EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR INFORMATION EMPOWERMENT

SPECIALISTS IN THE NETWORKED SOCIETY: AN INDIAN EXPERIENCE

BY

PROF. C R KARISIDDAPPA PRESIDENT

(INDIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION) PROFESSOR, CHAIRMAN &

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANKARNATAK UNIVERSITYDHARWAD – 580 003INDIA

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

NEED FOR ENHANCING COMPETENCIES

INDIAN EFFORTS

PHASES OF CHANGE

EMPHASIS ON PRACTICE

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

BLENDING TRADITION WITH TECHNOLOGY

INFLUENCE OF OTHER DISCIPLINES

NEW APPLICATIONS

MODULAR APPROACH

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Profession is in search of identity

Sufficiently endeavoured to Partner in Societal & Economic Transformation

To adopt & adapt contemporary Technology Innovations

Many convergent factors have influenced the profession

In this context structuring a dynamic curriculum for manpower development is a complex task

This has been a consistent concern of Lib & Inf. Schools

Exercise to review the status of Lib & Inf. Sc.Education is on the anvil

LISC (UK) recommended to review the future manpower training requirements for Lib & Inf. work

Persistent efforts are made in the task of development of education & research in Lib & Inf. Sc. globally

Experts opined that now the schools of library & Inf. studies are not playing the role they might be expected to play in the emerging Information Society

There is a need to review the developments which have taken place in teaching & research and also need for enhancing competencies

Human resources is the most valuable resource It enables the identification, selection, development & control

of other physical & intellectual resources Any plan-sectoral or over all should give emphasis to

development of manpower with appropriate professional knowledge & skills

In this fast changing world, there are new demands & influences on Lib & Inf. Centers - educating & training for Lib & Inf. work has focused upon recordable information, & knowledge, & services & technologies to facilitate its management & use

Started with apprenticeship mode to formal degree programmes

FUTURE LIBRARY AND INFO PROFESSIONALS ARE EXPECTED TO ASSIST THE USERS:

by providing them with careful and well organized information, specially in electronic form

by providing information which has been evaluated & repackaged to meet their needs precisely

by facilitating their use of both technology & information, so that information professionals can play a significant part in a “Learning Society”

Task of Lib & Inf. Sc. teachers to impart education which transfers professional skills of acquiring & using inf. in networked society

Indian Efforts :

India has to play a significant role in education training

Countrywide exercise made to articulate knowledge which could be packed in Lib & Inf. Sc. education & training curriculum, with help of experts

Well defined modules presented before the forum of chairpersons of the Board of Studies in different universities

Has facilitated the debate & enabled to develop a viable curriculum beating the balance between traditional & modern practices, skills & techniques

Phases of Changes :(Phase One : 1960-70)

Three factors enhanced professional status & increased employment opportunities, viz.,

Enactment of Library Legislation

UGC assistance to College & University Libraries

Documentation work & services

Library legislation enhanced employment opportunities for qualified library professionals in Public Libraries.

UGC initiated review on working of university & college libraries & status of library science education in 1950’s & 1960’s

Librarians in academic Libraries given equal status on par with teachers in educational sectors

Emergence of new area of study - Documentation

National Laboratories established under CSIR

Establishment of INSDOC in 1952

From mid 1970s emphasis on inf. component & to the facets of inf. collection, storage & retrieval aspects

Decade of 70’s important as it brought changes in nomenclature from library science to library & inf. Science

Global attention due to internationalization of information & also due to involvement of inter-governmental agencies like UNESCO, UNIDO & FAO in information handling activities

Establishment of international cooperative systems like INIS, AGRIS & DEVSIS under UNISIST

Shifted the emphasis of library & information profession from national level to that of international level

Establishment of Data Banks, Information Analysis Centres and Translation Centres marked the beginning of new milestone in global view of information activities

Emphasized that library manpower development programmes and education programmes have to be remodelled to suit the needs of contemporary requirements

(Phase Two : 1980’s)

Began with advent of microcomputers in libraries in mid 1980’s

Brought in shift in professional approach from information oriented services to user oriented services

Adoption of new storage technology in the form of optical media and this created a greater impact

Computer & communication technology revolutionized the subject to highly reckonable field of an international status & a field to be called Information Science and Technology

Emphasis on Practice

In Indian context – issue of relationship between theory and practice not properly addressed

Library schools are drowning in theory but not giving enough exposure to practice

Dilemma lies in the choice between teaching knowledge & skills needed to meet immediate needs of employers or instilling principles which can expand skills & knowledge base as career develops

Inter-disciplinary Approach

In western countries some schools have merged with different disciplines like information management & technology information studies & mass communication to meet the challenge of managing complex & diverse new environment.

Need to commit to life-long learning from established practitioners as circumstances demand greater professional & technical awareness

Only systematic continuing education provides method of combating professional obsolence as it is a real & ever present danger

On the lines of schools in western countries, introduction of new programmes to be seen as reflecting pull & push effect of recognition, increasing need for professional workforce to match growth & significance of information industry expanding higher education system to provide appropriate workforce

Schools have began to diversify their portfolio of courses, with programmes intended to serve needs of publishing & communication industries

Blending Tradition with Technology

Scenario of library & information centres, & services provided by them, undergoing a transformation due to emergence of new media

Information needs of user community taking place due to need based adoption of IT

Work in libraries necessitated to make appropriate changes in library and information science syllabus for various levels of education

Factors invite serious attention of departments of library & information science who produce manpower for managing library and information centers

Till recently more emphasis on teaching of traditional subject, but teaching with emphasis on IT & practical aspects of library automation received little attention in the syllabus

Library & information scientists have expressed that :

library and information science professionals should possess skills to harness IT tools & techniques

hence responsibility of library and information science schools - to bring radical change in syllabus by incorporating theoretical & practical aspects of automaton & networking

Library Science can claim a distinguished position on its own philosophical & classification components

To ensure due recognition of the profession, proper weightage to the components in library & information science courses necessary

Library & information science based on sound philosophical base & strong theoretical & technical roots, without ignoring the roots to harmonize them with recent developments

Influence of other Disciplines

library and information science showed its affinity towards application of other fields to improve professional performance

Ranganathan infused scientific method in the field that marked the first change from librarianship to library science

Emergence of information society has extended horizon of information science field to the study of socio-political & economic aspects of information

Major disciplines are a part of library & information science curriculum like Management Science, Information Technology, Statistics, Linguistics & Psychology

Transition shift from agriculture to industrial base, to an economy based on information technology, influenced governmental policies & directed to production and distribution of information

These factors have contributed to emergence of new areas – Information Science, Information Society & Information Technology, with common denominator - Information

Emergence of electronic media opened up new avenues & also made to rethink on manpower development programmes

Inf. professionals to turn their attention to “Content Creation & Development” referred by Inf. Technology Task Force of Government of India, as new requirements in context of development of library networks

Information Industry has 3 components :

Information Content Industry Information Delivery Industry Information Processing Industry

Information Content Industry primarily concerned with developing products for Web & on-line environment

Information Delivery Industry consists of creation & management of telecommunication networks through which Information is transferred & delivered

Information Processing Industry consists of products of hardware & software

Information Content sector accounts for nearly half of the Information Industry & is still growing

New Applications are based on

The three fold transformation, Viz

Objective of preserving recorded human knowledge

Adopting the motto that knowledge is for use

Providing global access to information

The profession has adopted contemporary societal, economic, technological & educational changes in its applications

It has been enabled to acquire capabilities of adopting them in teaching due to imminent application in practice

In modern economy importance of information has increased & calls for better use of existing services & continuous improvement of information service to meet the explicit & implicit needs

Computers are found successful in processing & retrieval of information

Impact of Internet on library & information services & concept of digital and virtual Libraries are recognized as nascent fields of study

Hence need for examining adequacy & appropriateness of present curricula

Modular Approach

an approach to help departments to adopt a curriculum suitably has to be seriously considered

Crux of this paper revolves round a Modular Approach in formulation of model curriculum

Important Features are; Course objectives Unitwise course contents Special note on practical component Learning outcome of each module

Also optimum hours of teaching programme has to be included In 1982 Yang in UNESCO report proposed a Modular Approach

to curriculum for information studies

UGC Curriculum Report emphasizes on “ Cafeteria Approach” and introduction of choice based credit system :

Module 1 : Foundation of Library and Information ScienceModule 2 : Knowledge Organization, Information Processing & Retrieval Module 3 : Information sources, Products & ServicesModule 4 : Management of Library & Information

Centers/InstitutionsModule 5 : Information Technology Basics & ApplicationsModule 6 : Research Methods & Statistical TechnologyModule 7 : (Electives) Information Systems

Conclusion

Need for rejuvenating LIS courses in India in light of the happenings in international area

Education & training programmes in library and information science must make provision to prepare professionals to assume proactive role in coping with new technology & information explosion

Designed course contents should concentrate in making professionals as change agents, facilitators and guides with suitable & strong information empowerment

This is where I work!

KARNATAK UNIVERSITY

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