The evolving information world: information professionals who adapt to today's changing business environment will find that new roles, practices, and opportunities lie ahead.

• Author: Eiring, H. Larry
• Position: Brief Article

The information profession is undergoing cataclysmic change. Factors such as digital technology, the Internet, and wireless communication all drive the information future. The world has moved from Generation X to Generation D* -- a digitally connected society. In the 21st century, successful organizations are competitive, fast paced, first-to-market, and global in nature. Creating strategic advantage requires a new type of information professional, one who possesses a broad spectrum of information, business, and knowledge management skills and one who can marshal information to maximize organizational competitiveness and strategic success.

The information profession's history provides a context in which to understand the evolution taking place today. Although the development of papyrus and the invention of the printing press gave mankind the ability to produce, copy, and maintain recorded history, the records management discipline did not develop until the mid-20th century. The profession's major focus was to identify, index, store, disseminate, and ultimately dispose of accumulated volumes of paper records.

In 1943, the first mainframe computers appeared. Less than 20 years later, computer-based word processing systems became widely available and with them a new means to create and store recorded information.

Coupled with the proliferation of reliable and inexpensive photocopiers in the early 1970s, the volume of paper-based information expanded exponentially.

The information management profession became specialized; records managers were responsible for paper-based records while archivists dealt with information of historical value. Librarians handled books and reference materials. Management information systems professionals managed all data and information services. This divergence continued throughout the 1970s and early '80s.

In 1981, the personal computer brought computing power directly to users, becoming the primary vehicle for access to information in electronic form. Electronic mail, databases, and word processing entered widespread use. Inexpensive PC printers allowed proliferation of paper records, and electronic records increased exponentially. By 1990, the Internet and the World Wide Web meant PC users could exchange information and collaborate with others anywhere in the world at any time. Within the last five years, e-commerce, e-business, intranets, and extranets have focused attention on anywhere, anytime access to information through integration, interoperability, and wireless connections.

The world economy is no longer dominated by a few strong and productive nations. In the global economy, emerging financial systems, such as those in Southeast Asia and Latin America, have made a positive impact. This has meant that the economic "pie" is sliced in more and smaller pieces with competition increasing accordingly. On the positive side, competition has driven innovation in technology and created leaner, more nimble organizations. On the negative side, the inevitable fallout of strained economies and failed organizations hampers steady global expansion.

Technology continues to provide a foundation on which to build the future, but the pace of technological evolution is accelerating. It took more than 50 years for the...