Movement for Re-Designating Librarians & Re-Naming Libraries

[SUNNY JOSEPH]

Dear friends,

               The chief obstacle in the development of our profession is the designation- Librarian. There are lot of people designated as Librarians in public library system. Many of them are working on honorarium and having no professional qualifications. Though they are providing commendable service to public they are low paid employees in the public eye. As the professional people are also designated as Librarians, general public treat the professionals in the same status of village librarians. Many persons in administrative   positions also treat Librarians without distinction due to their ignorance or not experiencing quality information service rendered by libraries.

      This being the reality, the main challenge of LIS professionals is to re-designate them for getting instant status. Look at the definition of teaching in any standard dictionary then we can identify that academic librarians are also doing teaching in a different way.The present day definition of teacher is "facilitator of learning". We are facilitators  of written communication or  encoded knowledge. We are teachers of Universe of Knowledge while faculties are subject teachers.  Thus we are undoubtedly teachers.

     In our movement for re-designation the main opposition we shall face from UGC and from some Library Science teachers who shall give adverse opinion when contacted by UGC or Government or Courts. 

   So we have to follow a clear cut strategy. In first stage we plead for re-designating Librarian as Director -Knowledge Resource Center (KRC), Asst. Director etc similar to  the designation of Director or Asst. Director of Physical Education. The Library should be re-named as Knowledge Resource Centre as print resources now is outweighed by electronic resources. This fact can be convinced with the authorities.

     In the second stage we press for introducing a compulsory  paper for all - "General Informatics" to be taught by KRC staff. After that stage we can definitely demand for the designation Asst. professor, professor etc.

      In scientific institutions the designation Director-KRC or Scientist (Information) should be established for Librarians.

 

[Dr. Badan Barman]

In my opinion we should directly move to stage three, Kindly work on it, we are going to fight for this.

I fully agree with this sentence: "The present day definition of teacher is "facilitator of learning". We are facilitators  of written communication or  encoded knowledge." As you suggested we can also ask to introduce one compulsory paper for each students.

[SUNNY JOSEPH]

Sir,

     if we directly jump to stage III, possibility of failure is more because there are many forces working against us. From the failure it is difficult to come up again. If we demand the designation Director, UGC  or GOVT.can agree because the same is already  given to Physical educators and Librarian can be treated equally to physical educators.

[Shankar Reddy Kolle]

Yes its time to fight for the justice otherwise we will loose everything and one more  thing the people who are like minded should create an organization at national level with leaders consisting from each state for this purpose only  because the old associations are becoming  in active now a days. at national level so many devils are working against our pay scale and other facilities. some Asst professor are raising the question why the UGC scale is given to Librarians.As per my knowledge so many are misbehaving with librarians in all states of India.Hence I request all of my professionals to wake up and do something for the profession and retain the status of Librarians in India. Most of the teachers are information illiterate they collect the information from google search engine for the lecturer. 90 % of them do not know what is google? the information is authentic? is it update one...... etc From the recent developments its confirm that the only person who contributed lot to our profession that Dr S R Ranganathana,   the God of our profession in India, today we need one more God to save us. 

[SUNNY JOSEPH]

Yes Sir,

          We  immediately need national association for our causes. The re-designation as Director should be brought from the coming UGC pay revision. We can select Dr. Badan Barman as the president of the New Association of practicing LIS professionals.

[Shankar Reddy Kolle]

yes but the Association fee must be be very less so that librarians working from private to govt and from School Librarian to University Librarian  could pay. As per my assumption each state will have 1000 to 1500 Librarians. 28 sates means there might be 10000 to 15000 Librarians who work in colleges and Universities in India. If we fix it at Rs 200, we could mobile more than 30 Lakhs amount and we have to deposit this amount  in the bank,  we can run association on the interest earned out this amount. At present 200 Rs is nothing, we could pay it for one time food. think over it all. this association will be voice of all.

[SUNNY JOSEPH]

nice idea. we need state level conveners. Pl. suggest names

[Biju Varghese]

New national association should be entirely different from the existing dummies.

All the office bearers from the practising librarians cadre only. We should constitute state committees also. 

[Shankar Reddy Kolle]

Yes Dear Sir,

From each state, within the sate from each district one representative must be nominated as coordinator, at state one person is convener and one person Secretary and State president and one person member from same state and one person other sate person as member.

 Association for New Generation Librarians and Documentation Officers

1.Sate President  

2.Secretary

3.Convenor

4. Member from same State

5. Member from other State

 First of all we have to nominate one person who works in the district place where in he can reach other professionals and communicate and give the details of the librarians working in the district and convey them about the new association.

Please add your opinion about this.

yours sincerly

Mr. Shankar Reddy

Assistant Librarian

University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka

[SUNNY JOSEPH]

Sir,

    We can discuss the structure with Badanj and others The structure should be manageable.

[Anlata Prajapati]

Dear sir,

I endorse your above  present  scenario view of librarian. Thanks.

I first of all  request you to ask the present librarian association whether they are agree with your

views and ready to fight with UGC/Govt for interest of librain,. If they fail or reply in negative

than we thinks for new association for LIS.  This is my personal  view. However no hasty step

is required because when govt. call for present association in Wage revision they can put

your charter  to govt. for necessary action.   I am new librarian  so can not write more .

Anlata- Bharuch

[Shankar Reddy Kolle]

Dear Madam,

I agree with you but the New Generation Librarians (aged between 25-40) are more active and technology oriented. The communication is becoming so fast among them, people who are between age of 25-45 can contribute more to our profession than old people who are at their retirement. this is my opinion.

[Pawan Agrawal]

We may fight for redesignated as Assistant Professor Library and Information Services instead of science that would be easy to differentiate the people who teachs lis and who works in library.