Furthering the librarian’s journey: predicting terrorism?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the traditional librarian positions with intelligence analyst positions. Design/methodology/approach – Opinion. Findings – Similarities outnumber differences, and borrowing vocabulary and skills could benefit both, especially regarding long-term planning and spending in academic libraries. Research limitations/implications – Comparing salaries, management structure and possibilities for advancement would be interesting points of study. Originality/value – A literature search for comparing librarians with intelligence analysts revealed, in part, a 2013 lecture at the annual Special Libraries Association conference by Edna Reid, and a 2012 article from the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science on incorporating aspects of intelligence analysis into library school curricula.