A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the intellectual capital of library and information science professionals

In the knowledge economy and society, the intellectual capital assets of people and organizations are the primary factors of production. This represents a shift from the kinds of capital that fueled the industrial and the agricultural economies. Librarians have understood the knowledge society as one characterized by digital resources and expanded use of virtual channels to deliver resources. This view sells short and undervalues the intellectual capital assets of librarians. A knowledge society is one in which all members of a society engage in knowledge exchange and transactions. In this new world, there are new and expanded opportunities for librarians beyond the walls and resources of traditional libraries. This research reports on an intellectual capital self-assessment survey of librarians working in U.S. research libraries. The results suggest that this population of librarians has a good understanding of their intellectual capital assets. The results also suggest that t