Library Science uses social media and online collaboration tools to help people access information. Shutterstock
Have you ever thought of connecting knowledge, information and people—all at once? Then Library Science can be your ticket to an exciting career. You could make use of digital technology, social media and printed matter to help people access the information they are looking for in libraries and archives all over the globe.
What is Library Science
Many people think Library Science is about choosing books for purchase, processing orders and creating bibliographic records for readers to find the books they are looking for in the library catalogue. But the scope of the subject goes far beyond that. Information management is one of the essential aspects of Library Science, which now uses social media and online collaboration tools to connect people with information and culturally significant resources.
How and where to study Library Science
Many institutes in India offer diploma, PG diploma, certificate and degree courses in Library Science. Many of these programmes include Information Science in their curricula.
Certificate and Diploma Courses:
Eligibility: To enrol in diploma and certificate courses, you need to clear your Class XII board exams. You can come from any stream.
Bachelor’s Programmes
Eligibility: For admission to BLib and BLIbISc programmes, you need a graduate-level degree from any UGC-recognised university. You would also need an aggregate of at least 50-55%. Though you can do your graduation in any subject, some colleges might prefer students coming from the science stream over others.
Master’s Programmes
Eligibility: One must have passed graduation in Library Science or in a related field.
Doctoral Programme:
Top institutes in India to study Library Science
Top institutes in West Bengal to study Library Science
What to do after studying Library Science
Career options continue to evolve for Library Science students in the digital age. The internet, social media and other technology tools have opened up a wide range of choices. Here are some of the most exciting Library Science career options.
Library manager: These professionals oversee the entire operations of a library. They work as department managers, branch managers, directors and associate directors. They are responsible for evaluating the staff, scheduling work for them, managing budgets and conducting training sessions for newcomers.
Web archivist: They maintain and supervise the huge digital archives of libraries. The archiving process involves digitisation of all records, which includes books, documents and photographs, by transferring hard data into digital format.
Metadata analyst: These professionals lead and assist strategic efforts that are related to a library’s metadata repository. It includes a variety of technical functions like cataloguing, acquisitions, electronic resources management, collection management and library systems management.
Data administrator: This job role involves database maintenance as part of the library systems management.
Manager of information services: They are responsible for team management, training, research, data and resource management. They are mostly employed by government organisations, corporates and NGOs for the upkeep of records.
Document control specialist: These professionals compile and assist in the internal publication of records and files for private organisations. They generally work with engineering drawings, white papers, reports, and generally help project managers in gathering and documenting data for various products and departments.
Archival consultant: They are responsible for managing special papers and digital libraries at both public and private libraries.
Digital librarian: They supervise the digital archives of libraries and private companies by handling metadata management, content import, virtual reference services and publisher communication. They work closely with technology and sales staff.
Chief information officer: Companies that lean heavily on electronic data traffic often have a chief information officer who works with the technology personnel to handle the challenge of managing and organising information.