Evolution and Challenges of Library and Information Science Education in Bangladesh

It was not more than a decade. The students from Library and Information Science background at Rajshahi University had always been made a laughing stock by the students of familiar disciplines like Law, History, Genetics, and other fields of study because of their beingpoor understandingaboutthe roles ofthe libraryand library profession. Library and Information Science or LIS was hardly treated as a subject or field of study by a greater portion of the student community and academicians. As LIS deals with the science behind library managerial activities, expansionof library culture and production of trained library professionals, many students preferred to call it "Almirah Science" (a misrepresentative version of Library Science). However, the scenario has changedenormously with the passage of time. In addition, the declaration of "everyeducational institution must have a library with a professional librarian" byour honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the creation of librarian teacher posts at every school and college under the education policy 2010 have madeLIS education popular among the educated community.   

Nowadays, many students having a graduation or post-graduation degree in Islamic History, Political Science, Social Work, and other prominent disciplines are keen to have a one-year diploma or two-year master's degree in Library and Information Science to get into the library profession. As a result, the aged old misconception and negligence toward LIS education and the library profession are being obliterated from the mindset of the educated community. LIS has become a choice for thousands of job seekers.

LIS education in Bangladesh was started before the independence with a three-month professional certificate course in librarianship. Muhammad Siddiq Khan, a veteran librarian and academic of Dhaka University Central Library played a significant role in introducing the certificate course in 1952 and founding the department of Library Science with a diploma course in 1959 under the Faculty of Arts at the University of Dhaka.The thenLibrary Association of East Pakistan which is later renamed as the Library Association of Bangladesh (LAB) started a six-month certificate course in Library Science for those who had Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or equivalent certificate in 1958. The department of Library Science of Dhaka University approved a one-year master's program in 1962 and a two-year MPhil program in librarianship in 1974. In addition, the department of Library Science changed its name to the Department of Library and Information Science (LIS) in 1987 and started offering honors, master's, along with other higherdegreesto produce qualified library professionals and information scientists.

The University of Rajshahi, country's second-largest apex educational institution, started LIS education with a post-graduate diploma course in 1991.A full-fledged department of Library and Information Science started functioning under the social science faculty with a three-year Bachelor of Social Science (honor's) in 1993 and a post-graduate course in 1996. At present, the department of Information Science and Library Management at Rajshahi University is offering a four-year BSS(Hon's), a one-year MSS course along with a one-year diploma, and two-year post-graduation (evening) programs for future LIS professionals.

Noakhali Science and Technology University as the third public university is offering BA (Hons), and MA in Information Sciences and Library Management. Moreover, the National University of Bangladesh launched the Library Science program as a non-compulsory course in the Bachelor of Arts (pass) degree in the 1998-99 academic sessions. Furthermore, different colleges and diploma institutes under National University are offering graduation, post-graduation, and diploma course in LIS to take the helm of librarianship and library professionals to the next level.  However, a good number of private universities are also facilitating different courses on librarianship. Among the leading private universities, the Asian University of Bangladesh, Daffodil International University, East West University, KhwajaYunus Ali University, and other notable apex institutions are now offering LIS degrees on a wider scale to meet the increased demand for LIS professionals.

It is a matter of regret that Library Science education is still a relatively young field of study in Bangladesh despite its more than six decades of long journey. It is high time for the academics and researchers of the LIS field to delve into deep to trace out the prime reasons for the backwardness and dawdling progress of library education and the library profession in Bangladesh.

Three reputed public and some private universities along with affiliated colleges and diploma institutes under National University are producing more than thousands of library professionals every year to meet the information needs of the students, teachers, researchers, and common masses. This number is insignificant against the demand, and the quality of LIS education is still below expectation compared to our neighboring countries and other advanced nations. The universities and colleges are putting more emphasis on giving certificates rather than ensuring quality and training for the graduates. Surprisingly, private universities and diploma institutes are giving less priority to guarantee quality education rather they pay attention to making a profit by selling certificates to the greenhorns.    

The academicians, researchers, and students of the LIS field feel the absence of separate research journals concerning the growth and development of Library and Information education in Bangladesh. Besides, the number of research initiatives, seminars, and symposia on LIS is not up to the mark. In addition, the number of public libraries is limited to providing job facilities for LIS professionals, and many business firms are not keen enough to employ professional librarians in their libraries. Therefore, most of the LIS professionals are engaged in educational institutions, and there exists a severe disparity in salary structures and other facilities for the library professionals. To our great dismay, the Bangladesh government has not developed a strict policy to determine a uniform grading system and pay structures for library professionals.

One of the crucial challenges of LIS education is people's negative and parochial mindsets. Though the mindset of the educated people towards the library profession has started changing over the years, the common masses are still not aware of the library profession let alone the existing status and prospect of the LIS field by and large. Insufficient infrastructural facilities, inadequate number of academicians, lack of attractive job facilities, absence of career development facilities, and inertia among the professionals towards research and innovation are the major impediments that encumber the growth and development of LIS education in Bangladesh.

During the decade, Bangladesh has emerged as the fastest growing economy in the Asia Pacific region with digital evolution taking place in every government and non-governmentsector. Unlike any other Asian and European countries, digital evolution in the libraries and library education in Bangladesh has failed to take a strong shape to keep pace with the challenges of the 21st century and 4th industrial revolution. Automation and digitization in the LIS field are still in the primary stage with little development in some university libraries. To overcome all the inconveniences,the government should allocate sufficient budgets to introduce digitization programs in the LIS field and take necessary steps to make the LIS profession more attractive to thepromising, talented, and skilled library professionals.


Aktarul Islamis Writer, Researcher and Poet.