Revamping the LIS Curriculum in India for the Emerging Information Scenario

1. Revamping the LIS Curriculum in India in conformity to the Needs of the Emerging Information Scenario Prof. I V Malhan Head, DLIS & Dean SoMCIS, Central University Of H. P. Dharamshala

2. Challenge of Accommodating varied skill sets in curricula LIS professionals have opportunities to work in very diverse work settings that require varied skill sets. The challenge is how to balance curricula and potential opportunities to expand our educational programs. The limited faculty strength at LIS schools is major constraint to expand on the existing course curricula and offer more choices to students.

3. Ample scope for divergence As work in every sphere of activity is becoming more competitive, it is also becoming more knowledge intensive. There are thus opportunities for LIS professionals to work and contribute in diversity of work settings ranging from imparting information literacy in secondary schools to managing knowledge assets in the corporate sector. Because of lack of faculty resources, reasonable level of divergence in LIS education is not taking place in consonance with opportunities available for divergence. There is thus a huge gap between what we continue to do and what actually is possible

4. Changing requirement of skill sets The desired competencies and skill sets are changing with changes at work places because of adoption of new technologies and professional practices for handling information. Library professionals after completion of their professional degrees are required to self assess what they know and what they need to further continuously learn to survive and thrive in this chosen profession. Library schools therefore has another major challenge of organizing effective and need based continuing education programs.

5. Theory versus practice Not only our current curricula is required to be enriched, it also needs more tilt towards learning by practice. Learning through advanced level practice can not only help to improve employment opportunities for our graduates but can also make more professional impact at work places. For instance, our graduates should actually learn how to develop a digital library, how to design a database, how to evaluate information and create a virtual library or portal, how to aggregate and organize electronic information resources and how to design and develop an electronic journal or a wiki book?

6. Technology enhanced delivery of education Development of content with integration of text, video, pictures, animation helps to better comprehend the learning resources e.g.e-pathshala project Development of smart classrooms and use of educational technologies for delivery of education enhance meaning and understanding of content. The technology enabled learning also makes the process of learning interesting and joyful and demonstrate processes through show how

7. State of the Art LIS Education and Training LIS education plays a key role for professionals to use their skills and competencies for surviving and thriving in professional practice. Therefore LIS education and training programs must match:- Contemporary Library and Information Systems and anticipated future developments. Ongoing metamorphosis in libraries and information centers. Changing information seeking channels and methods. Changing information scenario being created by electronic publishing and the Internet.

8. Analysis of curricula The LIS curricula in several library schools in India continue to focus on education on the functionality of document acquisition, organized storage of documents and document supply. Providing access to electronic documents and rendering reference service are other thrust areas of study. Library’s interface with society, study of select professional organizations, ICT applications in libraries and study of select library software packages continue to be still another areas of education and training.

9. Information Professionals Changing Role & LIS Education The present day information professional is supposed to be An information mining expert and knowledge manager. Hypermedia organizer, database specialist and digital information architect. Information coordinator, team worker and social computing specialist. Expert in packaging and repackaging of information and alignment of knowledge resources with work processes. Manager of technical services, expert in ICT enabled services including cloud computing, and service innovator

10. Managing Knowledge and Information Resources is an unending opportunities Knowledge and Information are sin-qua-non to human work and activities. Generation of knowledge is an endless process and information is growing exponentially. There are thus unending service opportunities for managing knowledge and information resources provided we are able to timely refocus our LIS programs incorporating state of the art technologies and contemporary knowledge management (K.M.) tools.

11. Expansion and Reconstruction Because of growing knowledge management needs in different disciplines and its application in diversity of work settings, the LIS education has enormous scope for expansion and reconstruction. There is also enormous scope to look at our discipline from the angle of several cognate disciplines and develop a specialized body of knowledge and practices based on it. If we want to fetch more service opportunities for LIS profession, considerable restructuring and massive effort will be required to tune LIS education programs to facilitate grabbing of such service opportunities in our domain of work.

12. Need to Concentrate on Information Products and Services Research We also need to refocus our research efforts and concentrate on research that may lead to innovations, improvements and value addition in information products and services. We also need to focus on research for developing information provisions that offers unique value to users and at the same time lead to saving of time. We need to focus on research for development of simple and convenient ways of information accessibility as with life as it is to-day, information users don’t desire more complications and struggle especially where information accessibility is concerned

13. Wake up and Shake up A major professional wake up is desired to shake up and rebuild the whole LIS education & training programs. However, our slumber over issues and concerns and lack of action and concern is leading to loss of opportunities. Quality assessment and quality control of LIS is an important issue that directly influence the credibility of our degrees and employability of our professionals. Flexible, rich and both technologically and technically advanced system of LIS education must evolve year after year.

14. Versatile and Multi skilled LIS Professional In order to take advantage of the fluid information environment, we need to develop versatile and multi skilled LIS professionals. At the sometime, we require to train and educate subject specialist LIS professionals so that there is desired interface between the information provider and information receiver. We must make efforts to develop human resources who not merely act as custodians of knowledge resources but act as knowledge workers to derive value from the existing accessible knowledge resources in the best interest of institutes and society they serve

15. Opportunities to Prepare Human Resources for a Wide Range of Information Services The emerging information scenario offer opportunities for LIS professionals to work in a wide range of work settings. We must proactively perceive possibilities of education and collectively work to design new curricula and educational facilities. Library and Information Science now concerns over a variety of services ranging from simple document supply to information analysis, information literacy, knowledge consultancy providing prescriptive information for problem solving and managing learning resources through Moodle

16. Gaining competencies beyond profession The skills and competencies required to manage present day knowledge and information resources are much more than what was desired in the past. The technological and management skills and competencies are becoming as important as technical knowledge for professional practice. There is therefore enormous need to gain competencies beyond profession particularly in the ICT in general, web based technologies and content management in particular. Electronic publishing and e-content and e-content marketing are the other areas where we should prepare our graduates.

17. Preparing Employable Graduates There is no dearth of LIS manpower produced by library schools in India, however, there is scarcity of high quality and highly skilled manpower possessing skills that are in demand. We therefore require to reorient our LIS education programs according to the skills and competencies that are currently in demand for handling information work at the work places. Through project work and case handling, we must prepare our graduates for providing prescriptive information for problem solving. Through rigorous practice and intensive training, we should develop in them capabilities and competencies that make them more employable. Such graduates through their contributions will also keep the image of profession very high

18. CUHP Model

19. Thank You