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COPYRIGHT 2003 Information Today, Inc.
Ah, the "L" word. The profession has been debating whether or not to use the "L word"--librarian--for quite some time. The debate has found its way through the naming of graduate (library) schools, which have emerged with multiple permutations, including School of Information (no L word), Graduate Library School (traditional), and hybrid--School of Library and Information Science/Studies. Over the course of the past 3 years or so, the Special Libraries Association has engaged in a similar debate. The key issue: Does the word "library" adequately convey the utility and value of what librarians, in this case, corporate or special librarians, contribute to their organizations?
This debate reflects a profession in transition. Information professionals have been dealing with change brought on by technology for over 30 years. The year 2002 marked the 30th anniversary of commercial service from Dialog; 2003 brought the same anniversary for LexisNexis. Technology has touched every aspect of library services, including cataloging, reference, interlibrary loan, document delivery, circulation, and training.
With the coming of the Web, change moved at a dramatic pace, as patrons and corporate users began to use online services on their own. Changing user expectations and needs have resulted in new models of library service--use of print and actual visits to the reference desk are down; remote usage of library services is up; and instructional models have gone through major revisions both in approach and curriculum. The roles of users, librarians, publishers, and vendors have all been impacted.
At the 2003 annual meeting of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), I found myself in a position to discuss and discover the key factors influencing the work of the information content profession today. Following an invitation from Jane Dysart, past president of SLA and a well-known industry speaker and conference organizer, I found myself on a panel called, "Information Industry Revolution," which was part of the always-stimulating SLA Hot Topics Sessions.
My fellow panelists included two gurus of the SLA world, Gary Price and Stephen Abram. Gary is a librarian and renowned author of the book The Invisible Web, and he also creates a daily updated Weblog, The Resource Shelf [www.resourceshelf.com]. Stephen is an industry luminary who just received SLA's highest honor, the John Cotton Dana award. The three of us emphatically agreed that "Information Industry Revolution" was an apt title for the discussion and for the environment in which we find ourselves.
MOVING AT HYPERSPEED
We wanted to give the attendees a frame of reference for how to react to the daily changes taking place in our industry and to suggest specific tools and tactics for successfully dealing with library users in today's environment. Looking back, this panel served as a tangible counterpoint to the branding and name issues facing the conference attendees.
Long before the conference, Dysart challenged the panelists by asking us to react to this statement and ensuing questions: "Hyperspeed changes in our industry sector and new alignments and mergers are surprising and shocking us every day.
Why would Google buy a blogging software company and what does it mean for us as information professionals? What do we do when our subscription agent disappears overnight? Is the number of suppliers of information resources we need shrinking? And, what does that mean for my paper...
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