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Formerly, a library was viewed as a place for information storage and information was viewed as simply bits of data. Furthermore, many wielded information as a tool of power, in that those who had more information had more authority. It is becoming increasingly clear that shared collective knowledge of an organization is of far greater value than that of each individual's privately held data. In view of the librarian's changing profession, it has also become clear that they are now being charged with the mission to explore and implement new and innovative methods to encourage sharing and to better manage information. The articles selected for this compendium are well thought-out and organized and are drawn from the fields of information and library science and business management. Since most special libraries are corporate libraries, the selections are taken from these different disciplines to provide perspectives from both a business standpoint and an information management one.The selections contain many different predictions about libraries and librarians of the future. They focus on new roles and highlight the importance of the profession. With the rapid growth of technology, end-users are being inundated with choices. They need expert advice from experienced practitioners. Currently, much of the literature focuses solely on the management of libraries as opposed to environment in which libraries operate. The purpose of this reader is to correct that.James M. Matarazzo is Dean and Professor at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Prior to joining the Simmons faculty, he was Assistant Science Librarian, and later, Government Documents Librarian and Head of Technical Reports at the Libraries of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jim's research interests focus on three general issues: the closing of corporate libraries, how management values these libraries, and excellence in corporate library operations. He holds a B.A. and M.A. degrees from Boston College, and an M.S. degree from Simmons College, and a Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh.Suzanne Connolly is a Manager with Ernst & Young's Center for Business Knowledge, a center devoted to the capture, synthesis and redeployment of knowledge resources. Her work focuses on creating business processes to support Ernst & Young's internal management infrastructure. Suzanne's research examines the changing role of the corporate library in American business and knowledge management within organizations. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, she worked for Fidelity Investments in Boston. Suzanne holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. This is the most up-to-date and most relevant articles on the subject drawn from the fields of: information, library science, and business management. It has a unique focus on the theme of knowledge and libraries' new role/ model within corporations. The special libraries are shown as a business asset.
