How are librarians preparing their organizations to survive and take advantage of escalating changes in information technology? How does the profession identify and develop its next generation of leaders? What are the vehicles for mid-career development for librarians? How do we define best practices in an era of continuous change?

These and other concerns led to the creation of the Stanford-California State Library Institute on 21st-Century Librarianship. Announced publicly at a gathering of California public library directors in March 1999, the Institute, its creators hope, will provide a means or at least a venue for addressing the issues of a turbulent future. The Institute is a joint project of the California State Library and the Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources. It is funded primarily with a federal Library Services and Technology Administration grant.

The need for continuing education of librarians has been the focus of increasing interest for several years, both in California and nationwide. The California Library Association, among other organizations, has made continuing education a top concern. State Librarian Kevin Starr hopes his efforts in fostering continuing professional education will be a significant part of his legacy as State Librarian. There is tremendous need for librarians to hone their professional skills and add to their knowledge base, but none of the library schools in the state are addressing it. The Stanford - California State Library program will begin to fill that need.

Nationally, a number of organizations are trying to obtain support for continuing education programs of various levels. The Council on Library and Information Resources has announced the establishment of the Billy E. Frye Leadership Institute in collaboration with Emory University. The institute has been formed to effect fundamental change in how universities manage their information resources in the new digital era. It has been named to honor Dr. Frye's outstanding university leadership over the past several decades. The Frye Institute will provide continuing education opportunities for individuals who currently hold, or will one day assume, postitions that make them responsible for transforming the management of scholarly information in institutions of higher education. (See http://www.clir.org/programs/leadership/leader.html#billy for more information.) The Stanford-based program will work cooperatively with that program in developing curricula and perhaps exchanging staff.

From 6-12 August, 2000, its first full year of operation, the Institute will offer an intensive, interactive, residential symposium at Stanford for 150 working librarians, two-thirds of them from California libraries of all types. It is anticipated that library and information professionals from around the world will round out the participants. Representative potential topics include access to digital materials; disaster preparedness; using technology for more effective community service and liaison; technology assessment; and preservation, both digital and conventional.

"The Institute provided a series of workshops on 14 September 1999 in Los Angeles and at Stanford (with video links to Arcata, Chico and Palm Springs)  on 15 September 1999." Speakers included Paul Saffo, Steward Brand and others, providing perspectives on, if not solving many of the issues that librarians will face, with some discussion of the future of the profession itself.

Stanford University Librarian Michael Keller has been closely involved in the development of the Institute concept. "There are a host of issues to look into, and while there are obvious differences between, say, a place like Stanford and a public library system, most of the big issues - the profound stuff - apply to both. This will be increasingly apparent as we move further into the digital age." One of the vital components of the Institute, according to Keller, is the mix of librarians from different types of institutions, and from other parts of the world. "We hope that cross-fertilization of ideas and solutions, intensive interaction among participants, and lasting informal ties will be among the distinctive qualities of the program."

The summer symposia will offer daily plenary sessions on broad issues of planning, impact of technology, and leadership. These will be bracketed by smaller, more specific sessions focused on several concurrent, topical tracks. To the extent possible, these tracks will provide hands-on experience and take advantage of the broad array of wired teaching facilities at Stanford, particularly those in the libraries. "This is not going to be a week of talking heads," according to Keller. Instructors, leaders, and presenters will be recruited from many sources, including Stanford staff, library school instructors, and others.

Some of the sessions will be video recorded for possible secondary use in a distance education framework. Keller stressed that the symposium will emphasize participant interactivity and continuing contact after the session ends, creating a lasting community of people committed to leading the direction of library services. The technology can support such a community, but - at least for now - it cannot create one.

The Institute formed an Advisory Group to help determine the most urgent continuing-education needs of the profession and formulate the most appropriate means for the Institute to deliver content. The Advisory Group includes over twenty prominent librarians and information technologists, selected from the major professional and organizational communities in California, including public and private institutions, professional associations, and a broad range of educational contexts, from K-12 through major research universities. Librarians in the Advisory Group represent the disparate needs of urban and rural populations, as well as both northern and southern regions of the State. The Advisory Group meets quarterly.

State Librarian Kevin Starr is a strong proponent of the Institute and of bolstering continuing education for librarians. He has publicly expressed his interest in and approval of the partnership between his agency and Stanford: "This is a truly exciting model of public-private cooperation." In extension of the partnership model, Keller has invited senior managers from several information technology firms to take part in the Advisory Group.

As details about summer symposium are announced, they will be available on this Web site.

Last modified: January 14, 2000