Conversation, a New Paradigm for Librarianship?

Abstract

Criticized for their isolation from the central mission of the college or university and, at the same time, struggling to accommodate the tremendous growth of information and technology, academic librarians need a new paradigm for library service that will effectively direct and inform planning for the future. Conversation, crucial for human life in society and intrinsic to the nature of libraries, may well be the appropriate model for providing the guidance, means, and context for change in academic librarianship.