Emerging Trends - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 171

out to address those needs. Demonstrating the impact of libraries is being done
more effectively than ever before, by providing the research and reports to funding
bodies and administrators to let them know the impact the library is having.
Leadership in the Profession
Library and information professionals must provide leadership for the advocacy
of libraries and information services, especially in times when state and national
leaders advocate for “small government.” That term usually means less money
for public services, including education, libraries, and information resources, which
are critical components of the information infrastructure. Library and information
professionals must be assertive leaders, actively engaged in political activities to
advocate for these personnel, resources, and services that are essential for a
knowledge society in the 21st century.
Currently there is no government agency responsible for leadership of the na-
tion's information infrastructure. The National Commission on Libraries and Inform-
ation Science during the years 1970-2008 was such an agency and was consol-
idated into the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent
agency in the U.S. government. The mission, displayed on the IMLS Web site, “is
to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cul-
tural and civic engagement.” This mission is much too restrictive to provide leader-
ship for the national information infrastructure.
Preservation Concerns
Information professionals are responsible for keeping and providing access to
the cultural records of a society, and a growing percentage of records is now avail-
able in digital form. Traditional letters have been replaced by e-mail and text mes-
sages. Topics are available in both paper and electronic form.
As technologies change, how will our society store the research, literature, and
other art forms that traditionally have been stored in a paper format? Currently the
decision to digitize topics is driven by the marketplace; publishers will convert to
digital format those titles that are expected to be profitable. Yet in order to preserve
works for future generations, we as a society will need to address this issue cent-
rally, through some governmental agency, and the information profession should
play a leadership role. Preservation is a key issue for the future.
Implications for LIS Education