Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Library and Information

Science Graduates: A Qualitative Study

Kiran Butt
PhD Student (LIS), Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: [email protected]

Prof. Dr. Pervaiz Ahmad

Chairman, Department of Library and Information Sciences,
Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: [email protected]

Abstract
There are more than 12 library schools in Pakistan producing around 1,000
graduates every year. These graduates hold 16 -year BS or MLIS professional
qualifications. There is no calculated estimate available concerning the
number of related jobs and the vacant ones in the country . Therefore, it is not
possible to determine the number of LIS graduates required in the country
within a particular span. The academic libraries especially in the public
sector accommodate most of such graduates. The current job market has
become oversaturated as we carefully observe around five candidates against
one entry-level position in the public sector on average. Entry-level positions
are those where the basic professional qualification (BS or MLIS) is required
without any experience, for example, recruitment through public service
commissions. In such a scenario where joblessness is increasing owing to
fewer job openings and more candidates, one cannot wait for years for a job
to earn a livelihood. Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has
designed a new BS curriculum in almost every discipline in cluding LIS,
which aims to promote entrepreneurship as well. The researchers of this
paper interpret e ntrepreneurship as an activity for creative individual s to
independently secure one’s livelihood while creating jobs for others. With a
comprehensive literature review, t his paper aims to propose a model of
entrepreneurship opportunities based on LIS professional qualifications that
can be opted by the LIS graduates to become self -reliant. The proposed
model is then qualitatively validated by select, senior employers/librarians.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, LIS curriculum, LIS graduates, Entrepreneur

librarian, Librapreneur, Job-giver.

Introduction
As a profession, librarianship offers a wide range of employment opportunities. The
majority of the LIS professionals choose employment for their career prospects. There are 15
LIS schools in Pakistan both in the public and private sectors producing around 1,000
professional graduates with 16-year BS or MLIS qualifications every year. Though the
number of LIS schools and annual graduates does not look abnormal when compared to the

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almost 227 million population of the country, the situation of the job market shows the other
side of the picture. The researchers observe around five candidates against one entry-level
position on average in public sector organizations/institutions recruited through the public
service commissions. There were more than 1800 candidates against 441 positions of college
librarians, both male and female, advertised by the Punjab Public Service Commission last
year. This ratio increases (approximately eight candidates against one position) in the case of
open merit seats in the Federal Public Service Commission that deals with recruitment in
organizations/institutions under the federal government across Pakistan. Thus, it is evident
that the number of opportunities is less than the LIS graduates causing unemployment and
this ratio is increasing every year.
The current job market has also affected the LIS professional graduates with another
challenge. The professionals of other disciplines (e.g. IT, management, and so on) are also
adopting librarianship creating another threat to the LIS professionals and their existence in
the job market. This is particularly happening in private sector organizations and institutions.
Guramani (2021) citing a briefing given by the Pakistan Institute of Development
Economics (PIDE) to the Senate Standing Committee, reported that 24% of educated people
having undergraduate or graduate degrees were jobless countrywide; the unemployment rate
in the country had reached 16% contrary to the government’s claim of 6.5%. Further, at least
1.5 million people including MPhil degree holders applied for a peon’s position. He further
reported citing to the Economic Survey 2020-21 that COVID lockdowns rendered an
estimated 20.71 million workers jobless. The committee was also informed that 40% of
educated women were also unemployed countrywide. These situations urge to explore other
alternatives to cope with the unemployment issue.
Entrepreneurship can be considered a viable solution by connecting it to the LIS field. As
the result, the LIS professionals may be able to start a business/venture utilizing their subject
knowledge to become entrepreneurs, also called Librapreneurs. Under their new
undergraduate education policy 2020, the Higher Education Commission (2020) Pakistan has
devised BS curricula in almost all disciplines including LIS so that the BS graduates could
also explore avenues for self-employment rather than looking only for a job. Ahmed, Arshad,
and Nawaz (2019) also emphasize the need of developing entrepreneurship in Pakistan
through higher education. Chukwuji and Umeji (2019) claim that the absence of entrepreneur
courses and ICT training in the LIS curriculum is the main hindrance in the way of making an
LIS graduate an entrepreneur. They recommend restructuring the outdated curriculum of LIS.
According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary (2022), an entrepreneur is “one who
organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” According to Amiri
and Marimaei (2012), “entrepreneurship involves innovation, development, recognition,
seizing opportunities and converting opportunities to marketable ideas, value while bearing
the risk of competition” (p. 151). They further add that “entrepreneurs are typically described
as individuals who perceive a vision, commit themselves to that vision, and almost single-
handedly carry the vision to its successful implementation” (p. 152). Longman Business
English dictionary (2000) defines an entrepreneur as “someone who starts a company,
arranges business deals, and takes risks in order to make a profit” (p. 533). According to
online Investopedia (n.d.), an entrepreneur is “an individual who creates a new business,
bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. The process of setting up a
business is known as entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as an innovator, a
source of new ideas, goods, services, and business/or procedures.”

Operational definition: The researchers operationalize entrepreneurship as the capability

of BS and MLIS graduates to put the subject knowledge into practice to set up a business or

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enterprise for their livelihood while creating jobs for others as their staff. Therefore, an
entrepreneur librarian is not only self-employed but also a job creator and giver.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims to bring into light all possible entrepreneurial opportunities that the LIS
graduates can choose from and utilize to become self-reliant and job givers. These
entrepreneurial opportunities are based on the competencies and skills that the LIS
curriculum is intended to develop in graduates. Based on a comprehensive, scholarly
literature review, hence, this study develops/proposes an entrepreneurial model for the LIS
graduates. The proposed model is then to be validated by the senior LIS experts.

Research Questions
The objectives of the study can best be interpreted in the following research questions.
1. How do you view the proposed model?
2. In your opinion, what are the challenges/problems/barriers that may hinder the LIS
graduates to become entrepreneurs?

Literature Review
Various studies (e.g. Arafeh, 2016; Crumpton & Bird, 2019; Eke-Okpala & Ihejirika,
2012; Robles & Zárraga-Rodríguez, 2015) identify a general skillset for an entrepreneur that
includes project management, innovation, learnability, loan management, risk-taking and
patience, consistency and commitment, working with technologies, marketing and advocacy,
communication, working with diverse populations, problem-solving, service-orientation,
fundraising/development, building relationships, and value assessment.
Various experts (e.g. Akanwa, 2014; Alagiri & Visalatchi, 2020; Batthini, 2014; Bell,
2009; Eden, 2018; Issa, Uzuegbu, & Nwosu, 2014; Isaac et al., 2019; Musa & Tsafe, 2019;
Onaada, 2012; Singha & Mondal, 2015) suggest different entrepreneurial opportunities for
library and information science graduates that can make them self-employed and job giver.
Major areas of these opportunities are summarized below alphabetically.

• Archival services in liaison with archival organizations.

• Biographer or biography writer (commercial).
• Computer and internet services, cyber cafe.
• Consultancy (all services to new/old libraries).
• Digitization, scanning, and digital publishing services.
• Documentation services.
• Editing services (books, periodicals, and so on).
• Exhibiter (art, museum exhibitions, book fairs, and so on).
• Information/data brokering.
• Knowledge management (KM) services to organizations.
• Library automation services.
• Library equipment and supplies business.
• Library software/database development, maintenance, troubleshooting services.
• Library training, workshops, coaching/academy, conference/seminar/webinar
services.
• Marketing and advertising agency.
• Preservation and Conservation services.
• Printing, publishing, distribution, reprographic business.

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 • Private library or book club (lending, reading room, makerspace, online/mobile and
other services).
• Research services (fee-based legitimate services) including research projects, public
surveys (like Gallup), data/text mining and analytics, and so on.
• Services to special users (visually impaired and so on).
• Technical services (acquisition, cataloging, classification, indexing, abstracting,
bibliography, directories, translation, and so on).
• Vendor business (books, periodicals, and so on).
• Website developer or web administration and maintenance.

The literature review provides a comprehensive skillset both for entrepreneurship and the
LIS. A combination of both makes an LIS graduate an entrepreneur librarian (Figure 1).

Figure.1. Model/conceptual framework of entrepreneur librarian

Research Methodology and Limitations

The qualitative method was adopted for this research study. Firstly, a review of
accessible scholarly literature was conducted to model areas of entrepreneurial opportunities
for LIS graduates. Secondly, a purposive sample of three university librarians was drawn for
seeking their feedback with their prior consent. However, only two of them responded.
Owing to time constraints, the sample was limited to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
However, the librarians selected were the most senior and experienced ones. Data collected
from librarians through open-ended, written interviews via email were analyzed thematically.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The data collected from university librarians through interviews are interpreted below
against each research question.

RQ 1. How do you view the proposed model?

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 The experts viewed the model as need of the hour owing to the current unemployment
situation in the country. They also exhibited their overall satisfaction in the areas covered in
the model. One of them proposed some additional areas of entrepreneurship as information
literacy instructor, space manager, reference manager, and statistical analytic. Concerning
required skills, one expert emphasized communication, technical knowledge, and
coordination as the core skills for the LIS graduates to become self-employed or
entrepreneurs. The other expert suggested some more skills: freelancing, desktop publishing,
information literacy, data science, big data analytics, and digital content management.

RQ 2: In your opinion, what are the challenges/problems/barriers that may hinder the LIS
graduates to become entrepreneurs?

Both experts highlighted certain problems/barriers/challenges that may hinder the LIS
graduate to become self-employed or entrepreneurs. They identified the weaker areas of the
LIS graduates, which include modern technological skills, negotiation and communication
skills, outdated LIS curriculum, fewer training opportunities, website development skills,
business skills, consultancy skills, and database management skills. Both experts viewed the
financial constraint as the major bottleneck to start a business or enterprise. They also urged
that business-mindedness must also be inculcated in the graduates through a revised LIS
curriculum focusing more on hands-on practical content than theory.

Conclusion
This study aims to address the unemployment issue in the domain of library and
information sciences, especially in Pakistan. Many LIS graduates wait for years for a relevant
job and some of them also accept low-ranked/paid irrelevant jobs. Without a proper job, it is
very difficult to make both ends meet in this time of high inflation and dearness. This study
offers an alternate model of entrepreneurial pathways for the LIS graduates to become self-
employed. This model has also been validated by the senior LIS experts. The most important
foundation in this regard is the BS and MLIS education. The curriculum should be designed
and implemented in such a manner that it should not only prepare the students for the job
market but also as successful entrepreneurs. Therefore, both entrepreneurial and LIS skills
should be inculcated side by side through state-of-the-art labs and facilities with more focus
on practical, hands-on training than theory. An LIS student should have a clear plan in his/her
mind what he/she has to do after graduating.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has also advised the universities to
establish business incubation centers with their support. This center may help provide further
advice and training to graduate entrepreneurs.
The Government of Pakistan has recently launched a youth entrepreneurship scheme as
“Kamyab Jawan (Successful Youth)” program <https://kamyabjawan.gov.pk/>. This scheme
promotes entrepreneurship among youth by providing them business loans on simple terms
and with less markup through banks. All Pakistani residents, aged between 21 and 45 years
with entrepreneurial potential are eligible to apply for the loan. A minimum of 25% of loans
is reserved for women. Private sector employees can also apply for loans. Therefore, there is
now no financial constraint in becoming an entrepreneur. Under Kamyab Jawan program,
Hunarmand (Skilled) Pakistan scheme has also been launched. This scheme provides free
skill-oriented technical training to youth in more than 200 trades and courses via more than
500 designated institutions across Pakistan. The LIS schools and the Pakistan Library
Association may also offer refresher courses for entrepreneurship. In a nutshell, to cope with
the serious issue of unemployment, entrepreneurship offers a viable solution to the LIS
graduates.

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