Library Personnel, Users and Information Literacy
What the domain covers
This domain covers staffing, user categories, user studies and information literacy. The exam tests roles, staffing norms, user needs and the design of instruction.
Core rules and concepts
- Personnel: librarian, deputy/assistant librarian, cataloguer, classifier, circulation assistant, reference librarian, system librarian.
- Staffing norms: UGC and state norms; Ranganathan's staff formula links staff to workload.
- Users: students, teachers, researchers, professionals, general public; needs vary by level and discipline.
- User studies: surveys, interviews, logs; identify gaps and satisfaction.
- Information literacy: ability to recognise an information need, locate, evaluate, use and communicate information ethically.
- User education: library orientation, OPAC training, citation and plagiarism sessions.
Worked example
Design a 45-minute session for first-year students. Reasoning: start with a real assignment; demonstrate OPAC search by author and subject; show how to evaluate a website using authority and currency; explain plagiarism and citation; end with a hands-on task. Assess with a short quiz, not attendance alone.
Traps that cost marks
Do not reduce information literacy to computer literacy; do not treat all users as identical; do not confuse circulation staff with reference staff. Ignoring evaluation and ethics in information literacy answers loses marks.