Question

Discuss the transformation of a librarian from custodian of books to a digital librarian

Answer 1

Answer:

In this era of internet, librarians have the same job but they will have to do it differently,

Libraries in ancient times were considered as mere depository of books and other documents and the Librarian was thought as the custodian of these documents. Information during earlier days was used to be stored on clay tablets, palm leaves and  Papyrus. With the passing of time and the rapid developments in information technology, the new ways of communication have taken effect ,and the ways in which information was previously handled, stored and disseminated  have been altered. Nowadays Electronic media such as CDs,DVDs, Microfilms, Videotapes etc are replacing the physical forms of Library documents. We even  see books gradually transforming to e-books, e-journals taking place of journals, online e-papers-free and commercial, digital manscripts , and various other documents in electronic form as the information resources of a Library. These advances further have greatly metamorphosed the libraries from a simple, static depository of documents to the organizations which can now fulfill the information requirements of all the users quickly and efficiently. All these transformations demand the Library professionals to shift from the traditional Library system to the Digital and Virtual Libraries. Library Professionals can not neglect the changing face of libraries and need to conform to the Digital Library environment. The conversion of traditional Library collections to the Digital and Virtual Library collections, the ready availability of information on the internet and its widespread use really present the Library Professionals with an opportunity not a threat to play an active role in order to serve the Information Society in a better way than before.