ONE-PERSON (OR SOLO) LIBRARIANSHIP

The founder of the 'One-Person Library' movement, Guy St. Clair, librarian at the University Club of New York of New York City, defined the One-Person Library as “one is which all the work is done by the [single] librarian” (1976). The SOLO Librarians Division of the Special Libraries Association defines a SOLO as “an isolated librarian or information collector/provider who has no professional peers within the immediate organization.” Other names for an OPL are ''solo librarian'' (in the U.S., the UK, and Israel), ''sole-charge librarian'' (in Australia and New Zealand), or ''one-man band'' (used by Aslib in the UK).

Contents

Milestones in OPL history

Resources

Books

Articles

External links

Milestones in OPL history

'1972' Guy St. Clair leads a discussion at the 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 attend the session, overflowing the room.
'1984' St. Clair publishes The One-Person Library newsletter with Andrew Berner, also of the University Club of New York.
'1986' The OPL Support Group is formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by solos in the local chapter of SLA. This is the first known organization of OPLs.
'Late 1980s' Aslib forms the One-Man Bands group in the U.K.
'1988' Martha (Marty) Rhine forms the SOLO Librarians Caucus of the SLA with an initial membership of about 100.
'1991' The SOLO Librarians Caucus becomes a full-fledged division of SLA, with Judith Siess as the first chairperson. http://www.sla.org/division/dsol/
'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. http://www.alia.org.au/groups/opalsnat/
'1996' The first German OPL roundtable was held, organized by Evelin Morgenstern of the Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut (German Library Institute), Berlin, Germany. Morgenstern formed the Initiative for Continuing Education in Academic and Research-Oriented Special Libraries and Related Institutions" (Initiative Fortbildung für wissenschaftliche Spezialbibliotheken und verwandte Einrichtungen e. V.) when DBI disbanded. http://www.initiativefortbildung.de/html/praeambel_engl.html
'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.
'1997' A One-Person Library Group formed as part of the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Group of the American Association of Law Libraries. (U.S.) http://www.aallnet.org/sis/pllsis/Groups/oneperson.asp
'1997' In Germany, Verein der Diplom-Bibliothekare an wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken (VdDB), later Berufsverband Information Bibliothek formed a Commission for One-Person Librarians. Regina Peeters was the first chair until 2007. http://www.bib-info.de/komm/kopl/
'1999' An electronic discussion list just for OPLs was established by the Library Association (LA) (UK). subscription address: mailto:lyndsay.rees.jones@cilip.org.uk
'2001' VoeB forms a Commission for OPLs and Special Libraries formed in Austria. Sonja Reisner was the first chair, followed by Heinrich Zukal in September. http://www.uibk.ac.at/voeb/opl/opl.html

Resources

Books

Personal Professional Development and the SOLO Librarian (Library Training Guides), , Sue Lacey, Bryant, Library Association Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-85604-141-7
The Best of OPL: Five Years of The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians and Management, , Guy, St. Clair, Special Libraries Association, , ISBN 0-87111-357-0
The Best of OPL II: Five Years of The One-Person Library, 1989-1994, , Guy, St. Clair, Special Libraries Association, , ISBN 0-87111-438-0
Managing the One-Person Library, , Guy, St. Clair, Bowker-Saur, , ISBN 0-685-39253-8
Managing the New One-Person Library., , Guy, St. Clair, Bowker-Saur, , ISBN 0-86291-630-5
The Essential OPL, 1998-2004: The Best of Seven Years of The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians and Management, , Judith A., Siess, Scarecrow Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8108-5429-5
The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries, , Judith A., Siess, Information Today, Inc., , ISBN 1-57387-241-5

Articles

The one-person library: An essay on essentials, , Guy, St. Clair, Special Libraries,
The one-person library: An essay on essentials re-visited, , Guy, St. Clair, Special Libraries,
Commitment, Courage and a Lot of Heart: Management Strategies for the Small Library, , Guy, St. Clair, Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana,
The One-Person/One-Professional Librarian in the Future, , Guy, St. Clair, Future Competencies of the Information Professional,
Management Concerns for the Minimal Staff Library, , Guy, St. Clair, Management Skills for the Information Manager,
The One-Person Records Management Department: The Advantages Outweigh the Disadvantages, , Guy, St. Clair, The Journal of the Records Management Society,
The One-Person Library: Tasks and Management, , Guy, St. Clair, SMR Special Report,
Finances and Value: How the One-Person Library is Paid For, , Guy, St. Clair, SMR Special Report,
Many articles, , Judith A., Siess, The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians and Management,

External links

★ Information Bridges International (publisher of ''The One-Person Library'' newsletter)

★ OPL Plus blog - A blog for librarians in all smaller libraries, not just for one-person or solo librarians--all kinds of libraries, anywhere in the world. Management information, links, and marketing tips that you can use right now.

★ The Solo Librarians Division of the SLA