In consideration of our international readership, the following summaries of this month's feature articles are provided first in English, then in French and Spanish.
The Angst of Outsourcing
by Gloria DinermanWhenever an information center falls victim to outsourcing, management is declaring to the corporate community that library personnel are not important to the rest of the corporate team. Management is saying that it is not worth the the money to retain the staff--that an outside service will perform just as well. On the contrary, managing a library and being on patron call for everything from patents to competitive intelligence demands the attention of a professional administrator. Gloria Dinerman explores this "angst of outsourcing" and shares some valid reasons why this option is neither wise, cost-efficient, nor practical to the well-being and informational stability of the parent company. With a detailed scenario of her company's interaction with contractors, you can be the judge.
Information Professionals at the Crossroads: Change as Opportunity -- 88th Annual SLA Conference Meets in Seattle
The Pacific Northwest Chapter of SLA is honored to host the 88th annual conference in Seattle, WA, June 7-12, 1997. The conference theme, "Information Professionals at the Crossroads: Change as Opportunity," was chosen to reflect the changes facing our profession--changes that will bring challenges and opportunities. It is a part of the Special Libraries Association's commitment to providing members and other information specialists with the best professional opportunities and resources available. Complete with photos of Seattle's major sites and attractions, members of the Pacific Northwest Chapter and SLA's Conferences and Meetings staff highlight what will take place at the convention and some of what the unique city of Seattle has to offer. They also include information on feature presentations, professional development offerings, registration, exhibits, and Seattle logistics. If you're planning on attending the conference, read carefully!A Non-Librarian Explains "Why Librarians Should Rule the Net"
by R. Anders Schneiderman, Ph.DLibrarians have a lot to offer the Information Age--they have been managing complex information for over 2,000 years. They are built around the idea that they need to serve everyone. They focus on the resources that everyone will be able to use, and they strongly believe in universal access. In short, libraries are based on a culture that says knowledge and information must be available to everyone if our democracy is to survive. So why aren't these librarians in charge of the Net? Unfortunately, instead of being in charge of this rapidly expanding medium, librarians are simply struggling to survive. In the long run, the only way the Net will rise to its true potential is if librarians become an integral part of the discussion of its future.
Competencies Promote Partnerships
by Susan WrightAt the SLA Winter Meeting held this past January, a panel of three deans shared their opinions about the document, Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st Century. Speakers included SLA members, Dr. Toni Carbo, dean of the School of Library Science at the University of Pittsburgh; Fred Roper, dean of the School of Library Science at Florida State University--Tallahassee; and Jane Robbins, dean of the School of Library Science at the University of South Carolina. Each speaker shared their insight regarding this valuable document as well as thier suggestions for its improvement. Ultimately, the panel agreed that the document promotes an on-going partnership between practitioners and educators in the library and information science arena. With this partnership also comes the responsibilty of ensuring the document serves as a working model for the challenges librarians face in the upcoming years.
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This page was updated on April 22, 1997.