What do you know about Library Science? Not much? That is okay for you. Library Science is not very popular with students. Most students, regardless of their parents’ advice, prefer to choose college majors that have high employment prospects. However, this does not mean that all graduates of the Library Science study program have certainly been doomed. In fact, in the midst of the digital era as it is today, the presence of a librarian is increasingly needed, so that the future prospects that await Library Science graduates are also expanding. How it is so?
Early Days
In the early days of college, students majoring in Library Science must have faced the same stereotype of their relatives and friends: dull study programs and narrow employment prospects. Clearly, this Library Science study program is not as simple as people think: it just issues graduates of prospective library officers. Today, librarians also have a different mindset. At the beginning of lectures, library science lecturers can instill mindset as a reference library in their students. So, they can tell others that librarians do not just maintain or organize books, but also develop libraries as dynamic centers of knowledge.
The Digital Era
In the midst of the digital era dewiku88 , librarians are demanded to have effective and accurate information literacy capabilities. This is important to spur a growing research world. As a result, librarians are not only stuck in classifying and organizing books, but they can also provide recommendations. This can only be done if the librarian understands the contents of the book. The techniques of managing a library might just be like that. However, information literacy for this research continues to grow, so it’s very important now.
If students are creative, some of the material learned during college can also be used professionally. The Library Space Design and Planning course, for example. This course teaches students to design a comfortable and functional library interior. Or also knowledge of digitizing the library. Now, these skills are usually used as freelance jobs. They usually offer library development services to schools. Schools need that because the library is an element of school accreditation assessment.
Function of the Library
And again, the notion that the library is merely a place to store and borrow books has become obsolete. With the blossoming of the development of community-based reading parks and libraries, the function of the library has expanded. The library is now a place of discussion, creative work, and a vehicle for collaboration. Therefore, the old prejudice that the librarian’s job prospects are limited seems to be re-considered.
Armed with the science of management and technology learned during the lecture, librarians actually have vast potential. From the observation of the graduates of Library Science, they are not merely pursuing linear professions as librarians or archivists, but also absorbed into the technology industry.
In college, they become acquainted with information technology and then create their own. When they graduated, at least they were used to using technology. The final assignment of some students is also in the form of a retrieval system application, although in a simple and specific form for the community. Each campus that provides Library Science study programs have their own peculiarities.