International Special Librarians Day 2023: Librarians play an important but silent role in the education and knowledge building stage of the students, young people and adults in general. Thus their role in a society cannot be replaced or ignored. They are considered as the gatekeepers of knowledge who are responsible for preserving and disseminating information, allowing people to make informed decisions. Among the various types of librarians, special librarians play a unique role by supporting specialized fields like law, medicine, and business.
International Special Librarians Day is observed every year on 13 April to appreciate the contribution of the special librarians and their impact on knowledge management.
Let's know more about the history, significance and theme of International Special Librarians Day 2023.
International Special Librarians Day 2023: Theme
The theme for International Special Librarians Day 2023 is “Special Librarians: Partners in Knowledge Management.” This theme was decided to focus on the importance of collaboration between special librarians and other stakeholders in knowledge management. It helps raise awareness about the critical role of the special librarians that manage and leverage the knowledge resources of organizations to achieve a goal.
International Special Librarians Day 2023: History
International Special Librarians Day was first celebrated in the year 1991 to make people understand about the contributions of special librarians in the field of library and information science.
The idea for International Special Librarians Day originated with the Special Libraries Association (SLA), a professional association which represents the interests of special librarians worldwide. The association helped raise awareness about the role of special librarians in knowledge management and also took steps to make people realize their contributions to different organizations and society as a whole.
This day provides an opportunity for special librarians to network, share best practices, and showcase their achievements.
International Special Librarians Day 2023: Significance
As mentioned before, special librarians are professionals who specialize in providing knowledge in a particular industry, organization, or subject. They are different from public librarians who work for the general public. Special librarians work in specialized settings like corporate, academic, medical, legal, government libraries, information centers, archives, and museums.
Special librarians manage, organize, and provide access to information resources specific to their organization’s needs. They work closely with the experts who specialize in their subject matters, researchers, and other stakeholders to make sure that the knowledge knowledge resources are accessible and up-to-date.
International Special Librarians Day 2023 celebrates the contributions of special librarians and raise awareness about the importance of their role and the challenges they face.
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