Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 17:33:13 +0530 From: Mr. B. G. Sunder Singh At 07:27 PM 5/22/2007, Sukhdev Singh wrote: Dear Friends, Most of us read emails from this forum, however very few of us try to discuss issues contained in these emails. Even when some people do respond - they just reply to the originator of the email and not to the whole forum. I can understand most of forum servers are configured in that manner only. So while clicking on "Reply" - reply goes to only to the author of the email. I would request lis-forum members to click on "Reply All" if they feel that whole forum would be interested in the issue. I feel e-forums like lis-forum are meant to discuss rather than announce. The respondent may want his/her reply addressed to the originator only, though be definition the forum is for useful discussion. Now let me come to the issue of ICT skills among students of Library Science. I would rather like seek an answer? What does market expects from Student Librarians. Does market ( employment opportunities) favours ICT skilled students? For answer, I would suggest some M.Lib.Sc student take it as master thesis. At one of my alma mater's, this was periodically done by a senior teacher (Frances Wood) both for the purposes of refocussing one'sown curriculum and similar decisions and also for enabling the alumnus to set his/her best foot forward. I am not aware of similar studies in our context. I feel there are four are market segments - 1. Academic Segments - Here the requirements are more or less are fixed by some accrediting body UGC. ICT Skills are just considered desirable. 2. Public Libraries Segment - Usually has lower eligibility criteria. I wonder if any preference given to ICT Skills. 3. Govt Sector / Research Segment - Depends upon the employer department. 4. Private and Corporate Segment - They need highly ICT Skilled professionals. But only problem is that they would employ librarian for very routine jobs and give ICT jobs to MBAs or Computer Professionals. Like one of my earlier teachers at Mysore University used to maintain -- the niche at that point of time was an information triangle -- the USER, the Source of information and the Intermediary. The User decides the services/contents that s/he wants, the source is unmanageable and unpredictable but the intermediary always finds a way to interface both these components. The technology and costs of access are dictated by those who pay for it. I think even today this has remained valid. If a school of professional experience has to cater to all the four segments mentioned by Sukhdev or emphasized by Murari (Tapaswi!), then it has to take care of the intake (through rigorous selection policy and pick of the aspirants), the resources (of all kinds), the human capital (that some times ceases to add any value to its teaching/learning capabilities), the ability to place its alumnus in the right places, and of course the employers (read as market and opportunities) . Where nothing is of certainty, then you only produce poor graduates in library science, who will take any job that comes their way and perpetually keep moaning!!! This is what I assume. The truth may quite different from it. Therefore we should further elaborate on this issue and take it as a scientific study. Not only we should answer the marketability of ICT skills but should also try to find out what exact skills are required and what priority each skill get in the market. Only then we should be able to fine tune our LIS curriculum. Agreed, although such market surveys should be made by professionals -- not by way of guided/unguided surveys by post-graduate students of library/information science. And mere Prescription should not be an academic solution! ss/20070523/17:35