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This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the specific roles information professionals have adopted in the past 14 years. It aims to identify the roles reported in the literature concerning developments in the Library and Information Science (LIS) profession.

This study adopted the method of systematic review. Searches were conducted in February and March 2014 on different LIS databases. From a total of 600 papers, 114 were selected, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A thorough full-text analysis of the papers revealed six roles that librarians have adopted: teachers, technology specialists, embedded librarians, information consultants, knowledge managers and subject librarians.

New and evolving roles were identified, mainly in the context of academic libraries. Librarians’ educational responsibilities and their active involvement in the learning and research process were highlighted in all role categories identified. Collaboration among faculty and librarians was reported as a way of ensuring successful instruction. Librarians’ personal views of their new and emerging roles were more frequently reported; further research is needed to shed light on academics, students and other users’ perceptions of librarians’ engagement in the learning process.

The study considered only peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 and 2014 in English. It focused on information professionals’ roles and not on librarians’ skills and their changing professional responsibilities.

This review paper considers the development of the LIS profession in a changing environment and offers an understanding of the future direction of the LIS profession.

This paper aims to provide a review of discussions and perceptions of librarians' roles in the literature of the last ten years within the context of the impact of the internet on their working life.

An analysis of the appropriate literature was carried out, focusing on papers explicitly referring to changing roles of librarians and information professionals.

The literature review found evidence of contrasting attitudes on the part of librarians towards imposing networked and digital technologies in the information landscape. In the internet age librarians need to come to terms with a working environment that is always more dematerialised, and with their users' new information habits. It is apparent that they should be able to find a correct balance between traditional roles and new roles in order to let their professional category survive and continue to be a crucial and vital part in the information society.

An overview of the major themes and issues afforded by information professional since the spread of networked technologies within their working places is provided. It is neither supposed to raise technological issues nor to make an analysis of the latest services and resources for libraries, but rather to concentrate on the human aspects of this topic: perceptions, attitudes, fears and passions towards the internet in the professional life.

To map out routes along which the library and information profession can chart its future development.

A literature‐based opinion piece which looks at “roadmaps to change” in library and information work from the historical, knowledge economy and information technology perspectives.

Change is inevitable for organizational survival and the maintenance of professional relevance.

Librarians and information professionals are by training positioned to continue to make a difference in information handling and management both now and in the future. The paper recommends the forms of repositioning that are vital for them if they are to continue to be relevant in information service delivery.

New and emerging roles for the profession are highlighted from various authors and authorities in the field.

The purpose of this paper is to review the contemporary theories of professionalism, together with an assessment of the complex factors resulting in a fundamental re‐examination of the nature and role of the information profession (IP) in contemporary society.

A combination of strong structuration and social identity theories is suggested as a suitable methodological framework for determining the meaning of “professionalism” within the context of the contemporary IP.

The future of the IP is by no means assured, and further empirical studies need to be undertaken to map the extent of change and the degree to which this is a matter of concern.

This paper outlines a suitable methodological approach for future studies, together with a review of key factors impinging on the contemporary IP.

This methodological framework has been utilised in related studies of cognate professions, but not thus far applied to IP.

This paper reviews some recent professional and academic publications on aspects of the theory and practice of knowledge management, with particular reference to the curriculum of professional education for library and information management and the career roles and prospects of information professionals. Some commentators dismiss knowledge management as a fad; others view it as a major paradigm shift in the management and exploitation of “intellectual capital”. It is concluded that many aspects of knowledge management practice bear a close resemblance to well‐established practices in librarianship and information management. However, the emphasis by knowledge management theorists and practitioners on the importance of knowledge elicitation and knowledge creation, groupwork and team work, greater involvement in organisational strategy development and support and IT may require greater attention to the personality, motivation and career aspirations of potential entrants to the profession in order to prepare them better for wider‐ranging, multi‐role careers.

A brief discussion of discipline formation in information management is used to introduce the way different terminology is employed for describing information professionals as well as what it is that they do. This leads to a comparison of how information professionals and their professions are described in several of the thesauri that are the tools of the trade. These thesauri show marked differences in treatment of similar concepts.

Explores the knowledge management paradigm, and offers a model for understanding the future role of knowledge and information professionals. The article starts by exploring the concept of knowledge management and the strategies for its implementation in business organizations. This theme is developed into a consideration of knowledge management in the public sector. Three main roles are proposed for knowledge professionals: managing knowledge repositories; facilitating of knowledge flow and communication; and leveraging value generation capacity.

The purpose of this paper is to show how the digital divide has become a common metaphor originating from now nearly obsolete phrases such as “information have and have nots” and “information rich and information poor”. The article aims to focus on several dimensions of the digital divide that pertain to service as well as the responsibilities of libraries.

This article places emphasis on the role of librarians and information professionals in bridging the digital divide by indicating some aspects related to it as evidenced in the literature including its definition, aspects, factors affecting, and internet users.

Libraries are treated as one of the major social tools which can solve the information divide rooted in the digital divide and contribute to the realization of democratic society.

This article revolves around the authors' points of view. So, further studies, especially comparative research between developed and developing countries which vary in terms of digital divide rate, can help to understand the real role librarians and information professionals play.

Rethinking the digital divide, librarians must redesign and redefine their service menu for their customers through thinking functionally. They also need to review the various IT devices and information services available and examine which can be employed to present a more effective library service. In addition, policy‐makers should consider the vital role that librarians can play in the realization of knowledge‐based society and sustainable development.

This paper provides a theoretical basis for librarians to be more active and sedulous and policy‐makers to be vigilant and place much value for information sector and its professionals, particularly librarians working in various libraries.