Main Theme
LIS Education in India: Current Scenario and Future Strategies
More than a century has passed since LIS education started in this country. John Macfarlane, the first Librarian of the Imperial Library, introduced in-house training programme for in-service professionals of the library in 1901. In subsequent years, the training programme was opened to the staff of other libraries and even to non-librarians, who were dealing with books and other documents. India has been slow in recognizing the importance of training for library and information workers. However, with the recent growth of library consciousness among the people, the importance of professional training is being recognized for providing quality library/information services. Fortunately, India has made a unique and substantial contribution towards the emergence of library and information science as a full-fledged discipline. The function of a librarian is no more limited to issuing and receiving of books only, he needs to act beyond that; he has much more important role to play. He needs to arouse a real interest and curiosity in the minds of the users for acquiring knowledge; he needs to cultivate the reading habit among them. He should have the capability of fulfilling all types of requirements of the user community. Obviously, unless a person gathers sufficient knowledge and possesses the necessary professional skills, he will not be in a position to serve users effectively. As the LIS education in the country is fast expanding, ensuring quality of such education has become essential. Though a large number of LIS schools has come up in recent decades, hardly any attention has been paid in many such schools towards developing infrastructure and manpower needed to impart quality education. Hence IASLIC has decided to provide a platform to library and information professionals for discussing future strategies in this regard.
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The sub-themes of the main theme are:
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1. Background: History and development of LIS education
a) Genesis and progress of LIS education
b) LIS education and Ranganathan
c) Current national and state scenario
d) I-School movement
e) Role of UGC and professional associations in LIS education
f) Trends and challenges of current LIS education system
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2. General considerations
a) Nomenclature and levels of courses
b) Duration of courses and class hours
c) Intake and teacher-student ratio
d) Admission requirements: selection criteria
e) Modes of LIS education and their efficacy
f) Current education policy vis-a-vis LIS education
​3. Infrastructure requirements
a) Space requirements
b) Financial requirements
c) Manpower requirements (including core competencies of teachers)
d) Requirements of teaching tools and equipments
e) Requirements for practical training
f) E-resources including Open Access resources in LIS
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4. Curriculum design, development and evaluation
a) Factors to be considered for curriculum design
b) Course structure and contents: contents for core and optional subjects
c) Theoretical and practical components, including apprenticeship
d) Specializations in LIS programmes
e) Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)
f) Evaluation of current syllabi of LIS schools – competencies expected vs. subjects taught
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5. Teachers and teaching methods
a) Required qualifications and experience of teachers (including professional experience)
b) Updating of knowledge and skills of teachers
c) Teaching methods – traditional and modern – and their efficacy
d) Method of practical training of students
e) Out-of-class assistance and consultation
f) Evaluation methodology
6. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in LIS
a) Enrolment and eligibility
b) Teaching Methodology: Teachers and Counsellors, Interactive Teleconferencing, Broadcasting and Computer-Aided Learning, Personal contact programmes, online programmes including MOOCs.
c) Development of Course Materials: Self-Learning Materials (SLM) and Multimedia Materials
d) Evaluation System
e) Quality Issues in ODL
f) Role of apex bodies like DEC and UGC
7. Library and Information Research
a Current Trend of LIS research
b) Research on practical and emerging LIS Issues
c) Multidisciplinary approaches in LIS research
d) Applicability of research results
e) Plagiarism and research ethics
f) Challenges of LIS research
8. Quality assurance and accreditation of LIS schools and courses
a) Need and importance
b) Internal quality assurance
c) Benchmarking and best practices
d) Criteria for assessment
e) Employability of present LIS trainees
f) Quality indicators and accreditation standards
​9. Comparative LIS Education and Research
a) Comparative study of different aspects of LIS education in India and other countries
b) Integration of international issues in LIS education
c) Equivalence of LIS degrees
d) Internationally recognized professional qualifications
e) International collaboration in LIS education and research, Bologna Process
f) Role of international organizations like IFLA, EUCLID, ALA, ALISE in LIS education
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10. Future strategies
a) Formulation of LIS education policy
b) Restructuring/ Re-engineering LIS Education in Indian perspective
c) Designing of need based curriculum
d) Setting up of accrediting machinery
e) Marketing of LIS education
f) Use of Web 2.0 Technology in LIS education.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) MEETINGS
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SIG 01: Social Science Information
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Theme: Rabindranath Tagore’s Vision on Libraries and its relevance in New Era
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A) Rabindranath’s philosophy of library
B) Tagore’s concept of knowledge and its dissemination
C) Relevance of Tagore’s vision of library in the present era
D) Rural library services in Tagore’s Model
E) Tagore and Sriniketan: Experiment of rural reconstruction
F) Ranganathan’s Five Laws and Tagore’s vision on libraries.
SIG 02: Computer Applications in LIS
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Theme: Data Management in Libraries
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I. Role of Librarians in Data Repositories
a) R and R modules for LIS
b) Research Data Management (RDM)
c) Data Repository Software – Dataverse, CKAN, DKAN, Dryad etc.
d) Copyright and Licenses Related to Data
II. Kinds of Data
a) Sources of Data and 5V’s data
b) Open vs. Closed Data
c) Open Standards for Publishing Data
d) Linked Open Data
III. Data Publishing
a) Workflow in Publishing Data
b) Data Curation
c) De-duplication and Validation of Data
d) Metadata for Data – DCAT etc.
IV. Government Data Management
a) Privacy and security issues
b) Social and ethical issues in sharing data
c) Challenges in making Data FAIR
d) Challenges in creating 5 Star Data
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