Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
10-1-2022
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Abstract
The term knowledge society depicts societies having a strong reliance on the use of knowledge in varied forms, discovered through technological or scientific research. The explosion of information resources characterized by the information age has contributed significantly to the competitive advantage among nations, companies and societies through the skillful application of knowledge. A major attribute of the knowledge society is the prominent attention given to education, research and development(R&D) for the purpose of scaling up the human capital resources needed to proffer effective solutions to problems. In this regard, the focus of stakeholders is to ensure continuous networking between knowledge producers and users. An important stakeholder in this knowledge era is the law librarian. A law librarian is a special information professional with hybrid professional qualifications, skilled in collecting, curating, and disseminating legal information to members of the legal profession for the purpose of facilitating the growth of legal knowledge. However, with the emergence of knowledge societies, where human capital(knowledge), human competence, expertise, and effectiveness are considered as the driving economic resources, the traditional role of law librarian as an information provider must give way to the new responsibility as knowledge facilitator. This paper argues that this can only be achieved through a commitment to personal development.
Keywords: Law Librarian, Knowledge Society, Human Capital.