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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on April 23, 2015 at 16:25

Dear Sri Suraj,

I have gone through your post because the title attracted me.

But at the very onset, I must confess that I do not work in any Engineering Library and in that sense my opinion may appear superfluous!!

However, since I have formally studied Engineering for Three years and worked in research Libraries with extremely diverse subject fields, AND as you have mentioned the word COMPETENCIES, I felt that I may share my conception about it.

As I understand, the word etymologically means the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. And as a Librarian, the most vital issue is to understand

(a) technical terminologies and then

(b) to have some nodding knowledge about the subjects. 

For instance, if you have some collections of Machine drawings, to become a competent Librarian one must understand the prelims of Cross-sectional plans of a Machine from a cross sectional picture of the same. The use of full lines & those of dotted lines to denote visible and hidden sections (to represent External & Internal portions) etc. etc.

I fully understand that for a Librarian, especially the new ones, acquiring such knowledge  is not possible  but here comes the concept of subject expertise and I fully admit that one as a Librarian, as new in the subject, can not possess this overnight but as s/he continue, s/he acquires this gradually with working and self learning, s/he becomes competent. I have gone through your questionnaire and you can well understand why I am putting these issues for your inputs!

A person with quite good IT background can certainly be able to organize his/her Library excellently in that sense but if one is asked about subtle Engineering issues the situation may be different. To have at least some sort of nodding knowledge about the subjects concerned seems to be quite important, especially for highly technical subjects. It enables one to understand things from users' points of views and more importantly, for a subject-related approach, it does not go beyond the library professional's head. and this really makes one Competent.

I mist assure you that I am in no way making any adverse comment to your post but I am just explaining the concept of "Competency" as I mean about it.

It is needless to say that in the present job market, one can not have the opportunity to choose the job, as such, upon getting into service, the best way is to adopt a serious practice of reading. That way one can start learning about the subjects s/he is dealing with and little by little one's knowledge base spreads & increases (horizontally & vertically) and then actually one individual becomes competent in its true sense.

But again, I must conclude  with the word that what I have expressed is my very own conception about the issue of "Competence"and it is needless to say that you ( and everybody) have every liberty to think otherwise about it.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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