A Librarian's work involves acquiring, organising and availing of information in the library to its readers or users. Qualified Librarians can enter the profession at any level though much depends on the qualifications acquired.

A career in Library Science is considered among the ten most desirable professions in developed countries. India, with its low literacy rate does not acknowledge much to this profession. But with the development of automation/computing and the push on universal education, the need for information storage and management is growing in demand.

A well-equipped library would contain not only books and periodicals but also microfilms, videos, casettes and records for education, research, reference and pleasure. The traditional concept of a library is being redefined, from a place to access paper records or books, to one that also houses the most advanced media, including CD-ROM, the Internet, virtual libraries, and opening to a wide range of resources.

Work

Librarians are classified according to the type of library in which they work like public libraries, school libraries, media centres, academic libraries, and special libraries. Librarians also work in information centres or libraries maintained by government agencies, corporations, law firms, advertising agencies, museums, professional associations, religious organisations, public and public sector undertakings, medical centres, and hospitals.

A librarian's work involves acquiring, organising and availing of information in the library to its readers or users. The job of a librarian is to systematically catelogue, store and display the books and other printed material in a library so as to make it easily accessible to the users. A librarian also distributes information by planning activities to encourage use of the library, like sending out a newsletter informing readers of the latest publication and similar things. In the field of education and culture, the role of a Librarian can be equated to that of a teacher or an educationist. He/she would need to be in touch with the latest developments in various subjects to be able to maintain a balanced collection.

Librarians also need to compile, collect and organise lists of books, periodicals, pamphlets, articles, and audiovisual materials on particular subjects such as rare books, music, analyse collections, and recommend materials.

Openings

Government departments and educational institutions are the usual employers of Librarians. There are many number of private libraries attached to schools, colleges, and autonomous institutions that offer challenging work and good prospects for Librarians. With the information boom, qualified Librarians can diversify to several new growth areas like database management, systems analysis especially relating to computer work, and also documentation work, desktop printing and publishing, bibliography work and organisation and management of information units. Small libraries also take up people Libraries to handle several duties, mainly less qualified ones.
Librarians get openings in the following fields:

Public / Government libraries, Academic libraries (in schools, colleges, universities and other academic institutions), Specialist academic attached to research and academic institutions, News agencies and organisations, Foreign embassies and Private organisations.

Requirement

Qualified Librarians can enter the profession at any level though much depends on the qualifications acquired. Some of the levels in this area are Library clerk or attendant, Junior Librarians, Assistant or Deputy Librarians, and Sr. Librarians. A librarian needs to have basic interest in books, as well as in a variety of topics and information contained in books. Good communication skills, a methodical mind, retentive memory and organising ability are other personal attributes are also required.

Librarians assist people in finding information and using it effectively in their personal and professional lives. They must have knowledge of a wide variety of scholarly and public information sources, and know latest trends in publishing, computers, and the media to effectively oversee the selection and organisation of library materials. They need to read book reviews, publishers' announcements, and catalogues to keep up with current literature or other available resources, and select or purchase materials from publishers, wholesalers, and distributors.

Qualifications

Education and training in the discipline is conveyed at various levels, ranging from semi-professional, professional to specialised courses and research programmes. Diploma, Graduate and post-graduate courses in Library Sciences and Information Systems are offered by almost all major universities of India. One can also opt for further studies like Ph.D. in the subject. This is a job prospect for those who have a keen interest in reading books or those who have a keen interest in reading books or those who are 'book worms'. So if your interests in books are keeping you away from the top job opportunities, try your self in the field of Library Science. Or if your job is taking away your time to have the fun of reading then take up a job as Librarian, and work while you read.

Courtesy : Deepika Education