Universities/colleges
imparting LIS degrees should set a proper standard and modify eligibility
criteria for admissions to Blib/Mlib/PhD.
All this together can form the basis of Lib. movement.
--Truptee Shah
Librarian
CDAC Mumbai
Added to these requirements – is the need to keep on formally learning.
After our Masters degree – do we in our profession, have any further
structured learning – say like along the lines of MBA? We are all under the
microscope! Everyone agrees libraries are necessary, but librarians? How
necessary will librarians be if they do not have any more learning
opportunities! Learning that is formal and structured and along the lines of
our market requirements?
How many of us even know how to align our libraries along our organizational
goals and requirements? What is our plan of action – (for this week, this
month, this year, and 10 yrs from now), what is our career goal? Where do we
see ourselves, and with what knowledge and skills, say 5yrs from today?
Not everyone can opt for an MPhil or a PhD – sure that's one more learning
stage – but how much of the research done in library science has actually
been used? Can we not actually apply the research conducted and do
something?
On 12/3/08, S K DEsale
Dear all,
Many of you will agree on the fact that Librarians are not getting the same status as lecturers and other professionals in society. Since we all pusses same qualifications, same working conditions, pay scales etc. we deserve the same status which these other professionals enjoying. If we just take the example of our LIS teaching faculty, they are also treated differently than librarians. I think this is not fair.
Librarians should be considered as a faculty and should be given the same rights given to the teachers. Librarian should have right to represent in board of studied of LIS, he should be given a right to vote and choose his representatives in the board. Since librarian is a person who is actually working in the library he knows what knowledge one should pusses to be successful in LIS profession & what should be taught to new entrants.
Library professionals also should demand separate faculty like other professions e.g. Law, architect, Management, Medical etc. LIS should have its own dean who will represent us at higher level so that we can able to take our profession forward.
These are few things if we able achieve then I am sure it will make lot of difference in our status in the society. We are planing to start one movement to achive this, I want to know your opinion and views on that.
With regard
Mr. S. K. Desale
Asst. Librarian
Jayakar Library
University of Pune
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