Library Herald Year : 2013, Volume : 51, Issue : 2 First page : ( 129) Last page : ( 146) Print ISSN : 0024-2292. Online ISSN : 0976-2469. Selection Committee for Senior Library Positions
Jeevan V K J
Deputy Librarian, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110 068. E-mail: vkjj@rediffmail.com
Abstract
Library profession has limited avenues for promotion through career advancement and many aspiring for the limited number of senior positions under direct recruitment. The paper presents the current status of selection committee for recruiting senior library positions in public institutions of the country. The interaction with the selection committee is of utmost importance for a professional aspiring for higher positions and thus no effort must be spared for the process to be objective, transparent and purposive. The paper discusses the latest UGC regulations for both direct recruitment and career advancement promotion regarding library positions. It also underlines some of the possible limitations in the existing system such as procedural anomalies, lack of inventories maintained, adopting a limited pool of experts, resorting to illogical and inconvenienced application procedures, cancelling advertisements, releasing corrigendum notices, cancelling interviews and increased dependence on the personal interview. Stresses empowering the candidates through refinements such as suitably acknowledging the receipt of applications received, intimating candidates not shortlisted citing reasons, affirmative action for special classes to guarantee equal opportunity for applicants, eliminating subjectivity in interview process, opting for a cordial rather than charged up interview technique, collecting feedback about interviewers from the interviewees, recording and documenting the personal interview of each candidate, regret letters to non-selected candidates with creative feedback of the selection committee, and rigorous measures and tools in effective staff selection could be better achieved through a comprehensive national level process in the event of non conformance and dilution at the institution level.