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InfoSpeak Volume 2, Number 1:

Tradition vs. Technology: What's all the fuss?

Length: 25 minutes

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Topics discussed:


  • I-Schools or L-Schools?
  • How to build an information school
  • The information gold rush

Info Expeditions

Click here to go to the Info Expeditions page for this issue.


Links to Research Mentioned in this Issue


Tradition vs. Technology: What's all the fuss?


How should library education meet the new century? Can library schools find their way?

If you want an interesting answer to this question, ask Dr. Mike Eisenberg. I'll choose a single word to describe him: zealot. He is a true believer— passionate, fiery, and dedicated to the future of education in his field. And his field is, most definitively, information.

I find it no surprise that he was advised by his doctors to work less after a minor heart attack. True to form, after becoming Dean Emeritus, his relentless energy has found expression in new projects like the Credibility Commons.

There were times during this interview in Mr. Eisenberg's office that I thought he was getting just a little bit warm under the collar. But passion makes a great interview, and at InfoSpeak we are using tongs to hold this one— because it is red hot!

~ Michael Wood, Program Director

Librarians are cool. Librarians are hip. Why? Because information is where it's at. And libraries are the personification of that.

Michael Eisenberg

Dr. Mike Eisenberg


Dr. Michael B. Eisenberg
Dean Emeritus and Professor
University of Washington
Information School
Suite 370 Mary Gates Hall
Box 352840
Seattle WA 98195-2840
email: mbe@u.washington.edu


Dr. Mike Eisenberg conducts research, writes, consults, and lectures frequently. Mike earned his BA and MLS from SUNY at Albany and his Ph.D. in Information Transfer from the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University.

Mike focuses on the use of information and information technology by individuals and organizations to meet their information needs and manage their information more effectively and efficiently. He is nationally known for his innovative approach to information problem-solving and technology in learning and teaching: the Big6. Mike is in great demand as a speaker and delivering numerous keynote address and workshops.

Mike is involved in a new project at the University of Washington in collaboration with David Lankes, associate professor of Syracuse University. They plan to create the "Credibility Commons," a place where researchers can come together to develop ideas for improving the credibility of Internet searches and Web information.


Info In-depth

  • Whither Library Education? Gorman, Michael (2003)

  • Crying Wolf: An examination and reconsideration of the perception of crisis in LIS. Dillon, Andrew and Norris, April (2005). Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 46(4) : pp. 280-298.

  • Millennial Net Value(s): Disconnects Between Libraries and the Information Age Mindset. Chuck Thomas, Florida State University Libraries and Robert H. McDonald, Florida State University Libraries. August 15, 2005.

  • Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies. Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association. 1992.

  • Information Literacy: "To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. (Chicago: ALA, 1989.)


Michael Gorman

President, The American Library Association
Dean of Library Services
California State University, Fresno


Links to educational institutions mentioned by Dr. Eisenberg:



Ballard library

Click here to visit the Seattle Public Library, Ballard branch web site.