The tenet arising out of these laws
“the right information, to the right person, at the right time”
is as familiar to special librarians as it is to all types of information professionals. After all, how easy is it to substitute the word “information” for “book” and the phrase “information professional” for “librarian?” The challenge has always been, and continues to be twofold; how to convey this tenet to decision makers who cannot always hear or see its wisdom and how to be as nimble as we must be to enhance and sustain the skill set and expertise we as information professionals have to offer. The danger arises and paralysis sets in when we forget the value of our core skill set and our expertise and do not recognize the opportunities new tools afford us to align this core with the goals of our organization, thus contributing to their (and our own) sustainability. 2 Between 1955 and 2001 eight editions of this Handbook were published by Aslib-IMI under various titles, including Handbook of Special Librarianship and Information Work and Handbook of Information Management; the latter title change intended to recognize “a broader spectrum of managed information services and structures than merely the management of a physical collection of material.”3 It was considered a “flagship” reference work and the “seminal text on modern information theories, procedures and practices.”