Computer education for library and info professionals: Bangladesh perspective
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Md. Rafiqur Rahman
WE live in an age of information superhighway. Now the world is controlled by the power of highest information and communication technology. A large number of private universities, colleges and standard English medium and Bengali medium schools have been established all over the country which provide world class education for the country. Besides this, many government and private organisations, non-government organisations (NGOs), online/E-business centers, information centers etc., have been established quite rapidly. All these institutions and organisations have a library to meet their actual information need properly and accurately.
Some of the online business organisations have established digital library, based on digital asset management (DAM) technology or digital content management (CM) technology. On the other hand, to control the information explosion as well as to serve the huge demand for updated information, universities, research organisations and other educational institutions want to run automated, digital or virtual library systems for information collection, analysis, processing, organisation, information representation, information retrieval as well as to disseminate the same accurately and securely to the particular community within a single mouse click. Some want to implement the latest world class information and communication technology like Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID for libraries) in the library.
To meet the challenges of, as well as to work under, the automated, digital or virtual library environment, a librarian or information professional must have a clear concept about the latest tools, techniques of information and communication technologies. He should have practical knowledge of working with different system software like Windows, Linux and MacOS. He should have also a good knowledge about database programming and database management, various tools of web design and development, graphics designing and multimedia. Furthermore, he should have knowledge about various computer file system and also about different file extension.
In this regard Universities like those of Dhaka University (DU) and Rajshahi University (RU), can play a significant role by modifying the course curriculum for the bachelor & master degree, set up a well designed information research lab/computer lab and practical computer education (with the special emphasis on information collection, information analysis, modification, organisation, preservation, information retrieval & representation and dissemination in the most convenient way) to produce world class information professionals for facing the challenges of the 21st century. (The writer is Junior Assistant Librarian, Primeasia University, HBR Tower, 9 Banani C/A, Dhaka-1213. He can be reached at e-mail: Rafiqur83@gmail.com)
WE live in an age of information superhighway. Now the world is controlled by the power of highest information and communication technology. A large number of private universities, colleges and standard English medium and Bengali medium schools have been established all over the country which provide world class education for the country. Besides this, many government and private organisations, non-government organisations (NGOs), online/E-business centers, information centers etc., have been established quite rapidly. All these institutions and organisations have a library to meet their actual information need properly and accurately.
Some of the online business organisations have established digital library, based on digital asset management (DAM) technology or digital content management (CM) technology. On the other hand, to control the information explosion as well as to serve the huge demand for updated information, universities, research organisations and other educational institutions want to run automated, digital or virtual library systems for information collection, analysis, processing, organisation, information representation, information retrieval as well as to disseminate the same accurately and securely to the particular community within a single mouse click. Some want to implement the latest world class information and communication technology like Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID for libraries) in the library.
To meet the challenges of, as well as to work under, the automated, digital or virtual library environment, a librarian or information professional must have a clear concept about the latest tools, techniques of information and communication technologies. He should have practical knowledge of working with different system software like Windows, Linux and MacOS. He should have also a good knowledge about database programming and database management, various tools of web design and development, graphics designing and multimedia. Furthermore, he should have knowledge about various computer file system and also about different file extension.
In this regard Universities like those of Dhaka University (DU) and Rajshahi University (RU), can play a significant role by modifying the course curriculum for the bachelor & master degree, set up a well designed information research lab/computer lab and practical computer education (with the special emphasis on information collection, information analysis, modification, organisation, preservation, information retrieval & representation and dissemination in the most convenient way) to produce world class information professionals for facing the challenges of the 21st century. (The writer is Junior Assistant Librarian, Primeasia University, HBR Tower, 9 Banani C/A, Dhaka-1213. He can be reached at e-mail: Rafiqur83@gmail.com)