The librarian’s main task is to take charge of all library jobs either in public, academic, or special libraries, where books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and a variety of other informational materials are cataloged and kept for the purpose of study and reference and for loan to patrons. Likewise, librarians help people select the materials and find information best suited for their use and are responsible for the selection and purchase of books and other materials that will be added to the library. They may engage in research to aid in special programs for communities, schools, industries, and other organizations. Librarians are responsible for ordering, cataloging, and classifying all the materials to be held by the library. They may specialize in one field of research and study, such as children’s books, or they may be generalists in all fields.
It may be that we take books for granted when in fact, a relatively small amount of money can already buy a classic paperback edition. But for centuries, only wealthy people or institutions such as monasteries could afford to obtain books. Until the invention of the printing press, books had to copied by hand which were rare and very expensive. Also, few people, other than the clergy and royalty, knew how to understand and read those books. The history of libraries and librarian jobs date back to the private collections of such individuals. Later, the printing press made books available to a larger number of people due to increased demand, and a whole new world of communications was gradually opened up to the public. In 1638, John Harvard left his private collection of books to the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s new college, which was later named for him. This collection became the foundation for the first library in the United States. In the eighteenth century, the versatile Benjamin Franklin initiated the idea of a library where books could be borrowed. From this basic idea have grown the thousands of public, private, special libraries, and other educational institutions. In recent years, library job has expanded its services which includes the distribution of films, records, and compact discs, audio and video tapes, Braille books , talking books and other media equipments. Likewise, the federal government gives financial aid for the improvement of school libraries and other academic services and programs intended for academic research and education.
The librarian has two types of libraries jobs - some technical, others are interpersonal in nature, especially in dealing with people. The personal librarian must select and order all books, periodicals, audiovisual material, and other items for the library. This entails evaluating newly published materials as well as seeking out older ones. Many libraries now have added records, audio and videotapes, compact discs, films, film strips, slides, maps, art pieces, and photographs to their loan services. The selection and purchase of these is also a responsibility of the librarian. The quality and extent of a library collection, therefore, is considerably influenced by the librarian’s wide array of knowledge and interest in books. As part of librarian careers, he is involved with organization and maintenance of such a program which requires keen sensitivity, efficiency, and the ability to determine which materials are important.
As to its interpersonal nature of his library jobs, librarians must also know the community and people whom their library services are dedicated and served for. This is best accomplished by learning the publics reading habits, interests and resource needs. The librarian must always be prepared to give assistance and help for the readers to find the materials he needs for his research works. He must provide help to the clients to maximize the library resources available. As part of library employment, the librarian, then, is expected to be thoroughly acquainted with all materials in the library from card and online catalogs to reference books. Librarians may be called upon to review books, prepare bibliographies, give advice to students, schools, or other organizations on sources of information, organize a children’s story hour and summer reading programs, or arrange an exhibit. In his library career, librarians are hired to serve all kinds of people--young, old, those using the library for pleasure, and those using it for research. They serve the community groups and business groups. Often librarians may choose to work with a special age group, for example, children, or to work in a particular kind of community, large or small. Likewise, the librarian jobs in a small library may hold a considerable responsibility to the whole community. While in a large library, the librarian may have only one special function, perhaps in a particular department, such as providing resources on children’s literature, arts, science, or history. It is the librarian’s burden of duty to satisfy the client’s thirst for knowledge and information.
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