In this book we have attempted to present what we believe to be a core text for the profession of librarianship. At the end of the process, we have come to realize just what an ambitious exercise this has been. All four of the authors come from varied professional and research backgrounds, representing just a taste of the diversity that modern librarianship encompasses. We feel that this has been a strength of the work, as issues have been examined from multiple perspectives rather than merely one. The resulting content encompasses both the traditional and the modern, which reflects the nature of the profession neatly.

The skills dilemma

Very little of what librarians had to know 25 years ago has diminished; cataloguing and classification, reference skills, selection and acquisition, understanding user needs, and quality of service are all as relevant today as then. New knowledge has arrived in the form of technology, however, and modern librarians need to understand this area to a level that allows them to deliver services to users. The profession has not become a technical one, except in areas where it always has been so, such as systems work. However, an understanding of ICTs does have an essential service function for librarians in all sectors, and the opportunities it affords the profession to deliver exciting new pathways into information cannot be ignored. ICTs do not change the goals or values of the information worker; they merely alter how we deliver some of the services to the user.

Equally the expansion in teaching of management skills is also reflected in the core of librarianship, with new professionals needing to understand strategic planning, marketing, project working and partnerships – and of course the driver is always a better service for the customer.

Librarianship: the past and the future

The profession of librarianship is an important one for society. It is vital that new library and information professionals come equipped with as full an understanding of all aspects of the profession as is practicable. We hope within this text to have given an appropriate overview for the student of the profession, or the professional, who wishes to take his or her understanding into new areas.