Continuing Education for LIS Professionals in India: A Study

Abstract

Librarians have to play the part of intermediary between the vast network of resources and its consumers. To meet the ever-changing demands of the users, library professionals require constantly updated knowledge and skills for effective performance. Continuing education is necessary for every professional. Capability of a library depends largely on the skills of its staff. Hence, it is important to assess the qualities of library professionals for continuing education and professional development in the changing electronic environment. The most frequently asked general qualities are communication skill, personal IT skills, knowledge/awareness of IT systems and applications, staff management, strategic management. To develop these qualities in library professionals various types of programs such as conferences, workshops, symposiums, distance learning, are being organized. The purpose of this paper is to identify the continuing education practices in the field of LIS. The data will be collected from different online sources. This study highlights the contribution of universities, colleges, professional bodies in updating and keeping professionals abreast with the latest tools and techniques in the field of LIS. Secondly it focuses on areas of LIS on which these programs are being conducted in India from 2015 to mid 2016. Such programs cover vast range of topics i.e. Digitization, Information Networks, Knowledge Management, Resource Management, etc. and help us in identifying the modern trends in LIS.