Role of College Library in Enhancing the Employability through Career Guidance Cell

INTRODUCTION

In an academic institution, library is the focal point where staff and students are energized and empowered with knowledge. Libraries ought to extend their support in all spheres of knowledge and by providing career information in the library it will be helping the users to have an aim in their lives. A quality career service can help the students/graduates to find out their interests and abilities and to attain their dream job in the society. As a quality career resource centre, library can take pride in the development and well-being of its users. To achieve this library staff should strive and adapt according to the signs of the time. It is necessary to provide career information literacy to the graduates so that they will be equipped with the knowledge about how to seek, evaluate and select career information and this may lead to better decision making for the quality of their future life.

To conduct guidance job efficiently librarian should train himself. In this regard Wiley and Andrew (1955) opined that to efficiently perform this role in the guidance program, the librarian should:  Familiarize him with the services of the guidance program.  Secure and file unbound occupational and educational information.  Maintain an “occupational shelf” for bound materials.  Make the library a laboratory for pupils seeking guidance materials.  Acquaint counsellors and teachers with new guidance materials reaching the library.  Cooperate with administrators, counsellors, and teachers in making the library a service point for knowledge acquisition and career development. Unless the sixth duty is efficiently performed, the librarians cannot contribute their most valuable function. Though college and university libraries play only a partial role in providing career information, they are generally an underused resource. Cooperation between college librarians and career development professionals can strengthen available career information and enhance access, make career development professionals better counsellors, and extend relevant library services to their clientele (Paula Quenoy 2003) Collaboration between career services and libraries strengthens the quality of services for each

According to Fourie (2004), in order to carry on their role the librarians should focus more on affective skills and characteristics such as:  Enthusiasm for lifelong learning and new roles.  Will-power (because nothing will come easily)  Assertiveness  Creative thinking  Self-confidence  Innovativeness Innovativeness is an important characteristic in internet use and shaping attitudes (Finlay and Finlay, 1996) Above statement explains that information officer/ librarian have a role to play in college career guidance service. Lynch (1994) also mentioned that “career related information appears in a variety of media. Collecting, organizing and disseminating such scattered information need appropriate planning and the use of modern technology. In the era of electronic information, librarians have to play different roles as a maintainer, interpreter, trainer, enabler, liaison and advisor.” A librarian who is well-versed in the field of information sources and services shall, in addition to indicating the location of material in the library „be able to provide guidance in identification of education on training As the librarian is familiar with the techniques of current awareness service and selective dissemination of information it would be easy for him/her to provide career information by making use of the electronic media. Present day librarians are trained in information technology so they can make use of the fast developing internet facility for providing effective career information services. Libraries in higher educational institutions are providing career information to the students but still there is a need to stretch out these services in libraries to reach out and guide the students in their career related needs.

Career guidance at graduation level help students to select subjects of specialization which help later on in choosing vocation; it helps to divert the students they have not reached the high level of satisfaction. Indeed it should be a coordinated activity with management, faculty and librarian playing different roles.

College management must make the librarian part of the career guidance cell as its secretary or convener, which will make him/her to take active part in the career guidance activity of the college. The librarian can call for meetings; organize career guidance programmes in collaboration with the faculty. It is necessary to include at least one teaching staff from each subject field in the career guidance cell.

• Librarians have to take up the task of providing information literacy to students, so that they will be able to search, retrieve, evaluate and make use of right information at the right time, for a right purpose. Librarian has to take up additional workload of career guidance with commitment besides the regular routines. • Even though libraries face financial crunch it is the social responsibility of the librarian to create awareness about the importance of career information services in the libraries. He/She has to strive to get financial support from the management and other sources of endowment and to acquire necessary tools. • Librarian can create a congenial atmosphere in the library and encourage the student community to spend their leisure time in reading and browsing the documents and or Internet that helps to set and achieve the goal. • The librarians have to develop a separate career guidance collection with print and electronic sources. They should also make use of the Internet to download career-related information sources. • He has to be abreast of the current issues and be knowledgeable with career information sources. This preparation will help him to perform well in delivering the career information. • Librarian has to work in collaboration with other members of the career guidance cell and faculty in general. He can arrange for invited lectures, organize seminars and • Librarian can gather career data from print, audio/ visual, electronic and web-based sources and maintain special files/folders for easy access by students. • Librarian ought to introduce variety of career information services that may include – information literacy, career information, career counselling, etc. • Librarian has to interact with students and ascertain their needs to maintain profiles. He can revise existing programmes or introduce novel ones based on the feedback from the users and suggestions of alumni.

• Faculty should show interest in the overall development of the students. They should understand the students‟ interest and aptitude and help them to channelize their energy in a productive manner. • Faculty should make themselves available to listen to the problems of students and try to help them in setting a goal and reaching a career of their interest.

There is a need for a Career Guidance Cell for all the degree colleges accommodated in library

 To help students to organize knowledge about themselves by identifying skills, interests and aptitudes.  To provide information about further course prerequisites, financial aid, academic planning, entrance examinations etc.  To provide information about specific occupations, career planning, conducting a job search, etc.  To assist students in the development of skills necessary for decision-making, problem solving, career and life planning. guidance cell, the librarian to be the secretary/convener of the cell with independent charge of the career guidance cell. The Heads of various departments and Physical Education Director must be the members of the cell and it must ensure at least one faculty from each subject area.

The library has to maintain basic collection of career information sources in print as well on the Web. Further the collections have to be updated daily with the help of current affairs sources like newspapers and magazines. The librarian has to create and maintain ready reference files with career information for easy dissemination. Some important career information sources are listed in the appendix.

• The Career Guidance Cell has to evaluate periodically the career information needs and demands of the student community. • It should provide career information search training program to students. • Internet facility and free web access have to be given to the students to get career information. • Career information bulletin board service needs to be made available • Career awareness service has to be introduced and implemented effectively. • Organize seminars on interview skills, personality development, communication skills, leadership skill, resume writing, cover letter writing etc. • Collaborate with other college career guidance cell and share information, sources and expertise. • Develop strong link with employers and act as placement cell.

▪ With the help of the computer science faculty of the colleges and subject specialists the cell can develop e-learning packages related to career guidance and these can be shared by college career guidance cells.

guidelines to be followed during the preparation for competitive examinations; model examination papers and related details; the print, e-resources and web resources available for general studies specific subject areas; a selected full-text digitized periodical articles etc. Audio and video interactive lectures by experts in the field should be included in the package. ▪ The multimedia package thus developed will be linked to the website of the colleges that can be retrieved by the users. It could be used online or offline.

The Career Guidance Cell should be a part of the library ► At least three computer systems (multimedia) should be provided only for career guidance purpose. ► Internet facility have to be available for searching different web-sites of courses/jobs, to participate in on-line interviews and tests, sending application, bio-data, etc. via e-mail ► Telecommunication facility may be there for the students to contact the librarian for career information through phone. ► There should be facility to organize and display the career information material in the career guidance cell. ► Academic environment with pleasant ambience and adequate seating facility needs special focus.

From the point of view of the user, information should lead to improved knowledge about the self, about the job market, about education and training opportunities. Libraries have to make a point to extend their services to meet the particular career needs of specific groups. As information organizer and provider libraries can play major role in career guidance activities of colleges. In conclusion it can be stated that quality career information services are the need of the hour to bridge the gap between education and world of work, where in libraries has to play a pivotal role to bridge the gap. of new roles: how can we try to make a difference. Aslib Proceedings, 56(1), pp. 62-74.

3. Fourie, Ina. (2004). Librarians and the claiming of new roles: how can we try to make a difference. Aslib Proceedings, 56(1), pp. 62-74. 4. Lary, M.S. (1985). Career resources centre. Library Trends. 33(4), pp. 504. 5. Lynch, T. (1994). The many roles of an information technology section. Library Hi Tech 12 (3), pp. 38-43. 6. Quenoy, P. and Orgeron, E. (2003) Working with Wisdom: Collaboration Between Career Services and University Libraries. Retrieved May 4, 2005, from World Wide Web http://www.ala.org/ala/acr/events/ orgeron.pdf 7. Willey, Roy De Verl; and Andrew, Dean C. (1955). Modern Methodsand Techniques in Guidance. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers

Choudhary, SR Agro Botanical 3 Careers in beauty care Aruna Anand Vision 4 Careers in Foreign Languages Zaheer, Rima Vision 5 Careers in Hotel Management Agarwal, Arun Vision 6 The UBS Encyclopaedia of Careers Ghose, Jayanti UBS 7 The Penguin India career Usha Albuquerque Penguin 8 The Penguin India career guide- vol.2 The Sciences Usha Albuquerque Penguin 9 You and your career Pereira, Joe D Better Yourself 10 Career opportunities under the central government Wagholikar, GA Creative Career 11 The right career Moraes, CP Astra 12 Careers in social work Jamkhedkar, Shilpa Asian Trading Corp 13 Career‟s intelligence and aptitude tests Malhotra, AM Bright Careers 14 . Choose your career Ajay Rai Vikas 15 Test yourself: test your aptitude, personality & motivation & plan your career Barett, Jim Kogan Page 16 Career for women Gupta, Sudha Creative Career 17 Career‟s guide to state bank and its associate banks probationary officer‟s exam Malhotra, AM Bright Careers 18 Career‟s model solutions to state bank probationary officer‟s exam Malhotra, AM Bright Careers 19 . Mr. Crewe‟s career Churchill, Winston McMillan 20 Careers in television and broadcasting Chaudhery, Amit Vision 21 . Career coach Kleiman, Carol Global Books 22 Careers in law Gitanjali Pandit Vision 23 Careers in management: MBA & after Gitanjali Pandit Vision 24 Careers in economics Ranganatha, S Bright Careers 25 Career options in Humanities & Commerce Tandon, K Career Options 26 Career‟s guide to GMAT Malhotra, AM Bright Careers 27 . Career‟s guide to Malhotra, AM Bright Careers 28 Advertising as a career Banerjee, Subrata NBT 29 Taking charge of your career Kannan, R Penguin 30 Careers Usha Albuquerque Puffin 31 Biotechnology: applications & careers Meenakshi Munshi Viva 32 Career discovery program Chapman, Elwood Viva 33 Career in 21st century job market Farhathulla, TM Bostan 34 English for career development Asoka Rani, T Orient Longman 35 How to get a college degree via the Internet Sam, Atieh Magna 36 Vocational guide for the young and enterprising

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Librarian, Maratha Mandal‟s, Arts, Commerce Science & Home Science, College, Belgaum, Karnataka