Increasingly, library school graduates need the flexibility to become information entrepreneurs, no longer based in institutions or defined by organizations. Graduates of today's library schools need strategic skill sets, including the ability to analyze and adjust their thinking within a new organizational context. The FIS programs at the University of Toronto, like others across Canada, have evolved to accommodate the new emphasis on technology, information systems, electronic research methods, and information delivery. Dr. Griffiths brought forward some very interesting observations about the Web, information navigation and the future role of librarians. The continuing lack of understanding about the role of libraries and the value of information professionals present special challenges for those attempting to re-define their roles in the light of the new core competencies.
Librarians provide access to physical and intellectual collections of recorded knowledge.
This role, along with long-term preservation and collection of knowledge resources, should continue. With their existing skill sets and their unique knowledge of their clients and recorded knowledge domains, library workers are well placed to take on these new roles. Finally, Dr. Griffiths spoke of the relationship between libraries and Information Technology departments and their respective roles in the management of the organization s information technology infrastructure. Following a series of focus groups encounters with employers and prospective employers, EBSI drew up a long list of the knowledge, skills, and qualities or abilities information professionals require at the dawn of the new millennium. She recognized that no single person could possess all the desirable qualities.