The disintermediated librarian and a reintermediated future

Abstract

The digital revolution has dramatically altered the role of the librarian and the provision of information literacy. This article provides an analysis of how librarians have been displaced from their intermediary roles by the emergence of Google Scholar, the open-access movement, and the increasing ease of using online content-making tools, and investigates the nature and tendency of disintermediation. The author examines university education in the Internet age through case studies and current literature, and discusses the importance of thought leadership from librarians in providing students with guidance at university level. The use of technology for reintermediation is recommended, such as podcasts, vodcasts and social media. Strategies for reintermediation are assessed to provide a reimagining of the functions and responsibilities of librarians in the future, such as the importance of strengthening and promoting local collections, and the creation of mobile learning programmes and models that promote libraries as a hub of learning.