Educating library and information science professionals to cater to the modern needs: A Pakistani perspective

This article examines the Pakistani model of library and information science (LIS) education in the light of changes brought about by information and communication technology. Library and Information Science is a profession that is concerned with the attained knowledge and skills that support the collection, organization and utilization of the records of human communication. The education of library and information science at postgraduate level is being offered by ten public sector and three private sector universities of Pakistan. The LIS education during pre-partition period was started in Lahore in 1915 with a certificate course but this program came to an end after few years. After partition, the first diploma course started in 1956 from University of Karachi, which converted into a Master’s degree program in 1962 and later on as a Ph.D. program. The other universities of Pakistan followed the traditions of University of Karachi and now a total 13 universities are offering the programs to professionally train the librarians. The courses taught in these universities are regularly revised to meet the demands of the society. Besides educating traditional librarianship, the curricula of all the universities impart modern education to train the future librarians accordingly. This paper completely covers the conventional as well as the modern-day courses being taught in these universities of Pakistan.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the efforts made at university level in Pakistan for training of LIS professionals in the light of challenges faced by the concerned stakeholders involved in library practice and the varying information atmosphere. During the last about three decades, the major themes which emerged in the debate of LIS education include the stress between the traditional librarianship and information science, the influence of information technologies and the progressing LIS curriculum, and the relationship between LIS education and the field of practice. This study's major focus is on literature review but it also explores how the future LIS professionals are prepared and what are the requirements of the employers hiring library professionals. For this purpose, viewpoint of some eminent library employers is sought through verbal communication.

Library Education -Historical Perspective, Current Trends
Library education or Library Science education is not an old terminology as compared to education in other fields or disciplines of knowledge. It has a history of almost 130 years when this discipline was introduced in the University of Germany and later in USA and other American and European countries. Till 19th century, academic librarians were usually scholars, serving as Professor in university and possessed keen interest towards library. No training was provided to the librarian, besides; it was expected from new librarians to serve similarly as previous ones. Similar patterns were practiced by few librarians, while others were apprenticed under the supervision of established librarians.

Library School
The term library school is used for an academic institution imparting professional education and training in the field of librarianship. White 1 says, "Like business school, law school, media school, a library school is an institution of higher learning specializing in the professional training of librarians. The first library school in the United States was established by Melvil Dewey (the originator of the Dewey Decimal Classification System) in 1887 at Columbia University." Another scholar Churchwell 2 is of the view, "Since then many library schools have been founded in the United States and Canada." Founding library schools at Barcelona (presently as Universidad de Barcelona) and Leipzig (Europe's oldest school of library) became the basis of 1 development in other countries in 1915. In between the period of World War II, many other library schools were founded. The first library school of awarding a master's degree was University of Chicago Graduate Library School and even became the first to confer doctoral degree in this discipline, which now carries the status of standard professional degree. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill were among the other highlighted library schools of America.
In North America many library schools offer only graduate programs with the accreditation of ALA (American Library Association). The Library Science's bachelor's degree (formerly Library Economics) got weed out long time ago. Students of Library Science in North America secure master's degree, usually with the name of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) or Master of Library Science (MLS). This degree permits to serve as librarian in academic and public libraries, special libraries and school library media centers, other individual credited by MLS exercise their skills with dominant library vendors. This degree also provides platform for sectors such as publishing, printing and broadcasting.
Library Science's Master programs are structured in such a manner so as to propose a merger of competent courses required in library science as well as in information science. The courses requisite major attention on foundation skills including: reference, cataloging, collection development and also relevant aspects: like the philosophy over which this profession is based, information management and information technology. Optional courses includes: Genealogy, information management, archives and children's literature, also some special courses with respect to particular types of libraries.
Over the past years, a trend is seen at library schools moderating their names reflecting transformation into electronic media from print version, and for information incorporated beyond the boundaries of conventional traditional libraries. Pursuing names as schools of library and information science (abbreviated to "SLIS", and so calling "SLISters" to the students), although some have eliminated the term "library» overall.

Library Education
Many library managers and administrators believe that the purpose of library education is "to produce qualified staff for their libraries that will be competent to step into a professional post and perform the duties assigned to them, with only the minimum amount of in-service training being necessary." 3 As far as the library education is concerned, in the past it had not been treated as a subject but was regarded as a job-oriented technical education. It was considered, some 125 years ago, that to work in a library, some basic knowledge of selection, acquisition and organization of material and providing readers' services was enough and all that could be learnt through some informal training. Even in the universities of most developed countries like America, it took a long time to introduce library science as a subject taught at Master's level.

Library Education in Sub-Continent
The history of library education in united India (including today's Pakistan) begins from Baroda state in 1911. Through the struggles of Maharaja Sayajrao III, Gaekwar of Baroda (1862Baroda ( -1939 library schools were introduced. He was a library supporter and promoter, a civilized and educationalist ruler. 4 He called and welcomed "William Alanson Borden, a leading American librarian, who had been a pupilassistant of Charles Ammi Cutter at the Boston Athenaeum and a lecturer-associate of Melvil Dewey at Columbia University's School of Library Economy." 5 It was realm of Borden to organize a system of public library that would be free of all charges in Baroda state. He visualized that the scenario requires a professional librarian. He instructed the people of first class present in the Baroda Central Library.
The "Report on Public Instruction" for the year 1910-1911 claimed about the first class that "nowhere in India has there been up to now a single library class attached to any of the libraries where young men and women could be trained in the most up-to-date requirements of Library Economy." 6 In 1912, another effort, made towards introduction of a two-year graduate library program at Baroda College but this program could not materialized.
Asa Don Dickinson was another American academic library pioneer in British India invited by the University of the Punjab in Lahore for a year during 1915-16 "to organize its library on modern American lines." Dr. Khurshid wrote "Some of the developments emanating from British rule significantly differed from the practice then existing in Great Britain itself. For example, the Commission of Asa Don Dickinson in 1915 specifically required him to organize the library-training class of Punjab University at Lahore. Such attaining did not exist at all in any British universities at that time. The Calcutta University Commission Report  on the other hand, stressed the need for appointing a trained librarian with the status 4 Nagar, MurariLal (1983). Foundation of Library Movement in India. Ludhiana: Indian Library Institute and Bibliographical Center, 1983,p15 5 Ibid. 6 Report on Public Instruction, quoted in Nagar, Foundation of Library Movement in India. p. 69 and rank of a professor at Calcutta University. Even this practice was uncommon in British universities where preference for such an appointment was given to those with academic qualifications." 7 The significant change of American influence at the Punjab University during 1913 occurred due to the appointment of Professor James C.R. Ewing as the vice chancellor of the University of the Punjab . He was an American citizen and had been educated in the United States. As the vice chancellor, he submitted some proposals to the syndicate of the university to allocate "a sum of Rs. 65000 provided by the Government of India for the improvement of the functioning of the University." 8 Recruitment of a professional librarian to completely organize the library and to teach young class for library procedures was suggested by Ewing. His suggestion was implemented in selecting Dickinson for the position of a temporary university librarian. Dickinson had "received a year's training under Melvil Dewey in the New York State Library. Subsequently, he had 10 years varied experience in library work including 3 years in the Brooklyn Public Library and 3 years in the Washington State College Library." 9 At that, time training in librarianship was not available in the British universities. Describing the status of the university librarian in 1915, Anwar wrote, "Dickinson was the first highly educated and professionally trained individual to be appointed as the university librarian in any of the universities in British India. One could extend this exceptional development to most of the British Empire including Great Britain and the British colonies in Asia and Africa." 10 The curriculum introduced by Dickinson covered basic subjects including decimal classification, cataloguing rules, list of subject headings, dictionary catalogue, and open shelves. The syllabus was enlarged in 1921 by Labhu Ram, a student of Dickinson and the assistant librarian of the University of the Punjab, to include seventy-two lectures instead of the original twenty-five. In 1921, the subjects taught included, 1) foreign languages 2) linguistic survey of India 3) basic selection 4) law of copyright in England and India 5) a survey from Tennyson to Bernard Shaw 6) sources of provincial histories of India 7) oriental bibliography 8) milestones of English literatures 9) library buildings, their designs and equipment 10) Anglo-Indian literatures, and 11) open access and technical libraries. 11 Dickinson also wrote a book on library science "The Punjab Library Primer" in 1916 in which he described the expansions of Dewey numbers to meet local needs in India as follows: "The Indian librarian will feel the need for further expansions of the 'D.C.' in some fields…. The Punjab University Library has in manuscript the elaboration of 290 (Ethnic and other religions) and 495 (Eastern Asiatic languages), which will probably appear in later editions; and has worked out its own expansions of 891.2 (Sanskrit literature) and 954 (History of India)." 12 Asa Don Dickinson, through his library school at Punjab University, produced a number of competent and bright students who worked a lot for the betterment of librarianship in the subcontinent. A well-repute journal acknowledged the contribution of Dickinson in library education in India by quoting "Although Dickinson worked in Lahore only for a year, his students and the alumni of his library school established themselves all over India and became leaders in their respective regions, some achieving all India fame. For example, Khan Bahadur K.M. Asadullah was an able student of Dickinson. He worked in Punjab for some years and then served as the Librarian of the Imperial Library in Calcutta from 1930 to 1947. He made significant contribution to the cause of the library movement in India." 13 Bansal and Tikku 14 , on the beginning of library science education in Punjab wrote, "Outside the USA, Punjab University (at Lahore) was the first in the world that introduced a regular training course for librarians at the degree level from as early as 1915.", quoted in Patel and Kumar 15 The credit for being the first beginner of library education at the University of the Punjab goes to two American leaders, Dickinson and Ewing. The beginning of library science education in the University of the Punjab, which is not only attributed to be the first of India even "in the East because the other formal library school founded in the East was around 1920 at Boon University in China. library problems. 17 Ranganathan explored his ideas in a series of lectures to an audience of about a thousand teachers who had assembled to attend the conference of the South Indian Teachers Union in 1929. This was followed up by the Madras Library Association starting an advance certificate course, an annual summer school of librarianship by Ranganathan. The course was of three months' duration, and subjects of the lectures included laws of library science, classification, cataloguing, issue methods, and library routine. In 1931, the University of Madras took hold of this school. In 1937, the three-month training course was upgraded to a one-year full-time postgraduate course, leading to a diploma in library science. Madras University became the first university in India to offer a postgraduate diploma in library science. In 1935, Andhra University initiated a diploma course.
At the same period i.e. in 1935, K. M. Asadullah, the student of Dickinson, started a full-time diploma course in librarianship in the Imperial Library (presently, the National Library-India), Calcutta. This course was based on the pattern of the Punjab Library School. There was cooperation between the University of the Punjab and the Imperial Library in conducting classes on alternate years (however, the course was offered every year between 1944 and 1946). The course was discontinued after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.
The Bengal Library Association started a certificate course in librarianship in 1937. The example of the Bengal Library Association was followed by the Bombay Library Association, the Delhi Library Association, the Mysore Library Association, and other library associations in India.
The other university library schools who followed the example of the Madras Library School were the Banaras Library School, 1941; the Bombay Library School, 1944; the Calcutta Library School, 1946; and the Delhi Library School, 1947. It is evident from the foregoing that in the year of independence (1947), five university library schools were offering courses leading to the post-bachelor's degree in library science. The library school at Bombay offered an undergraduate diploma. 18 In the present times, the importance of libraries and librarians has assumed high priority. In the West, the opportunity in business community, suggest a boost in professional status of Library and Information Science. Separate distinct positions of library professionals in corporate and business libraries are created under some 17 Neelameghan, A. India, Education for Librarians and Documentalists. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science (Vol. 11, p. 324). New York: Marcel Dekker, 1997 18 Patel, Jashu and Kumar, Krishan. Libraries and librarianship in India. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004,p87 attractive titles like Information Manager, Chief Information Officer or Knowledge Officer. However the success of the information is dependent upon the selection and analysis of information that satisfies the requirement of the organization. Here the effectiveness of Library and Information Science could play its important role. The skills of the librarians here can help the employees save valuable time on activities, such as Internet surfing, information access and acquisition of previous information on the subject. Realizing the value of Library & Information Science, many universities in almost every country are offering it as a part of their curricula.
The factors incorporating the advancement, organization, assembling and dissemination of information of world of informational and knowledge based institutions like book and publishing industry, media and other information sectors are quite diverse in nature. Today, positions offered by information industry are providing a supportive platform to stabilize the status of profession and encouraging social value of professionals. Now the LIS professionals have a definite part to play in preparing subject-specific, commercial and public web services.
The LIS learners should not restrict their growth of knowledge in the domain of research, public and school libraries but learn to take into account various demands and requirements of users that originate library services. It will help in finding new aspects for library education transforming from the existing physical form of information and organizational structures. It is very important for the professionals today to have faith in themselves along with professional knowledge of information processes, promotions and marketing.
Time is not very far when LIS programs would evolve from educating traditional librarians to producing specialists employable in the vast information sector comprising publishers, press agencies, multimedia market, bookstores, archives, information services. But all this would only be possible when the curricula for the subject is so designed that is comprehensive and comparable globally in all respect and understand the needs of the market and the field and that it be reviewed and updated regularly.

Present Scenario in Pakistan
The education of library and information science at postgraduate level is being offered by ten public sector and three private sector universities of Pakistan. The following Table-1 elaborates the status of public sector library schools. Besides the above ten public sector universities of Pakistan, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan had also started postgraduate program in Library & Information Science in 2004, but after four years i.e. in 2008 the program was shelved due to some administrative reasons. Till now this program is suspended. This university had adopted the same scheme of studies being practiced by the University of Punjab.
Three universities in private sector; Minhaj University Lahore, Superior University Lahore and Sarhad University of Science and Technology, Peshawar have also been offering the MLIS program for the last many years. The following

University of Karachi, Karachi
University of Karachi is the oldest university (after partition in 1947) offering programs in Library Science. At the time of establishment of Pakistan, the professional training facilities for librarians were very insufficient but immediately after Independence, with the cooperation of local library associations and organizations, a few short-term courses were initiated. All these training courses of very short duration were deficient to fulfill the information and training needs of the staff of libraries associated with the academic, research, and government organizations and institutions of an independent country. So it was badly felt that the standard of library science education in the country be improved and such programs at university level be started.

Islamia University, Bahawalpur
The former name of the varsity is Jamia Abbasia, which was founded in 1925 in Bahawalpur. In 1975, after being renamed as The Islamia University, it was given the status of a general university. To provide professional education of librarianship at postgraduate level in the southern region of Punjab, the Department of Library Science was established in 1983. The department started two-year Master's program i.e. MLS, which was later on renamed as MLIS. To facilitate the nonprofessional working librarians, the department has also started evening classes in 2004. Besides MLIS, the department is also offering 4-year BS and one-year post-Masters MS program.

University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab is the oldest university of Pakistan (

University of Sindh
The Legislative Assembly of Sindh had passed the University of Sindh Act -XVII of 1947 to establish University of Sindh in Karachi. Till 1951, the university was just an examining body but when it was shifted to Hyderabad in 1951, it started functioning as a teaching university.

University of Baluchistan, Quetta
The University of Baluchistan was established in June 1970 through an ordinance issued by the then Governor of the newly-made province of Baluchistan. In June 1996, the Baluchistan Assembly passed the University of Baluchistan Act, 1996. Thus the University of Baluchistan became the sole general University of the province, imparting higher education to the entire population of the province in science, arts and humanities.
Department of Library Science (now Library and Information Science) was established in 1981 with the commencement of classes of Diploma in Library Science (DLS). Master of Library Science (MLS) program was started in 1984. The department started the two years program of master of library and information science (MLIS) from the academic session-2006 and adopted the new curriculum (2004) designed by Higher Education Commission. At that time the curriculum of HEC was based on annual system. In January 2017, the department has switched over to semester system and has adopted the HEC curriculum.

University of Swabi, Swabi
University of Swabi was established in Anbar, Swabi in the province of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa in 2012. Primarily, it was a campus of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan but in 2012, its status was upgraded and a full-fledged university under the name of University of Swabi was established. Presently, the varsity is offering graduate and postgraduate programs in 28 disciplines of Science and Social Sciences.The Department of Library and Information Science established in 2017 with a Master's program in librarianship.
Besides above public sector universities, private universities are also offering LIS education up to Masters and Ph.D. level with highly qualified faculties and facilities.

Minhaj University, Lahore
In

Superior University, Lahore
The recently-established private-sector varsity in Lahore, Superior University has been imparting education at MS and MPhil level in Library and Information Management under the faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities since 2016.

Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology, Peshawar
In Opening of LIS programs in both public and private sector universities indicate that this profession is rapidly growing in Pakistan and more and more youths are inclined towards acquiring library professional education which is a good sign for the profession.

Courses of Studies
Almost all the universities of Pakistan are offering more or less same schemes of studies at postgraduate level to professionally train the workforce for libraries.
Although the local needs of a province or city may be different but the fundamental and traditional needs are same, so the common courses being offered by these universities are enumerated as follows:

Revision of Curricula
Being the professional education, the courses of LIS need to be regularly revised and updated to adopt the modern techniques and practices in the discipline. All the library schools keep on reviewing, revising, and updating their curricula from time to time. The curriculum revision committee of Higher Education Commission also helps the library schools to revise and update the curricula and make it compatible with the societal demands.

Expectations of Employers
The basic credential required for entering the field of librarianship is a Master's degree in library and information science and more or less all the countries are following this practice. But besides that qualification, most of the employers expect that the new intakes should have other competencies like to show enthusiasm and love of learning, to encourage users of the library to take full benefit of the library resources, and to provide them better services of reading in and outside of the library.
As personal interviews of the employers of library professional were conducted to find out the capabilities and proficiencies they want in their candidates of library, a number of skills and abilities were identified by the interviewees.
A member of selection board of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) observed that although the library of State Bank is a special library covering the disciplines of Economics, Commerce, Business, Trade and Finance, and related topics but for the last many years, it has been given a status of public library restricted to the scholars, teachers, students, research workers so its users have been spread over the city. For this purpose, we need librarians who have professional experience of managing academic, public or special library. Their command should not be confined to a subject only but they should deal with a variety of subjects including social sciences, banking, religion, literature, education, mass media, fiction, entertainment etc. as the library has rich collection of all these fields. The library is fully automated and much of the collection has been digitized so the library professional working here should be well versed with the modern technologies of computerization etc. The honourable interviewee further explained that ability to design library software of our own will be considered an additional proficiency for a prospective candidate. The additional capabilities other than the professional ones identified are: Management, Team Work, Interpersonal Communication, Conducting Seminars on various topics, etc.
The chief librarian of Habib University Library Karachi, about the competencies of the library professional, says that it depends on the position they have applied for, however few important competencies include: Networking (inward and outward both). In recent times, users do not come to the library; the librarian has to outreach them. Similarly, the candidates must know how to establish learning and personal learning networks by connecting with other library professionals within and outside Pakistan. Similarly librarians should not shy away from building relationships / partnerships with the faculty members. Information Literacy is an essential competency which includes thorough knowledge formulating search strategies using Google and online databases. The other competencies mentioned by the interviews are creativity, innovation, team work, and adaptation. Elaborating his point of view, he said that they should not limit themselves to one type of library operation/service only.
The Director National Library of Pakistan Islamabad is of the opinion that the basic requirement, besides professional degree, should be Computer and IT-literacy since almost all the sections and services of the National Library have been automated. National Library not only serves the Pakistani nationals but the international delegates, foreign ambassadors and staff of foreign missions also frequently visit the library so strong communication skills are the requirements for the library professionals. Official rules and procedures, and administrative qualities are also expected from the candidates to be hired. The library also offers outreach services to its remote readers so the candidates should also be aware of this service. One of the important responsibilities of national library is to compile, edit, compose and publish national bibliography hence the candidates should also have knowledge about the same. National Library has a long list of activities and responsibilities, including allocation of ISBN and publication of ISBN directory, deposit of books and newspapers under copyright act, preservation of documents and archives, digital preservation, liaison with national and international bodies like IFLA, PLA, PLC, PLWO, PBWG, LPB etc., providing special readers services to CSS candidates, interaction with bureaucracy and diplomats etc. In the perspective of all these activities, the library professionals are expected to deal with a variety of services. So besides professionalism, the library staff must exercise proficiency in all relevant fields.
The Administrator of a private group of colleges based in Lahore says that the core knowledge of librarianship i.e. organization of information, dealing with the users and borrowers, providing reference and information services should be must. Besides this professional knowledge, the prospective incumbent should possess leadership skills and can work perfectly with the members of his team. Assigning and monitoring responsibilities of the subordinates is also another big challenge coping with which congenially and amiably will be an additional quality. The candidate should be a frequent shelf reader so that can have a good knowledge of library's collection.