Contents: Preface. 1. Librarianship in India. 2. The interface. 3. Facilitation. 4. Reference service. 5. Extension service. 6. Acquisition of resources. 7. Classification. 8. Cataloguing. 9. Managerial duties. Appendices: i. A few useful internet sites. ii. A brief history of the catalogue. References. Index.

"In this book, the author points out that consequent upon the emergence of diverse types of libraries the school, college, university, special, adult public and juvenile public libraries--the librarian, today, may be called upon to manage any of these categories of libraries. Although all these are concerned with dissemination of information, the function of the librarian differs from category to category to category, in accordance with the requirements of the clientele of each of these types. He is, thus, a multifaceted professional person.

The librarian, therefore, is not just a manager of libraries as he had been hitherto. He is an educator, facilitator, appraiser, mentor, confidant, guide and above all a social worker. Of course, to carry out these tasks, he ought to  be an exert in library techniques like classification, cataloguing, and preparation of bibliography to which has to be added information science, a new technique that has been introduced recently to enhance the efficacy of library service. The author discusses in detail what the librarian is expected to do in each of these capacities.

This book, therefore, is a must not only for working librarians but also for students of library and information science." (jacket)