Shirlee Schwartz, president, Fairfield County Chapter, received some good ink in the Stamford Advocate regarding a widely published article by Troy Corley of the Los Angeles Times. In his article, "Search Pros May Need to Search for a New Line of Careers", Corley asserts that the Internet is changing the information profession. He cites examples of how the Internet has turned information gathering into anyone's game, but balances this out with the unique contributions made by information specialists. One source goes so far to say that the business of being an information broker is no longer financially viable. That's when Schwartz steps in...

In her January 18 letter to the editor, Schwartz sets a shining example of successful public relations by making a positive statement about the profession of special librarianship. In her letter, she creates interest for the publisher and readers by mentioning prominent local companies, illustrating that information professionals are behind the scenes in most major businesses and organizations in the area. "These professional librarians and information researchers respond to their users in corporations such as General Electric, Purdue Frederick, Perkin Elmer..., to mention a few, as well as clients in hospitals, libraries, and universities." She also points to the more than 175 information professionals in her chapter, again reinforcing the local tie-in.

With that said, Schwartz continues to make her point. "What sets them aside from the searchers described in the article are their capabilities in understanding what is omissive by just using the Internet. By their training and experience, they can evaluate the correct resource for obtaining the most up-to-date and authoritative information required by their users. They are skilled in retrieving this information on a timely basis using the most appropriate sources. The Internet is hardly 'turning this venerable profession upside down.' Indeed, these professionals are highly sought after and in demand."

Well done, Shirlee! More than ever, information professionals need to promote their value in the evolving Information Age.

Case Closed!

Kitty Bennett, news researcher, St. Petersburg Times, reports a stunning example of the investigative techniques of information professionals. When Tampa police were on the trail of a murder, they gave the bit of biographical data they had on their suspect to a Times reporter. The reporter then handed the lead to SLA member John Martin, another news researcher at the Times.

Martin found a record of the police's prime suspect, Jessie Bailey of Tampa, FL. Only after further research, he found a problem--records showed the man was deceased. After a little more digging, he came upon an interesting development--there was another Jessie Bailey, with a different date of birth, living in the same area. Martin and the Times reporter determined police were searching for the wrong man! Indeed, Martin confirmed the first Jessie Bailey was deceased, and the reporter had the police discontinue distribution of his photo just prior to going on air with it. When the reporter went to the living Jessie Bailey's home (Martin located the address through Autotrak records), she witnessed him returning from the murder scene with the 12-gauge shotgun murder weapon displayed on the front seat of the very truck that Martin had verified. Within minutes, the police were notified and the suspect was apprehended.

Martin modestly calls it a good example of reporter/researcher communication. It certainly was! According to Bennett, Times management was very pleased with Martin's crime-solving ability, praising his "intelligent use of the technology." Now that's one way to get management's attention!

But the attention didn't stop there. Martin has received further accolades, including those from Editor & Publisher, in its February 27 issue. The article, by David Noack, highlights the skills of news researchers to their target audience--news management, who often find themselves dependent upon quality research and highly skilled people to perform a supportive role in good reporting--librarians! Noack writes:

"For most news researchers, the work is pretty routine and doesn't often produce this kind of result. But newspaper news/library researchers say this is an excellent example of how reporters and researchers can work together. 'Electronic research plays a gigantic role in newspaper reporting today, and smart libraries have positioned themselves as experts or at least guides in this area,' said Brook Cain, news researcher at the News & Observer in Raleigh, NC. 'The result, I think, is much more collaboration and more complete reporting.'"

The article also points to the success the St. Petersburg Times has experienced since librarians began working in the newsroom hand-in-hand with reporters. Why? When put to work in the middle of the action, infomation professionals become critical players on a high performance team.