11 experts explain how to successfully manage the digital transition

New York, NY (September 8, 2008)—The transition to digital formats has affected libraries and information professionals – librarians, archivists, and records managers – perhaps more than any profession. Often, libraries and information centers are no longer the first or preferred destination for information acquisition. What skills do librarians and other information managers need not only to survive this transition, but to flourish as information consumption patterns continue to evolve?

Digital Consumers: Reshaping the Information Profession, to be released in the U.S. and Canada by Neal-Schuman Publishers on October 6, 2008, presents hard evidence from an international group of expert contributors that builds a thought-provoking vision of the new belief system that will help information professionals survive and engage in an ubiquitous information environment. (Visit www.neal-schuman.com/dc to view biographies of each contributor and the complete table of contents).

Digital Consumers helps librarians and archivists to recognize and succeed in their changing roles as a result of the redefinition of the information domain, and teaches them to adapt to the growing number of information producers in the market. The book identifies and explains the emerging new roles that libraries and archives will play in the digital age, as well as the psychology behind the modern-day information consumer and an enlightening case study detailing the behaviors of a virtual scholar. An examination of “The Google Generation” and the myths attached to young people’s digital information behavior will help readers focus on the future of information and libraries, as will a chapter dedicated to prospective digital trends and the future of information consumption. Nicholas and Rowlands conclude with an effective and useful list of the six most crucial ways to remain successful in the digital age.

Digital Consumers draws from the vast range of its interdisciplinary contributors’ expertise to give readers comprehensive, clear explanations of the growing challenges faced by all information professionals, as well as strategic and practical solutions to overcoming them successfully. Based on sound research and conclusive evidence, Digital Consumers teaches the context and understanding necessary for information professionals to succeed in a changing information environment.

Digital Consumers: Reshaping the Information Profession
ISBN 978-1-85604-651-0 .
2008. 6 x 9. 256 pp. $115.00.

About the Editors
Professor David Nicholas is Director of the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College London, where he is also a director of its Center for International Business Education and Research.
Dr. Ian Rowlands is Reader in Publishing at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College London. He is an active member of the UCL Centre for Publishing and of the Center for International Business Education and Research, where he recently led the acclaimed Google Generation study.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers and Facet Publishing
Facet Publishing titles are exclusively available in the United States through Neal-Schuman Publishers, a leading provider of library management, Internet, and information technology resources. Facet is the imprint of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (formerly the British Library Association). Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK.

For More Information
Contact Sarah Eisenberg
sarah.eisenberg@neal-schuman.com