Summer2006Q4Response

Question #4
The development of the Internet and the rapid development of new applications (from search engines (e.g., Lycos, Altavista, Google) and directories (e.g., Yahoo!) to e-commerce sites (e.g,. Amazon, eBay) to digital libraries (e.g,. American Memory, JStor) to collaborative, social information spaces (e.g., MySpace, Wikipedia, Flikr) makes it possible to envision a world without information professionals and libraries. This has been labeled the “Redundancy Model” because information professionals will no longer be needed to mediate access to information. Others propose the “Masters of the Universe Model,” where no one will be able to find high quality information without consulting an information professional.

Taking a specific information environment as your starting point (e.g., academic library, school media center, public library, special library, etc.), discuss how information professionals remain relevant in an environment where users can obtain all of the information they need from their desks or their homes.

Question #4 (Set B)
The development of the Internet and the rapid development of new applications from search engines (e.g., Lycos, Altavista, Google) and directories (e.g., Yahoo!) to e-commerce sites (e.g., Amazon, eBay) to digital libraries (e.g., American Memory, JStor) to collaborative, social information spaces (e.g., Web 2.0 / Library 2.0, MySpace, Wikipedia, Flikr) makes it possible to envision a world without information professionals and libraries. These developments have led to speculation that information professionals will no longer be needed to mediate access to information. Others argue that the information landscape is becoming more complex, making it increasingly difficult to find high quality information without consulting an information professional.

Taking a specific information environment as your starting point (e.g., academic library, school media center, public library, special library, etc.), and making explicit use of what you know about the roles played and the value added by information intermediaries, discuss how information professionals remain relevant in an environment where users can obtain the information they need from their desks or their homes.

See answers (And add answers to Fall 2004 Question 3) http://www.degreetutor.com/library/adult-continued-education/librarians-needed

In addition to library-specific relevance, one could also mention things like database management and design, records management, business intelligence, etc. (I'd have to get out the 510 notes to come up with more, but I'm sure there are some.)

__//academic library setting//__
 * provide instruction to undergraduates (and likely faculty as well) on:
 * how to identify quality information resources from a search engine
 * how to utilize advanced search features of the major search engines to increase relevance
 * the existence of special search engines (Google Scholar, Google Book Search) and what they should be used for
 * the existence of moderated subject directories (Librarian’s Internet Index, INFOMINE, BUBL Link) and their importance/usefulness
 * provide more “Amazon-like” features in the OPAC (reviews, star ratings, keyword tagging) to get students and faculty involved in the library’s holdings. This could be especially viable in the defined, close-knit community environment of a college campus.
 * Continue to create useful and interesting digital library collections for the campus community and the public at large. Especially consider digitizing collections that coincide with specific classes so that faculty and students can utilize them in their course assignments, or “signature” collections that the library holds so as to attract alumni and other important community members (and thus prestige, donations?).
 * Get involved in social networking. Create MySpace, Facebook profiles; place library photos in a Flickr account. Allow the campus community to “friend” the library and interact by posting announcements, posing questions, stimulating discussion about books or library policies, etc. Communicate on their terms and they are more likely to care about what we have to say.
 * Provide virtual reference services (chat/IM, email) that coincide with the current habits of students, thus making them more likely to approach us for help. Don’t make it difficult (phone or in-person only) or they will continue to do things all on their own.
 * Keep providing scholarly databases for faculty and students to utilize in their research, and provide instruction on the distinction between these resources and a simple Google search.
 * Overall, be open to change and embrace the ever-changing habits of our students while still keeping the faculty and their needs in mind.

-- Jody: I would add, for the academic library setting:
 * provide tools and training to users on how to create archival-quality digital materials
 * offer preservation services for such materials, if they survive vetting by peers (or professors, for students)
 * offer open access repository for appropriate materials
 * have subject librarians "vet" the web to collect and organize links for relevant and valuable sources.
 * use these links to provide (minimally) pathfinders: better, use them to seed portals for scholars of a subject area;  and potentially:
 * harvest these links, collecting cached copies of the most valuable materials, index and catalog them for use via our OPAC or other search-and-retrieval system.
 * build on our existing services to provide greater usability of the materials we hold, via web agents (reference OAI/ORE and DLF Aquifer, SKOS)
 * involve our librarians in the academic learning process, partnering with professors, being available to students before/after/during classes IN THE CLASSROOM when research assignments are being made