Bachelor of Library Science (B.Lib) is a one-year degree which is awarded to the students who excel in the Library Science. The main aim of B.Lib is to train aspirants with the essential skills required for the respective field. As these days the demand for the experts in this field is growing day by day.
There is a dearth of people who have expertise and knowledge about library documents, management, journal procurement and books. Aspirants who have worked in libraries before and enjoy both reading and maintaining books should opt for slower jobs like these.
The course is also opted by a lot of book lovers who want to grow in their career with a professional course like this. A candidate who wishes to pursue this course must have good organizational and reference skills, methodical approach and ability to understand customers.
To be eligible for the Bachelor of Library Science (B.Lib) courses, candidates need to have graduation degree with a minimum percentage as required. Candidates of the reserved category must have minimum of 45% marks in the previous qualifying examination to be eligible for the Bachelor of Library Science programme. Candidates must be sure about the eligibility criteria before applying for the course. After pursuing the Bachelor of Library Science (B.Lib) programme, candidates will be able to work as Librarian, Library Information Officer etc.
Level of Programme |
Undergraduate |
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Duration of Programme |
1 Year |
Eligibility Criteria |
Any bachelor’s degree holder from any recognised University with a minimum overall aggregate of 50% or more in the bachelor’s degree exam are eligible |
Admission Process |
Merit-based admission process |
Top Institutions |
|
Average Course Fee |
INR 10,000/- to INR 40,000/- |
Usual Job Profiles |
Indexer, Library Specialist, Librarian, Assistant Director, Library Information Officer etc |
B. Lib offers plenty of benefits to the candidates who pursue this course out of a passion for reading. Some of the advantages are listed below:
Bachelor of Library Science programme requires certain eligibility criteria to meet by the candidates. Graduation with a minimum percentage of marks is the basic eligibility norm that most of colleges ask to meet. However, the criteria may vary from college to college. Listed below are some of the eligibility criteria that an aspirant should possess for B.Lib.Sc admission.
Candidates need to have a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent from a recognized university
A minimum of 50% is required to be eligible for the B.Lib.Sc admission
The reserved category candidates get relaxation in the minimum marks
Bachelor of Library Science job requires some skills in the candidate which help them to maintain the jobs with expertise. The following skills add additional benefits to the career of B.Lib. :
Communication Skills |
Problem Solving Skills |
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Creativity |
Research Skills |
Supervision Skills |
Observational Skills |
Organizational Skills |
Creating a healthy working ambiance |
Administrative Decision-Making Skills |
Adaptability |
Bachelor of Library Science admission process is a merit-based admission process in which the institutes prepare a merit list by considering the qualifying exam marks submitted by the applicants. Based on the merit list, the institutes contact the individuals and take them through the rest of the admission process until the allocation of seats.
However, candidates of B.Lib need to undergo a certain application process to apply for the programme. Once, the candidates shortlist the college where they would like to pursue the course must check the application process that a particular institute follows for admission. Steps below are the general guidelines one may learn about regarding the application process:
Step 1: Visit the website of the college. ‘
Step 2: Read the application instruction very carefully.
Step 3: Perform the registration process by providing the required details like name, contact no., address, valid email id, etc.
Step 4: Log in to the account by using the login credentials.
Step 5: Fill up the application form for the Bachelor of Library Science course.
Step 6: Review and rectify the details if needed
Step 7: Upload the scanned photograph, signature, and other documents according to the size and format specifications.
Step 8: Pay the application fees and submit the form.
Step 9: Take a printout of the application form and receipt for future reference.
The Bachelor of Library Science course comprises two semesters. And in these two semesters colleges conduct both theoretical and practical classes to offer knowledge on the management of different library resources. Some colleges/institutes arrange internship programmes at the end semester too. In the following table, candidates can find out the subjects that are covered in the B.Lib.Sc syllabus.
Popular Subjects:
Library & Society |
Information Science |
Digital Libraries |
---|---|---|
History of Library |
Cataloguing |
Classification of Books |
Modern Library Services |
Emerging Issues in Library System |
Library Legislation |
Types of Libraries- Professional Associations & Organizations |
Library and Information Profession |
Information and Communication |
Bachelor of Library Science (B.Lib) and Bachelor of Library and Information Science (B.Lib.I.Sc) are two popular courses in the domain of Library Science. Candidates often get confused between these two courses. In this section, we will make a brief comparison between these courses:
Parameters |
Bachelor of Library Science (B.Lib) |
Bachelor of Library and Information Science ((B.LI.Sc) |
---|---|---|
Overview |
Bachelor of Library Science focuses on the basic principles of library science, and skills needed in the field and teaches the students how to maintain the books |
Bachelor of Library and Information Science deals with library management and preservation of books, journals, and maintenance of the library. |
Course Duration |
1 year |
1 year |
Admission Criteria |
Merit-Based |
Direct admission and Entrance Test |
Eligibility |
A Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 50% or above in the aggregate. |
Bachelor’s degree from a recognized University Minimum 50%-55% marks in their graduation. |
Average Fees |
INR 20,000- INR 200,00 |
INR 10,000- INR 50,000 |
Job Roles |
Librarian, Library Information Officer, Library Specialist |
Law Librarian, Deputy Librarian, Library Assistant |
Average Salary |
INR 1.2 LPA- INR 2LPA |
INR 1.2 LPA- 1.6LPA |
B.Lib program provides aspirants with unlimited career opportunities. People who are book lovers can take up this career as they will always be surrounded by books and like-minded people. After completing B.Lib course candidates can pursue masters in library science and information. Following are some of the popular job roles for after completing B.Lib
Librarian
Information Analyst
Documentation Officer
Library Officer
Library & Information Officer
Cataloguer
Deputy Librarian
Senior Information Analyst
Library Attendant
The annual salary of a fresher is between Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh. The salary package varies with professional experience and expertise. Librarian is a growing field, good career opportunities are just not available in government and private universities but in various companies and organizations as well.
After the completion of the Bachelor of Library Science course, one can start their career with an average salary of INR 15,000 per month. The starting salary for a fresher depends on the college/university from where they pursued the B.Lib and the organization they join. However, with time and experience, the salary gets increased.
Designation |
Job Role |
Average Salary (Approx) |
---|---|---|
Librarian |
A Librarian manages the library resources. Managing books, magazines, journals, and electronic databases are a key responsibility of a librarian. |
Rs. 19,081 per month |
Information Analyst |
An Information Analyst manages data using various software, review the accuracy of the data, and prepares reports based on that |
Rs. 24,166 per month |
Documentation Officer |
The role of a documentation officer is to manage documents either online or offline |
Rs. 20,833 per month |
Library and Information Officer |
The key responsibility of a Library and Information Officer is to manage information. By doing so they support the customers to easily access the books and other library materials |
_ |
Cataloguer |
Cataloging and organizing library materials are the jobs a Cataloguer performs every day |
Rs. 25,000 per month |
Deputy Librarian |
Supervising the library staff and members to ensure that they properly manage the library activities is the responsibility a Deputy Librarian. |
Rs. 44,166 per month |
Library Attendant |
A Library Attendant makes a record of the entries for books taken, returned, and added. |
Rs. 15,000 per month |
With a Bachelor of Library Science programme, one can make a bright career. As the field is less competitive in comparison to the other courses, a candidate with good marks in B.Lib.Sc gets good placement opportunities. If want to pursue higher studies, candidates can enroll in Master in Library Science course. Apart from that, B.Lib graduates can join the post of Librarian in any govt educational institute. NGOs and private libraries also have jobs for them