We see education as something that contributes to the common good, something that, when shared, has the possibility to make the world a better place for all of us, the advantaged and disadvantaged alike. Total quality management and other team based management styles have proven, in many instances, to breathe new vitality into organizations. The Internet itself proves the value of shared knowledge every day as scholars and others discuss the ideas and values that are important to them and come away with something new that they would not have come to know on their own. Educators have traditionally been in the business of sharing information. As educators, librarians have focused on this role.
Librarians facilitate the research process, acting as catalysts to the formation of new knowledge.
They play a critical role in education since they help students and others identify and use appropriate research tools in a world of ever expanding and confusing choices. It is the conducting of research which brings greatest educational benefit in any discipline, and it is the topic researched that really sticks with the student for a lifetime. The memorization of material has much less long term value, and it doesn't involve the learner in the creation of knowledge. It doesn't prepare the student to actively participate in a world of shared knowledge. The Internet is already a powerful global educational tool with much, as yet, untapped potential.