The past two decades have seen a radical evolution in how we manage information, so it is no surprise that the role of librarians has evolved with it. The information arena has seen dramatic changes in library management in general and the function of specialist librarians particularly.  Corporate librarians are no longer seen as the custodians of long shelves of bound volumes and research journals, but as information professionals actively engaged in the day-to-day operations of the company.

The digital era of information-on-demand has given library science a vibrant dynamic.  Data can be requested and retrieved within moments, and this has become a significant force driving commerce worldwide.  Corporate librarians have kept stride, often by re-inventing themselves as much as they have been led to re-engineer the collections they warden.

Perhaps the most significant change in recent years has been the gradual development of the corporate library from a walled-off garden in the company to a vital organ crucial to the organization’s routine function.  The digital era has given a boon to library services and those managing them: once a segment of the employee population that saw itself as relative “outsiders looking in” on the rest of the company, the corporate librarians of today are information managers and data retrieval specialists whose role should not be undervalued.  It was often the case that corporate librarians would complain of “burn-out”: no longer finding meaning in their work, lending itself to dissatisfaction and lack of interest in the company’s manifest success.  The digital age has brought with it new opportunities and new challenges for corporate librarians to embrace and meet, and it is to our benefit to embrace the librarians in kind for the remarkable services they are bringing to our companies.

Corporate librarians are increasingly becoming active players in the budget and allocation of resources within organizations.  As information technology continues to evolve, corporate librarians are often being asked to consult with CIOs and CFOs to find the most cost-effective ways of optimizing library management: delivering desired information rapidly with the greatest ROI.  Perhaps more than most other personnel within the company, corporate librarians find themselves driven to be at the forefront of technical knowledge and understanding about new developments with information technology.  So it is that corporate librarians have made a marked transition from quiet caretakers of books, toward becoming valued and trusted members of the company’s IT staff.  We should not overlook the knowledge and expertise that librarians bring to our endeavors: when it is needed most, they often can and will provide a fresh and needed perspective which otherwise may be overlooked.

Gone also are the days when the library itself was a structure removed from the general bustle of the company.  Today’s corporate library has few solid bounds between it and corporate management.  In turn, the flow of information in and out of the library has become a ceaseless hum.  For all the revolution of the digital age, it is still the primary function of the librarian to maintain the integrity of the library while making its information timely and accessible for all.  Corporate librarians have always performed this task admirably.  They should also be regarded, not only for their dedication to an oft-overlooked part of corporate culture, but also for demonstrating adaptability often exceeding the expectations we would have of other members of the company and the professional community at large.