Evolving Role of a News Librarian in a Digital Age - Book Report/Review Example

Evolving Role of a News Librarian in a Digital Age - A Review of the Literature In accordance with the research made by Barreau (2005, 325) ‘the first news library was the newspaper morgue, where old news and other materials were stored until needed for obituaries or as background for investigative reports; and the first news librarian was a journalist assigned as keeper of the morgue’ Today, the role of news librarian can have many aspects. However, in accordance with a definition given by Nora Paul, library director of the Poynter Institute of Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, news librarians ‘are the collectors, managers, and redistributors of the organizations primary product, information. This is critical in all stages of informations flow through the organization--initial information gathering for use in news reporting, in the collection of the news product into databases, in the repackaging of information created by the organization into new products’ (Meil, 1995, 62). In the above context, news librarian can be differentiated from reference or research librarian in terms that his duties are precisely defined. However, in most cases there could be a combination of the above tasks for librarians around the world. In fact, there are few cases where a news librarian focuses specifically on the above tasks. Other, similar tasks could be delegated to a news librarian and he should respond using all his skills and knowledge. It should be noticed that the role of news librarian has been combined today with that of digital librarian. More specifically, because of the development of technology, a news librarian is expected to have an extensive knowledge of the IT systems especially those related with the storage and the distribution of data to researchers of all types (students, professors, writers, reporters and so on). Towards this direction it is supported by Sreenvasulu (2000, 12) that a digital librarian is ‘a type of specialist information professional who manages and organizes the digital library, combines the functionality for information, elicitation, planning, data mining, knowledge mining, digital reference services, electronic information services, representation of information, extraction, and distribution of information, co-ordination, searching notably CD-ROMs, online, Internet-based WWW, multimedia access and retrieval’. The above definition is made more clear through the explanation given by Borgman (1999) regarding the structure and the role of digital libraries for researchers worldwide. In this context, Borgman (1999, 229) notices that ‘researchers focus on digital libraries as content collected on behalf of user communities, while librarians focus on digital libraries as institutions or services’. In other words, the role of librarians is clear and is distinguished from that of researchers. Moreover, the former help the latter to retrieve the necessary information for their study. From another point of view it is suggested by Borgman (1999, 230) that ‘librarians tend to take a broad view of the concept of a `library; stated in general terms, they see libraries as organizations that select, collect, organize, conserve, preserve and provide access to information on behalf of a community of users’. The above assumptions could be considered as applied also to news librarians (who are part of this broad category). Other information regarding the role of news librarians can be also derived through the tasks delegated to librarians (in a broad explanation of the term). In this case using the argument ‘from the general to the specific’ we could assume that in news librarians all issues and descriptions related with librarians in general could be also applied. For this reason, we can refer to the study of Martin et al. (1998, 92) who noticed that ‘even when library users can identify and locate an appropriate newspaper collection, and an index to the collection is available, there are several problems; scholars using newspaper indexes may occasionally discover that something included in an index cannot be found in the actual newspaper; this is because the index may not correspond to the version of the newspaper held by the library’. A librarian who is appropriately informed could be extremely helpful towards the resolution of the above problem. On the other hand, in the news industry (especially in online journals) it has been found that ‘historians and librarians concerns regarding the online newspaper as a record revolve around issues of access, permanence, comprehensiveness, and quality; access also involves cost; operating and storage costs for digital information, and the attendant costs of managing property rights, are relatively high at the current time because the systems to support such activities are virtually nonexistent’ (Martin et al., 1998, 126). In this way, the firm that provides the above info may not be able to delegate the above task to an appropriately trained librarian (cost of wages) and as a result the information provided will present severe faults. Librarians have been also related with schools. In this case, a librarian that works in a school is characterized as the ‘professional colleague who may offer the most support for teachers who want to attempt the use of source documents in the classroom is the school librarian or media specialist’(Tyner, 1998, 37). Again his role could be related with that of a news librarian under the requirements set previously. Two characteristic cases of the role of news librarians in modern era are those of USA today and Observer. In the first of the above newspapers it has been found that ‘in the library at USA Today has played a big role in the newspapers success, beginning its operation even before the prototypes of the newspaper were finished; like the newspaper, the library has come a long way in the past two decades; news librarians have seen their roles evolve from fact-checkers to collaborators with reporters and editors; technology allows the staff to move out of the library and into the newsrooms, where they participate in news meetings, contribute to stories, and suggest graphics’ (Chepesiuk, 2003, 27). It seems from the above that the role of news librarians is significant towards the development of a firm that operated in the news publishing industry. Towards the same direction, in Observer, it is stated that ‘delivering accurate information quickly and, importantly, in the format that the user wants is the key role of the Guardian/ Observer library (or Research & Information (R&I) as it is now known); based in Farringdon Road, London, the staff of 12 provides a research service to more than 650 editorial staff on the Guardian, the Observer and Guardian Unlimited (GU); as well as fielding all manner of enquiries, R&I writes fact-boxes, compiles background packages for specialist writers and maintains a research intranet. It is also responsible for the electronic archiving of the papers for data hosts’ (Richard, 2006, 38). In other newspapers, the role of news librarians can be differentiated in accordance with the firm’s facilities and the needs of editors and reporters. In any case it should be noticed that the role of librarians today has been changed. For this reason, it is supported by Marsh (2005, 120) that ‘news libraries were best known as archives where old newspapers were watched over by quiet librarians who meticulously classified and catalogued local and world events; today, however, news libraries are as much a part of the lifeblood of a newspaper as the investigative team or the assignment desk; librarians are included in most major feature story plans and often work in partnership with reporters and editors on projects’. In this context, it is highlighted by Rapple (1997, 114) that ‘many traditional conceptions of libraries and librarianship have little relevance today because of the proliferation of electronic technology; though nearly everyone agrees that radical changes are occurring, they do not agree on what the library of the next millennium will be like’. Under the above conditions it could be stated that WWW threatens librarians (Palmer, 1999). However, it is supported that ‘nevertheless, the complete virtual library is not yet here; nor will it be here for a long time; it will not always be obvious to many, perhaps most, users how to approach the vast resources available electronically through the Information Superhighway, how to evaluate them, how to retrieve information, in short how to use libraries most efficiently’ (Rapple, 1997, 114). However, in any case, appropriate measures should be taken in order for the role of librarians to be protected for the years to come. Indeed, it is noticed by Ming (2000, 26) that ‘as digital electronic materials offer reduced production costs and more sophisticated methods of use, so the interests of publishers and librarians can be seen to converge; electronic materials can be sorted, transmitted and retrieved easily and quickly; new library buildings can be avoided and the ideal of library co-operation may be realized’ (Ming, 2000, 26). On the other hand, it is suggested that ‘two different types of digital libraries are likely to emerge in future: the first are subject- and document-specific digital libraries that will cater for specific subjects and types of information, like digital video, maps, photographs and paintings, theses, and so on; the second are hybrid libraries that will link the traditional libraries with its online public access catalogue (OPAC), CD-ROM and online databases to the world of digital libraries and virtual libraries or gateways’ Meyyappan, 2000, 337). In this context, librarians (including news librarians) should develop their knowledge on IT systems trying to improve their position in modern digital era. In a study that made within a series of newsrooms (US) it has been found that ‘the web and are internet the most-used new resources for finding online information, replacing and supplementing established commercial services; data also suggest a redefinition of roles in the newsroom resulting from adoption of the web and other online technologies, breaking from traditional news-researcher, reporter, and editor roles; todays newsrooms often merge the researcher and reporter/editor roles, freeing researchers for other tasks’ (Garrison, 2001, 3 21). In other words, the role of the news librarian has to be changed in all cases. Regarding this issue, it is noticed by Borgman (1999, 231) that ‘predictions by computer scientists of a declining role for librarians in a digital age are predicated on a constrained view of the present and future role of libraries’. It is within the above context, that news librarians will be called to change the methods using in their work in accordance with the demands of the digital age. As Meil (1995, 62) notices ‘as print and broadcast news organizations reinvent themselves to meet the demands of the information age, news librarians can use their skills to help journalists through the transition and into the future’. In fact, the importance of the role of news librarians cannot be eliminated. However, news librarians should try to adapt their methods of work to the needs of journalists as they are formulated under the influence of digital age. Works Cited Barreau, D. (2005) Integration of information professionals in the newsroom: Two organizational models for research services. Library and Information Science Research, 27: 325-345 Borgman, C. (1999) What are digital libraries? Competing visions, Information Processing and Management, 35: 227-243 Chepesiuk, R. (2003) On the Cutting Edge of the News. Library of USA Today. American Libraries v. 34 no. 5 (May 2003) p. 27-9 Garrison, B. (2001) Diffusion of online information technologies in newspaper newsrooms. Journalism, 2(2): 221-239 Marsh, S. (2005) Goodbye City Morgue: News Librarianship in the Information Age. Feliciter, 51(3): 120-121 Martin, S., Hansen, K. (1998) Newspapers of Record in a Digital Age: From Hot Type to Hot Link. Westport: Praeger Publishers Mayyappan, N., Chowdbury, G. (2000) A review of the status of 20 digital libraries, Journal of Information Science, 26(5): 337-355 Meil, J. (1995) The Joys of Being a News Librarian. American Journalism Review, 17(8): 62-64 Ming, D. (2000) Access to digital information. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 32(1): 26-32 Palmer, S. (1999) Creating Our Roles as Reference Librarians of the Future: Choice or Fate? ACRL National Conference, [Online], available at http://news.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/palmer99.pdf Rapple, B. (1997) The Librarian as Teacher in the Networked Environment. College Teaching, 45(3): 114-125 Richard, N. (2006) Credible and credited: the rise of the media librarians. Library & Information Update v. 5 no. 12 (December 2006) p. 38-41 Sreenivasulu, V. (2000) The role of the digital librarian in the management of digital information systems. The Electronic Library, 18(1): 12-20 Tyner, K. (1998) Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Read More