Librarian as Professor: A Dynamic New Role Model

Abstract

The 20th century information explosion provided widespread technological innovation and ease of access to information, and due to the 21st century emphasis on digital collections and electronic resources, libraries around the world are facing an uncertain future. This naturally causes librarians to re-evaluate their professional role, but perhaps academic librarians are best prepared for the future due to their co-existing role as professors. Essentially they have always been teaching, but now they must conquer the disparaging image and status treatment to which they have been subjected and evolve their profession by joining their teaching faculty colleagues in classrooms on college and university campuses worldwide.