Librarian is a custodian of books in a library has become an eager sort after a career in the recent past. If you have a flair for reading and passion for books then this is the best profession for you. With the globalization and use of technology in the transfer of information the role and scope as a career in this field have increased by many folds.
In the past Librarian were supposed to be the persons sitting in quite a room of schools and colleges or somewhere in public libraries struggling with mismanaged catalogues to find books with few intellectuals visiting them now and then. Now the concept has totally changed although the basic work of the librarian is the same i.e. to manage the information stored in the form of books and now in CD and some other multimedia devices. But now it has also become technology driven. Now a day with the increasing awareness of education in the masses it has become a public interaction job with so many seekers of the books and information approaching to libraries be it in school, colleges or in any of the privates or public run information centres. Thus if you enjoy spending your days in a library, surrounded by books, students, professors and teachers, and people from all walks of life, the librarian may just be the career choice for you.
But as it seems profession of a librarian is not a cake-walk job. A librarian needs to be full of information regarding various books and topics. He has to be a very good communicator. In today’s contest when the awareness of education and its seekers has increased too many folds. He may have to work for long hours tirelessly with all the care and alertness for that one requires a lot of hard work.
To discharge their duties with utmost perfection the prospective Librarian required professional knowledge about the field and condition they are going to work. For that, they need proper knowledge and training in their respective field which can only be achieved by doing professionally designed courses. So to be in this profession who has to undergo one or more of the ahead given courses?
Librarian Eligibility
To be eligible to join B.L.I.Sc., a Bachelor degree of one year one should be a Graduate in any discipline from any recognised university.
Librarian Required Skills
- It is very important for Librarians to be able to communicate with users who come in searching for information, as well as employers and co-workers.
- They should also possess the ability to multitask and juggle many different jobs is a major part of the reference librarian’s repertoire.
- They should be able to navigate on the machine and access information from the Internet as well as other digital sources.
- They also possess the ability to think analytically and to develop new or revised systems, procedures and workflow.
- They also required the ability to exercise initiative and independent judgment; knowledge of computers, the internet and commercially available library software.
How to become a Librarian?
To Join Librarian as a career one has to undergo one or more of the following courses-
Step 1
After clearing 12 class the aspiring candidates need to get admission in Bachelor of Library Science and information (B.L.I.Sc.) Interested candidate has to appear in an entrance test conducted by the various universities according to the rank of the candidate in the entrance exam.
These exams are usually held in the month of May-June and consists of Objective type questions based on the subject of relevant subjects the results of these exams are generally out by June/July
However, some institutes/Universities also give admission on the basis of % of marks obtained in the qualifying class
Step 2
Alternatively, after completing this 1-year course in which one has to go through all the major aspects of the field of study-Apart from the theoretical part, Librarian also goes through practical training courses in the attached Libraries- one can opt. for some job is private or state libraries as Assistant Librarian.
Fees and Other Expenditures: Although varying from college to college, the total course fee for a Librarian’s course is 15-20 thousands at a government college to around Rs 40-50 thousand in private institutes.
Some of the reputed institutes providing courses related to the profession of a Librarian
- Aligarh Muslim University - Aligarh
- Allahabad University - Allahabad
- Banaras Hindu University - Varanasi
- Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University - Agra
- Patna University -Patna
- Delhi University - Delhi
- Indira Gandhi National Open University - New Delhi
- Kurukshetra Univerity - Kurukshetra
Librarian Job Description
A well qualified and trained librarian may find a challenging career in public and private sector information centres, School, Colleges and libraries. These days with the growth in the private sector there are so many private information centres that the demand for librarians is on the upswing.
Librarian Career Prospects
Hierarchy of the profession that largely depends upon the duration of the job experience and to some extent qualification one have is:
- Assistant Librarian
- Deputy Librarian
- Librarian
- Chief Librarian
Librarian Salary
Librarian gets a reasonable salary in government and private run information centres. It ranges between Rs.20,000 to Rs.40,000 per month depending upon the institute one is working in. However, it is sure that those working in private information centres have more salary than those who are employed in government employees.
