Advances in communication and information technologies have made the information environment much more competitive in the twenty-first century. Search engines, publishers, and other content providers, including bloggers and commercial information service providers, have put the library profession on the defensive. How to stay relevant and competitive is a constant concern of the profession these days. While some library professionals may yield to Amazon and Google and declare we are not in the information organization business, the fact is information organization is one of the unique strengths that distinguish our profession from others. Studies have reported rapid increase in digital resources, strong user interest in free digital resources and digital collections, user expectation of free and easy searching and library services, and user preference for one-stop shopping. These findings suggest that information organization in the twenty-first century is more urgent and critical than ever. Challenges from outside the field have prompted library professionals to be innovative in improving library catalogs. This is the time when we need to educate more cataloging professionals and educate them better than we did with the previous generations. For the library and information science profession to thrive in the changing environment the best strategy is to ensure cataloging education is multi-faceted and encompasses the competencies they will need to function effectively. LIS educators should collaborate with fellow LIS educators and practitioners to provide rich learning opportunities for students. We should also seek support from funding agencies, professional organizations, and related stakeholders to create opportunities to develop future leaders. By focusing on the information organization mission of the library profession and collaborating with stakeholders we will be able to produce knowledgeable cataloging professionals who are creative problem solvers and ready to take on information organization challenges in the twenty-first century.
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