Is studying Library Science a bad Idea?
YES! Librarianship is a Discipline Worth Studying for as a Profession
Dear Fellow Librarians
My contributions on the importance of studying for librarianship as a career are based on the following:
Librarianship to me is a profession worth studying for and I can base my arguments on the journey that i have travelled working for several organizations as a librarian in various capacities of librarianship.
The survival of Librarianship in Zimbabwe is to me dependent upon whether government views librarianship as a critical professional sector and this should be reflected in the country's education system where the teaching of librarianship should be promoted. We have universities such NUST, ZOU and the Harare Polytechnic teaching Librarianship at diploma and degree levels.
This to me is a reflection on the importance of Librarianship in the Zimbabwean context. The viability of Librarianship in Zimbabwe also depends in my view on a strong Library National Association in the country. I have in mind here of the Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA). A strong ZimLA can lobby for the well being of librarians in Zimbabwe. So one would therefore ask the question is ZimLA a vibrant Association that takes care of the interests of its citizen librarians in Zimbabwe? I have noticed from my experience and association with ZimLa at various stages of its life circle that the organization tends to blow hot and cold and mainly attracts young librarians in the profession! The veteran librarians seem to fold their arms when it comes to driving the ZimLA agenda. Again this to me is another statement of the problem and dilemma facing ZimLa although I must admit that our young Zimbabwean librarians are involved in driving the ZimLa agenda with the support of few veteran librarians such as Mr Jasper Maenzanise and a few others. Lets not have a ZimLA that is run on enthusiastic grounds based on the enthusiasm of just a few librarians!
The other question to consider regarding whether it is worth it to study Librarianship is the job market benefits. We are all aware that our job market in Zimbabwe is shrinking on a daily basis due to the plethora of challenges that our country is facing. So in the current circumstances it would be very hard for the library profession to strive. Fellow colleagues I also believe that there is a lack of career guidance regarding taking Librarianship as a profession. I for one became a librarian by CHANCE I always dreamt of becoming a lawyer!
My best argument colleagues on why it is worth the while to take up librarianship as a profession is that it is a career that will never be out of fashion as humanity moves with the times! What do I really mean? Technology is a fast changer of the way we now live and do business at our different work places A simple reference here is the Internet and the so called Information Communication Technology (ICT) revolution. We as librarians have been exposed to these technological happenings as we do our jobs. I would want to be challenged by a librarian who thinks other wise by saying that
technology has not changed our job descriptions as librarians? There is also desktop publishing in modern librarianship not forgetting the data management softwares that we are using at our work places as librarians whether they are open source or expensive to acquire such as INNOPACS etcetera!!
Librarians have also been empowered to teach information literacy skills by virtue of the dynamics brought about by the new mode that librarianship has undergone. We have now been challenged to teach our clients on how they can effectively search for information through teaching clients information literacy skills and this has been very apparent for librarians working in university and college libraries.
The journey that I have travelled as a Librarian has made me to become an Information Specialist, an Editor. a Writer and an Author, an Academic, a Researcher and on a lighter note a tourist librarian for that matter! You add all these different skills plus the experience that l now have in this profession I have become a Librarian!
Attributed to Tonderai Chanakira
Dear Fellow Librarians
My contributions on the importance of studying for librarianship as a career are based on the following:
Librarianship to me is a profession worth studying for and I can base my arguments on the journey that i have travelled working for several organizations as a librarian in various capacities of librarianship.
The survival of Librarianship in Zimbabwe is to me dependent upon whether government views librarianship as a critical professional sector and this should be reflected in the country's education system where the teaching of librarianship should be promoted. We have universities such NUST, ZOU and the Harare Polytechnic teaching Librarianship at diploma and degree levels.
This to me is a reflection on the importance of Librarianship in the Zimbabwean context. The viability of Librarianship in Zimbabwe also depends in my view on a strong Library National Association in the country. I have in mind here of the Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA). A strong ZimLA can lobby for the well being of librarians in Zimbabwe. So one would therefore ask the question is ZimLA a vibrant Association that takes care of the interests of its citizen librarians in Zimbabwe? I have noticed from my experience and association with ZimLa at various stages of its life circle that the organization tends to blow hot and cold and mainly attracts young librarians in the profession! The veteran librarians seem to fold their arms when it comes to driving the ZimLA agenda. Again this to me is another statement of the problem and dilemma facing ZimLa although I must admit that our young Zimbabwean librarians are involved in driving the ZimLa agenda with the support of few veteran librarians such as Mr Jasper Maenzanise and a few others. Lets not have a ZimLA that is run on enthusiastic grounds based on the enthusiasm of just a few librarians!
The other question to consider regarding whether it is worth it to study Librarianship is the job market benefits. We are all aware that our job market in Zimbabwe is shrinking on a daily basis due to the plethora of challenges that our country is facing. So in the current circumstances it would be very hard for the library profession to strive. Fellow colleagues I also believe that there is a lack of career guidance regarding taking Librarianship as a profession. I for one became a librarian by CHANCE I always dreamt of becoming a lawyer!
My best argument colleagues on why it is worth the while to take up librarianship as a profession is that it is a career that will never be out of fashion as humanity moves with the times! What do I really mean? Technology is a fast changer of the way we now live and do business at our different work places A simple reference here is the Internet and the so called Information Communication Technology (ICT) revolution. We as librarians have been exposed to these technological happenings as we do our jobs. I would want to be challenged by a librarian who thinks other wise by saying that
technology has not changed our job descriptions as librarians? There is also desktop publishing in modern librarianship not forgetting the data management softwares that we are using at our work places as librarians whether they are open source or expensive to acquire such as INNOPACS etcetera!!
Librarians have also been empowered to teach information literacy skills by virtue of the dynamics brought about by the new mode that librarianship has undergone. We have now been challenged to teach our clients on how they can effectively search for information through teaching clients information literacy skills and this has been very apparent for librarians working in university and college libraries.
The journey that I have travelled as a Librarian has made me to become an Information Specialist, an Editor. a Writer and an Author, an Academic, a Researcher and on a lighter note a tourist librarian for that matter! You add all these different skills plus the experience that l now have in this profession I have become a Librarian!
Attributed to Tonderai Chanakira
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