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– Dr. Surender Kumar Bhardwaj |
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A botanical garden is a centre of collection of living plants maintained for both pure and applied research. In the beginning, botanical gardens were established mainly for the training of medical students and for the study of drug yielding plants. During the 18th century a few of the drug gardens cultivated not only medicinal herbs but also many other types of flowering plants. The original concept included the cultivation of flowers for beauty and delight. In the period of 19th century, botanical gardens in the tropics became the centre of extensive botanical research, resulting in a number of useful plants which became known or better known for their usefulness to mankind. Just to mention a few, para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), quinine (Cinchona officinalis), coffee (Coffea Arabica) and tea (Camellia sinensis) are widely used and well known plants which have been studied in detail for their economic, therapeutic and industrial aspects. ORIGIN OF BOTANICAL GARDENS It was the landmark in the history when the idea of development of botanical gardens was originated in the human’s mind. As the knowledge about plants became progressively scientific, many pleasure gardens were converted into botanical gardens, which not only became the centre of advanced learning but also began to play a vital role in the economic and aesthetic needs of various nations. The Bogar (Buitenzorg) Botanical Garden, Java, gave impetus to the cultivation of cinchona, rubber and coffee to the Economic Gardens of the Dutch cultivated of spices and Oxford Botanical Garden, England introduced of some of the parents of modern asters, chrysanthemums, dahlias, fuchsias, irises, narcissi and roses. In the fundamental research, it may be recalled, that the Laws of genetics were worked out by Mendel in monastic garden in Austria. The research problems being studied by the present day gardens vary from the development of the drought-resistant varieties of the plants and weed control. However, behind the apparent diversity in various lines of work lies the common function which all botanical gardens share, namely the collection, display of and research on plants of medicinal, horticultural and other economic interests. STATUS OF BOTANICAL GARDEN IN WORLD More than 1800 Botanical Gardens and arboreta are situated in about 148 countries, which together keep up more than 4 million living plants belonging to more than 80,000 species of vascular plants. Thus, the Botanic Gardens and other plants conservation centres in the world play a very crucial role as centers for rescue, recovery and rehabilitation of rare, endangered and extinction prone species of plants and other valuable plant genetic resources. The Botanical Gardens also play an important role in education and as a centres of training in areas such as horticulture, gardening, landscaping, ex-situ conservation and environmental awareness. STATUS OF BOTANICAL GARDENS IN INDIA India is among the biodiversity rich countries in the world. There are about 140 Botanical gardens in India, out of which about 75 Indian Botanical Gardens are enlisted in the Botanical Survey of India. Apart from Government and University botanic gardens there are many gardens of public and academic interest in India. Botanical Survey of India (BSI) was established in 1890 with the basic objective of carrying out floristic surveys, supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, manages botanic gardens throughout India and is actively engaged in the ex-situ conservation through its chain of Botanic gardens established in different regional circles. The Directorate of the Survey is at the Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, and there are thirteen Regional Circles/ Field Stations in different parts of the country, eleven of which have experimental gardens as shown in Table:
ACADEMICS In the world, some botanical gardens have made the necessary shift in focus that underpins scientific research and conservation of plants, making them an essential component of the global conservation goals. Therefore, such gardens, which provide the necessary expertise for replication at regional or local levels, could be termed as ‘Lead gardens’ or models. Lead gardens should serve the present day need of conservation and education vis-à-vis the obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation ( GSPC) as well as in context of the present WTO regime and the Country’s National Environmental Policy, 2006 which encompasses Conservation Policy. Several Lead Gardens in the world have initiated various biotechnological and bio-prospecting programmes, based on their valuable plant collection and knowledge base. National Botanic Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow and Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute (TBGRI) Trivandrum, in India are examples of those Botanic Gardens involved in active research in biotechnology and bio prospecting. Various Botanical Gardens are providing professional training and most comprehensive ranges of courses for anyone looking to develop their career in botany, horticulture, garden design or botanical illustration. Various courses such as, Practical Certificates, Diplomas & Degrees (B.Sc., M.Sc. & Ph.D.) are being offered by many botanical gardens. Among these Botanical Gardens, some are Indian Botanical Gardens, Shibpur, Kolkata, National Botanical Garden, Lucknow, India, Llyod Botanic Garden, Darjeeling, India, Muzaffarpur Botanical Research Institute, India. JOB OPPORTUNITIES With certificate, diplomas, under graduate and post graduate degree in botany, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants, one can easily enter into any research and teaching institution as botanical assistant, scientific assistant, preservation assistant, research assistant, field man, herbarium keeper, or related jobs. One can take up research/ teaching as a career with M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in botany, horticulture or equivalent qualifications. Depending upon qualification and experience, one can serve as Curator, Superintendent, Botanist, Taxonomist or Scientist in botanical gardens, research institutions, experimental/ field stations including Botanical Survey of India and other related organizations. Source- Employment News (The author is Superintendent Botanical Garden), M.D. University, Rohtak-124001, Haryana e-mail: skbmdu66@gmail.com: skb_mdu@hotmail.com)
 कृष्णा नन्द सिंह Krishna Nand Singh |
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE |
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| – Om Shashi Shekhar Singh
Library and Information Science (LIS) is an interdisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information. The libraries being the repositories of knowledge and information, their importance has increased. In this situation, the librarianship has attained the status of a separate discipline. Librarians are the custodians of libraries and they organize, maintain, and store books in the libraries. They help people to find information and use it effectively in their personal and professional lives. The traditional libraries which contained only books now have periodicals, journals, micro-films, audio-videos, cassettes and slides for various purposes such as education, research, reference and pleasure. Historically, library science has also included archival science. This includes how information resources are organized to serve the needs of select user groups, how people interact with classification systems and technology, how information is acquired, evaluated and applied by people in and outside of libraries as well as cross-culturally, how people are trained and educated for careers in libraries, the ethics that guide library service and organization, the legal status of libraries and information resources, and the applied science of computer technology used in documentation and records management. The career in library includes areas like library and information systems management, classification/cataloguing systems, bibliography, documentation, preservation and conservation of manuscript, collection management, information systems and technology, research methodology, computer applications, reference, statistics and management, information processing, archives management, indexing, library planning, etc. Library science is constantly evolving, incorporating new topics like database management, information architecture and knowledge management, among others. It is an interesting subject and provides a great opportunity to have the knowledge of wide variety of information sources. A Day in a LIS Professional’s Life On a typical day a librarian might perform some of the following duties:- 1. ranalyse users’ needs and provide the information they need; 2. show users how to efficiently search for information on the Internet and in other online resources; 3. select and purchase materials and prepare those materials by classifying them according to subject matter; 4. supervise assistants who prepare cards, computer records, or other access tools that direct users to resources; 5. collect and organize books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other materials in a specific field, such as rare books, genealogy, or music; 6. coordinate programs such as storytelling for children, and literacy skills and book talks for adults; 7. conduct classes as per need for junior professionals; 8. publicize services; Eligibility Employment outlook and opportunities 1. Public/Government libraries Types of library-science professionals: Some of the career options are as given below: 1. Library Attendant 2. Library Assistant 3. Semi-Professional Assistant 4. Junior Librarian/Professional Assistant 5. Assistant Librarian 6. Deputy Librarian 7. Librarian/Chief Librarian 8. Researcher/Scientists/Application Specialist 9. Consultant/Reference Librarian 10. Cataloguer/Technical Assistant/Records Manager 11. Director/Head Of Information Centre 12. Senior Information Analyst 13. Junior Information Analyst 14. Senior Library Information Assistant 15. Law Librarian 16. Indexer 17. Information architect 18. Archivist LIS professionals can also aspire to get a job in private publishing houses and other private companies handling with voluminous information. Remuneration In the age of information revolution librarianship is a well paid job. However salaries of library professionals vary depending upon their individual qualifications, experience, size and nature of the hiring institutes. Persons with a superior record and high qualifications can achieve high positions. The salaries in college and university libraries are comparable to those of teachers. Indeed, the salaries of special librarians are high. Librarians employed in government museum, archives, galleries have higher earnings than those in colleges and universities. Librarians working in research institutes and private documentation centres also have handsome earnings. Some of the Major Institutions offering Courses in Library Science
Distance Education 1. Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068 Website : http://www.ignou.ac.in 2. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Road No.46, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033, E-mail : braouap@hdl.dot.net.in 3. Kota Open University, Rawatbhata Road, Akhelgarh, Kota-324010, Rajasthan, Tel.: 91-744-421254 4. Nalanda Open University Camp. Office, 9 , Adarsh Colony, Kidwaipuri, Patna – 800001, Bihar, Tel.: 91-612-234330 5. Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Dnyanagangotri, Near Gangapur Dam, Nashik-422005, Maharashtra, Website : http://www.ycmou.com 6. Madhya Pradesh Bhoj (Open) University, Red Cross Bhawan, Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal-462016, Madhya Pradesh, Tel.: 91-755-550606 7. Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Govt. Bungalow No.9, Dafnala, Shahi Baug, Ahmedabad-380003, Gujarat, Tel.: 91-79-2869690 8. Karnataka State Open University, Manasagangotri, Mysore – 570006, Karnataka Tel.: 91-821-515149 9. Netaji Subhas Open University, 1, Woodburn Park, Kolkata -700020, West Bengal E-mail : nsou@cal2.vsnl.net.in 10. U.P.Rajarshi Tandon Open University, 17, Maharshi Dayanand Marg (Thornhill Road), Allahabad -21100, Uttar Pradesh, E-mail : sanyal@nde.vsnl.net.in |
Articles for Children 