The Janus-face of information professionals

Abstract

This paper addresses the debate concerning the diverse nature of the information profession and its implications for the information professional. Much of this debate emerged during the discussions generated by the conference on Information Specialists for the 21st Century in Hannover, Germany, in October 1999. An account of the debate is given, describing different international perspectives on how to characterize the profession at present, future developments, the challenges it faces, and the types of skills and knowledge that need to be integrated into the curricula to help future information specialists meet these challenges.

In addition, using a Bernsteinian perspective, we examine the British approach to the information profession through the analysis of Information Management (IM) as a discipline. An explanation for the varied identity of IM is sought using Basil Bernstein's conceptual framework of codes, classification and framing. We endeavour to illustrate how the low classification and weak framing that typifies IM contribute to its weak subject boundaries and leave the profession open to speculations about its identity. We show how this is compounded by the impact and influences that professional organisations and governmental agencies have exerted on IM, through the processes of accreditation and benchmarking.