ABSTRACT
The traditional nature of special libraries has been based on In-depth knowledge of print and electronic information resources in specialised subject areas and the design and management of information services that meet the strategic information needs of the individual or group being served’ (Special Libraries Association, 1996). The emphasis is very much on access to that specialized information rather than archives or holdings. Marketing, promotion and a strongly proactive approach have long been part of the range of skills required by the information professionals concerned. In the connected world, these same information professionals have been urged throughout the 1990s to exploit the network technologies within their parent organizations in ways to most benefit their customers - in other words, to:
• understand the business needs for information services; • understand how IT can help us improve our services; • influence IT, both directly and via end-users, to ensure the infrastructure
reflects the information service needs. (Swain, 1993: 34).
