Jamia Millia Islamia to set up full-fledged Library Science Department

In a landmark development nearly four decades in the making, the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is set to establish a Department of Library and Information Science, following the education ministry's recent approval of six teaching posts for the university.

The move marks a major academic expansion, as the university has been offering the Bachelor of Library and Information Science (B.Lib.I.Sc.) course since 1985 without any permanent faculty, an official statement from JMI said.

The sanctioning of these posts will provide much-needed academic infrastructure and is expected to invigorate the popular programme with fresh pedagogical energy and direction, it said.

Vice Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi expressed deep gratitude to the Union government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for approving the long-pending proposal.

They hailed the support as ''instrumental'' in bolstering JMI's academic offerings and called it a ''milestone'' in the university's journey.

Asif described libraries as the ''cornerstone of academic life'', emphasising their role in shaping research and advancing knowledge in the digital age.

''My vision is to strengthen teaching in librarianship and information science by setting up a full-fledged department to train the next generation of highly skilled librarians,'' he said.

He also highlighted the department's potential contribution to the study and digitisation of the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).

Rizvi noted the strategic importance of libraries in a technologically advancing world, saying, ''It is imperative that we train and equip our students with the right tools and insights so JMI can emerge as a leader in library sciences.'' The development is seen as a significant boost for the 105-year-old university, whose Central Library dates back to JMI's founding year in 1920.

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