9 - Changes and challenges

Abstract

Rapid changes occur in the information business: changes which have an impact on the LIS functions. Some of the changes we can influence and on other changes we have no influence whatsoever, but we must relate to them in one way or another. The World Wide Web and the shift to electronic media with the subsequent fast development of new devices and solutions for producing, searching, accessing and delivering information are part of the major changes seen in recent decades. Other changes are commercialisation of metadata, the growing importance of copyright issues for electronic information, the changing role of the information professional, the needs for new competence and increased demand for cooperation and collaboration with stakeholders and colleagues, both within and outside the organisation. The LIS business continues to strive to be an embedded part of the parent organisation’s business processes. The challenges of today and for the future are to manage both physical and electronic information resources at the same time, to deliver nicely packaged and compiled information to different platforms, to interact with users and clients, to be an embedded part of the parent organisation’s business processes, to demonstrate visible benefits and value, and to meet increased competition and general economic restrictions.