1. Evaluation of LIS Professional Skills of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University, New Delhi: A Comparative Study
Dr. Ajit Kumar
Library and Information Officer,
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
(Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India),
Teen Murti House New Delhi

2. INTRODUCTION
Skills are talent or expertise required by a person to systematize and perform an action which is planned to achieve certain goals or perform a task.
A skilled person has the talent to execute any specific work with an achievement.

3. INTRODUCTION
The introduction and promotion of the distance education in the educational system of the country is, therefore, of great significance. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was established with this objective in September by an Act of parliament (No. 50 of 1985).
Dr. Zakir Hussain Library of the Jamia Millia Islamia University is another academic library, established in at Aligarh and shifted to Delhi from there in The library named after Dr. Zakir Husain, former President of India and Jamia's former V.C. in The Library has about 1275 setting capacity along with stack capacity for about six lakh books. The library has facility to access e- resources.

4. OBJECTIVE OF THE LIBRARY
To develop appropriate collections in various disciplines for satisfying the needs of the diverse clientele of the libraries of the university, regional and study centers, and provide reading, lending, reference, information and documentation facilities to all users.
To develop a special collection of distance education books and journals at the libraries at the headquarters as well as regional centers, and provide documentation and comprehensive reference and information services in areas related to distance education to other open universities across the world in general and in India in particular.

5. STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
The Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals are not fully skilled as per the requirement of electronic era.
The Library and Information Science (LIS) professional are not able to provide seamless services to the readers of the library.
The library services are not fully planned as per the requirement of readers.

6. NEED OF THE STUDY
To be aware of the required skills for Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in view of provide better services to the readers in electronic age.
To fulfill the necessity of fully skilled Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals.
The Library resources managed as per the requirement of library readers.

7. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
To assess the Library set-up.
To assess the skills possess by the LIS professionals.
To observe the status of professional training facilities for Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals.
To evaluate the information resources available in the library.
To project the required skills for the LIS professional in electronic era.

8. Though various skills are required yet the requisite skills depend on the role & context of the institution / organization. As all skills don’t relate to everyone, a summarized set of skills categorized as three broad categories of skills include Generic, Managerial and Professional skills, which are further classified

9. 1. Generic Skills Adaptability skills, Analytical skills,
Assertiveness skills,
Creativity skills,
Communications skills,
Customer relationship skills,
Decision making skills,
Flexibility skills,
Innovation skills,
Interpersonal skills,
Presentation skills,
Problem solving skills,
Self-confidence skills and
Service attitude skills

10. 2. Managerial Skills Consumer management skills,
Finance management skills,
Leadership skills,
Local and global thinking skills,
Managing change skills,
Marketing skills,
Negotiation skills,
People management skills,
Planning and organization skills,
Project management skills,
Resource management skills,
Service orientation skills,
Stress management skills,
Team building skills,
Time management skills,
Training skills and
Understanding of cultural diversity skills

11. 3. Professionals Skills Information technology skills,
Information literacy skills,
Technical professional skills,
Knowledge management,
Knowledge mapping skills,
Knowledge auditing skills,
Technology acquisition skills, and
Traditional skills

12. 3.1 Professionals Skills: Information Technology Skills
Hardware/ software and networking skills,
MS-Office suite,
Presentation software’s e.g. power point etc.
Library automation,
Database creation,
Internet managing skill,
Intranet managing skill,
Scanning techniques,
Networking skills,
Desktop publishing,
Content development,
Digitization,
Web based services, and
Virtual learning

13. 3.2 Professionals Skills: Technical Professional Skills
Information resources management,
E-serial management,
Metadata standards, (Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.)
Standards e.g. Z39.50
System development
Information repacking skills, and
Information retrieval skills

14. 3.3 Traditional Skills Collection development skills
Collection processing skills, and
User orientation skills.

15. SURVEY CONDUCTED
Survey is a research technique of investigating by direct observation of a phenomena or collection of information through interview, questionnaire etc. The present survey is about the evaluate the availability skilled LIS human capital, availability of skills up-grading facility, reader’s observation about the availability of resources in the library, services provided by the library professionals and behaviors of LIS professionals.

16. SURVEY CONDUCTED Contd…
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University have been selected for the study. Total 16 Questionnaires (Census Survey) were circulated to the LIS professionals of IGNOU library and all were responded. Similarly, 23 Questionnaires (Census Survey) were circulated to the LIS professionals of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University and all were responded. The study is made using survey methods. Analysis has been made on the basis of the collected data.

17. ANALYSIS OF DATA

18. LIS PROFESSIONALS: DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
Name of the University
Number of questionnaire circulated
Number of Responses
% Response
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) 16
100
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University 23

19. Skills Posses by the University Librarian (UL):

20. Observation:
The University Librarian of IGNOU and JMI are well versed with all generic, managerial and professionals’ skills.

21. Skills Posses by the Deputy Librarians (DL):

22. Observation:
The Deputy Librarians of IGNOU possess all generic and managerial skills. But one deputy librarian need to up to date his/ her capabilities related to some professional skills such as intranet managing skills, standards e.g.Z39.50, and information repacking skills.
The deputy librarian of JMI possesses all required skills for new age’s library. But it has been noticed that the also required to enhance his some generic skills (like Flexibility and self-confidence skills), managerial skills (like negotiation skills, stress management skills, and team building skills) and professional skills (like technological skills, Database creation skills, Intranet managing skills, networking skills, Desktop publishing skills, Metadata standards skills, Standards e.g. Z39.50 skills, and System development skills).

23. Skills possess by Assistant Librarian (AL):

24. Observation:
At present, the post of Assistant Librarian is lying vacant in IGNOU Library. Therefore, only Assistant Librarians of JMI have been evaluated.
Some of Assistant Librarian of JMI needs to develop their some generic skills (like Innovation skills, creativity skills, Self-confidence skills, Flexibility skills, service attitude skills), managerial skills (like Marketing skills, Project management skills, Leadership skills, Negotiation skills, Service Orientation skills, Stress management skills and Team building skills), professional skills (like Knowledge Auditing skills, Knowledge mapping skills, Hardware/ software, Technology Acquisition skills, networking skills, Intranet managing skills, Scanning techniques skills, Information resources management, management of Electronic serial, knowledge about Metadata standards (e.g. Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.), other Standards e.g. Z39.50, Knowledge of System development, and Information repacking skills).

25. Skills possess by Professional Assistant (PA):

26. Observation:
Some of the Professional Assistants of IGNOU are essentially up-to-date their some generic skills (like Innovation skills), managerial skills (like Finance Management skills, Marketing skills, and Stress management skills), and professional skills (like Knowledge auditing skills, Knowledge mapping skills, Knowledge management skills, Library automation skills, Scanning techniques skills, Desktop publishing skills, Intranet managing skills, networking skills, knowledge of Metadata standards (e.g. Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.),other Standards e.g. Z39.50, Digitization skills, Collection development skills, Collection processing skills, and User orientation skills).

27. Observation Contd…
Some of Professional Assistants of JMI are need to enhance their knowledge related to some generic skills (like Assertiveness skills, Analytical skills, Flexibility skills, Self- confidence skills, Innovation skills, Presentation skills and Service attitude skills), managerial skills (like Consumer management skills, Leadership skills, Finance management skills, Local and global thinking skills, Marketing skills, Resource management skills, Service Orientation skills, Stress management skill, Negotiation skills, Planning and organizational skills, Project management skills and Time management skills), professional skills (like Knowledge auditing skills, Knowledge management skills, Knowledge mapping skills, Information technology skills, Knowledge auditing skills, Technical professional skills, Intranet managing skills, Content development skills, Web based services skills, Virtual learning skills, MS-Office suite, Presentation software’s, Scanning techniques skills, Desktop publishing skills, Digitization skills, Hardware/Software and networking skills, Database creation skills, Management of Electronic serial, Knowledge of Metadata standards (e.g. Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.), and other Standards e.g. Z39.50 respectively, Knowledge of System development, and Information repacking skills).

28. Skills posses by the Semi Professional Assistant (SPA):

29. Observation:
Some of semi-professional assistants of IGNOU are required to enhance their some generic skills (like Innovation skills) managerial skills (like Finance management skills, Stress management skills, Marketing skills, Negotiation skills) and professional skills (like Knowledge auditing skills, Knowledge management skills, Knowledge mapping skills, Library automation skills, Database creation skills, Scanning techniques skills, Digitization skills, Web based services skills, Hardware/ software and networking skills, Desktop publishing skills, Intranet managing skills, Metadata standards (e.g. Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.), other Standards e.g. Z39.50, knowledge of System development skills, Information repacking skills).

30. Observation Contd…
Some of Semi-professional Assistants of JMI are need up- to- date with some generic skills (like Creativity skills, Assertiveness skills, Flexibility skills, Innovation skills, and Self-confidence skills, and Service attitude skills), managerial skills (like Leadership skills, Local and global thinking skills, Marketing skills, Negotiation skills, Stress management skills, People management skills, Project management skills, Consumer management skills, Resources management skills and Team building skills), and professionals skills (like Knowledge Auditing skills, Knowledge management skills, Knowledge mapping skills, Database creation skills, Intranet managing skills, Desktop publishing skills, Web based services skills, Virtual learning skills, management of E-serial, Knowledge of Metadata standards (e.g. Dublin core, MARC, TEI, XML, etc.), Other Standards e.g. Z39.50, Knowledge of System development, and Information repacking skills).

31. SKILLS UP-GRADING FACILITIES:
The university library had provided diverse skills up-grading facilities for its LIS professionals. These are in-house training programs, seminars, conferences, workshops, symposiums, etc. These programs were organized at both national and international levels. The participants for these are also from national and international levels, LIS professional. These programs are also organized by the Library Association for upgrading the skills of the LIS professionals.

32. Observation:
In the five financial years i.e , , , and , the Central Library, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi had organized one Seminar, training program, conference, workshop, symposium at National level.
In the five financial years i.e , , , and , the Zakir Hussain Library (Central Library), Zamia Millia Islamia University had organized seven (7) seminars, training programs, conferences, workshops, symposiums at National level and at International levels.

33. SKILLS REQUIRED FOR LIS PROFESSIONALS
Skills for Selecting Quality Content: Collection Development, Managing Online Content, Content Management Systems, Skills for Selecting Quality Content, Ability to Access Quality Information and Knowledge Resources, From Caretaker to Collectors of Selective Information, Access to Information Available Locally, Information Available Through Library Network, Information Available by Subscribing to Online Journals, Information Available through Subject Portals, Commercial Agencies, Subject Experts, Contracting Library Services.

34. SKILLS REQUIRED FOR LIS PROFESSIONALS Contd…
Classification Skills
Cataloguing / Metadata Creation Skills.
ICT Skills: Technology- Savvy Librarians, Ability to Adopt New Technologies, Troubleshooting New Technologies, Database Development, Digital Archiving and Preservation, Skills to Manage Social Media, Transforming Traditional into the Online.
Management Skills: Project management skills, Adopting Management Techniques, Ability to Manage Change, Capacity to Manage within Changing Trends.
Skills to Serve Users: Evaluating Users’ Needs and Library Services.
The Discipline-specific Knowledge.

35. Non-Professional Skills. Training in Skills.
SKILLS REQUIRED FOR LIS PROFESSIONALS Contd…
Generic Skills: Information literacy, Communication, Critical thinking, Teamwork, Ethics and social responsibility, Problem solving and Leadership.
Personal Skills.
Non-Professional Skills.
Training in Skills.
User-education Skills in e-environment
Technology Acquisition Skills, and
Management Skills in ICT zone.

36. RECOMMENDATIONS
The present LIS professionals working in the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University Library at different levels need to up to date their skills as per the requirement of the libraries in the new era.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University Library must conduct in-house practical training program to enhance the skills of LIS professionals. Particularly for the LIS professionals, who are at the age of 45 plus.

37. RECOMMENDATIONS Contd…
If LIS professionals are well-versed with the required skills for LIS human capital as per the library in the current scenario, then the skilled LIS professional must train another LIS professional. In other words, skills should flow from one LIS human capital to another.
The LIS professional must be awarded by the higher authority, if they enhance their skills, which help them to increase the services of the library according to the demand of the electronic era.

38. CONCLUSION
The University Library is hub of information and the library and information professionals are agent for dissemination of information among the intellectual person. Therefore, the LIS professionals should fully skilled as per the requirement of the readers need and they must up to date themselves, as per the required skills for new age’s library in view of seamless dissemination of information.
The skills possess by the LIS professionals of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University Library, are elaborated in this article in details.