College and Research Libraries Guest Editorial The Spirit of Networking: Beyond Information Resources In some sense, networking is every- where. It is a term which is used in a number of contexts to mean different things. As a result, the impact and im- port of its essential meaning are often missed in our social and professional discourse. In the space allowed I would like to focus on that essential meaning as it is manifested in several distinct areas of professional concern. Today the most frequent context for the use of networking is in relation to the electronic connections that allow us to contact people and access information resources around the world. In the dis- course I sense a certain boastfulness about the scope of the network and its ability to deliver unimaginable informa- tion resources. Often in those discus- sions the extensiveness of a Gopher's reach is held up as a major accomplish- ment, for example. But are we networked with our cus- tomers? In other words, are we listening to our patron's wishes? When I talk to faculty and students they tell me they are drowning in information resources. What is needed is not more access but better access. Librarians need to find ways to help customers sift through the mountains of information. In response to these patron needs there is a strong current of professional think- ing within the information community that believes software design, database management techniques, and artificial intelligence will eventually solve these problems. I hear, for example, prognostica- tions of custom-designed abstracting and altering services. I also see new indexing, abstracting, and alerting services being created to address some of the problems of information overload. However, my sense is that these efforts contribute to the problem. New layers of access tools and new interfaces, while solving some access difficulties, add further confusion to an al- ready bewildering amount of infonruition and modes of access. The trends I see in the electronic net- work world echo the approaches used in the world of print information: gather and organize as much information as possible and develop new access tools to help the patron locate information. I have no sense that these techniques will be any more effective in the electronic networking field than they are in the realm of print material. It is my conviction that what our cus- tomers, both students and faculty, need in addition to better tools, is a better understanding of the organization of in- formation and the fundamental tech- niques for accessing information. An important part of library service should be instruction in the use of information resources and access tools. The new elec- tronic resources make such training even more critical and increase the complex- ity of the needed instruction. Furthermore, this instruction, espe- cially in the use of electronic resources, is not exclusively the responsibility of librarians. Because of the electronic changes, other information profession- als, such as those in computer centers, must be involved. It is time for classroom faculty, librarians, and other informa- tion professionals to build on the work that each group has contributed sepa- rately-rarely in cooperation-to develop 7 8 College & Research Libraries a curriculum of information accessing skills that the educated of this country can use effectively. This curriculum must become an integral part of educational programs at all levels from elementary school through the doctorate and beyond. To achieve this response in an effective manner will require a heretofore unreal- ized effort towards cooperation among in- formation professionals and classroom faculty at all levels of education. While electronic networks become omnipresent in our professional lives and the information retrieval activities of all, there is another revolution occur- ring in our academic and research insti- tutions; libraries are becoming enriched by diversity. More men are joining what remains a largely female profession, but salary discrepancies between the genders continue and women are less likely to be represented in upper management posi- tions. There are more Afro-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities in the pro- fession, but they are still underre- presented. These social conditions reflect realities in the larger society, which makes the solutions all the more difficult, but these facts do not excuse the present sit- uation within the profession. We, as librarians, face the significant challenge of forming coalitions with other groups in order to see that our library institu- tions provide equitable employment op- portunities for all and meet the information needs of the diverse popu- lations we serve. Our roles as professional academic and research librarians have been dis- cussed many times. But rarely do I see much discussion of the academic and research librarians as independent in- dividuals who have responsibilities for addressing these issues. What is, or will be, your role in improving employment equity for library staff? What are aca- demic and research librarians doing to see that state legislatures, local school districts, and government units ade- quately address the needs of school and public libraries? With whom will you connect to solve these problems in our institutions and in our society? January 1994 The essential ingredient of the defini- tion of networking that underlies all of the issues I have addressed above is the interconnectedness that ties us individu- ally and as a profession to other persons and groups in our society. It is a truism to say that our welfare and our success in achieving the goals outlined above are directly related to our ability to connect with others. Yet far too often we act as though we can inde- pendently achieve our goals in spite of or over the objections of others. While most of us understand networking as "connecting," we must take it one step further. We must recognize the interdependent relationships that are involved. The failure to acknowl- edge that interdependence is a fundamen- tal weakness in developing strategies to achieve our goals. Perhaps one example from my ex- periences as a bibliographic instruction librarian will illustrate the point. I can develop a program to teach students the use of library resources and connect with faculty to tell them about the content of those resources. I can stress how valua- ble it is for students to learn to use the library. However, no matter how much publicity I create and how good the pro- gram might be, it will not be successful unless the instruction is integrated (i.e., interconnected) with course assignments that require library use to achieve the goals of the course. Unless the instruction pro- gram recognizes the dependence of our instructional efforts on the context of course assignments and the motivation and direction that context creates, our program is not successful. The same is true with all other aspects of our efforts. Gaining equity for women employees and ethnic minorities, serving the diver- sity of our customers, improving school and public libraries, and gaining politi- cal and societal support for libraries all involve a fundamental commitment to acknowledging and honoring the inter- relatedness of our existence by building relationships with others. It is only through those relationships that we will truly achieve our professional goals. THOMAS G. KIRK President, ACRL Companies venturing into former Eastern Bloc countries are met with virtually limitless opportunity-and virtually nonexistent hard currency. So, those eager to forge new markets are willing to accept some unconventional forms of exchange. Pepsi Cola, for example, economy and the innovative ways Western businesses are working within it are topics of tremendous interest And they're just two of the thousands of important subjects covered by PAIS International. 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