Dear LIS Professionals, Mr. Vasantha Raju N. has raised right issues about status of librarians in the professionals community. Librarians are termed as secondary professionals in college libraries. One of the main reason behind it may be ill status of libraries. An incapable library can be handled by any one. People visit there as a stack of books. The second reason of it may be senior professionals of library science also as they select incapable librarians (having only degrees in library science and therefore eligible to the post) which worse the image of librarians. In many departments in universities such professionals (as faculty members) hinder the growth of meritorious students. When library professionals are motivated towards their selves and selection processes in the country is not transparent, library science will be devoid of influential intellects. We professionals should respect knowledge in the community, but I see people are self-oriented. And the profession is going downwards. Why India is not presenting an another Ranganathan? What is DRTC, NISCAIR and premier universities are doing in India. We professionals are enemies of the profession. We are *not* sensitive to the profession. That is the reason, some library professionals are extremely underpaid. But it is not a matter to the people in high positions as they are being paid well. Situations of library professionals is very poor and not respectful in many of the fields. Once again, I salute Mr. Vasantha Raju N. for his sensitivity toawrds the profession.. With Kind Regards, On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 9:38 AM, Prabhat Ranjan wrote:

Dear LIS Professionals,

Mr. Vasantha Raju N. has raised right issues about status of librarians in the professionals community. Librarians are termed as secondary professionals in college libraries. One of the main reason behind it may be ill status of libraries. An incapable library can be handled by any one. People visit there as a stack of books. The second reason of it may be senior professionals of library science also as they select incapable librarians (having only degrees in library science and therefore eligible to the post) which worse the image of librarians. In many departments in universities such professionals (as faculty members) hinder the growth of meritorious students.

When library professionals are motivated towards their selves and selection processes in the country is not transparent, library science will be devoid of influential intellects. We professionals should respect knowledge in the community, but I see people are self-oriented. And the profession is going downwards.

Why India is not presenting an another Ranganathan? What is DRTC, NISCAIR and premier universities are doing in India.

We professionals are enemies of the profession. We are sensitive to the profession. That is the reason, some library professionals are extremely underpaid. But it is not a matter to the people in high positions as they are being paid well.

Situations of library professionals is very poor and not respectful in many of the fields.

Once again, I salute Mr. Vasantha Raju N. for his sensitivity toawrds the profession..

With Kind Regards,

On Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Vasanth wrote:

...

Dear Sir/Madam,

It has been often deliberated in many professional forums that (at least in Karnataka) higher education department such as Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) should introduce LIS syllabus (information literacy) as a subsidiary paper in undergraduate course curriculum.

Karnataka State College Librarians Association (KSCLA) has been in the forefront on this issue for some time. In fact, in 2012 KSCLA organized one day conference on the theme “Information Literacy”. Then Karnataka Higher Education Minister Sri. C.T. Ravi was invited to inaugurate the conference. It was done mainly to place a request to introduce the LIS syllabus in under graduate course curriculum. Even after this as well, in many of the conferences our professionals have deliberated on this issue. Though this is an important issue, does merely introducing LIS syllabus in the curriculum change the image of the libraries and librarians?

Libraries even at the higher education level in India have not given enough importance. It has often been a neglected entity in college environment. At the behest of UGC, librarians are appointing for managing the library in higher education institutions mainly in undergraduate colleges. Otherwise, some secondary division clerk would have been put in place to run the show (there were/are cases of non-professionals managing college libraries).

Of late, professionals entering the LIS profession are demanding the equal status on par with teachers at the higher education level. Librarians are today on par with teachers in terms of financial benefits (eg., pay scale) but in terms of professional status librarians have not been seen as equal to teachers. Introducing a LIS curriculum in undergraduate colleges is not a solution for this.

We as professionals should demand for better infrastructure and human resource to manage libraries. Most of the college libraries (in Karanataka) even lack basic facilities such as proper buildings to store and organize books. Man power is a big problem librarians have to manage everything on their own. There is a no supportive man power to manage libraries. This has dented the image of the libraries.

Introduction of LIS curriculum in undergraduate courses would be an additional baggage rather a benefit to librarians. After teaching, librarians have to work again in the library. Who would there to manage it? Instead of this let us fight for our professional rights (for proper facilities) to be remain as library professionals. Let is once again remember the adage “librarians are the teacher’s teacher”. Merely having the designation of assistant professor of LIS would not change the image of the profession.

(Views are personal) ------------------------- With best wishes

Vasantha Raju N. GFGC-Periyapatna Mysore

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-- *Prabhat Ranjan*, (Enrolled to PhD), M.L.I.Sc. (NET), B.Sc. Librarian, Jayawant Library JSPM's Rajarshi Shahu College of Engineering http://www.rscoe.org Tathawade, Tal. - Mulshi, Pune - 411033 (Maharashtra) - India Ph. +919764161444 website: https://sites.google.com/site/prabhatranjan21/

-- *Prabhat Ranjan*, (Enrolled to PhD), M.L.I.Sc. (NET), B.Sc. Librarian, Jayawant Library JSPM's Rajarshi Shahu College of Engineering http://www.rscoe.org Tathawade, Tal. - Mulshi, Pune - 411033 (Maharashtra) - India Ph. +919764161444 website: https://sites.google.com/site/prabhatranjan21/ -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.