1. Professional Education in Library and Information Science (LIS)
A profession is defined as a specialized vocation that requires long and intensive academic preparation in a specific body of theoretical knowledge. LIS education is the formal training that imparts this specialized knowledge and equips individuals with the skills necessary to work as information professionals.
1.1 The Nature and Levels of LIS Education
- Foundation in Theory: A profession is based on a systematic body of theoretical knowledge that is both scientific and scholarly. LIS education provides this foundation, covering principles of classification, cataloguing, information retrieval, and management. This theoretical knowledge empowers professionals to understand the reasons for their practical actions and adapt to new challenges.
- Higher Education: In India and elsewhere, education for librarianship is imparted at the post-graduate level, such as the Bachelor of Library Science (BLIS), Master of Library Science (MLIS), and PhD programmes. This ensures professionals receive intensive intellectual training rather than just vocational or on-the-job training.
- Continuing Education: A profession commits its members to continued study and the updating of their specialized knowledge. Professional associations and national institutions play a key role by organising continuing education programmes, workshops, and short-term courses to help working professionals improve their competency and stay updated with new technologies and practices.
1.2 Historical Development of LIS Education in India
The journey of LIS education in India reflects the evolution of the profession itself:
- Pioneering Efforts: The first formal training for librarianship in India was initiated in 1911 by W.A. Borden, an American-trained librarian, in the princely state of Baroda. Another American, Asa Don Dickinson, started a training programme in 1916 at Lahore.
- Ranganathan’s Contributions: The professional status of librarianship in India was secured largely through the contributions of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan. He was instrumental in developing a complete educational framework, starting BLSc, MLSc, and PhD programmes and establishing premier institutions like the Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC).
- Post-Independence Growth: After 1947, the number of universities and colleges grew rapidly, increasing the demand for trained librarians and leading to the expansion of LIS education.
1.3 Providers and Regulators of LIS Education
Professional education is delivered and guided by a variety of institutions:
- Universities and LIS Schools: Universities are the primary institutions for formal LIS education, training professionals in schools associated with them.
- University Grants Commission (UGC): In India, the UGC plays a major role in promoting and maintaining standards in LIS education. It established a Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) on Library and Information Science in 1990 to restructure courses and frame guidelines for LIS schools on aspects like admission policy, faculty strength, and the application of IT.
- Professional Associations: National and international associations like the Indian Library Association (ILA), IASLIC, and CILIP (UK) contribute significantly to manpower development by organising training courses and functioning as accrediting bodies to maintain educational standards.
- National and International Organisations: Institutions like NISCAIR in India offer academic courses, including a master's level programme in information science. International bodies like UNESCO also support the training of information manpower through programmes like UNISIST.
1.4 The Curriculum: From Traditional Skills to Modern Competencies
The curriculum for LIS education has evolved to meet the changing demands of the information society.
- Traditional Core: The curriculum has always included the "art of book selection, classification, cataloguing, and reference service".
- Modern Skills: The modern LIS professional requires a blend of skills, including a good subject background, expertise in ICT, and management and communication skills. The curriculum has expanded to include:
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
- Management of information organisations, resources, and services.
- Information Literacy, which includes the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use information. Information literacy is now seen as a core competency and is integrated into curricula at all levels of higher education.
- Web Marketing and outreach services.
2. Research in Library and Information Science
Research and the continuous updating of specialized knowledge are essential characteristics of a profession. Research in LIS provides the theoretical foundation for its practices and drives innovation.
2.1 The Role and Importance of Research
- Building a Body of Knowledge: Research contributes to the systematic body of knowledge that defines the profession. It transforms librarianship from a vocation based on "rules of thumb" to a science with established laws, principles, and techniques.
- Driving Theory and Practice: The history of LIS is marked by research that has led to major theoretical shifts. For example, the work of H.E. Bliss and S.R. Ranganathan moved classification theory from a descriptive phase to a dynamic, postulational approach based on scientific principles. Similarly, research by pioneers like Cutter, Kaiser, Ranganathan, and Austin led to the development of sophisticated subject indexing techniques like Chain Indexing, PRECIS, and POPSI.
- Evaluating Systems and Services: Research is used to evaluate the effectiveness of information retrieval systems. Major experimental studies like the Cranfield Projects, the MEDLARS test, and the TREC experiments have been crucial in testing and improving retrieval strategies.
2.2 Key Areas of LIS Research
LIS research is multifaceted, covering theoretical, practical, and user-focused domains.
- Theoretical Research: This includes the development of foundational theories such as Ranganathan's Five Laws, principles of classification and cataloguing, and bibliographic models like FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records).
- User Studies: A significant area of research focuses on users, including their information needs, information-seeking behaviour, and information use patterns. Such studies are essential for designing user-centric information systems and services.
- Metric Studies: Bibliometrics, scientometrics, and webometrics are quantitative research methods used to study the characteristics and patterns of scholarly communication, such as literature growth, author productivity, and the impact of journals.
- Technology-Oriented Research: A large body of research is dedicated to the application of technology, including:
- Library Automation and the development of Integrated Library Systems (ILS).
- Digital Libraries, including research into digitisation, metadata, interoperability, and preservation.
- Information Retrieval (IR), search engines, and web indexing.
- Knowledge Organisation Systems (KOS), including thesauri, taxonomies, and ontologies for the Semantic Web.
2.3 Dissemination of Research
The results of LIS research are communicated and preserved through various channels, which themselves are objects of study within the field.
- Primary Sources: Research is published in primary sources like research periodicals, conference proceedings, theses, and research reports.
- Secondary and Tertiary Sources: This research is then organised and made accessible through secondary sources like abstracting and indexing services and tertiary sources like guides to literature.
- Information Analysis and Consolidation Products: Research is also synthesised into value-added products like critical reviews, state-of-the-art reports, and trend reports, which provide a comprehensive overview of the progress in a specific field.