Networked Information Society: A window to Library Profession in 21st Century

Abstract

The paper is an attempt to understand the basics of the information society and their application to enhance the library profession. For convenience, the paper has been divided into two parts; the part one discusses the basic features of the networked society. This society has influenced our life in many ways. Starting from personal life to business establishment and the government organizations, in the recent years, Information communication technology (ICTs) is of great help.The part two, however, discusses their application to upgrade the library profession, which could possibly change our orientation towards the profession and also to a large extent help the users. The application of ICTs in the libraries, in my opinion, will not only help in shedding the traditional mind-set, but also help to reduce the gap between nations. Use of Internet, online sources, and several such trends would help to overcome the digital divide and bring the knowledge to our doors. The part two discusses all these concepts and their possible application in our libraries and knowledge centres.