Maharashtra HSC Library & Information Science study plan

Define and distinguish the five fundamental categories (Personality, Matter, Energy, Space, Time) and explain how they drive facet order in Ranganathan's Colon Classification.

Compare enumerative, faceted, and analytico-synthetic classification approaches, naming one scheme of each type and stating its main advantage and limitation.

Trace the sequence of editions of Dewey Decimal Classification and state which edition introduced the four-volume print format and which introduced the web-based version.

Classify ten supplied titles using DDC summaries and record the full notation with a one-line justification for each choice.

Distinguish the roles of classification and cataloguing in shelf arrangement versus resource discovery, using a single worked example.

Apply AACR2 Part II rules to construct main entries and added entries for a single-author book, an edited volume, and a corporate-body publication.

Explain the objectives of a library catalogue as stated in classic cataloguing theory and match each objective to a specific catalogue feature.

Differentiate physical forms of catalogues (sheaf, card, book, OPAC) and justify why OPACs dominate modern libraries.

Outline the transition from AACR2 to RDA, stating at least three differences in how RDA handles data recording and element granularity.

Identify and correct five deliberate errors in a supplied sample catalogue entry.

Sequence the major milestones of library development from ancient collections through manuscript, print, and digital eras, and state what each transition changed for users.

Explain the role of the public library movement in nineteenth-century Britain and the United States and name the enabling legislation or key figures associated with each.

Describe the stages of the Indian library movement, naming key committees, commissions, and reports and the specific recommendation each made.

Summarize the contribution of at least four Indian library pioneers to education, legislation, or professional organization.

Explain how the Five Laws of Library Science connect to the historical shift from collection-centred to user-centred service.

State the five laws of library science and give a concrete modern application of each, including one related to digital access.

Distinguish data, information, knowledge, and wisdom and explain where the library fits in that chain.

Define the core functions of a library (collection, organization, dissemination, preservation, service) and map each to a specific activity in a real library.

Compare the five types of libraries on the basis of clientele, collection, funding, and primary function.

Describe how library systems and networks enable resource sharing, naming the difference between a library system and a library network.

Classify reference sources into ready-reference, bibliographic, biographical, geographical, statistical, and government categories and give two examples of each.

Evaluate a reference source using at least five criteria (scope, authority, currency, arrangement, format) and justify the evaluation order.

Distinguish current awareness service from SDI and state the components required to run a working SDI profile.

Explain the reference interview process and list four questioning techniques that help clarify an ambiguous user query.

Define information literacy, distinguish it from digital literacy, and outline a short instructional session for first-year undergraduates.

Describe the modules of an integrated library system (acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, serials, OPAC, reports) and state one data flow between two modules.

Explain MARC structure and identify the function of the leader, the directory, and variable fields in a sample record.

Distinguish barcode, RFID, QR, and NFC technologies by cost, use case, and typical library application.

Explain what a digital library is, how it differs from a digitized collection, and name the components of a digital repository including metadata standards.

Compare two open-source and one commercial library management solution on cost, hosting, and suitability for a college library.

Distinguish POSDCORB functions and apply each to a library setting with one concrete example per function.

Compare line, line-and-staff, and functional organizational structures and recommend one for a college library of stated size.

Prepare the components of an annual library budget under line-item and PPBS approaches and state the weakness of each.

Explain the purpose of library legislation and summarize the essential clauses a state public library act should contain.

State the professional ethics relevant to collection development, user privacy, and intellectual freedom, and explain how censorship pressure should be handled.

Identify the roles of national and international professional associations and what they offer to a student member.

Consolidate all nine domains into a single concept map showing at least three links between each pair of related domains.

Complete two timed full-length mock papers under exam conditions and record the score per domain.

Re-teach the three weakest domains from the mock results using self-written summaries, not rereading.

Memorize the high-frequency factual items: scheme editions, committee names, law numbers, and association founding years.

Rehearse structured answers for long-form questions using a claim-evidence-example pattern within the time limit.