Starting your career as a librarian is exciting and, often, overwhelming. The qualification is in hand. The appointment order has arrived. Now what?
This post is for you — the new library professional in India, whether you are stepping into a school library, a college reading room, a public library branch, or a special library in a government or corporate setting.
1. Learn your collection before you serve your readers
Spend your first two weeks walking every aisle, opening every cupboard, and understanding what is actually there. You cannot recommend what you do not know. Catalogue gaps, damaged materials, and outdated resources will only become apparent when you look closely.
2. Introduce yourself to every department or faculty
In an academic library especially, your value is invisible until people know you exist. Visit each department, hand out your contact details, and ask what resources their students need most. These conversations will shape your acquisitions for years.
3. Understand your library's existing classification system
Most Indian libraries use Dewey Decimal or Colon Classification. If you find inconsistencies — and you will — document them before you change anything. Understand the logic before you improve it.
4. Digitise your records if they are still on paper
Manual registers and card catalogues are fragile. A single flood, fire, or pest infestation can destroy decades of records. Even a basic spreadsheet is better than nothing. Begin migrating to open-source library management software such as Koha — it is free, well-supported, and used by institutions across India.
5. Set up a reading corner or display
Something as simple as a table with a rotating selection of new arrivals, seasonal recommendations, or subject displays makes the library feel alive. Readers who feel welcomed become regulars.
6. Apply for MALA membership
Professional associations exist to support you when your institution does not. MALA's network of library professionals across India is a resource that no textbook can replace. When you face an unusual reference query, a cataloguing challenge, or a career decision, having experienced colleagues to consult is invaluable. Life membership costs ₹1,000 — a single payment that stays with you for your entire career.
→ Apply here: https://forms.gle/4638Dtn7HfqqRJYG9
7. Subscribe to at least one professional journal
Annals of Library and Information Studies, DESIDOC Journal, and MALA's own Librarian and Books are good starting points. Reading one article a week will keep your knowledge current even during the busiest terms.
8. Attend one professional event this year
A workshop, seminar, or chapter meeting. The learning matters, but the connections matter more. The library professional you meet at a MALA seminar in Coimbatore may be the one who helps you solve a classification problem three years from now.
9. Document everything you do
Annual reports, accession registers, circulation statistics, programme attendance records. These numbers are your professional evidence. They help your institution understand your value, and they help you build a case for resources, staff, or space.
10. Be patient with yourself
Library science training prepares you well in theory. Practice is different. Every library has its own culture, its own readers, its own quirks. Give yourself one full year before you judge how well you are doing. The best librarians are made slowly.
MALA has been supporting library professionals since 1928. If you found this post useful, share it with a new colleague — and consider joining our community of life members.