By Prof. Dan O'Connor, SCILS, Rutgers University

Why be a librarian/information specialist in the 21st century?

A librarian in the 21st century has the potential to be grounded in the infrastructure of the emerging digital revolution since that person makes available to the members of society access to the vast stores of verifiable, reputable, and authenticated information from which decisions can be made to help our democracy and economy grow. It is expected that soon the very best information will only be available for a fee and that such fees will act to inhibit the free and unfettered access to information by all of our citizens.

It will be the library-in its time honored tradition-which allows citizens to pool their money and other resources to purchase, collectively, the very best information and make that available for the good of all. In the near and distant past, individual citizens could not afford to buy all the books or magazines being published and, even if a citizen were very rich, few individuals could afford to construct the buildings which would be need to house all that printed material. It is likely that as the digital revolution increases the vast stores of information available, that no individual citizen could afford to purchase, store, or quickly access the best information being produced. Thus, the library-from the Library of Congress to the small public library-will collectively assume this function and make available to our citizens the high quality information needed to grow our democracy, increase citizen participation in our government, and expand our economy.

The librarian, always a respected individual in our society, will need new leaders with new visions to accomplish this complex yet essential undertaking. Make no mistake, the 21st Century library is not someone who stands between producers and consumers of information; others will do that for the entertainment and news industries. Instead, the librarian of the 21st century will be a pivotal, influential, and essential component in providing the bridge to link our citizenry with the information they will need to make our society prosper as it adheres to the fundamental principles of our democracy. The librarian of tomorrow will stand ready to select reputable information and deliver it to our citizens. This role will be as essential as the education we require for our children. It is my hope that access to libraries and librarians will be mandated in the state and federal constitutions. This will help insure that the 21st Century librarian becomes an integral component of our society. In that way, our citizens will give recognition and value to those who proudly call themselves librarians.

---