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FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
Compiled by Judith A. Siess, author of The OPL Sourcebook
and publisher of The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians
and Management (http://www.ibi-opl.com)
6 February 2001
SOLO LIBRARIANSHIP
What is a solo librarian? A solo is a one-person librarian.
Also called a one-person librarian or a one-man band (in the UK), a solo
is the only librarian (or only professional librarian) in a library or
information center. The OPL does everything: acquisitions; cataloging;
circulation; reference; even dusting the shelves and vacuuming the library,
if necessary. It is a situation where there are no professional peers
with whom to share problems, share ideas, or commiserate when things get
tough. It is a challenging position but also a rewarding one. The OPL
often does not have to go through layers of administration to get approval
for purchases or new programs. The OPL knows exactly what is going on
in his or her library: what is being checked out, the questions being
asked, who is using the library, and such. The OPL is often perceived
as the "information guru" in the organization—the one to whom
everyone comes for answers. Finally, any and all successes (and, of course,
failures) of the library are also those of the OPL. He or she can make
of it whatever is in their vision and power.
The solo/OPL movement and even the term OPL can be
attributed to St. Clair, formerly librarian at the University Club in
New York, founder of The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians
and Management, and principal in SMR International.
A Brief History of the OPL Movement
- 1972: Guy St. Clair was invited to lead a discussion
at the 1972 Special Libraries Association (SLA) Annual Conference in
Boston, Massachusetts, on "The One-Man Library." He said he
would do so only if the title was changed to "The One-Person
Library." This is the first instance of the term OPL being
used. Hundreds of OPLs attended the session, overflowing the room.
- 1976: St. Clair’s first article on the OPL was published,
followed by several workshops and seminars.
- 1984: St. Clair founded The One-Person Library
newsletter with Andrew Berner, also of the University Club of New York.
- 1986: Managing the One-Person Library was published,
the first book on OPLs, by St. Clair and Joan Williamson.
- 1987: The first two-day, continuing education course
on one-person librarianship was taught at the SLA Annual Conference
in Anaheim.
- 1988: At the SLA Annual Conference in Denver, Martha
Rose (Marty) Rhine led two roundtables on OPLs. She distributed a list
to get participants’ names and addresses so they could keep in touch;
99 people signed the list.
- 1988: Using the list as a base, Marty formed the SOLO
Librarians Caucus of the SLA with an initial membership of about 100.
- Late 1980s: The formation of the One-Man Bands group
of ASLIB (U.K.).
- 1991: The SOLO Librarians Caucus became a full-fledged
division of SLA, with Judith Siess as the first chairperson.
- 1991: Guy St. Clair was inaugurated as president of
SLA. OPLs are recognized as leaders.
- 1991: The Best of OPL was published, consisting
of selections from the first five years of the newsletter.
- 1995: One-Person Australian Librarians (OPAL) was formed
as a special-interest group of the Australian Library and Information
Association (ALIA) after the Health, Law and Specials Conference
in Sydney. Georgina Dale, Toni Silson (now Kennedy), and Therese Bendeich
were its first leaders.
- 1996: The first German OPL roundtable was held, organized
by Evelin Morgenstern of the Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut (German Library
Institute), Berlin, Germany.
- 1997: AspB (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Spezialbibliotheken,
the German Special Libraries Working Group) devoted its biennial conference
to small special (OPL) libraries.
- 1997: VdDB (Verein der Diplom-Bibliothekare—one of
the professional librarian associations in Germany) established the
OPL Kommission, with Regina Peeters as chair. This special working group
offers continuing professional education programs for OPLs at least
twice a year.
- 1997: Das Robinsoon-Crusoe Syndrom und was man dagegen
tun kann (The Robinson Crusoe Syndrome and What You Can Do About It)
was published with reports from 24 OPLs describing their work.
- 1997: The SOLO Librarian’s Sourcebook, by Judith
Siess, was published.
- 1997: First meeting of SLIM, Special Librarians (many
of them OPLs), in the Midlands, was held in Birmingham, England; Chris
Crabtree and Margaret Brittin were the founders.
- 1998: A Most Delicate Monster: The One-Professional
Special Library, by Jean Dartnall, was published in Australia.
- 1998: Information Bridges International, Inc., with
Judith Siess as the new editor and publisher, purchased The One-Person
Library newsletter.
- 1999: First meeting of Special Librarians in London
(SLIL) was held; Bert Washington of Sports Marketing Surveys was the
founder.
- 1999: Workplace Libraries discussion list was launched
in April 1999 by the Library Association (LA) in the U.K.
- 1999: An electronic discussion list just for OPLs was
established by the Library Association (LA) (U.K.).
- 1999: Workplace ’99 Initiative was started by the LA
(U.K.) to increase awareness of commerce, industry, government, and
voluntary institutional libraries by Lyndsay Rees-Jones and Mark Field,
professional advisors from the LA.
- 1999: A solo professional network was set up by Steve
Witowski of the East Midlands Branch of the LA (U.K.).
- 2000: First meeting of Special Librarians was held
in Cambridge, England (SLIC); Lis Riley was the founder.
- 2000: OPAL published its first book, Evaluating
Websites.
- 2001: Initiative Fortbildung für wissenschaftliche
Spezialbibliotheken und verwandte Einrichtungen (Initiative for Special
Libraries and Similar Institutions) formed in Germany as Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut
(DBI) was dissolved.
- 2001: The OPL Sourcebook, by Judith A. Siess
published by Information Today, Inc. It is an update of Siess’s The
SOLO Librarian’s Sourcebook.
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