Library Science profession today is at a crossroad of diversified factors
involving management of several different tasks hitherto not handled. Quality
management concepts and methods have begun to penetrate in the libraries. This
paper is an attempt to highlight, in a nutshell, how library schools can gear up to
take up the challenge of the new millennium to prepare right type of
professionals

Gokhale, Pratibha A.

English

Librarians' Digital Library

DRTC Workshop on Information Management 
6-8 January 1999 
 
 
 
PAPER: CA 
 
 
 
QUALITY MANAGEMENT THROUGH 
LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE EDUCATION 
 
 
 
Mrs. Pratibha A. Gokhale , Reader, Department of Library & Information Science, University of 
Mumbai,  Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400 098,  
 
 
[ Library Science profession today is at a crossroad of diversified factors 
involving management of several different tasks hitherto not  handled.  Quality 
management concepts and methods have begun to penetrate in the libraries.  This 
paper is an attempt to highlight, in a nutshell, how library schools can gear up to 
take up the challenge of the new millennium to prepare right type of 
professionals.] 
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 
 
 
The purpose of professional education is self defined - to prepare individuals to practice a 
profession.  Education is a complex process.  It may refer to formal schooling or to the life long 
process of learning from experience.  Education at the tertiary level aims at the all round 
development of the individual - mental, moral, social or cultural for adjusting oneself to different 
working situations.  It is expected at this level that the individual learner gains knowledge, 
acquires skills to develop himself to find his place as a worthy member in the profession.  For 
such type of education, a planned programme is of vital importance and it is reflected in the 
curriculum that is designed for this purpose.  The curriculum indicates the dimensions of the 
teaching - learning process. 
Pratibha A. Gokhale  2 
 
 
 
 
2.  LIBRARY SCIENCE EDUCATION IN INDIA 
 
 
Formal library training in India has a history of more than eighty years behind  it, while 
Library Science Education as such came through Universities at a slightly  later stage.It is taught at 
different universities and training centres, such as – 
 
 1. Post matriculate certificate course 
 
 2. Post higher secondary polytechnic course 
 
 3. Post graduate Library and Information Science 
 
 4. Post BLISc - Master of Library & Information Science  
 
 5. M. Phil programme 
 
 6. Ph. D. programme 
 
 7. Associateship offered by INSDOC, New Delhi and DRTC, Bangalore 
 
According to UNESCO  report [1], there are 78 Library Science Schools in India offering BLISc 
course.  A compilation  by Verma [2] indicates that since 1957, 292 recipients have been awarded 
the Ph.D. degree in LIS by different Indian Universities.  While detailed content analysis of LIS 
syllabi is not the objective of this paper, a quick, cursory glance at the same for LIS education in 
Indian Universities, including the open universities gives an impression that some diversity is 
observed in the course curricula of LIS education.  There is a distinct difference between 
education and training and this issue was also discussed at CALIBER 97.  These two often go hand 
in hand, simultaneously with changing social landscape.  It is important to know the  
connection between one’s career in the profession and how curriculum content can enhance career 
prospects. 
     
3.  ROLE OF CURRICULA IN LEARNING PROCESS 
Quality Management Through Library ……   3 
 
 
 
 
Curriculum development is a process than purely a product.  It is expected to take into 
consideration the trends in the socio-economic front and link it with the needs of the profession.  
Syllabus is the product of curriculum development process.  The important changes taking place in 
higher or tertiary level education are the changes in learning process.  There is an increasing trend 
of adopting to combination of teaching methods and a shift from “chalk and talk” method.  The 
traditional teaching methods are supplemented by project work, seminar, group discussions, field 
work, tutorials, in-service training, internal assessment etc.  Study and learning habits of students 
are changing.  The Library Science profession is demanding specialized skills from the 
professionals in addition to simply disseminating information.  These skills have to be acquired 
through learning process.   For example, when students are expected to give seminars based on 
their project work, they are disseminating the information what they have understood.  It needs 
skill of presenting what they have grasped, justifying what they have to say and understanding 
human interactions.  Learning and grasping abilities of students are generally checked by three 
means – 
 Writing skill - It mostly revolves around memory and retention power -  whether 
 long or short. 
 Doing skill - One learns best by ‘doing’ something.  Some students are quick in 
 ‘doing’, some take time. 
            Thinking skill - This involves interpreting the facts, ‘doing’ by trial and error and seeking 
 solutions to complex problems and establishing links among  them. 
Traditional syllabi have not given much attention to the Thinking skill .  One important 
activity in higher education institutions, more precisely in universities (where Library and 
Information Science is taught), is learning through research.  This research may be in the form of 
project work,  dissertation, investigative work and so on.  According to Brophy[3], learning 
Pratibha A. Gokhale  4 
 
 
carried out by project work and investigation is a valid research activity.  Once learning is a 
research activity, curriculum designing and framing a syllabus has more fundamental role to play .  
Today, library is a part of worldwide network and the requirements of the users cannot be 
predicted with absolute certainty.  Therefore, Library Science Education needs to be structured in 
such a way that the professionals develop necessary abilities and skills to withstand the pressures, 
while they are in learning process. 
4.  SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE NEW PROFESSIONALS 
 
 
In the era of rapid technological changes, libraries are undergoing transformation and so 
also users’ expectations.  Skills and competencies acquired during early career stages are not 
likely to suffice beyond 10-15 years.  The market place of libraries is partly determined by their 
ability to disseminate knowledge, that the market wants.  Librarians deal with the information in 
contexts.  In addition to access the information, they are expected to add value to it and create a 
repackaged information.  Private sector today is under pressure to get ISO 9000 accreditation and 
certification to stand in the global competition.  It will not be too long that this will penetrate to 
library services through ISO 9004  series which essentially are guidelines for services.  Coming 
generation of Information Professionals will increasingly work with non-librarians.  They will be 
having a dialogue with specialists in computing, networking, finance, marketing and so on.  The 
services will be more customer based.     They will have to acquire skills such as : 
  
- Excellent communication skill - both oral and written with polite ‘aggressiveness’   
 to be able to justify a stand. 
 -   Professional attitude to critical thinking for problem solving. 
 -  Broad knowledge of networked information and deep knowledge of  
 specific subject field, with understanding of Expert Systems. 
Quality Management Through Library ……   5 
 
 
 -  Knowledge of setting up Web sites for libraries, as library guides. 
 -  Developing attitude towards “Marketing of Information”.  Libraries    
 should gradually shift from being ‘overheads’ to “revenue earners”. 
 -  Knowledge of writing on-line publications using SGML code. 
 - Skill for developing multimedia packages. 
 
The syllabus of any course has to be structured within a fixed framework.  Every 
professional training has a life cycle and a transitory period.  The quality of future professionals 
depends much on having an up-to-date curriculum.  It needs to be so oriented that it is able to cope 
up with the rapidly changing needs.  At the same time, it is not feasible to revise the syllabus 
frequently.  Therefore, it should be supplemented by having short term instructional programmes, 
workshops, continuing education programmes - attendance to which should be made mandatory to 
both teachers as well as students.  Sending students to other sites/locations for work for long 
durations is a common practice in the faculty of Home Science, Tourism, Nursing, Engineering, 
etc.  Same practice may be thought over seriously for Library professionals.  This will make 
learning a self motivating exercise.  Brain storming sessions may be arranged to design the course, 
which may be done in such a way that, within the framework of syllabus, it offers opportunities to 
students to groom themselves to give quality services when they enter the profession. 
         
5.  QUALITY GOALS IN TRAINING FOR QUALITY SERVICES 
 
 
Quality is an elusive element and highly subjective.  Measuring quality is rather difficult in 
service function.,  The six sigma approach developed by Motorola is a statistical unit for 
measuring quality.  Although it is aimed at upgradation of business rocesses with nearly zero 
Pratibha A. Gokhale  6 
 
 
defect, there should not be any difficulty in applying the quality concept involved in it for giving 
quality services from libraries.  It may be achieved partially by adopting following means : 
 - Making conscious efforts for improving communication skill - verbal, written  or  
  even through body language. 
 - Developing the skill to understand what the user needs exactly. 
  - Teaching critical thinking and problem solving which can be integrated throughout,  
 for all library  related activities. 
 - Making a plan for Computer Assisted Instructions - both for the students as well  
  as users. 
- Developing “Intelligence Learning Technology” by having   self     teaching guides  
  or “do it yourself” series. 
 - Organising library’s collection with near zero defect.  This is absolutely  essential  
  for speedy information retrieval.   
 -  Managing library budget with no duplication and with very conscious efforts to  
  avoid overhead expenditure. 
 - Avoiding a situation where handling I. T. related activities are monopolised by few 
  individuals.  Every professional in the library  should be trained to give any 
service    at any time.  “Save the time of the reader” must be the motto.  Also, 
no job in the    library should be undervalued. 
 
6.  CONCLUSION 
 
 
Higher education in Library and Information Science needs to address the issue of teaching 
students how to learn and implement new ideas, new concepts, and develop an attitude to have a 
desire to continue to learn throughout the working career.  Technology is just not the answer for 
everything.  Computers can store and process vast amount of information but they are not creators, 
Quality Management Through Library ……   7 
 
 
neither intuitive.  Quality Management is not merely sophistication of equipments but it is 
managing the change which needs a change in philosophy and developing right attitude.  The 
curricula in Library Science should provide sufficient scope for continuous learning, as well as it 
may be designed in such a way that every professional feels confident and comfortable over 
handling technology.  Special efforts may be done to identify such professionals who have strong 
leadership qualities and have the potential of being visionaries to take the profession ahead 
successfully.  Information Management in the new millennium will then be a rewarding experience. 
Pratibha A. Gokhale  8 
 
 
 
6. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES 
 
 
1. World Information Report , 1997-98. Paris, UNESCO, 1997, p.42. 
 
2. VERMA, P. and Shailaja, N.L. - Bibliography of Doctoral Theses  in Library  and 
Information Science in India.  In DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology. Vol.18, 
No.1, Jan. 1998, p.41. 
 
3. BROPHY, P. - The information needs of students and academics: The role of academic 
libraries in the information chain. In ‘In the maketplace for  knowledge: the future and role 
of information services in libraries’. Edited by  Nicholas Fox. London, Aslib. 1991, 
p.57. 
 
 
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
KINNEL, M. - ‘Quality management and Library and Information Services : Competitive 
advantage for the information revolution’.  IFLA Journal 21(4), 1995, p.265-273. 
 
KOHLI, MANOJ - ‘The six sigma solution’. Business India, June 29-July 12, 1998, p.87. 
 
MACDOUGALL, J. and BRITTAIN, J.M. - ‘Library and Information Science Education in the 
U.K’.  In Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, vol.28, 1993,  Chicago, A.L.A., 
1994, p.361-385. 
 
PAREKH, H. - ‘Education and Training of Information professionals’.  In CALIBER 97. 
Ahmedabad, INFLIBNET,  1997, p. 174-177. 
 
POLLOCK, M. and BROWN, K. - ‘Learning and transitions in the careers of librarians’. IFLA 
Journal, 24(1), 1998, p.33-41. 
 
‘Teaching critical thinking and problem solving.  In Encyclopedia of Library and Information 
Science’.  Edited by Allen Kent, vol.61, Supplement 24, New York, Marcel Dekker, 1998, p.294-
310. 
 
‘3 Skills for the new librarian’.  http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/lic/new library     
 
 


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