Transcript EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR INFORMATION …

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 LIBRARIAN
KARNATAK UNIVERSITY
DHARWAD – 580 003
INDIA
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
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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 :
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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.,
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Enactment of Library Legislation
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UGC assistance to College & University Libraries
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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
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Librarians in academic Libraries given equal status
on par with teachers in educational sectors
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Emergence of new area of study - Documentation
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National Laboratories established under CSIR
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Establishment of INSDOC in 1952
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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
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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
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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 :
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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
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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
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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 :
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Information Content Industry
Information Delivery Industry
Information Processing Industry
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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
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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 Science
Module 2 : Knowledge Organization, Information Processing &
Retrieval
Module 3 : Information sources, Products & Services
Module 4 : Management of Library & Information
Centers/Institutions
Module 5 : Information Technology Basics & Applications
Module 6 : Research Methods & Statistical Technology
Module 7 : (Electives) Information Systems
Conclusion
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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
KARNATAK UNIVERSITY
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