Professors and Professionals: On Changing Boundaries

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  • Professors and Professionals: On Changing Boundaries
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  • 12/19/2025
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  • Explores the shifting boundaries between academics and professionals in higher education, identifying three basic types of player, defined by their expertise in an academic area (the “professor”), information organization (the “content professional”), and information technology (the “conduit professional”). Discusses eight examples of hybrid professionals with boundary-spanning roles at the intersections of established specialisms. Suggests three scenarios for the future university library: the electronic library, the self-service library, and the virtual library, representing the preferred models respectively of information specialists, academic faculty, and funding bodies. Describes current pressures for convergence of library and computing services and the many factors influencing decisions made by institutions. Concludes that centrally managed information and technology services will remain the dominant model for the foreseeable future, but with further restructuring and continual regrouping of professional specialists, who will require expanded skill sets including abilities beyond their core competency to deliver effective services in the changing environment.
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  • Working in Higher Education

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Lester, Ray, and Corrall, Sheila. Professors and Professionals: On Changing Boundaries. Cuthbert, Rob - Editor.Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. 1996. d-scholarship.pitt.edu/concern/generic_works/288711c5-18db-4807-bf23-9fa73b3d82cb.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

L. Ray, & C. Sheila. (1996). Professors and Professionals: On Changing Boundaries. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/concern/generic_works/288711c5-18db-4807-bf23-9fa73b3d82cb

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Lester, Ray, and Corrall, Sheila. Professors and Professionals: On Changing Boundaries. Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. 1996. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/concern/generic_works/288711c5-18db-4807-bf23-9fa73b3d82cb.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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