From Shelves to Syllabi: Exploring Dual Identities in Librarianship
M.S. Girish Rathod
*
Government First Grade College, Ayanur, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 presents a transformative opportunity to redefine librarianship in Indian higher education, shifting librarians’ roles from passive information managers to active educators contributing to curriculum development, research mentorship, and digital literacy instruction. While global models—such as those in the U.S., U.K., and Australia—recognize librarians as instructional faculty, India lacks formal policy frameworks enabling their integration into teaching roles. This study critically examines the dual identity of librarians, highlighting existing institutional barriers, regulatory limitations, and gaps in LIS education that restrict their pedagogical involvement. It proposes a structured librarian-teaching model (LTM) to facilitate interdisciplinary learning and enhance student research competencies. The study also presents policy recommendations advocating for formal recognition of librarians as faculty, credit-bearing librarian-led courses, curriculum development participation, and faculty collaboration. By synthesizing global best practices and conducting a comparative analysis, this research contributes to LIS education reform discourse, aligning with NEP 2020’s vision for skill-driven, research-intensive higher education.
Keywords: Librarianship, dual identity, higher education, information literacy, pedagogy, digital literacy, research mentorship, faculty-librarian collaboration, LIS education, institutional barriers, scholarly communication, interdisciplinary learning