Library Science Courses - Application Form, Eligibility Criteria, Exam Pattern, Job Profiles

Library science is an interdisciplinary subject. It is an outcome of the Information science and Library studies. Hence, it is also called the Library and Information science. Nowadays, even the word ‘Library’ is dropped and it is simply referred to as the ‘Information department’.

Importance of Librarian

Library science deals with the organisation, arrangement, preservation, collection, shelving, categorisation and management of the library materials such as books, texts, titles, journals, newspapers and old editions. A librarian manages controls and upkeeps the information sources of the library. He is responsible for indexing, naming, coding, and classification of information sources in a way that it could be easily accessed. The person who manages library resources is called as a librarian. He is also referred as Information Resource Manager.

There are many private and government institutes and colleges which offer Library science. It can be pursued after Class 12th.

Importance of Librarian

The Library is the central place of study in every college and institutions. It is a knowledge gathering place where both teachers and students study and derive information and knowledge in their disciplines. A good result of any college and institution depends upon the quality of resources available in the library. Thus, it is important to update the library resources from time to time.

Job Opportunities

Besides colleges and institutions, there are many other places like Museums, Recordkeeping agencies, Corporates, Media, Public places,etc., which keep the library to preserve and facilitate resources to its people. There are following types of libraries-

• Public Library
• Media Library
• Archive Library
• School Library
• Preservation Library

Courses Available in Library Science

There are many colleges, Universities and private institutions that offer the Librarian course to students.

Undergraduate Course in Library Science

• Bachelor’s in Library Science

Postgraduate Course in Library Science

• PG Diploma in Library Automation and Networking
• M.Phill. in Library and Information Science
• PG in Library Science
• PhD in Library and Information Science.

Besides Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses there are Diploma and Certificate courses also.

Diploma Course in Library Science

• Diploma in Library and Information Science.
• Diploma in Library Science.

Certificate Course in Library Science

• Certificate Course in Library Science
• Certificate Course in Library and Information Science
• Certificate Course in Information and Communication Technology Application in Library.

Areas of Specialization in Library Science

Library Science is a diverse field of study. There are many areas of specialisation in it. A student can opt for any one of the fields depending upon his/ her interest. Some of the areas of specialisation are –

• Librarian
• Indexing
• Archiving
• Meta Data Management
• Abstractor
• Researcher
• Information Architecture
• Cataloguing
• Preservation
• Conservation
• Administration.

Career and Job

There is a lot of opportunity for candidates as a Librarian. They can get hired by Schools, Universities, and colleges. Besides, now even corporates have started providing library facilities to its employees to upgrade their skills and knowledge. Thus, a candidate can also find a job in the corporates at hefty salary package. There are many other places like the public library, museums, archive centers, publishing houses, galleries and research centers, which require a librarian or information managers.

Work of a Librarian

Librarian work on three different levels to manage resources of the library or information center. On the very first level, a librarian pays attention to the physical organisation, cataloguing, and categorisation of the information sources. It speeds up the process of identifying, issuing, and exchanging of books or other information sources to students.

In the next level, a librarian work on a technical level to index the content of the books and such materials. And in the third level, a librarian works in coordination with the senior person of the organisation to upgrade the library resources by purchasing new books. He/ she is the overall manager of library resources. He is the person who enables students to access the right information at the right time, in the easiest way.

Areas of Employment

After completing library science, a candidate can get a job in various areas like – College, Universities, and Schools; Public Library, Book Museum, Record Keeping agency, Media library, Corporate library etc.

Job Profile and Salary

A fresher librarian gets a starting salary of ₹ 10,000 to ₹ 15, 000. With experience, the salary goes up. Some of the profiles upon which he can choose to work are – Librarian, Information analyst, Senior Information Analyst, Junior Information Analyst, Head of Information Centre, Assistant Librarian, Junior Librarian, Librarian Attendant and Professional assistant.