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23 Legal Information Alert 1 (2004)

handle is hein.lbr/leinfal0023 and id is 1 raw text is: hat's new in legal publications, databases, and research techniques Volume 23, No. 1 January 2004 Contents From Librarian to I-brarian: The new InfoPro Looks at 2004 1 Calendar 4 Database Report For Your Information New Sources Publishers 6 7 9 16 Index 16 From Librarian to 1-brarian: The New InfoPro Looks at 2004 by K. Matthew Dames Hello ... and Goodbye? Librarians, let's enjoy 2004 thoroughly, since our time together may be quite short. See, with each passing year, our traditional functions as wizards of wisdom, icons of information, and doyens of data become outdated, pass6, and irrelevant. At the current pace, we are three, maybe five years away from becoming museum artifacts. I know. We've been hearing this for years, or at least since the mid-1990s, yet many of us are still in our current jobs. The fact remains, however, that businesses and government agencies are outsourcing entire library operations; income- wracked municipalities are loath to spend money on libraries (or librarians) because they produce no revenue; and educational institutions are busy turning their libraries into coffee houses. The difference between now and then is that back then, when everyone had money, we were thought of as old school. Now, when no one has money, we're considered useless and expensive. That is a bad combination. I know one way to ensure that you can continue to use your M.L.S. degree for something other than wallpaper - become an i-brarian. 1-brarians blend their tradi- tional skills with a firm grasp of modern technology to create new solutions that add previously unforeseen value. 1-brarians may have no specialty, such as reference or cataloging, yet they know well the entire information transfer process, including reference and cataloging. Where the librarian provides information, an i-brarian facilitates communication and comprehension throughout the information transfer chain. Where the librarian is a destination, the i-brarian is a bridge, a conduit to higher levels of understanding. I- brarians never become extinct because their skills are not tied into a particular skill, technology, or occupation. Their skills come from mastery of broader, more general concepts about information, and an ability to apply those concepts to specific situa- tions, ultimately providing a solution to existing and unforeseen problems. Librarians discuss vendor packaging choices and why Starbucks is now the study hall of choice. On the other hand, i-brarians are too busy figuring out how to find, continued on page 3

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