Collaboration in Special Library Environments

摘要

Disruptive technological innovations are creating new opportunities for information professionals to improve teams, workplaces and organizations. One of the great stereotypical myths of our society is that of the solitary genius who invents or createssomething out of the ether. Amadeus Mozart created brilliant symphonies, but it would have been all for naught without the teamwork of the orchestra (and, by extension, the opera houses and symphony halls and today's broadcast, technology and recordingindustries that keep his music alive). Stephen Hawking is perhaps the most verifiable living genius, yet his magnificent intelligence is trapped in a body wracked by disease and atrophy. Without the talents and skills of his collaborators, publishers, university, family, and caregivers, we would know nothing of his insights and lose the human potential he exemplifies. Genius is not a myth, but invention in solitude is. We not only stand on the shoulders of those who've gone before us, we depend on the support and collaboration of talents and teams that expand our own success. And it almost goes without saying that libraries and librarians play a huge role in conserving and providing access to recorded knowledge—the proverbial shoulders of those who'vegone before us.