Dear Friends, There have been recently a number of debates about the LIS Professionals and the LIS Education. Professionals feel that the LIS Education in India needs a complete revamping. IGNOU is planning a revision in its BLIS programme. We request fellow colleagues to give their views on the syllabus of the BLIS programme. Please find attached below a broad structure of the BLIS syllabus of IGNOU. It would be appreciated if responses are specific, pertaining to different courses. Syllabus BLIS-01 : Library and Society Block 1 : Development of Libraries and their Role in Society Unit 1 : Role of Library and Information Centres in Modern Society Unit 2 : Laws of Library Science Unit 3 : Development Libraries in UK and USA Unit 4 : Library Development in Modern India - Plans and Programmes Block 2 : Different Types of Libraries and their Functions Unit 5 : National Libraries: Their Function; A Descriptive Account of National Libraries of India, UK and USA Unit 6 : Academic Libraries: School, College and University Unit 7 : Public Libraries: Role and Functions Unit 8 : Special Libraries and Information Centres Block 3 : Library Legislation Unit 9 : Library Legislation and A Model Public Library Act/Bill Unit 10 : Library Legislation in Indian States - Their Salient Features Block 4 : Resource Sharing and User Studies Unit 11 : User Studies Unit 12 : User Education Unit 13 : Resource Sharing - Concept, Need, Form and Selected Case Studies Block 5 : Library Associations, Promotional Agencies and Systems Unit 14 : Librarianship as a Profession and Professional Ethics Unit 15 : Role of professional Associations Unit 16 : Organisations and Institutions Involved in Development of Library and Information Services BLIS-02 : Library Management Block 1 : Principles of Library Management Unit 1 : General Principles of Management and their Application to Library Management Unit 2 : Library Organisational Structure Unit 3 : Management Information System (MIS) Unit 4 : Physical Planning of Library Block 2 : Information Resources Development Unit 5 : Types of Information Resources, Selection Principles including Communication Media Unit 6 : Different Types of Selection Tools and Their Importance Unit 7 : Acquisition Procedure: Books and Non-Book Material Unit 8 : Acquisition of Periodicals and Serials Unit 9 : Technical Processing Block 3 : Use and Maintenance of the Library Unit 10 : Circulation Work Unit 11 : Maintenance, Shelving and Stock Verification ,etc. Unit 12 : Elements of Binding and Preservation Block 4 : Human Resources Development Unit 13 : Human Resource Development: Concept and Contours Unit 14 : Personnel Planning Unit 15 : Participative Management and Total Quality Management (TQM) Block 5 : Library Finance and Budget Unit 16 : Library Finance Unit 17 : Budgeting and Accounting BLIS-03: Library Classification Theory Block 1 : Elements of Library Classification Unit 1 : Basic Terminology and Historical Perspective Unit 2 : Need and Purpose of Library Classification Block 2 : Theory and Development of Library Classification Unit 3 : General Theory of Library Classification Unit 4 : Species of Schemes of Library Classification Unit 5 : Learning about Subjects Block 3 : Approaches to Library Classification Unit 6 : Postulational and Systems Approaches Unit 7 : Fundamental Categories, Facet analysis and Facet Sequence Unit 8 : Phase Relation and Common Isolates Unit 9 : Devices in Library Classification Block 4 : Study of Selected Schemes of Library Classification Unit 10 : Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Unit 11 Comparative Study of 19th , 20th and 21st Editions of Dewey Decimal Classification Unit 12 : Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) Unit 13 : Colon Classification (CC) Unit 14 : Different versions of Colon Classification Unit 15 : Current Trends in Library Classification BLIS-03P: Library Classification Practice Block 1 : Dewey Decimal Classification (19th Edition ) - Part 1 Unit 1 : Introduction, Structure and Organisation Unit 2 : Definition, Notes and Instructions Unit 3 : Introduction to Three Summaries and Steps in Classifying Documents Unit 4 : Relative Index and its Use Block 2 : Dewey Decimal Classification (19th Edition ) - Part 2 Unit 5 : Study of Tables and Schedules Unit 6 : Auxiliary Tables and Devices Unit 7 : Practical Classification Block 3 : Colon Classification (6th Edition) : Preliminaries Unit 8 : Introduction, Structure, and Organisation Unit 9 : Schedules and Techniques Unit 10 : Steps in Classification Block 4 : Colon Classification (6th Edition) : Introduction to the Application of Postulates and Principles for Facet Analysis and Synthesis Unit 11 : Humanities and Social Sciences Unit 12 : Biological Sciences Unit 13 : Physical Sciences and Generalia BLIS-04: Library Cataloguing Theory Block 1 : History, Purpose and Types of Library Catalogues Unit 1 : Library Catalogue: Objectives, Purposes and Functions Unit 2 : History and Development of Library Catalogue Codes Unit 3 : Physical Form of Catalogues Unit 4 : Types of Catalogues Block 2 : Format of Catalogue Entries Unit 5 : Kinds of Entries Unit 6 : Data Elements in Different Types of Entries Unit 7 : Filing of Entries - Classified and Alphabetical Unit 8 : Centralized Cataloguing, Cataloguing-in Publication and Pre-Natal Cataloguing Unit 9 : Machine Formats: MARC and CCF Block 3 : Choice and Rendering of Headings and Cataloguing of Non-Print Media Unit 10 : Personal Authors (Western and Indic Names) Unit 11 : Corporate Authors Unit 12 : Pseudonymous, Anonymous Works and Uniform Titles Unit 13 : Cataloguing of Non-print Media Block 4 : Subject Indexing , Vocabulary Control and Recent Developments in. Cataloguing Unit 14 : Subject Cataloguing- Problems Unit 15 : Vocabulary Control: Subject Heading Lists and Thesauri Unit 16 : Subject Indexing Models Unit 17 : Techniques for Subjects Indexing Unit 18 : Recent Trends in Library Cataloguing BLIS-04P : Library Cataloguing Practice Block 1 : AACR- 2R- Part 1 Unit 1 : Preliminaries Unit 2 : Single Personal Author Unit 3 : Shared Responsibility and Editorial Directions Unit 4 : Choice Among Different Names and References Unit 5 : Series and Multivolumes Block 2 : AACR - 2R - Part 2 Unit 6 : Subject Headings Unit 7 : Corporate Bodies Unit 8 : Uniform Titles and Serials Unit 9 : Cataloguing of Non-Print Media/User's Guide to AACR-2 R Block 3 : Classified Catalogue Code -Part 1 Unit 10 : Preliminaries to Classified Catalogue Code Unit 11 : Class Index Entry and Tracing Unit 12 : Personal Authors Unit 13 : Corporate Authors Block 4 : Classified Catalogue Code - Part 2 Unit 14 : Analytical Entries and Composite Books Unit 15 : Series Unit 16 : Multivolume Publications Unit 17 : Periodical Publications BLIS-05 : Reference and Information Sources Block 1 : Study of Reference Sources Unit 1 : Reference and Information Access Tools: An Overview Unit 2 : Types of Reference and Information Access Tools Unit 3 : Kinds of Bibliographies Unit 4 : Indexing and Abstracting Periodicals Unit 5 : Reviews, State- of-Art Reports, Trend Reports, etc Block 2 : Categories of Reference Sources - Part 1 Unit 6 : Dictionaries Unit 7 : Encyclopedias Unit 8 : Hand Books, Manuals, Year Books, etc. Unit 9 : Standards, Patents, Trade Catalogues, etc. Block 3 : Categories of Reference Sources - Part 2 Unit 10 : Geographical Sources Unit 11 : Biographical Sources Unit 12 : Statistical Information Sources Unit 13 : Sources for Current Affairs Block 4 : Non-Documentary Sources Unit 14 : Human Resources and Referral Systems Unit 15 : Institutional Information Sources Unit 16 : Mass Media BLIS-06 : Information Services Block 1 : Information Services and Organisation Unit 1 : Concept and Need for Information - Unit 2 : Information Services: An Overview Unit 3 : Users of Information Services Unit 4 : Organisation of Information Services Block 2 : Information Services and Techniques Unit 5 : Reference Services Unit 6 : Current Awareness Services Unit 7 : Literature Search and Data Base Services Unit 8 : Document Delivery Services BLIS-07 : Information Technology: Basics Block 1 : Information Technology: Concepts and Basics Unit 1 : Introduction to Information Technology Unit 2 : Introduction to Computers Unit 3 : Telecommunications: Basics Block 2 : Applications Software Unit 4 : Introduction to Applications Software Unit 5 : Library and Information Software packages Unit 6 : Features of Indian Software Packages Block 3 : Library Automation Unit 7 : Library House Keeping Operations Unit 8 : Computerised Information Services Unit 9 : Management of Computerised Library Block 4 : Information System and Networks Unit 16 : Basic Concepts and Contours of Computer Based Information Systems Unit 11 : Library and Information Networks Unit 12 : Resource Sharing Networks Unit 13 : Internet and Its Services Jaideep Sharma, Reader, Faculty of Library and Information Science School of Social Sciences Indira Gandhi National Open University Delhi-110068 --------------------------------- Never miss a thing. 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Dear Friends,
I would like to congratulate Dr. Jaideep Sharma of IGNOU for taking
this bold step of initiating revision of BLIS Syllabus that too by
asking open suggestions through this forum.
I would be repeating (about half of ) what has already been
communicated to him directly in response to his personal email arrived
that before this email through lis-forum.
This would be a great opportunity to look into what is being taught
for last two decades. There has been number of changes that happened
on the educational scenarios and the information needs of the society
taken collectively. 'Net' is the major landmark revolution after the
printing press revolution. And this has happened in roughly last two
decades only. The earlier revolution changed what libraries were
before printing press. 'Net' revolution would also change as how the
libraries would be in near future. I had made a little prediction as
what would be academic libraries in the year 2020 around Dec 2005.
Some of you did not agree to my assumptions ( Path to discussions is
available at http://snipr.com/lib2020 ). Again let me stress that
changes would be dramatic. Perhaps some smaller institutions would be
outsourcing their 'libraries'. Only today (27th Feb 2008) in Times of
India, there is a News that Delhi University may be allowing its
Libraries accessible to the students of other universities on payment
of nominal fees. You may call it resource sharing, to me it is
outsourcing (of library services and content) by other institutions
and universities of Delhi from DU.
Ok, let me come to the actual point of revision of Syllabus. This
opportunity should be utilized to incorporate present day requirements
of Library and Information Professionals. Since it is a professional
course, the experience of working professionals would be more
appropriate. Thus it would be great opportunity to take views of the
working professionals.
I do not know whether the structure presented here is the revised
scheme or existing one. Whatever it may be it needs to be revised
drastically. Perhaps it will take me few other rounds of emails to
give my comments but to start with, I would just like see drastic
changes in the first paper itself - i.e. Library and Society. This
paper actually establishes and justifies the need of library for the
human society. In this "net" age, first of all we have to
re-establish the relevance of library. The conventional libraries
could become more and more irrelevant to the society if these are not
molded to the young and future generations of mankind. They are
already saying that Reference Books are Dinosaures in Libraries
(http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2008-02-05-voa37.cfm) I
would myself key-in few words in Google (over cell phone) than to
visit library and check out encyclopaedia. I may be mature enough to
evaluate and discount my 'net findings'. But the "google" generation
is not that mature. [A report (PDF - http://snipr.com/ggreport ),
sponsored by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems
Committee, tries to get beyond the stereotypes to find out just how
good young people are with information technology, and what the
implications are for schools and libraries.] And this is where we
should come in.
A new concept - Library 2.0 is to be definitely is there. Then comes
marketing of services by professionals. The philosophy of 'Open
Access', which I believe is same what Ranganathan referred by saying
"Books are for Use" has to be embedded within the future generation
librarians.
I have a point of view that:
The educational scheme for Library and Information Science
Professionals should have three concentric cores (facets):
1 - CORE - having the essential LIS philosophy, theory, Tools and Best
Practices.
2 - MIDDLE CORE - comprising of Information Technologies (All ICE
Technologies) that boosts the effectiveness of the CORE (1).
3 - INTERFACE CORE - This is the face that is perceived by Prospective
Employers. It takes the feedback from the job market, adjusts the
MIDDLE Core to satisfy the Employers' requirements.
(http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/pipermail/lis-forum/2007-November/006454.html)
I would put the Library Users under the INTERFACE CORE. Applying
Library 2.0 Concepts to this would mean mechanisms be taught were
Professionals develop processes in their library systems to capture
the user behaviour and further refine and enrich library services and
Content by encouraging collaborative feed back from users. For example
- OPAC may be developed to allow tagging and adding to their
'favourites'.
We should re-look entire syllabus and relate to the present day
requirement. What I can suggest is to make a formal committee for
that. I would be happy to participate in that. Whatever it may be -
the best should come out.
--Sukhdev Singh, NIC.
You may SMS me at 09868960074
On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 12:38 PM, jaideep sharma
Dear Friends,
There have been recently a number of debates about the LIS Professionals and the LIS Education. Professionals feel that the LIS Education in India needs a complete revamping. IGNOU is planning a revision in its BLIS programme. We request fellow colleagues to give their views on the syllabus of the BLIS programme. Please find attached below a broad structure of the BLIS syllabus of IGNOU. It would be appreciated if responses are specific, pertaining to different courses.
.......... ..........
Syllabus BLIS-01 : Library and Society
Jaideep Sharma, Reader, Faculty of Library and Information Science School of Social Sciences Indira Gandhi National Open University Delhi-110068
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participants (2)
-
jaideep sharma -
Sukhdev Singh