Page 173 - DLIS401_METHODOLOGY_OF_RESEARCH_AND_STATISTICAL_TECHNIQUES

Methodology of Research and Statistical Techniques

Notes duration and women polytechnics offering post-masters two year diplomas in library science
to train paraprofessionals.
At the university level, the Master’s degree in library and information science is earned in two
yearlong (or, in some places, four semesters) courses after 10+2+3 years of education in any
faculty. Of late there are two streams: the majority of the universities conduct two separate
courses for the Bachelor’s degree followed by the Master of Library and Information Science
of one year (or two semesters) duration each. In recent years, some institutions have offered
two years of integrated courses in four semesters. This integrated approach affords space for
a cohesive and non-repetitive syllabus. Indeed syllabi in such schools are quite modernised.
Students have the advantage that they do not have to reseek and compete for admission to
master degree courses. In some of the places admission to the Master’s degree course could
be a competitive ordeal.

13.1 Curriculum

The University Grants Commission (UGC), a statutory body to plan, co-ordinate, audit and
partially finance (non-technical) higher education in India, has from time to time recommended
the broader outlines of courses to be taught. The latest effort has been through a UGC Curriculum
Development Committee (1993). Every university being autonomous is free to frame its own
course of studies. Debate has been going on whether we should go in for a uniform syllabus
at least at regional levels. But there seems no obvious advantage to this drab uniformity. In
fact there is no co-ordinating body to do this. Verbal pleas and repeated seminar resolutions
to have some national level accrediting body (as the American Library Association in USA)
have not borne fruit.
The classes taught at the bachelor level are the library in society; cataloguing and classification
(theory and practice); reference service and sources; library operations and management; and
introduction to information systems and retrieval techniques. There are more variations at the
Master’s level. The basic set of courses includes universe of knowledge and research methodology;
sources of information and bibliography in social/natural sciences/humanities, etc.; information
retrieval systems and techniques; library systems in public/academic/special libraries; computer
applications in libraries; and a small research project to be completed before the commencement
of examination. In principle there are many optional classes available to the students. But due
to the shortage of teachers most students have to opt for a topic for which a teacher is available.
Syllabi are not very relevant and no worthwhile effort has been done at the national level to
do research on the relevance of the curricula. There is an urgent need to widen the scope of
studies available and to respond to the market forces.

13.2 Intake and Teaching Methods

There is always a rush for admission. The number of admission seekers is more than the seats
available. This is despite the opening of many distance education programmes that rarely
disappoint the admission seekers. But the intake of students is generally of poor quality.
Library science courses are never the first option of the majority of students. Most of the
students turn to library science after having failed to secure admission to other prestigious
courses of study. Thus, it is a career of the mediocre at best.
Teaching is predominantly by the lecture method. In some central states, Hindi is also allowed
as a medium of examination as a general policy of the state government. Only a few schools
have apprenticeship programmes for the students– otherwise classroom teaching with blackboard
and chalk is the norm. Dictation of notes and their cramming by students are still popular.

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