I some how have different opinion for the Profession and Professional Training. However Let me first start with perception of "Good Candidates" for school job interviews. In beginning of my carrier ( around 1987 ) I had faced few frustrated days of unemployment. I had been filling forms for vacancies here and there - but I had a minimum standard fixed for myself. Never apply for a School Library. Because I considered myself over qualified for that post. Same might be true today as well. One should not expect highly qualified people having Masters in either Library Science or Other Subject to Join a School Library. I would rather advice people to go for teaching in Schools rather join as School Librarian. No worth while professional course has "Soft Skills" component in their scope. This is what people are expected to have a part of their personality trait. For example - Lawyers do not have a such a component in their syllabus - yet they earn with these skills. Experimenting with communicative skills at university level of education would only reinforce the myth that librarians are mere secretarial staff. The emphasis should be on latest technological skills to handle information and knowledge especially in this fast changing and Internet "infected" information era. This however does not mean that Library and Information Departments should start competing with Computer Science departments. If we really want to reform LIS Education - We need to make it market oriented ( Excuse me! not for School Market). Let us find out what sells in this Internet Era. (Google sells, we know!!). Then check out what all is required to produce that sells. Then find out how we can produced people that are required for make such products and services ( of course Information oriented.. ) These are my views. --Sukhdev Singh NIC. On 4/17/07, Vasumathi Sriganesh <vasu@qmedin.com> wrote:
Saying no to mediocrity is the first step in that direction
Dear friends
Ananda worked with me at QMed for about a month or so immediately after her MLIS, just to gain some experience. She happened to be one of the rare "fresh flowers" that still spring up in the profession every now and then. It was not just her academic record (which was superb). She proactively did things that she felt needed to be done at QMed.
Once she got the school job and moved there (as a trainee), a little while later I had a vacancy, and asked her if she would come back. She told me that she would soon become permanent at the school, and she liked her job there too - and wanted to stay on. I was obviously disappointed, but I was also thrilled about a "Bigger Picture". I always believe that the foundation of our profession began at School Librarianship level - and I was happy that the area got someone like Ananda - "out of her choice - not simply because she landed there". I am really happy to see a very will written and passionate posting from her. Well done - Ananda!
Her comment (that I have chosen at the beginning of the mail) - is definitely one step that has to be taken. We cannot make great professionals by just adding soft skills in the curriculum for ordinary of below par people. (Please note - I do not mean to negate any effort made in that direction. That is very important). In the long run, we need to take in students of high calibre AND train them not only in the technical + domain areas of LIS, but ALSO in soft skills
Apart from that - I think Ananda's observation about how difficult it is to get a good intern, is very often shared with me even by librarians at leading public libraries. I really believe this is a wake up call.
Many other respondents to this topic have made a point about - "let us not blame the LIS schools". I will add to that - Let us not blame anyone. That does not help. "Let us fix the problem - not fix a blame (on anyone or any organization)" - should be our motto
Vasumathi Sriganesh Director, QMed Services A-3, Shubham Centre, Cardinal Gracious Road Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai 400099, India Tel: 91-22-40054474 / 75 Fax: 91-22-40054358 Please visit our Directory of Indian Medical Sites- www.qmedin.com/medsites
----- Original Message ----- From: ananda thakur To: lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 12:55 PM Subject: Re: [LIS-Forum] Training in LIS
Hi all,
I agree with the views of Mr. Arunachalam and Ms Vasumathi. As a school librarian , I face some unique problems regarding quality of librarians............
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