Some concluding trends and themes

The composite picture painted by the contributors to this book has sought to harmonize individual interpretations with recurring trends and themes. The foreground of our ‘scope of practice’ is becoming ever more complex and continues to be offset against the backdrop of an operating environment that is subject to constant change and revision. Information scientists may be equipped to scan the horizon, but they possess silicon chips, not crystal balls, and should heed the cautionary lessons afforded by eminent commentators who have gone before: There is not the slightest indication that [nuclear energy] will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will. (Albert Einstein, 1932). [Television] won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. (Darryl F. Zanuck, head of Twentieth Century Fox, 1946). The purpose of this epilogue is to accentuate some of the trends already highlighted by contributors that will impact on health library and information service providers.