Information Services and Use

This paper addresses issues of inventing the future of information services from the perspective of a practitioner.

While recognizing deep dedication to privacy, openness, commitment to the under-served, and long-term stewardship of the cultural record, the author acknowledges the impossibility of designing a precise curriculum for mid-21st century information professionals and proposes core subject areas providing an adaptable 21st century skill platform.

Enduring goals of information services professions evolve due to commitment and responsiveness to changing communities and needs, and adaptation to new technologies. The “library” or “archive” is no longer a warehouse for content, but rather a set of services designed by information professionals who simultaneously are reinventing themselves. Our institutions continue as environments that support development of the learner, promote information discovery, and serve as community anchor institutions.

The information professional must be equipped with attitude and analytic capabilities designed for problem solving, able to work both independently and in teams, and capable of constant adaptation. Proposed core curriculum areas: •

strategic thinking and facility with evidence-based planning and evaluation,

As we consider the future of the information professions, it is useful to reflect on issues related to the library and information science workforce and the values that underlie the field. The author's professional experience and research are used to highlight important practice trends such as digital libraries, embedded librarianship, broadening the audience for library and information services, involvement in problem-based learning, evidence based practice, end user searching of online databases, and the increasing need to conduct studies that link information services to key outcomes. The importance of tracking practice trends as part of the ongoing curriculum revision process is emphasized. Linking both education and research to practice will be crucial to the success of future educational programs and the ability of graduates to make a useful contribution in the workplace. Workforce tracking of alumni is a key component of effective strategic planning and overall workforce planning, especially in a time of major demographic change. Professional associations have an important role of play in continuing education and building the core ethics and values of the field.