LA TIMES article

[Louis Rosenfeld]

On Wed, 17 Dec 1997, Gary Price wrote:

[stuff deleted]
 
> If having information is as important as we currenlty read surely those
> who know how and where to find it will have a role. 
 
I can't agree more.  I believe that the prospects for traditional
libraries are mixed in the face of information technologies like the Web.
But the prospects for librarians couldn't be better, as long as we are
willing to work in non-traditional environments. 

I used to worry that disintermediation and improved access would render
our profession moot.  No way.  Certainly, users are getting better at
solving simple information needs, but in the process are learning that not
all information needs are simple.  In many cases, users may realize that
they need the assistance of a professional, when in the past they might
not have bothered at all.  Users are getting more savvy about information,
but that doesn't mean they'll all become as capable as professionally
trained librarians are.  Nor will they want to do our jobs! ;-) 

Louis Rosenfeld                                             lou at argus-inc.com
Argus Associates, Inc.                                   http://argus-inc.com
109 Catherine Street                                   voice: +1.734.913.0010
Ann Arbor, MI  48104  USA                                fax: +1.734.213.8082

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web  (L. Rosenfeld & P. Morville)
O'Reilly & Associates; Jan 1998.      http://www.ora.com/catalog/infotecture/