Replies to This Forum

Permalink Reply by Shakher Sumsher Sharma on July 18, 2012 at 23:36

in my opinion,, when management personal enter into job market, one will join the group of people where everyone handle their specialized area, since an organization can hire number of professional having different skill sets. But the job profile of librarian is quite different, here an organization hire only few, and expect their employee to perform number of work rather then specialized one. SO may be because of the Jobs demand specialization is not given impotent.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kumud sharma on July 19, 2012 at 1:54

see you are right sir, a librarian has to do all kind of work but if we talk about staff who are working in library as project assistant etc, they have to handle one type of work,either he/she handling serial section or book section,or cataolguing section. some have their interest but some do not have but they are doing. if he/she will have his/her interest in particular subject he will further go on with that subject and he/she will perform much better I think actually.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on July 19, 2012 at 0:09

Dear Ms. Kumud Sharma.

Thanks for your post. The question you have raised, is quite novel and interesting. But you can well understand that the course curriculum of M.Lib. Sc.consists of Eight Papers altogether; last being the dissertation.

Regarding specialization, there is provision of special papers. In our time there were studies of four types of Libraries as special papers: Academic Libraries, Public Libraries, Special/Technical Libraries and Archives & manuscript Libraries. In foreign universities ( and may be,  in some Indian Universities also) in special Libraries there were several different types like Agricultural Library System, Engineering & Technological  Library System and Medical Library System. When one undergoes the degree of M.Lib. Sc., one has to study all the eight papers and score. As I can recall, in our time  we had depth Cataloguing Theory and Practice as papers among others.

As I understand, your point is, in case one is interested on CATALOGUING, s/he should concentrate on Cataloguing only but it has several intrinsic limitations. When a person so qualified is appointed in a library as a supervisory staff in a comparatively higher post by dint of the Degree of M.Lib.Sc, s/he is supposed to look after various other wings of the library apart from cataloguing activities and will be a pathetic failure in rendering her/his stipulated duties. Especially, in the perspective of present day scenario, a staff specialized in only one single aspect of library activities will never get a job. However, in case one intends to pursue higher studies in a single area or want to specialize in a single area, s/he can pursue her research activities (like Doctoral Research) in that area only. A person loving cataloguing only can further focus his/her research activities on cataloguing only (like, say on diacritical markings or compound surnames or grey materials etc.etc.)

 I hope I could explain your point as far as my academic capacity.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kumud sharma on July 19, 2012 at 2:07

Thankyou sir, I understand what you said, but as you said in M.lib.sc we have to study all the subjects to know and better understand all the area, but sir as we talk about both mlibsc and blibsc   we need two years now if we study 6 subject in every semester (6 months) actually we give 20 days to one subject or less for Eg classification practical sub., now how a student can about DDC, UDC or CC, s/he can concentrate either on DDC or UDC or CC or both but in little amount just to get marks to pass. so I mean that s/he not be able to properly concentrate or able to learn that particular subject. In my university in I had 10 subjects in first semester and 8 sub. in rest sem.

so, just want to know specialization should be there or not, it is good I think, actually I dont have much knowledge about this field but what i felt i shared. 

I hope that you get what i want to ask.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on September 23, 2015 at 2:36

Ms. Sharma

In a single statement, it can be said only 'NO' . There is no such concept exist which can be known as specialization in '…' of Library Science. I am not much specific about the teaching professionals but in Librarian side, it is very rare in India, who could says that I have studied only.... not all the subject parts. Actually the course curricular of Library Science is not designed to keep in mind make a librarian professional of either cataloging or acquisition expert. It is quite justified also, if we compare with other domain may be with ‘Management’ where the target groups are similar with their similar interests. But, it is different in Library, where all the targeted audience may be users are from different domains but their interests are unique that the ‘information need’. To provide the desired information to users one need to learn entire prescribed subject syllabus. The scenario of job distribution in western countries is/are different and quite professional, like you says that ‘specialization’ based. In western countries the jobs are divided as per the proficiency and expertize level of an employee. But, if we see the syllabus of foreign universities, then we find, ‘it is almost similar to ours’. Means, something exists between course studies and job allocation which may be roughly known as the training and practices of work as per the interests.  

Your point is correct, if Library Science is a professional subject then there should the division and justified allocation of works as per the skills and knowledge of employees.

It’s a nice topic, I thought to share my views.

thank you

 

• ▶ Reply