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Permalink Reply by SUKANTA MAJI on January 1, 2018 at 20:34

Dear Munesh Ji,

Myself Sukanta Maji from West Bengal. First of all, a very happy and prosperous new year 2018 to You and all the esteemed members of this network of LIS Students and Professionals.

I want to say few words regarding the professional aspect of Library Science in India.

Being a job seeker in the LIS domain, i have noticed there is no unanimity in the recruitment process specifically for the group B/C/D posts. Every institute or Recruitment Board is following their own recruitment rules. For example, LIA Post or SLIA Post(Both these posts are on the level of 4,200 GP, on an average) have variations in recruitment rules, better to say when an IIM wants applications from the candidates for the post of SLIA, they mentioned that 3 years experience in an IIM or equivalent institution is mandatory, but at the same time, when the same post (SLIA) is advertised through Staff Selection Commission, there experience is not mandatory.

Hence, if there is a centralised recruitment board in our country for the recruitment of these posts , these discrepancies will not occur. 

With Regards,

Sukanta Maji

Bardhaman, West Bengal

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on January 2, 2018 at 20:33

Yes Sir, I too feel there should be a centralized recruitment board to remove the differences occurred due to the Autonomy at least for Librarians. But it needed for all the positions. 

Thank you.  

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Permalink Reply by Mahesh Hirendagi on January 2, 2018 at 21:30

Definitely your right sir with this the curriculum  of the LIS education in India require to  uniqueness in all university, but the problem is it's not in our hand.... 

 

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on January 2, 2018 at 23:22

Dear Sri Mahesh Hirendagi,

Thanks for your post.

Yes; nothing is "in our hands" neither uniformity of academic Standard nor uniformity of Recruiting Process. That is why a Regulatory body is needed who can act in both of these two fronts.

Regards,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on January 2, 2018 at 23:14

Dear Sri Sukanta Maji.

Thanks for your post and the good wishes for the New Year. I convey the same to you.

The issue you have highlighted is absolutely correct and this trend has started ever since the overcrowding of professionals in the job market and private investment came in academic discipline and govt. organizations started hiring on contract basis. Today, with the advent of Private Institutes and as govt. funded organizations, started recruiting contract based library professionals, the trend came into being in a big way.

However, it is a bare fact that Never there was any unanimity earlier in recruitment (& neither there is any in course curriculum in different Universities, nor there is any unanimity of qualitative standard among them) and nobody ever bothered about it as there were handful of advertisements and far far lesser number of applicants. Certainly, there should be a regulatory board who should look upon the uniformity of the standard of teaching and recruitment. As I have fair experience to participate in the selection process of library professionals in academic & special Libraries, I can say from the recruiter's points of views.  You might have observed that the advertisements from individual institutes and the PSCs differ in nature in the structure of drafting of the essential and desirable qualifications & expertise. Because for the former, it is direct interaction with the institute and they are quite aware of what they require. the  PSCs, on the other hand, acts as clearing houses and they "recruit in bulk" for a host of  organizations of diverse subjects/specializations; that is why their advertisements are drafted in a more generalisitc way. However, as a recruiter, I certainly prefer being specific in drafting so that selection can be made on the basis of potentiality of an individual from a group having same/similar working experience; that's all!

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on January 2, 2018 at 21:27

Dear Munesh,

Thanks for your post.

As for my opinion ( I must make it clear at the very beginning that I might be wrong!) the profession is PROGRESSING in terms of application of New Technologies. However, it is a global phenomena and it is quite natural. (Like, in early days, people used to walk and as wheel was invented, carts came into being for traveling; and there is nothing exceptional about it !!) However, market wise, its economic status has been significantly diminished because of huge oversupply than requirement! Academically speaking, it has lost its academic flavour. Now-a-days, Librarians are sort of Expert Technicians and no longer they are Academicians With the advent of technologies and its overwhelming progress, Library professionals are getting detached from the users day by day, hour by hour and seconds by seconds! and their professional efficiencies remain unknown to the user communities and I am confident that the downfall of status (read image) of Librarians is vastly due to this detachment.  Today, a new comer in the profession well armed with state-of-the-art technologies, starts his job with initiation of OPAC, then WEB-OPAC, then digital repositories and so on. There is no denying that these are extremely helpful to understand about the resources & gain access to them. But very seldom, a Librarian approaches an academic/researcher and tries to know about his/her requirements and have very little understandings about the present phase of  research of any particular researcher. this lack of personal (informal) interaction creates a gulf of distance between the two communities and they remain as "islands". As such academic community feel that Librarianship is a technology driven activitiy and requires less "personal "abilities" and, like it or not, this mindset is killing the profession and more importantly, the professionals.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on January 3, 2018 at 2:11

Another view on status. 

The situation of Librarian or the status of this post is getting miserable, no wrong in saying,  it is worst and Librarians are being defeated because of two major organizational arrangements, "Not in core teaching group, neither in any position at management side."

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on January 3, 2018 at 4:24

Dear Munesh,

I completely agree with you.

The most miserable position is probably, of the College Librarians.

The poor fellows brags among outsiders about teaching status and Pay Scales but in their own workplace often they face enormous humiliation. Often the teachers NEVER ACCEPT them as same as them except on occasions when they raise donations for the Teachers' Associations (& often these poor fellows voluntarily enroll themselves in those Associations!! supposedly to remain in the 'mainstream') The Principals mostly treat them as Glorified Clerks and the other "Non-Teaching" staff often remain envious of their earnings and never leave any chance to corner them.

Being 'minority' their voice often remain unheard. it is what is called Na Ghar ka Naa Ghaat Ka. situation!! Of course there are exceptions but as you know exceptions are just exceptions!! But, in reality, today's College Librarians are highly qualified; many have double Masters Degrees & Doctoral Degrees too; but very seldom they write articles jointly with the academic staff on subjects other than LIS. or publish articles in mainstream journals other than LIS.

There are two important Multidisciplinary Indian Journals, the Economic & Political Weekly & Current Science in the domain of Social Science & Liberal Arts and Science respectively. As I understand most of the College Libraries keep these two or either of the two journals. Unfortunately, I can not remember whether I saw any paper by College Librarians in any of these two journals lately. Here, comes the question of academic competency and lack of which isolates the College Librarians from the academic staff. I am absolutely confident that if a College Librarian publish Six articles in a tenure of 10 years in any of these two journals, he/she will be well accepted by his Academic Colleagues and the Principals as well. The reality is, you have to show your worth and establish it amongst your colleagues. You might have noticed that in my earlier post I have mentioned the decaying academic flavour in the profession. It is simple. Unless you are producing/delivering academic discourses how on earth can you claim yourself as an academician? and this is the most pathetic hindrance in claiming equality.

I have cited the case of College Librarians for the sake of discussion only (and not to humiliate any specific group of our Colleagues) this is applicable to all of our LIS fraternity.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta   

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on January 4, 2018 at 18:29

...very enlightening remarks Sir.

Surely we will try to get the academic excellence and we will also get our original work published in journals as suggested by you.

Thank you Sir.

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Permalink Reply by Pasupatheeswaran on January 4, 2018 at 13:42

Dear Sir

           School Libraries is in bad condition. School times are alloted for Libraries. But no one responsed. Students are motivated to memory the portions of lesson. Some schools without Librarians. Our Expectation of output is bad.

with thanks

Pasupatheeswaran

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on January 4, 2018 at 18:22

Actually, school libraries(govt. funded) have a pattern of distributing books for students forever, means students can take the books to their home. If students allowed to read them in their libraries instead taking to home or few can be given and few they have to read and make the notes in the library then this way lots of money will be saved and a habit of reading in the library will be inculcated automatically. 

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