For many decades libraries were settings for the dual cultures of professional librarians and support staff. The occasional conflicts between these two groups were subjected to analysis and discussion in the literature, at conference presentations, and in individual libraries. Our current environment, however, makes this fairly straightforward two-tiered culture look almost quaint in its simplicity. Those were the days: librarians were clearly librarians and staff was staff! There is a complex convergence of realities that lead us to new questions about the meaning of professionals in libraries. Non-librarian staff no longer only support the work of librarians. They manage critical departments like Access Services, Interlibrary Loan, Systems, and Serials. They sit side by side with librarian managers in library-wide planning and budgeting sessions. With the onset of the digital information, we see museum, publishing and other non-librarian professionals with the right combination of technical skills successfully competing for digital "librarian" positions. Our seasoned librarians are retiring; there will not be enough qualified replacements for them. Library technology shows no sign of either getting simpler or of stabilizing; increasing complexity and ongoing development and change are now predictable constants. So who are the "professionals" in libraries? Only the librarians? What do we call these others who are essential to our services, our management and our operations? Can and should we redefine "librarian"? These are just samples of the questions we'll deal with as we spend the afternoon exploring this topic.