315

DOI: 10.5958/0976-2469.2019.00018.6
VANITA KHANCHANDANI

LIBRARY HERALD
Vol 57 No 3
September 2019

LIS Education in India:

Emerging Trends and Challenges
VANITA KHANCHANDANI*

LIS education in India is century old. This paper deals with how LIS education in
India has been started and how it has been affected by the technological
advancements. It also highlights the level of courses provided by the universities,
colleges, polytechnics, library associations and documentation centres. The paper
also endeavoured to highlight the committees and commissions formed by the
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Government of India and University Grants Commission (UGC) for the

development of the libraries and LIS education. Different challenges affecting
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LIS education and the solutions to those challenges have been carefully dealt
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with. This paper will be helpful for all the LIS teachers, students, and LIS
professionals in understanding the need of change in LIS curriculum keeping at
par with the technology.
Keywords: Library and Information Science Education; Library; LIS Schools; UGC;
Curriculum and CBCS.

1 INTRODUCTION
Library and information science education in India is now century old.
In past, India has witnessed a steady growth in LIS education but now at
present LIS education is undergoing rapid metamorphosis due to changing
needs of the society. The information and communication technology
(ICT) has impacted LIS education all round the world. The LIS discipline
is growing in a way to serve the society in a better way. The history of
LIS education in India can be divided into two eras, i.e., pre-independence
and post-independence era.
The foundation of library education in India datesback in 1911 when
WA Borden, a disciple of Melvil Dewey, was invited by Sayaji Rao
Gaekwad II to develop the state library system. He started a school to
train staff and started first journal “Library Miscellany”1.
In 1915, another disciple of Dewey, Asa Don Dickinson was
* Assistant Librarian, Central Library, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-
110016. [email protected]

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 316 LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA: EMERGING TRENDS

appointed as the librarian of Punjab University, Lahore and started three

months course. This was the first university level course in the whole Asia
and second in the world. This is the beginning of Library Science
education in India at university level.1
After these two great efforts, professional associations started
providing courses on library science education. The first such course was
started by Andhra Desa Library Association in 1920, then by Madras
Library Association (MALA) in 1929, by Bengal Library Association in
1937.
Before independence, there were only five universities providing
diploma course in library science. These were: Andhra University (1935),
Madras University (1937), Banaras Hindu University (1941), University of
Bombay (1943) and University of Calcutta (1945). Out of these five
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universities, two diploma courses were started due to the great efforts of
Dr. S.R. Ranganathan.
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After independence, new schools, colleges, universities and research

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institutions were opened to cater the educational needs of the country, and
the need for qualified library personnel was felt. As a result, number of
library science schools were increased. Aligarh Muslim University was
the first to start B.Lib. course in the country.2 After independence,
Ranganathan moved from Banaras Hindu University to University of
Delhi. University of Delhi started first diploma in 1947 and then started
Masters in Library Science in 1951. The first Ph.D. was awarded to D B
Krishna Rao in 1957 under Dr. S. R. Ranganathan. M.Phil. was started in
1972 in University of Delhi.
2 COURSES OFFERED IN LIS
There are various courses offered in LIS in India by various
universities, colleges, polytechnics, library associations and documentation
centres. The details about these are as under:
1. Certificate Course (CLIS): It is a six month or one year course
offered by library associations, universities, and some colleges. The
course is offered after secondary or senior secondary.
2. Diploma in Library and Information Science (DLIS): Diploma
courses are provided at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
Some women polytechnics provide two year undergraduate diploma
courses.

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 VANITA KHANCHANDANI 317

Post-graduate diploma courses are provided by the following:

(i) Gandhigram Rural Institute (Diploma in Archives and
Documentation Management);
(ii) University of Hyderabad (Diploma in Library Automation and
Networking);
(iii) IGNOU (Post Graduate Diploma in Library Automation and
Networking);
(iv) University of Kerala (Diploma in Information Technology);
(v) University of Mysore (Post-MLIS Diploma Course on Library
Automation); and
(vi) Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (Diploma course in
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Health Science Librarianship)

(vii) Delhi Library Association Diploma in Library & Information
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Technology (DLIT) (2003-)

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3. Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS): It is a one

year course provided after graduation by the universities.
4. 3 Years B.A./B.Sc. (Hons.) in LIS: It is a three year honours course
provided by Calcutta University.3
5. B.A. (Subsidiary)4: Library and Information subjects are integrated
as subsidiary subject in B.A. curriculum. Aligarh Muslim University
was the first to provide the course in 1986.
6. Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS): It is a one
year course after BLIS.
7. 2 Years Integrated MLIS: It is an integrated course combining
(BLIS+MLIS) provided after graduation. University of Calcutta
started in 1974, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) started the
course in 1986 and Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak
(Haryana) is also providing the course.
8. Master’s Degree (MSc) in Information Science: It is a two year
course offered by Madras University and Baba Saheb Bhimrao
Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow.
9. Five Year Integrated Course5: An integrated course in library and
information science is provided by three universities after senior

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 318 LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA: EMERGING TRENDS

secondary in India:
Annamalai University, Calcutta University, and Guru Ghasidas
Viswavidyala.
10. M.Phil (Master of Philosophy): It is a research degree course
provided after MLIS. It is one/two year duration course.
11. Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy): It is provided after MLIS or M.Phil.
It is the highest level research degree provided by the universities. It
is provided as full time or part time course.
12. D.Litt: It is a post-doctoral degree. Dr. B.B. Shukla was awarded
D.Litt. by Utkal University, Bhubaneswar in 1992. Another D.Litt.
was awarded to Mohamed Taher by B.R. Ambedkar University,
Agra in 19996. In 2012 Dr. Amjad Ali was awarded D.Litt. by
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Sambalpur University, Orissa7.

13. Associateship in Information Science: INSDOC, Indian National
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Scientific Documentation Centre (Presently NISCAIR, National

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Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources)

started two-year programme in documentation which was renamed
as Associateship in Information Science in 1977. Qualification
needed to pursue the programme was master’s degree in any subject
or BLIS with three year experience in library. The last batch which
was admitted to the course was in 2010-2012. After that, the course
has been closed due to the policy of the institute.
14. DRTC (Documentation Research and Training Centre) was
providing the same course, but now its name has been changed to
M.S. in Library and Information Science and the qualification
required to pursue the course is three year’s bachelor degree in any
discipline8.
3 COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS
There are various committees and commissions which were set up by
Government of India for the development of libraries and LIS education9.
These are as under:
Advisory Committee for Libraries (1957): Also called as K. P.
Sinha Committee, the committee gave its report in 1958. The main
recommendations of the committee are as:
(i) to set up an expert committee for the re-organization of the syllabus,

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 VANITA KHANCHANDANI 319

teaching methods and examination in prevailing diploma courses;

(ii) to provide financial assistance to universities by UGC for establishing
full-fledged library and information science teaching departments,
and
(iii) the teachers in library and information science should have same
terms and conditions as in other departments.
National Policy on Library and Information System (1986): In
1985, Government of India set up Committee on National Policy of Library
and Information System (CONPOLIS) with Prof. D.P. Chattopadhyaya
as its Chairman in 1985. It submitted its report in 1986. It was further
assessed by Empowered Committee in 1988. Its recommendations were
examined by Working Group which gave its report in 1993. Its
recommendations are for Public Library system in India.
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National Knowledge Commission (2005)10: National Knowledge

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Commission was constituted on 13th June 2005 with a time-frame of three

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years from 2nd October 2005 to 2nd October 2008. The report was named
as “Libraries as Gateways to Knowledge.” The recommendations of the
commission are as under:
(a) To set up a National Mission on Libraries;
(b) To prepare a National Census of all Libraries;
(a) To revamp Library and Information Science education, training and
research facilities including establishment of Indian Institute of
Library and Information Science;
(d) To re-assess staffing of libraries;
(e) To set up a Central Library Fund;
(f) To modernize library management;
(g) To encourage greater community participation in library
management;
(h) To promote Information Communication Technology (ICT)
applications in all libraries;
(i) To facilitate donation and maintenance of private collections; and
(j) To encourage public-private partnerships in development of library
and information services.

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 320 LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA: EMERGING TRENDS

National Mission on Libraries (2012)11: National Mission on

Libraries, a high level committee has been set up by Ministry of Culture,
Government of India in 2012 in pursuance of National Knowledge
Commission’s recommendations. The National Mission on Libraries was
launched on February 3, 2014, by the then President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee. The NML has set up four working groups which have
formulated the scheme for upgrading the libraries. The main component of
NML is the creation of NVLI (National Virtual Library of India).
Besides, aforesaid committees and commissions, UGC (University
Grants Commission) has also set up various committees for the
development of LIS education. These are as under:
Library Committee (1957): It was chaired by Dr. S R Ranganathan
to look into the functioning of academic libraries. The committee
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recommended that the university departments should offer professional

courses leading to bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. degree
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and convert all diploma courses into degree courses.

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Review Committee on Library Science Education (1965): The

review committee was again chaired by Dr. S R Ranganathan. This
committee was set up for the improvement of standard of LIS education.
The committee recommended the syllabuses of bachelor and master level
courses. It gave recommendation about faculty-student ratio and
formation of independent library science departments.
Curriculum Development Committees (1990 & 2001): UGC set up
two curriculum development committees. The first was in 1990 chaired by
Prof. P N Kaula. Second was in 2001 by Dr. C R Karisiddappa. Both
committee framed the syllabuses to bring standardization in LIS education
in India. The second curriculum committee laid emphasis on two-year
integrated master’s degree course and its implementation.
After these two CDCs (Curriculum Development Committees), no
committee was formed for the reforms in LIS education.
4 CHALLENGES & LACUNA IN LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA
In India, LIS education is more than 100 years old. We have achieved
many echelons, but many more have to be achieved. There are many
challenges and lacuna which need to be discussed. These are:
A. Nomenclature of LIS Schools: LIS schools have been given
different names. The nomenclature is not uniform5. These are:

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 VANITA KHANCHANDANI 321

Department of Library Science and Documentation

Department of Information Science
Department of Library and Information Science
Faculty of Library and Information Science
Department of Information Science
Department of Library and Information Management
School of Library and Information Science
B. Affiliation to Faculty of LIS Schools: There is lot of variation
found in affiliation to the faculties. Most of the LIS departments are
affiliated to Faculty of Arts and some under Faculty of Social
Sciences. The variation is given as under12:
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Social Sciences
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Faculty of Sciences
School of Information Science & Technology
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School of Social Sciences

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Faculty of Arts & Languages

Faculty of Humanities
School of Media & Communication
C. Different Career Profiles: Uniformity of career profile is not there.
Different job profiles in library profession are :
School Library: School Librarian
College Library: Library Attendant, Junior Library and Information
Assistant, Semi-Professional Assistant, Professional Assistant and College
Librarian.
University Library: Library Attendant, Junior Library and Information
Assistant, Semi-Professional Assistant, Professional Assistant, Assistant
Librarian, Deputy Librarian and Librarian/Chief Librarian/University
Librarian.
Technical College Library: Library Attendant, Library Information
Assistant, Senior Library Information Assistant, Assistant Library
Information Officer, Senior Library Information Officer, Assistant
Librarian, Deputy Librarian and Librarian.
Research Library: Technical Assistant, Senior Technical Assistant and
Scientist.

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 322 LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA: EMERGING TRENDS

Documentation Centres: Knowledge Managers, Information Analyst

and Information Officer, etc.
D. Accreditation: For uniformity and standardization of the education
accreditation body is essential. In LIS education no such apex
regulatory body is there in the country whereas for other courses
such as law (bar council), medical courses (medical council),
technical education (All India Council for Technical Education) and
education (National Council for Teacher Education) are there. In
UK, all LIS schools are accredited by CILIP (Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals) LIS schools in India are
opening at a fast pace without looking into the basic infrastructure
facilities which is resulting into the mass production of the
professionals with minimum or no practical exposure.
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Although UGC had formulated many curriculum development

committees to bring uniformity but its role was not authoritative. There is
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huge disparity in the curriculum of LIS courses. Moreover, no proper

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revision is there in the curriculum.

E. Mushrooming growth of LIS Education and mismatch between
the demand and supply: When our country got independence, at
that time only five universities were offering library science courses
but today 155 universities are offering different courses. There is no
check and balance in the emergence of LIS schools. Proliferation of
LIS schools without having proper infrastructure facilities and
teachers has created huge unemployment (i.e. the demand of LIS
professionals is not proportionate to the supply made by the LIS
Schools in India) in the profession1.
F. Inadequate Faculty Strength and non-uniformity in the Scales:
There is no proper teacher-student ratios in the LIS schools.
Moreover, in self-financing or private institutions, no proper
permanent faculty is there. They are just commercial ventures.
There is also disparity found in the scales and retirement age of the
teachers.
G. Lack of Infrastructure Facilities: In many LIS schools, there is
lack of well-equipped IT labs. According to UGC, CDCs, there
should be proper computer facilities along with library software
should be available to the students. Proper library facilities having
reference books, list of subject headings, classification schemes,
cataloguing codes are not available in many LIS schools.
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 VANITA KHANCHANDANI 323

H. Curriculum Revision: Many universities are following old LIS

syllabi. They are not updated accordingly to the undergoing changes
in the society. The last curriculum development committee was set
up by UGC in 2001. After that, no such revision was implemented.
There is huge disparity in LIS curriculum of the universities. In 2011,
UGC has implemented CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) for all
undergraduate courses except for library and information science.
“The CBCS is an internationally acknowledged instructional
pattern developed to suit the needs of the students and to enable
them to keep pace with the developments in higher education across
the globe. The genesis of the CBCS is traced to ‘Cafeteria system,’
in vogue in the West.13" It is based on transfer of credits for a
course. Presently, twelve universities have taken their own initiative
to implement the CBCS curriculum for the LIS courses.
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I. Selection Criteria and Intake of the Students: Library and

Information Science is not a popular course among the students.
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Though LIS education is more than 100 years old in our country, yet
the students come in this profession just by chance, not by choice.
Due to less popularity, this profession is unable to get the best brains.
To get best, LIS schools should conduct aptitude test for selecting
the students like other courses. Nevertheless, the intake in a course
should also be monitored. It should be based on the available faculty
and infrastructure and IT (information technology) facilities. Only
those courses become popular among the students in which
employment opportunities are better so to make course popular; we
must take the students accordingly.
5 RECENT EMERGING TRENDS IN LIS EDUCATION
There are new trends which can now be seen in LIS education in
India. These are:
(a) Teaching of Traditional Techniques: Less emphasis on the
teaching of traditional subjects like classification and cataloguing is
given by the LIS schools1. Their form of teaching is also getting
change. These days there is more emphasis on the teaching of
library softwares and ICT (Information and Communication
Technology).
(b) Five Year Integrated Course: An integrated course in library and
information science is provided by three universities after senior
secondary in India:
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 324 LIS EDUCATION IN INDIA: EMERGING TRENDS

Annamalai University, Calcutta University, and Guru Ghasidas

Viswavidyala.
(c) CBCS Curricula: Many universities in our country have presently
formulated curricula based on CBCS pattern, and others are in the
process of it.
(d) MOOCs: There is an emergence of different MOOCs (Massive
Open Online Courses) in the LIS education which are available on
library and information science on Swayam platform in India14.
(e) Online Refresher Course in Library and Information Science: Now,
IGNOU has now been given the status of the nodal centre in
designing and managing the Online Refresher Course in Library and
Information Science on Swayam platform under ARPIT (Annual
Refresher Program in Teaching) for the faculty of LIS discipline and
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LIS professionals. This course is valid under CAS (Career

Advancement Scheme) 15.
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(f) Conferences & Seminars: There is increase in number of

conferences and seminars organized on various themes in library and
information science profession.
6 SOLUTIONS
For the aforesaid challenges and lacuna in LIS education, the following
solutions can be considered:
(a) Full-fledge LIS departments should be there.
(b) National level Accreditation body should be formed by professional
association to bring uniformity in the nomenclature and curricula.
(c) Proper faculty should be appointed.
(d) Proper infrastructure, libraries and IT labs should be maintained.
(e) In-service trainings should be provided both to teachers and
professionals.
(f) Continuous revision of curriculum should be done keeping in mind the
changes in the society.
(g) Emphasis on practical education should be given. The mismatch
between education and the job requirements should be overcome.
According to Arora and Mujoo-Munshi (2000)16, “fresh library
science graduates find themselves completely bewildered when they

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 VANITA KHANCHANDANI 325

happened to be in libraries using computers and other products and

the new IT services.”
7 CONCLUSION
LIS profession has undergone in paradigm shifts due to technological
changes. To go along the changes, LIS education needs to be revamp. All
LIS departments and professional associations across the country should
come together to bring the uniform standardization in the LIS education
according to the present needs.
8 REFERENCES
1 SINGH (S) (2003). Library and Information Education in India: Issues and
Trends. Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science, 8(2)1-17. http://
umijms.um.edu.my/filebank/published_article/1932/262.pdf. (Accessed on 25
September, 2018).
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2 DAVE (J L) (2013). Library and Information Science Education in India.

Indian Journal of Research, 2(12), 109-111. https://
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www.worldwidejournals.com/paripex/recent_issues_pdf/2013/December/
December_2013_1387193700_c3c38_33.pdf. (Accessed on 6 November,
2018).
3 DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE. (n.d.),
CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY. http://www.caluniv.ac.in/academic/department/
LibrarySc.html (Accessed on 28 September 2018).
4 DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE. (n.d.),
ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY https://www.amu.ac.in/
showcourse1.jsp?did=80&typ=3 (Accessed on 3 November, 2018).
5 RAMESHA and BABU (R B) (2007) Trends, challenges and future of library
and information science education in India. DESIDOC Bulletin of Information
Technology, 27(5), 17-24. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/djlit.27.5.136
(Accessed on 6 November 2018).
6 KRISHAN KUMAR, & SHARMA (J) (2009). Library and information science
education in India. Har-Anand Publication Pvt Ltd., 2009.
7 Dr. Amjad Ali got awarded D.Litt. (n.d.). http://www.lislinks.com/forum/
topics/dr-amjad-ali-got-awarded-d-litt (Accessed on 3 November 2018).
8 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AT THE BANGALORE CENTRE. (n.d.), Indian
Statistical Institute: http://www.isibang.ac.in/~adean/#LI (accessed on 6
November 2018).
9 S KUMAR, JAIN (KB) & SHAH (L) (2013). Education and training for
medical librarianship n India. IFLA WLIC; 2013. Pp 1-7. http://library.ifla.org/
194/1/197-kumar-en.pdf. (Accessed on October 1, 2017).

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10 NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION. (n.d.). https://www.aicte-

india.org/downloads/nkc.pdf (Accessed on 20 October 2018).
11 NATIONAL MISSION ON LIBRARIES. (n.d.). www.drishtiias.com/upsc-
exam-gs-resources-NATIONAL-MISSION-ON-LIBRARIES. (Accessed on 20
October, 2018).
12 YADAV (AK) & GOHAIN (RR) (2015). Growth and Development of LIS
Education in India. SRELS Journal of Information Management, 52(6):403-414.
doi:10.17821/srels/2015/v52i6/84316 (accessed on 25 October, 2018).
13 SARKHEL (J) (2014). Implementation of Choice Based Credit System in
Library and Information Science with Special Reference to University of
Kalyani. In Charaibeti: Golden Jubilee Commemorative Volume, 2014,.Pp. 61-
72. Department of Library & Information Science, Jadavpur University.
doi:10.13140/2.1.1000.1285. (Accessed on 25 October, 2018).
14 SWAYAM. (n.d.). https://swayam.gov.in/search?keyword=Library.
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(Accessed on February 12, 2019).

15 REFRESHER COURSE IN LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE. (n.d.).
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https://swayam.gov.in/courses/5333-refresher-course-in-library-and-
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information-science (Accessed on February 12, 2019).

16 ARORA (J) and MUJOO-MUNSHI (U) (2000). Accepting the Challenge of
Information Technology: Reinventing the Library and Information Science
Profession in the New Millennium. Proceedings of Society of Information
Science Conference, 2000, Pp. 11-24.

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