Professionals in
Information and Documentation

Donald O. Case, Professor College of Communications & Information Studies (University of Kentucky - USA), and President of the American Society for Information Science & Technology.

Dr. Donald Case, could you tell us a little about yourself?

I came into the field of information science from two different directions. First was libraries, as I had worked in them as an undergraduate student and went on to earn my Master’s degree in Information Studies from Syracuse, thinking I would become an academic librarian. But instead I took two jobs as a systems analyst for different city governments. Growing bored with that, I decided to go back to get a doctorate in Communication Research at Stanford, as I wanted to study the effects of computers and telecommunications on human communication. And I wanted to do research on how people found different kinds of information, that is, “information seeking” research. After graduating in 1984 I ended up at UCLA, teaching students who wanted to become academic and public librarians. So I made a big circle to end up close to where my first interests directed me. Now I teach at the University of Kentucky, in a program that combines information studies with communication and journalism—a good combination for me.

Since 1937, the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), which you are the President, has been the society for information professionals leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information. What are your mission and vision? What is your role as President?

My role as President is mainly to lead the ASIS&T Board in making decisions about the future of the Society. A goal of mine has been to increase membership, and international membership in particular. I also represent the Society to other organizations, for example, the American Library Association, and the Asociación de Educación e Investigación en Bibliotecología, Archivología, Ciencias de la Información y Documentación de Iberoamérica y el Caribe; I will speak at the EDIBCIC meeting this November in Coimbra, Portugal.

ASIS&T counts among its membership some 4,000 information specialists from such fields as computer science, linguistics, management, librarianship, engineering, law, medicine, chemistry, and education; individuals who share a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information. Why is it important to become a member?

The membership is somewhat less than that now, as like many societies we have been faced with declining membership, as people are able to do so much in the virtual world without attending meetings. But the Society is very healthy financially, and still has many committed members.

What are some of the trends you see in lnformation Science and Technology? How do you see the disciplines being transformed in the years to come?

I see information professionals becoming more creative, becoming involved in collecting and transforming information to suit certain clients. For example, I recently visited a newspaper library where the librarians made themselves so valuable that none of them lost their jobs when the newspaper was forced to fire 20% of their employees. These news librarians created custom websites that follow certain newsworthy people and topics, constantly adding new information so that when a reporter needs to write a new story about a topic or person, much of the research has already been done. And they are there in the newsroom ready to answer questions and look up facts. Information professionals will need to work harder and smarter than in the past. I find more young people are excited by the idea of becoming a librarian, archivist, or information architect.

What about the preservation of digital documents? Do you have any thoughts about that?

It is becoming more and more important. Electronic records are being created at a tremendous rate, and the younger information professionals who understand how to preserve them have an advantage over the older workers who have not kept up with technological trends. In addition to the digital documents you ask about, there are many older, non-electronic records that need to be digitized and ways to access them created; this is another new industry for information professionals.

As information professional, what books were most influential and important to you, and why?

There have been very many, especially some of those I read as a graduate student in the 1980s. I would have to say that among the top is a 1983 book by Ithiel de Sola Pool, Technologies of Freedom, in which Pool made many predictions that have come to pass, for example, the merger of computing and telecommunications, and challenges to intellectual property law. Another influential 1983 book was “The study of information,” edited by the economist Fritz Machlup, along with Una Mansfield, because of its thoughtful essays on information theory, the definition of information, and its relation to cognition. A more recent book that I have been re-reading is the first volume of Manuel Castells “Rise of the network society,” especially the parts about the changing nature of work and the economy, and how technology affects our culture.

Based on your experience, what skills does a person need to become a good information professional? Are they well-trained in your country (USA)?

I describe some of the important skills in other answers. If you asked me 10 years ago I would say that most information professionals in the U.S. and Canada are very well prepared in their programs. Now I am not so sure. The spread of distance education has meant the many students now take all their courses online, with little human contact in the classroom setting. I think that is a shame, even though it makes education possible for an expanded number of people. It is also troublesome that some of these students are not currently working in information jobs, perhaps not working at all. Given that most positions require working with other people, often serving the public at large, they do not have the chance to learn from fellow students, or to develop the social skills and judgment needed to be good information professionals. This lack of interpersonal skills may only concern a minority of graduates, however I am worried about the future of education as it becomes increasingly diluted through competition.

So good interpersonal and communication skills are important, along with good technical skills, such as with computers and networks.

Some people think that the New Technologies could replace the information professionals, because their participation wouldn't be necessary as intermediary between the user and information. What is your opinion? What are the opportunities and challenges for information professionals in the twenty-first century?

There definitely has been much “disintermediation,” however I do not think that trend can go on forever. People still find it easiest to get help from other people, rather than simply reading what they need to know. If that were not true, then most formal education, and teachers, would have disappeared after the invention of printing. The flood of information has created more opportunities to help people understand records of all types, and created jobs in the collecting and analyzing and re-packaging of information. Information professionals now need different skills than in the past, for example, the ability to synthesize information to create new products, such as websites.

What impression do you have of Spaniards information professionals? Are there any differences with USA professionals?

I am afraid that I have not had much interaction with information professionals from Spain, however the few that I have met seemed very well-educated. It is a good sign that Spaniards are active in international societies. For example, I know that the President of the International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO) is María López-Huertas (of the Universidad de Granada) and that Emilia Currás of Madrid is also on the ISKO Council.

Finally, Is there anything else that you want to add or that you wish I'd asked you about?

Well, there is a lot I could say about my book, “Looking for information”, which was first published in 2002 with a second edition in 2007. It is a synthesis of over 60 years of research on information seeking. But perhaps that is best left for another interview!

Top