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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on August 30, 2015 at 21:05

Dear Sri Sunil Kumar Ojha,

Thanks for bringing the burning question to the attention to forum members.

I personally feel that it is a simple case of problem of attitude and nothing else.

Many individual may accuse the bureaucracy but ultimately, the signal comes from the authority like the Minister in Charge.

It is a bare fact that since the College Librarians enjoy the UGC Pay Scales at par with teachers in Colleges, the teaching staff and principals of colleges often takes up a negative view towards the jobs of Librarians and are often seem reluctant to bring in a new Librarian!!

It may appear controversial and highly debatable but the fact is as the College Librarians get salary at par with College Teachers, Even (barring a very very few, of course) librarians in Research Institutes supposedly taking up far higher responsibilities, get much lesser salary and service benefits in comparison to College Librarians. Naturally, they possess a negative attitude towards the College Librarians!

As such, the College Librarians virtually became a group who are disliked by their own professionals.[Yet, Many of them look forward to get a service as a College Librarian]. (this is a mental attitude just like apprehension towards the "officers" in organizations. You will see that by and large, all general staff often criticize and often try to demean the 'officers' but deep in the core of their heart, almost all of them they are virtually "dying" to be a "officer"!!)

As I presume, this is why no holistic efforts are being taken from even the professional associations. I am almost sure that unless the "gap" is repaired, College Librarians will remain a minority group among LIS fraternity. 

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Dr Praggya on August 31, 2015 at 23:08

Dear Mr. Ojha,

The issue is sensitive and the status of librarians is pitiful at many places...in this context what my observation is that at places wherever there is respect for Library Science Education , status of libraries is automatically good. So now the question is when we complain about the posts not being created, do we ever put into question the education and facilities infrastructure, quality of education, course intake etc that is existing in the LIS schools in that area/state etc. Another imp factor is that have libraries or librarians created a space in the system which if do not exist ..causes the system to come to a halt..I personally feel NO..So, instead of criticizing the govt. in newspapers for not filling up the vacancies,  I think it is more of the responsibility of the professionals, LIS schools, professional bodies, associations, societies to come up with ways that make the libraries and the librarians indispensable for any Institution ...and to start with we need uplift-ment of  the LIS education standards....otherwise its difficult to change the scenario as when it comes to cost cutting Librarians become the easiest targets..

This is what I feel...

Regards,

Pragya

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