New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is poised to set up a Department of Library and Information Science following the Union Ministry of Education’s recent approval of six teaching posts to the university, said an official on Tuesday.

“This is a remarkable expansion, given that since 1985, JMI has been running the Bachelor of Library and Information Science (B. Lib. I. Sc.) course without permanent faculty members,” said Saima Saeed, Chief Public Relations Officer.

Saeed said the sanctioning of these faculty positions will infuse fresh energy and vitality into the much sought-after programme.

Vice Chancellor Professor Mazhar Asif said, “Being a cornerstone of academic life on campus, libraries shape the trajectory of research and are central to advancing knowledge, especially in the information age.”

He said his vision is to strengthen teaching in librarianship and information science by setting up a full-fledged department of library sciences to train the next generation of highly skilled and learned librarians.

“Not only will the faculty and students of this proposed department contribute to advancing the study of the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), but also its digitisation and preservation for the future,” said the Vice Chancellor.

Professor Asif and Registrar Professor Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Education Minister, the Ministry of Finance and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for their support and approval of JMI’s proposal to set up a Department of Library and Information Science.

Their unstinting support has been instrumental in enabling this expansion, which will bolster the university’s academic offerings and prove to be a milestone in advancing the important and ever-growing discipline of library sciences, they added.

Professor Asif and Professor Rizvi congratulated the JMI fraternity on this major augmentation to the current teaching and skill dissemination in the significant area of library and information sciences.

The CPRO said it is worth noting that this development will give a big boost to the 105-year-old university, whose Central Library was established in 1920 itself, the year of its founding.

–IANS

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