Job Prospects: Librarian

Librarian

If books are your obsession and you love the company of these true silent companions a library is the best place you can be at and what more if you all get the opportunity to work in one. It is a place for those who love the serene work environment and definitely have an analytical mind to absorb large quantity of information.

A library is described as the 'reservoir of knowledge' hence the people who are trained to work in such places are taught how to handle, maintain and improve the knowledge bank. Several institutes today offer courses in 'library science' to students who wish to pursue a career in the field. The course majorly teaches the technique to catalogue books, journals and audio-visual material in the library. It teaches one the skill to acquire and make information available to library members in a limited time span.

A library is one of the places that maintain a very typical and unique work ethics that are seldom altered and is maintained across the globe in a similar fashion. Students of the course are also taught these mannerisms and policies. With the world gradually shifting into the technology era, libraries worldwide too, are concentrating on attaining technological assistance to maintain their knowledge bank and provide accurate information to their members. The librarians therefore, are taught how to use various technology and extract required information from them. The job profile of a librarian is divided into three broad categories namely, customer service, administration and technical assistance.

The customer service part of their job is to help users locate their requirement either on the shelves or from the Internet that is proficiently a part of the knowledge bank these days. The administrative part of a librarian's job involves planning and management. The librarians are expected to negotiate buy and sell from wholesalers, publishers, distributors etc. While managing the smooth running of the library they are supposed to supervise the library physically, set budgets for the library stock and maintenance etc. Activities such as fund raising and public relations are also put under the job responsibility of a librarian.

In a small library set-up all responsibilities are shouldered by one person or sometimes by two librarians who divide their responsibilities, whereas in a larger set up there are a number of people appointed with specific area of functioning depending on their qualification. Apart from being appointed in a library a person with the a similar job profile can also stand chance of being absorbed by other organizations like information centers run by organizations like government aided agencies, museums, professional associations and corporate houses, law firms, ad agencies, medical research centers, hospitals, religious organizations, and various research laboratories.