The role of libraries and librarians in organising digital information

This article analyses the role of libraries and information professionals in a digital library environment. The major focus for discussion is the availability of improved intellectual access to knowledge sources in a digitised world. The author argues that purposeful knowledge organisation, information filtering, and management skills are mandatory a priori elements that support accessibility and constitute the future roles of information specialists and services. It is argued that the complexity of the digital library infrastructure determines the degree of human involvement. A three-level digital library infrastructure scenario of increasing complexity serves as the framework for the discussion: the stand-alone, the distributed, and the integrated digital Library.