Share the discussion: Mandatory subscription of the E-journals for approved Technical Institute of the AICTE vs Library staff Structure (How much library staff should be as per AICTE Norms)

[Rajender Kumar]

It is a share discussion among library professionals that AICTE make a mandatory for e-journals subscription but no mandatory for library staff structure except Librarian

[Pradeepkumar Pandey]

This happens in India. You raise very strong point.

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Rajender Kumar,

Thank you for your post and addressing an extremely important issue. I have gone through the e-journal thing and as I calculated the cost factor is around Rs. 5.00 Lakhs. I wholeheartedly support the stance of AICTE because all students should start from the same platform but my belief gets a strong jolt when I see that they have not made any dictum about the staff structure in the Library. I fail to understand whether the AICTE people  feel that a showpiece called  "Library" should merely be a part of the infrastructure or they really feel that a library as a Knowledge Resource Centre be an inherent part of the academia? Unfortunately, in our country, no specific standard of staffing pattern for various types of Libraries has been made so far. The Fourth Central Pay Commission has taken effort by establishing a committee headed by D.P. Chatterjee and the committee has recommended a  skeletal staff structure for Libraries in 1990 which practically became obsolete even during the Fifth Pay Commission. No professional association ever seriously came up with this issue as I know. All you can do is just check to what extent the academic staff pattern proposed by the AICTE matches with those of NITs or Govt. funded Engineering Colleges and two private Engineering institutions the BITS at Pilani, Rajasthan and BIT, Meshra, Ranchi, Jharkhand. I understand that the Pilani Institute is a Deemed University, but their staff structure my be of help. Well, if the academic staff pattern recommended by AICTE is just at par with the Govt. Engineering Colleges, you should have a very strong ( and well justified) point to demand same status and staff structure as those in the Govt. Engineering Colleges. However, the recruitment qualification etc. of Library professionals should be same as those in the Govt. Engineering Colleges and for those who are in service should have to be duly qualified to demand the similar pay scales. Alternatively, in case you want to have your own standard, the first thing as I feel, a good Masters Degree in Physical Science with both Physics and Mathematics in Degree Course (B.Sc.) level should be mandatory. Because, as I have experienced, a person with masters in literature, or history or philosophy, Political Science etc. are  mostly unsuitable for Medical or Technological organizations.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta