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Permalink Reply by Dr. Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri on February 25, 2016 at 8:44

Time has come to rethink, review and reorient ourselves. We must think out of the box to grow. We are no doubt progressing towards backwards. Sometimes I feel I should choose to ignore. But I can not. It is not because of that I love my students but I want all of them to grow. I want to connect with the rest of the world through their new ground breaking ideas. I yearn to mix with the rest of the disciplines that transcend us from mere slavish follower of a stubborn idea to open minded flexible innovator. I would always encourage my students and I would always teach my students to create to innovate to make our wrong present to right one.

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Permalink Reply by Laksman V. on March 5, 2016 at 4:03

Unspecified=Unrecognized according to  UGC letter no F.No.6.-1/2015 (CPP-II)

See UGC Letter in attachment below

Attachments:

• UGC Letter.docx, 176 KB

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Permalink Reply by Sarthak Chakraborty on March 5, 2016 at 8:58

Well I don't want to use many words as others but just want to point out some of the technical issues as per Indian constitution and Indian Penal Code  no one calls a victim till the court's verdict. So as this matter let UGC decide the matter; I think the people (so called LIS professional) are scared to face the reality. At the UGC's notification there are several courses which are not mentioned but pursuing those degrees many professionals are serving as the faculties in various Indian Universities. Please we are not against you, we are also your fellow professionals. If you think by maligning 5 years Integrated MLIS will glorify your image then I have kindness for you people.

#BEINTEGRATED

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on February 27, 2016 at 20:13

Dear Sri Bidhan Daloi (and all respondents)

Thanks for your post and for some very viable responses.

I have gone through the responses and especially the article by Dr. Chaudhuri.

However, at the very beginning, let me confess that I am from the "Old Generation" in the sense that I studied the course spanning of One Year only and that too, 35 years back!

It is needless to say that the world, the subject, the course curriculum and more importantly the demand all have undergone a Sea-Change.

[Fortunately or Unfortunately], I still feel thrilled to face new & novel ideas and technologies!!  That is why the issue attracted me.

I have seen the names of the Universities mentioned in Dr. Chaudhuri's article and I still feel fortunate to know (please read knew to be precise!) some of them, sort of intimately as I had elapsed a couple of time in a few of those institutes.

As I had observed, their course curriculum were different from those of ours (in those days) and never-the-less, their requirements of LIS professionals were mostly market driven. and as I have observed from the Univ. Pittsburg's, they still require "Market Driven Specializations"

On the basis of my personal experience and beliefs, I  have great doubt whether majority of the Ph.D holders in LIS from India busking in GP Rs. 9000/-can ever fit in to work even in the Jr. Supervisory rank in those Countries!! I must add here that by quoting Ph.D I meant to emphasize on people having highest categories of academic background and knowledge in the field of LIS. 

The proposal for 5 years course has some points in favour and against and I do not want to indulge into them but I have just two questions which I like to share with you.

First, what should be the Course Curriculum in terms of Pedagogy and

Second the market response to the Degrees.

Do we really have competent faculty to teach the specialized subcategories mentioned by Dr. Chaudhuri in page 456?

From my personal experience, I am almost certain that it is extremely difficult to get competent faculty to effectively teach at least Health Informatics, to name one!

I have reason to express my concern in this open forum as I have came across a paper on Medical Librarianship published in ILA Journal a couple of years ago by an individual jointly with a University faculty and I am sorry to say that the paper was CONCEPTUALLY quite poor!!

As I personally knew the individual, I had sent him a mail to clarify certain points which the individual was unable to explain!! (Incidentally, I had worked as a Medical/Health Science Librarian for more than two decades and observed some of the finest Medical/Health Science Libraries in India & abroad and had opportunities to work with them in different occasions). 

The same issue applies to Social Informatics as well. The IASLIC has a provision of SIG on Social Sciences in its annual conferences and very few papers are contributed under this SIG.

Next is the Time Frame and Marketability:

It is a bare fact that people come to study LIS for getting a job. None I have seen, came to study out of childhood passion (like to be a Doctor, Engineer or even a Teacher) and can one afford to elapse his/her life's FIVE Valuable years in the present market condition of LIS in India? This issue is quite serious.

It reminds me of my batch in MLISc.(1981) where, out of total 10 students, 8 were "in-service"; two from CSIR, One each from ICAR & ICMR, two from Central Universities and two from State (WB) Universities and just two freshers. Please note that there were no contact services, no consolidated salary in those days (and interestingly, there were no mandates/promotional provisions neither from the UGC nor from the National Research Laboratories like CSIR/ICAR/ICMR to acquire MLIS Degrees!!)

Honestly, I have no idea about the present intake capacity of the 5 years course and the selection criteria and pedagogy and whether it is designed after a viable market demand study (LIS is a professional course after all!) but I must admit it is a very brilliant idea and in case it produce a pool of competent LIS professionals to fit in to various specialized institutions/industries ON TURN KEY BASIS , I personally feel it the need of the hour and wish its great success.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri on February 28, 2016 at 8:57

Thank you so much, Mr Roy for your brilliant observation and judicious comment. Though you've admitted, but I do not consider you belong to old generation. Getting a degree 1/2 years back doesn't qualify one to be of modern generation. Modernity a concept that embraces flexibility, open-mindedness and the inevitable transformation and move on accordingly. It all lies in your attitude and your mindset. In my view you are more than modern. You are more modern than any one who is consciously or unconsciously caged in their own contumacious mind blocks. It's inspiring !

Yes, I am absolutely agree with you regarding the specializations you mentioned. I had a little bit experience in Medical Informatics working in ICMR (HQ) in a research project during my INSDOC days. I know to teach those specializations we will need to have specialists and existing faculty can not do any justice to that. But, see, before doing all these, I believe , you will also agree that we have to envision our future. Our future is limited only by our imagination. Time has ripen, we have to decide where we exactly want to see us in the future-as mere servitor or innovator ? I am optimistic that time will resolve all the differences of opinions (if any) between two schools-Traditional/Conservative Vs Modern/open/flexible. No doubt, market will shape it up someday. 

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Permalink Reply by Amit Jana on March 2, 2016 at 21:05

Sincere thanks to Mr. Ashes and also the ones who are in favor of your opinion for expressing and pointing out your views on this important topic of discussion. It is good to admit that we are not in a position to implement our ideas, we are still in the level of discussion or criticism, and we can stick ourselves in discussions only.
Not only you but all the concerned LIS professionals are going through this discussion and expressing their views. I would like to give my views on your questions which you have placed. According to my opinion, some of your questions are irrelevant with this.
Your question directly points at the UGC and their policies. We all know, if something goes wrong for a certain period that does not mean it will be allowed to continue. Amendments are always welcome and concerning quotations, “better late than never”.

As said earlier you are not in a position to say whether any of the above courses is valid/ specified/ unspecified etc. all that matters is the nomenclature provided by the UGC which all universities should follow. Moreover I thought you are very aware that UGC is only concerned about the course curricula and structure at the colleges and university level. I very much agree that LIS education in India requires a strong accreditation unit, but, until that unit is formed we should follow the present structure prescribed by the UGC.

The question is again irrelevant. Knowledge can never be static, whether it is in the case LIS or any other field. If this have happened then it would be not been in a position as it is today. Starting from the greats as well as the new born LIS professionals, knowledge is getting more and more developed.

I don’t understand why you are comparing the knowledge capabilities of LIS professionals with other professionals. By asking this sort of question and being an LIS professional yourself, you are bringing down the pride and honor of our profession. Every other professional some way or the other need or have used our system for their profit. Furthermore, it has no connection with our topic of discussion.

The question of yours is irrelevant as well. Anyway, why do you think that the students who are coming from different backgrounds to the LIS field are not fresh? Each and every show that the students having different backgrounds have come to the LIS field and have flourished like anything. Our forefathers of the profession belonged from different discipline before they came into this field. So basically it is an insult to them too.

Again I have to repeat that you are not in a position to decide the course structure which solely lies under the responsible shoulders of the policy makers.

I am surprised to see that you have doubted the professional ethics of a national level association which have never been done before. You know, that maximum of LIS professionals including our teachers, philosophers and seniors are members of that type of associations. If a university grants an unrecognized degree to a certain student, who faces problems after getting a job, resulting to which he/she could be scrapped from his/her job, then who will take their responsibility. So this type of organizations has the basic ethics to aware the students about the unrecognized degrees.

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Permalink Reply by Sri Abhijit Chatterjee on March 4, 2016 at 23:14

Mr.Amit Jana could you please tell what is the actual role of library association in India? My years have passed still our profession has unable to stand on its own feet.

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Permalink Reply by Prayash Tamang on March 5, 2016 at 6:49

Mr. Ashes has expressed his views and opinions and our constitution has given us the "freedom of speech". So he can express his ideas on course structure.
If a student has the quality, dedication , determination and talented enough to carry on his/her shoulder with the job responsibility and still his/her job is scrapped then , where is the justice??. The emerging talents will be doomed by the so called nomenclatures of degrees.

I personally feel whatever may be the nomenclature for degrees, education and knowledge should be free from fear and someone's chain.I believe and I am inspired by the lines of "Rabindranath Tagore", as it goes
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

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Permalink Reply by Amit Dey Sorkar on March 4, 2016 at 3:33

Mr. Amit jana describe many wrong things. But as a library professional I can only post a quote of Rabindranath Tagore. I think It is very much helpful to other...kindly go through with the picture. Thank you.

Attachments:

• R1.jpg, 19 KB

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Permalink Reply by Ashes Datta on March 5, 2016 at 6:47

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Amit Jana for going through the minute details of my previous comment under the same post and again thanking him for the reply against it.

Yes, I absolutely agree with you on the fact that we are still in the level of discussions or criticism and we can stick (rather love to stick) ourselves in discussions only that may be in a conference, seminar, summit, etc. where maximum of us feel the need to remodel, revise and redesign our present course structure at per with the present day need. There are a number of papers, articles, and speeches for building Indian Institute of Library and Information Science, Making LIS as a distinguished discipline itself and so on. But despite of these hours and hours of brainstorming session, we still limit ourselves to the present structure of 1yr BLIS+ 1yr MLIS. Everybody is so reluctant to take new initiative (as it takes tremendous hard work and rigorous efforts and lots of courage). But if somebody (even if by mistake!) starts something new, we are happy to play the role of demoralizer  and destructive critic, rather than praising (at least encouraging) him.

The question of relevancy is very much respective as it changes from person to person, place to place and time to time. So, there is every possibility of finding a fact totally irrelevant which is very much relevant to other(s). Moreover, I believe that the Govt. policies, plans and programmes are made for the well-being and betterment of the people of the nation as a whole, whether be it academic, financial, health related …..etc. whatever may it be. So keeping the above fact in mind and being a responsible citizen of my country, I have every right to give my views, opinions, comments, regrets, and even raising voice against on issues if it is going wrong, which is also my fundamental right (Which I expect you are well aware of).

Yes, am very much aware of the fact that knowledge is dynamic by its nature. That’s why I had written it that way, and thanks for proving me right. And again a question arises in this regard “If the knowledge of LIS field is so dynamic and ever growing then why it is not being reflected in our course curricula? Does the structure of 1yr BLIS+ 1yr MLIS is enough to seek all knowledge (even if basic level) so far acquired?”

Again I want to extend my sincere thanks to you for conforming the fact that there is no accrediting body is actually present in INDIA. And still if I consider your opinion that until the formation of it we will stay abide by UGC then one question is open for you and all “on what basis UGC has decided that 1 year BLIS+ 1 yr. MLIS should be the need of the hour? ”

Comparison is one of the most important factor for studying a qualitative social phenomena on the basis of some criteria. For instance if you go through any matrimonial column of a popular newspaper you will surely find eligible doctors, engineers, lawyers and teachers etc. are expected as a potential bride or groom , but you can’t find a single instance where people advertise to marry a librarian. Again if you ask a young promising and rising teenager that “what do you want to be in future?” I doubt at least one out of 1000 would say that he or she wants to be a librarian (If not She/ he has a kinship with a librarian). So this is the present social condition and status of librarian comparing to other professions (you may deny it, but that doesn’t change the reality). I personally have high aspirations/esteems and I want that much of status and respect in the society as LIS professional compare to other professionals. And as far as the “Pride and Honour” of the profession is concerned, I would like to ask you to visit and survey the libraries starting from grass root level. You will surely find how much hardships are being faced by librarians regarding their recognition and existence as a LIS professional. They are neither fall under the category of academicians, nor administrators, nor even under the group D staff (it is mention worthy here that I’m well aware of the legislations, orders of Govt. related to the status of librarian.). The social recognition and status of the library professionals are very poor except in some R&D sectors, Universities, A grade colleges and highly prestigious institutes of national importance.

I would like to thank MR. Siddhartha Sankar Ray for his honest confession as a senior professional on behalf of LIS professionals that, “It is a bare fact that people come to study LIS for getting a job. None I have seen, came to study out of childhood passion (like to be a Doctor, Engineer or even a Teacher) and can one afford to elapse his/her life's FIVE Valuable years in the present market condition of LIS in India? This issue is quite serious.” Though it may be harsh but it is nothing but the reality. The 1yr BLIS+1yr MLIS is not enough to attract a talented, promising young star to opt LIS as his first love. Majority of people come into this profession as his last resort, with the only aim of getting anyhow a job! In comparison to other fields at the age of 23yrs people start to pursue a Ph.D. with having a profound and solid base of subject knowledge, but here in LIS field we just keep ourselves busy in how to complete 1yr BLIS in order to pursue MLIS (or in worst case get a job any how!) . And as far as research in LIS field is concerned majority of people are just doing it for their professional betterment not for driven out of passion. That’s why you will find most of them are pursuing it as a part-timer by doing a full time job side by side, which is ultimately resulting in the degradation of quality. I think that this things are need to be changed. We need young, talented, enthusiastic, charming, meritorious, hardworking and dedicated students who should have tremendous grasping power and lots of passion of doing something more than ordinary for the field and uplift its conditions rather than merely pursuing it for a job.

I am also quiet surprised to see that anything which have never done before, surprises (rather than affect you) most. I find your statement “maximum of LIS professionals including our teachers, philosophers and seniors are members of that type of associations.” Is totally illogical. Though I still believe that not all members of that association think in the same way but majority of them or the most influential ones are unethical which is resulting in the overall activities of that association. They are making “Plea to abolish 5-Year MLIS Course” and running anti campaigns against the course. But they have not given a single reason which is legitimate enough to shut down the course. A discipline will evolve to its next stage or not will that be dependent on the decisions a professional association? And they had deliberately increased all this anti campaigns against the course from last one and a half years, knowing the fact that the first batch of five year integrated course is going to complete their study tenure. Do you not think this is a sabotage? Are they not trying to kill an embryo which is still in her mother’s womb? If their intentions were to align and bringing in parity among all LIS courses across India, then why they are only campaigning against 5yr MLIS Course? As I have already mentioned a number of unspecified courses are available and run by renowned institutions/Universities, and till date that association has not published (publicly) not a single word against them. Do you not think that this is pre-planned strategy for maligning the images of innocent students of the course who are yet to go into the job market for employment? And I would like to remember you once again that till date UGC has not published a single document that the course is “Unrecognized”, so I would rather be happy to see if you kindly be careful of your selection of word “Unrecognized” in front of any course (because it looks as if you are giving verdict!).

Lastly, once again thanking you for sharing your own views related to my comment. But I would rather be glad if you address the actual problem rather than misinterpreting my points and misleading the discussions. (I found you have intelligently avoided my questions, and answered only those in which a Straw man argument can be conducted). Anyway best wishes.

 

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Permalink Reply by Ankit Das on March 5, 2016 at 21:52

It is a very unique course in this field. The objectives of this course are to accommodate first lovers of Library and Information Science as their first choice of subject and to educate library and information specialists who can respond to the changing information needs of the society. Librarians should not be neglected.  Because it is a noble profession. And it is our associations duty to maintain that legacy. There should be an accredited  agency  in this profession.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on March 6, 2016 at 22:45

Dear Sri Abhijit Chatterjee,

I am attracted to your very compact comment about the roles of Associations (in India)

As I personally feel that the role or mission/vision of an association is basically driven by the needs of the members (of course,if they are active; passive members are like sort of "Non Performing Assets") At the same time, it is bitter yet true that majority of the members take the Associations as a instrument to use for their personal gain while the ethics or morality often takes the backseat!!

I know of a state Library Association which was extremely dynamic throughout quarter of a Century from the early 80's to get Status, Pay Scales etc. but as soon as they were achieved, a good number of the members never bothered to contribute for creating a fund for the Association to survive it for future!!

If this be the attitude of the members, how can you feel associations to be survive effectively or undertake a viable role? However, I am sure that if the members get into crisis,( which speculatively, is quite likely in near future!!) they will certainly try to revive the Association for the sake of their personal interest.

I think you might have identified the association during the discourse of my post.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray

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