Bachelor of Library & Information Sciences is a UG degree course gaining popularity nowadays among students, who wish to take up a career in the field of library. Libraries are regarded as repositories of information, knowledge and entertainment, their importance is increasing, and because of this librarianship courses are offered under a separate discipline in universities and colleges.

The list of government colleges offering this course in India is given below:

Government Colleges offering BLIS course:

• Government MLB Arts and Commerce Autonomous College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

• Government Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

In addition to these government-run colleges, almost all the universities in India have their own department of library and information sciences and they offer Bachelor of Library & Information Sciences course, not only under regular stream of education, but under distance education mode as well.

Duration of the BLIS Course:

BLIS course is offered in two different types of which one course extends to a period of one year, while the other extends to a period of three years.

Eligibility for seeking admission to the BLIS course:

For seeking admission to the three-year Bachelor of Library & information science, candidates must have completed their 10+2 in any stream of education. When it comes to admission to one-year BLIS course, candidates must be graduates in any field of education. The main quality required to take up this course is the basic interest towards books.

Higher Studies after BLIS:

On completion of BLIS course, candidates can take up their Master of Library and Information Science, which is offered by many universities through distance and regular education mode in India. Further, candidates can do Ph. D and M. Phil in library & information sciences, which will improve their job prospects. There is also certificate and diploma courses in library sciences and candidates can take up these courses as well after completing BLIS course.

Job scope for BLIS Graduates:

BLIS graduates can find job opportunities in the following areas of employment:

• Galleries and Museums with research facilities and collection of books

• Organizations with a requirement of people, who can handle large information database

• Documentation/information centres

• Film/photo libraries

• Foreign embassies

• Private organizations and news agencies

• Government/public libraries

• Universities and educational institutions

What are the positions that can be taken up by Bachelor of Library & Information Sciences Degree holders?

Some of the job positions for which BLIS graduates are appointed are:

• Junior Information Analyst

• Consultant

• Cataloguer

• Assistant librarian

• Junior librarian

• Library assistant

• Librarian in schools