Library Profession may be extinct in future

[Sushant]

In the era of e-Books, e-Journals, Online Databases it seems our role as a mediator (I mean to say we link the documents sources to our Users) is diminishing day by day. Users now can access the books journals online from their Laptop/desktop without any intervention of library staff. They just have to login and access the full text of the articles, books etc round the clock. The search interface are also so robust that the users can search from any angle like Author, Title, Publisher, Year wise, Keywords, Subject wise, Most recent, Ascending Order, Descending order, even the 1st issue of the 1sty volume of the Journals. Not even that they can access the article by giving any word from the full text also.

So the role of librarian to process and make it available to the users is of less value.

[Dr. Vijay Raghav Tiwari]

You may be right but in a research institute like ours does have very less attendance in library. People do get their material online, still print has still a role to play. The same user never recommend to online only. The print will prevail due to the users request only. This was print against online.

 

Still in both terms librarian have a role to play. Even in online some time they fail to procure the required material then they look for the librarian's help. The librarian of today has to be according to the needs of today, other wise survival will be difficult.

 

[RAJEEV KUMAR SINHA]

I have also seen in my library. Students as well as Faculty prefer library books and journals. If material is not sufficient then they use online or other resources such as DELNET

 

R. K. Sinha

[shriram Pandey]

Dear Sushant,

I personalty do not agree with aforesaid point. do you know who is responsible for content categorization and compilation at publisher portal ie the LIbrary and Information Science people , Being a root of knowledge organization,  we have only that skills to do so. I personally know many peoples in our areana working in the area of categorization and puting the content in stuctured way.

So , its our ideas only which reflect at publishers site, not the technocrats who are only dealing the designing, and programming part.

 

This may be a one way to view the scenario and our importance .....

[Mamta Verma]

Though its very true that our clientele are technologically sound, they are using internet and other techniques for locating  a peace of information but what I feel personally is that role of librarians and libraries will never going to be neglected. I personally prefer to read printed material rather than online version. While using databases and online and off-line e-journals search results are highly relevant but while making raw searches on google or any other search engine lot of junk data appears. Reason behind is web doesn't have meaning. Though people are working on semantic web technologies (bringing meaning to web). So, I personally feel role of library professionals is never going to diminish.

[Apurba Jyoti Majumder]

Some time users are reluctant to come to the librarian. in that case we have to approach them

to know their problems

[Dr. Akhtar Hussain]

Now day’s information society the role of librarian is very dynamic. The increasing role of technology in libraries has a significant impact on the changing roles of librarians. The librarian plays a vital role in information handling and information transfer.

Librarian is a professionally trained person responsible for the care of a library and its contents, including the selection, processing and organization of resources and the delivery of information, instruction and loan service to meet the needs of its users. In an online environment, the role of the librarian is to manage and mediate access to information that may exist only in electronic form. So the librarian professions more demand in day by day.

I am asking questions:

 1. How many libraries in the world provide fultext e-books, e-journal, databases and others e-informations?

2. How many libraries in the world are fully digitized and provide complete information to the users,and they are accessing information through laptop,desktop?

 3. Even in India how many libraries and information centre fully automated and digitized? Is the national library in (Kolkata) India fully automated or digitized? Can we access document through Internet?

Even the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (The National Library, U.S.A,).Today the library ranks as one of the largest national libraries of its kind and occupies an eminent place in the world. We cannot access a single information through net on seating in a room. So how can say the role of librarian may  extinct in future, its worng the role librarian in electronic era bright whose work routinely involves information retrieval and dissemination via the internet and the use of other online resources.

Importance of Libraries and Librarians in the current society

 There are so many reasons behind the necessity of the library and librarian in the present digital library environment. Some of them are listed here:

The Internet isn’t free: Number of academic research papers, journals and other important materials are virtually inaccessible to someone seeking to pull them off the web for free. Rather, access is restricted to expensive subscription accounts, which are typically paid for by libraries.Visiting the library in person, or logging in to the library through your member account is therefore the only way to affordably access necessary archived resources.

Digital Libraries are not the Internet: A fundamental understanding of what the Internet is – and what it isn’t – can help more clearly define what a library is, and why libraries are still extremely important. While one might use the Internet or a search engine to find these databases, deeper access to them requires registration. You are still online, but you are no longer on the Internet. You are in a library.

Physical libraries are adapting to cultural change: The cultural change predates widespread use of the Internet, as well as Google Book Search. For decades society has been seeking a more holistic understanding of the world, and increased access to information. The search for new methods of organizing educational structures (including libraries) has long been active.

Libraries and Librarians Improve Student Test Scores: By providing effective combined (Traditional as well as digital library environment) library services to its student users librarian can be act as an catalyst of achieving high score in both qualitative & quantitative in nature.

Libraries are stable while the web is transient;

Libraries can be surprisingly helpful for news collection and archives;

Libraries are a stopgap to anti-intellectualism;

Libraries aren’t just books etc.

 

[Munesh Kumar]

Yah...it's right that Internet provides all types of facility on our desk for that we concern to a library, we browsed them in sitting room... it is very good for us. But it's unable to provide the environment that we find in a library...the way to ask with library staffs about our particular needs...the way of them to answer us...

[sarita sethi]

No,I am not agree with this that the role of lirarians is diminishing day by day but rather it is increasing.They have to play their role with much care, responsiblity and awareness.They must have the knowledge of not only books in their respcetive libraries but also of the resources available in the market .They can work as torch bearers,guides,career councilors etc.

[Suryakanta Baral]

There is always a transition period of all jobs. The process, the work, the way of doing the job, the designation  etc.may change but some thing viz.  purpose of the work -will be same. Definitely some one will be there who will do the  things.s/he may do the works differently.when that time will come our course module, training etc.  and other things will change accordingly.So we have to acquainted ourselves with the change to survive on those days.

[Dr. Badan Barman]

I accept your view.