ABSTRACT

Special librarianship is that portion of the broad profession of librarianship serving the people, subjects, and collections of information resources in limited subject areas. Unlike a public or academic library setting, where breadth of subject familiarity is expected, special librarianship operates in niche settings dealing with finance, law, publishing, health, and medicine, and other well-defined subject areas and organizations. Professional opportunities in special librarianship have both changed and grown over recent years. Technology has significantly multiplied the amount of available information. Users of information increasingly recognize their need for the assistance of expert information professionals to satisfy their requirement for locating complete, timely, and high quality information on which to base strategic decisions.