Professional Hazards, Status and Recognition of Academic Librarians of Higher Education Institutions in India: A Systematic Review supported by a Webometric National Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2022.v07.i01.022Keywords:
Academic librarians, Higher education institutions, Faculty status, Professional hazards, Teacher recognition, Information literacy, Systematic review, Webometrics, IndiaAbstract
Academic librarians in higher education institutions (HEIs) have experienced a substantial professional revolution from custodians of printed collections to educators, research partners, information literacy instructors, and facilitators of digital scholarship. Even with the regulatory framework set out by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which provides academic librarians with the status of "other academic staff," there is variation in the implementation of these regulations at the institutional level, thereby creating disparities in issues of faculty status, involvement in academic governance, career development, workload, and professional standing. This paper conducts a systematic review of the literature on the professional risks, status, and recognition of academic librarians in Indian HEIs until June 2021 and presents a webometric national survey framework for the evaluation of institutional recognition using open access university websites. This review is created on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Relevant literature was sourced from Scopus, Web of Science, Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), LISTA, ERIC, Google Scholar, Shodhganga, and select LIS journals from India. Publications related to faculty position, service issues, professional identification, educational functions, occupational stress, policy enforcement, and academic recognition have been critically analysed. The suggested webometric survey would analyse the institutional websites based on parameters such as librarian designation, governance involvement, information literacy programs, institutional repository services, research services, policy enforcement, and online engagement. The review implies that even though academic librarians have started to do teaching activities, research support services, scholarly communication duties, and digital learning functions, they tend to be recognized in Indian HEIs through administration rather than academics. Some of the major professional risks are ambiguity about the roles, inconsistent implementation of the guidelines set by the UGC, non-participation in the decision-making process at universities, more technological functions without adequate staffing, lack of opportunities for professional development, and differences in the career path. The webometric approach will allow evaluating the recognition of the academic role of librarians objectively. The results will be useful for policymakers, university administration, accrediting organizations, and libraries in improving professional identity, academic status, and educational contributions of academic librarians based on NEP 2020.
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