The Future of Information Services

Book excerpt: Librarians and library administrators must plan for the future of information services and delivery now if they wish to survive as vital organizations in the coming years and influence the direction in which libraries will head. The Future of Information Services focuses on the long-range outlook for libraries and includes discussions of implications the future has for organizational structures and services. The contributing authors share their thoughts on many of the issues that need to be resolved in order for libraries to flourish in the twenty-first century, providing needed guidance for readers struggling with the myriad changes taking place in the information world today. The ideas and strategies in this book provide readers with a strong background to help enable them to lead their profession successfully into the future. The Future of Information Services discusses organizational development and administration, reviews major functions and departments included in most academic and public libraries to see what significant differences there may be in the library of the future, and explores partnerships in the information future. Specific topics addressed in the volume include: leadership requirements for the future of information services building a community electronic information infrastructure organization and role of library systems staff in relation to public service staff international and foreign information services in the expanding global community library and information studies education for the twenty-first century practitioner a future for special collections future directions for the U.S. government documents program fee-based services information professionals'relationships with vendors Librarians are in a unique position to provide leadership as society works toward the information future. Successful leadership during current, seemingly chaotic times requires a high degree of creativity, risk taking, and innovation, along with a clear understanding and articulation of professional values and vision. The Future of Information Services helps readers see into the future and clarify goals toward which to work to enable them and their successors to provide effective information services for years to come.