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By Ranjan K Baruah
National Reading Day was celebrated on June 19 across the country, mostly digitally, as schools and other educational institutions are closed. There is no doubt that libraries create learning opportunities, support literacy and education, and help shape new ideas and perspectives that are vital for a creative and innovative society. Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker (March 1, 1909 June 19, 1995) is known as the father of the library movement in the Indian state of Kerala. For this reason, June 19, the anniversary of his death, has been celebrated in Kerala as Vayanadinam (Reading Day) since 1996. In 2017, our Prime Minister declared this day to be National Reading Day in India. The following month is also observed as National Reading Month in India.
PN Panicker was instrumental in making Kerala a literate state of the country. Today in our career column we would like to mention a career related to libraries that can promote reading habits for lasting change. Librarianship is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field which applies the practices, perspectives and tools of management, information technology, education and other fields to libraries and it is an interdisciplinary field. Libraries are an integral part of our society, but now there is the addition of digital libraries. We have seen the importance of electronic libraries or digital libraries mainly in pandemic situations as we cannot access main libraries.
The career in library includes areas such as library and information systems management, classification / cataloging systems, bibliography, documentation, preservation and preservation of manuscripts, collections management, systems and technologies. information, research methodology, computer applications, reference, statistics and management, information processing, archive management, indexing, library planning, etc. The first library school was founded by Melvil Dewey at Columbia University in 1887.
Courses in library and information science include the certificate course in library and information science (CLISc or CLIB); Diploma in Library and Information Science (DLISC or DLIB); Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLISC or B.LIB); Master in Library and Information Science (MLISC or M.LIB); M.Phil in Library and Information Science, PhD in Library and Information Science, etc. Aspirants should not be confused with a few terms as the subject formerly known as librarianship is also known as librarianship and information science. Graduates can apply for university level courses related to library science and information science.
Successful applicants can engage in different places like public / government libraries, universities / colleges / schools and other academic institutions, news agencies and organizations, private organizations and specialized libraries, different embassies and high commissions, media libraries, different information centers / documentation centers, museums and various galleries, specialized libraries, etc., and the job title are as: librarian, library assistant, assistant librarian, librarian / head librarian, etc.
Many Indian universities offer courses related to librarianship and information science. Besides universities, the National Institute for Scientific Communication and Information Resources in New Delhi and the Documentation Research and Training Center in Bengaluru are two prominent institutes offering courses in librarianship and information science. .
Job opportunities are in the public sector as well as in the private sector. In addition to looking for a job, aspirants can also get involved in the non-governmental sector and make a big difference. Here the inspiration may be PN Panicker whose efforts have yielded results. As National Reading Day promotes reading, careers in library and information science and librarians from all walks of life can do wonders in literacy and in creating a just and sustainable society.
(The author is a career mentor and skills trainer and can be reached on 8473943734 or [email protected] for any career-related question)
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