John Feather
The context of change: information professionals and the information professions in an information society
Loughborough University
provision use information lies heart professional activities nothing new indeed essence profession practitioners unique body common knowledge make available clients true physician ancient greece lawyer medieval europe distant descendants 21st century acquisition body knowledge core purpose professional education historically knowledge carefully protected professionals use specialized language common phenomena including words phrases dead foreign languages characterizes many professions even recent origin developed specialized vocabularies sometimes provide precise description activity could described less precisely mundane language sometimes also create air mystery medieval early modern english work craft trade profession around professional practice retrospect astonishing recall clients subscribed view profession mystery nowhere apparent public attitudes medical practitioners last 20 years seen profound change even uk remains deferential society seen everywhere broader context political demystification professions direct intended consequence breaking monopolies conservative governments 1980s early 1990s limiting power trades unions privatizing public monopolies utilities services part philosophy special expertise recognized customers longer clients patients passengers encouraged challenge judgement professionals demand fuller explanations seek services conveniently costeffectively provided expect higher quality provision political drive towards proponents regarded breaking socially economically undesirable monopolies reenforced radical technological changes taking place period indeed difficult perhaps unnecessary wholly distinguish cause effect rapid development internetparticularly inauguration world wide web mid1990sopened unimaginably large public information resource even remotely comparable anything gone phenomenon network society brought information merely home desktop growing multitude genuinely portable handheld devices information common global currency systems delivered globally compatible networks robust hardware cheap getting cheaper positive view information society empowering ordinary people unprecedented extent eshopping edemocracy giving people greater control lives greater influence society large another side coin social exclusion economic deprivation political alienation reenforced rather remedied dependence technology cheap comparatively rich use requires skills however rudimentary universal whole areas globe able access benefits networked systems even within richest countries world poor largely excluded benefits changes majority people developed world live complex knowledgerich environment skills take advantage minority suffering negative effects exclusion12 role information profession information society sometimes uncertain ambiguous3 institutions organizations information traditionally providedlibrarieshave undergone profound change nowhere obvious perhaps radical health sector traditional medical library vanished indeed medicine law forefront professional domains rapidly took advantage development networked icts information communication technology credibly argued development medlars medline represented major advance information service provision turn profound effect education training future generations information professionals4 information professional health sector become part multidisciplinary care team serves patient5 use informatics confined finding efficient ways providing traditional information services clinical professionals health institutionsfrom communitybased primary care services hospitals engaged teaching research well patient careare largely dependent information systems effective functioning management patient records supplies indeed people transformed ict uncertainties really begin information professionalthe former librarianis always key player dependence information systems might suggest management information well acquisition use become part toolkit every professional across whole range information professions concern distinctiveness lost professional mystery exposed light6 truism point clich say information around us nevertheless truism ex hypothesi true use information time bombarded whether want sometimes actively seek informationrich environment inhabited great majority people developed countries problem select evaluate information rather gain access practice everyone learned go part process evaluation comparatively elementary informationsearching skills needed example discover medical information web problem issues lie rather forming judgement quality value found professionals domain bring unique body knowledge evaluation process also bring prejudices preconceptions profession evidencebased approach professional practice presupposes ability evaluate evidence evidence public domain however control interpreted used healthcare field obvious example use complimentary traditional medicines unconventional approaches treatment healing scientifically trained professional may reject enduser always able understand difference evidence assertion phenomenon widespread perhaps exemplified familiar situation radio television discussion spokesperson pressure group put accredited expert field scientific fact especially numerical statistical data involved often submerged strength advocates emotional political commitment must see wider context end deferencein welcome social changehas brought assumption equal value two opinions problema real practical problem information professionalsis extend denial value specialized knowledge information environment sometimes crosses boundary democracy anarchy role information professional especially working professions becomes complex perhaps sensitive underlying principle simple one sources information equal value comparative value determined applying knowledge experience continuing role professional analyst provider information issues arise precisely access information longer problem minuscule percentage information accessible web open general use uncharged point delivery moreover access confined location current phase ict revolution focusing mobility ubiquitous cellular phone long since ceased mere communications device persontoperson voice text transmissions remain important part functionality part 3g cell phones typically internetenabled technologies continue evolve converge able make use wireless networks installed private public spaces digital air seemed like science fiction bare decade ago whether cell phone sophisticated handheld device like blackberry conventional laptop computer information available 247 across globe idea information comes specific place particular person dying days active participation information society requires ability seek find information well evaluate use commonly used search engines try facilitate process notoriously profligate number references produce response generalized queries informationsearching skills appearing formal educational curricula anyone aspirant information professionals powerful case arguing information skills integral part national curriculum schools higher education information education typically included degree programmes although much little modernised version traditional induction user education programmes might argued almost anything better nothing perception problem complicated undeniable fact children young people well seniors sometimes recognized typically developed excellent skills certain uses certain icts anyone watched tweenie texting knows exactly means basic technical skills communicating computerthe use mouse joystick keyboardare similarly widespread largely probably selftaught serious although necessarily complex sophisticated use ict however less common young people skilled use internet search engines playing interactive games web little knowledge wordprocessing spreadsheets rudimentary essential systems making effective professional advanced educational use icts although beginning change widespread adoption ict tool well subject schools remains case skills patchy often acquired informally ad hoc rather outcome systematic learning skills acquired however widely used web normal first resort seeking information access generic search engine rather specialized portal result children others basic technical skills information seeking finding position use advanced skills selection evaluation typically awareness phenomenon treating information sources equal value replicated propagated information professionals aware trends fact generation students highly computer literate possessed wide range ict skills mean broader sense information literate creates new role information professional longer focused provision analysis information informationrich environment live must also instructor make best use information available evaluate found mean everyone becomes information professional however imply practitioners evidencebased professions including healthcare sector need high level information literacy understanding role information professional play7 need highlevel information skills good access information major implications provision information services healthcare professionals traditional medical library long runs journals current editions standard works andat least teaching hospitalstext books students junior medical staff transformed contemporary medical library information centre provides access sources information stored library use resources underpin information services provided clinical teams essential proper functioning helped integrate information professional clinicians caring professions health care changes raise critical issues relation education training information professions generally healthcare sector particular understood 20 years nhs recognized potential ict 1980s began make intensive use need specialist information managers including computerliterate information professionals significant preoccupation leaders change8 subsequent history major ict projects health sector may always entirely happy nevertheless case turn 21st century delivery healthcare services become dependent ict applications every dimension clinical procedures patient records management training professional development practitioners many radical changes education information professionals last 20 years trace origins growing changing needs healthcare sector transformation medical librarian clinical informationist title used brown5 precursor incorporation information professional multidisciplinary team professional education changed reflect facilitate developments change however ongoing rather completed process professional education exempt discourse future direction education lis profession essentially turns two key issues balance knowledge skills extent timing specialization knowledgeskills debate old library education indeed predates centuries older professions law course medicine typical information professional uk north america australasia postgraduate qualification normally masters degree following bachelors degree discipline undergraduate programmes lis universities uk elsewhere although none among professionally accredited programmes usa generally recognized postgraduate route appropriate mode entry specialized highlevel professional uk programmes devised universities working within two frameworks first framework levels standards demanded quality assurance agency higher education qaa acts national monitor auditor higher education provision9 qaa subject benchmark statement library information management currently review ironically concerned bachelors level programmes much content read across masters level using qaa framework documents1011 skills content lis programme although present qaa benchmark statement fully addressed cilips framework qualifications12 comprehensive scheme qualifications based evidence acquisition application knowledge skills every level schoolleaver library assistant senior professional practitioner basic professionallevel membership institute chartered status evidence required reflective practice active career development successful participation formal professional education subsequent training events framework deliberately written generalized terms recognizing wide variety tasks information professionals legitimately engaged attempts achieve greater precision defining skill base lis professional practice yet widely adopted1314 knowledge skills required effective professional practice continually changing even although underlying principles information management remain valid perhaps best understood examining changing role information professional supply chain paperbased world comparatively straightforward simplified simplistic form could expressed thus authors wrote publishers published booksellers sold librarians bought readers borrowed linear progression author reader significantly changed use digital information resources still creator enduser functions diminished importance become unnecessary others moved actors participants supply chain longer easily distinguished authors put work directly public domain websites without editorial commercial intervention longterm preservation published documents depends technology rather management physical collections access desktop move rather library informationrich environment vast quantities information rapidly accessible role professional facilitate accessibility rather direct provider access time many libraries also become publishers institutional repositories disciplinebased digital archives become common feature research landscape information professionalof present distant futureis much gatekeeper traditional metaphor guide information jungle role help clients refine questions effective searches conducted ensure digital resources merely technically intellectually accessible provision userfriendly frontends highquality wellinformed comprehensive metadata ensure clients aware range information resources available embedded roles overarching objective helping endusers make best use time resources enrich professional practice using information seek find information management lies heart vocational education information professional together development expertise basic skills information storage retrieval people skills also integral element professional work broadest sense wellprepared entrylevel professional awareness social political contexts within information work conducted understand organizations work skills presentation persuasion well purely technical competencies things difficult teach yet without information professional able function imperfectly especially working professionals environments information professional adaptable well competent able work environment dominated another profession whether specialized environment financial services law health care information professional needs adapt recognition distinctive indispensable contribution information professional come ultimately credibility earned individual practitioners incorporating level personal development educational programme notoriously difficult achieved however ensure information workers relevant specialized knowledge enable work colleagues professional domains many entrylevel educational programmes information professions include opportunity learn something healthcare field practice many students lis programmes clear idea branch profession wish enter finding job availability jobs may determine least first professional post specialized training begin uk pattern academic degree followed period planned mentored development skills professional practice particularly valuable context whether within formal cilip framework incumbent employers recognize partners educational process lis schools produce people ready become competent committed professionals workplace competence fully developed commitment fully demonstrated information professionalsthe experts information storage organization retrieval disseminationare central effective functioning information society yet work far universally recognized critical role information professionals typically working multidisciplinary environment provide one dimension overall mix skills necessary deliver services perhaps sector apparent health care primary professional providers increasingly dependent ict deliver services working context cultural change scientific advance moving rapidly increase professionals dependence flow focused accurate information education practice information professions revolutionized last 20 years take account new environment recently less radically understanding professional competencies means identified acquired validated also undergone fundamental change consequences changes work way system reasonably hope see ever greater recognition importance information professional managers turn enhance quality service provided clients clinicians others ultimately function information professionalto job well others better jobs implications policy management information well acquisition use become part toolkit every professional sources information equal value comparative value determined applying knowledge experience continuing role professional analyst provider information implications practice practitioners evidencebased professions need high level information literacy understanding role information professional play role information professional facilitate accessibility rather direct provider access ultimate function information professional job well others better jobs