Our information world is undergoing radical changes. We're using social media for serious research. We're reaching out to our users via customer relationship management (CRM) systems. We're discovering new sources of information for business research. We're seeing digital libraries that will reshape the landscape of what we mean by the word "library." We're wondering how much to rely on crowdsourced information. We're rethinking almost every aspect of the information world and information work. I've been reading some historical fiction lately. Apart from making me appreciate modern plumbing and dental care, these tales reinforced an image (fantasy?) of mine about the gentleman scholar (and, yes, in the 18th century, most scholars were men). I picture a quiet, wood-paneled study; floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with all the knowledge anyone could want; a desk covered with open reference tomes and papers with new knowledge and insights scribbled on them; and a scholar painstakingly pursuing his research passion.
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