To me, it is primarily the complexity of what we do that has changed. Balancing the traditional print resources with the burgeoning electronic environment in an era of shrinking budgets and very high user expectations is the challenge facing librarians today. We need to carve out a place for ourselves in an environment that increasingly focuses on the end-user. The belief that 'everything is online' and 'instantly accessible' is one that librarians face constantly. It is my opinion that one of our roles is to translate that promise of technology into reality.

Since graduating from library school, I have worked in a public library, a parliamentary library and am now at the Australian National University. Even in that relatively short period of twelve years, the tasks that I have done in each environment have changed significantly. However, I would argue that the essential skills I have needed have not changed as drastically as one might think. I believe we can continue to capitalise on our traditional strengths.

A key role for librarians will still be filtering or sifting information. The 'information overload' that most people feel works in our favour. Paul Twomey, in his keynote address, talked about two categories of end-users - the 'do it for me' group and the 'let me do it myself' group. In my opinion, librarians have something to contribute to both those groups.

Our strengths in organising information are usually recognised by organisations when they approach the challenge of developing an Intranet although I think librarians face a marketing challenge here, to convince IT specialists that we do have something to contribute. Traditional library cataloguing may see a decline but metadata indexing of web and Intranet resources, which use the same principles, will take its place.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills have always been important but are increasingly essential as librarians are called upon to explain the complexity of electronic resources to their clients. Information literacy, with its increasing emphasis on developing self-sufficiency in the end-user, will solidify the role of librarian as educator. In all environments, we hear about developing 'partnerships' which requires good listening, communication, diplomacy and negotiation skills.

I graduated from the University of Toronto, Canada in 1988 with a Master of Library Science degree. When I was still living in Toronto, I was a member of the Faculty of Library and Information Science (FLIS) Alumni Association and was involved in the Faculty's decision to change the name of its degree in 1990. The word 'library' no longer appears in the Faculty's name (Faculty of Information Studies <http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/index.htm>) and the degree it now offers is the 'Master of Information Studies'. This was a conscious decision by the Faculty to distance itself from the traditional image of library work and to attract students interested in marketing themselves as 'information professionals' by offering more courses with a technological focus.

In preparation for this discussion, I visited my alma mater's website to look at its current curriculum. Some of the language used to describe the courses has changed and quite a few new electives have appeared, but the core course requirements look very similar to the courses I took. Required courses in the 'Library and Information Science' stream include:

Management of Information Organisations - administration skills

Information Resources and Services - basic reference skills

Intro to Information Technology - basic computer programming/data analysis

Intro to Bibliographic Control - basic cataloguing skills

Online Information Retrieval - intro to electronic databases

Research Methods - research methodology

Information and its Social Contexts - economic/political/social impact of society's emphasis on information

I am not trying to imply that the courses have not been updated to reflect the dramatic changes that have occurred in libraries, as I am sure that they have. A significant number of the elective courses focus on current issues such as electronic publishing and Intranet design. I am also aware that the Faculty at the University of Toronto fosters good relationships with their alumni and actively solicits feedback from working professionals which I am sure is incorporated into the curriculum content. However, what it does illustrate to me is that the Faculty still believes that these are the core skills that an information professional must have, regardless of how they might end up applying them. And I would tend to agree.

In my opinion, one of the real difficulties facing library schools today is image. The term 'librarian' connotes an antiquated understanding of what we do and inadequately represents our capabilities. Overcoming this to attract potential students is a real hurdle.

We hear the terms 'life-long learning' and 'knowledge nation' in our daily conversation. This orientation towards a continual upgrading of skills, especially technological skills, is a requirement of most working professionals and is certainly true in our discipline. No information professional graduating today assumes that they have done all that is required to last them until they retire. Many graduates will combine their library degree with another higher degree such as business administration or IT. Frequent and diverse on-the-job training is becoming an essential component of working life and the importance of devoting resources to this is now recognised by senior library managers. Involvement in professional associations is another method through which information professionals can remain current. In addition to conferences and formal training opportunities, the opportunity to network and learn from others is a vital component in our rapidly changing professional world

Like many other participants, I feel that the opportunity to attend the Aurora Leadership Institute is an experience that will have a long-lasting professional impact on me. The content of the program is designed to encourage self-knowledge and to equip the participants with skills to effectively manage organisational change. One of the most influential and inspiring components of the Aurora program is its emphasis on mentoring.

Crucial to the success of the program is the atmosphere of trust that is created over the five days of the Institute during which library leaders openly share their successes and failures. Their willingness to expose the highs and lows of their careers for the benefit of less-experienced librarians was a powerful example that I hope I will emulate as I progress in my own career.

So what other skills will the successful information professional of the future possess?

As I have already stated, I believe that traditional library skills still have a place but we must also seek out and encourage other characteristics and skills. These include:

1. Adaptability - Information professionals must be able to cope with constant change
2. Creativity - Resolving many challenges will require ingenuity and lateral thinking
3. Willingness to take risks - Not a characteristic normally associated with librarians
4. Self-starters - Much of the responsibility for self-improvement will fall to the individual
5. Project management skills
6. Change management skills - Both essential in today's environment
7. Interpersonal and communication skills - Librarians are the 'human face' of technology for many people and, as we progress to be managers, we need good people skills to help both staff and clients adjust to the changes facing them
8. Sense of humour - Last but not least, this is an essential component of any job!

Somehow, library schools need to structure their curricula so that the seeds of these attitudes and skills can be sown. Continuing education, with a strong emphasis on mentoring, is also essential. The possible career paths open to library school graduates have widened dramatically in recent years and will continue to do so. If the information professionals of the future are equipped with these characteristics and skills, I believe they will be capable of meeting the numerous exciting challenges ahead.

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