A culture of learning, a culture of innovation (& who you should fire?)

The article, 3 types of people you should fire immediately,  (seriously, immediately?) came across my desk recently. Now before the title scares you away, there are some interesting little tidbits in it, especially when viewed through the lens of librarianship and information fields. It is true that libraries are in flux and changing from the formats of materials to the services that offer (as evidenced from this 2001 article in addition to many others), but many libraries are so mired in the past that they can't find a way to the future that many can see.

Librarianship is a profession based upon knowledge; traditionally we have relied on our expertise and "being the experts" (aka know-it-alls). Traditionally, libraries are not only the keepers of culture (resources, materials, etc.) but also of knowledge, which makes those who work in libraries also keepers of culture and knowledge (notice I said "keepers" not "sharers"). Although libraries are a place of education and sharing of information, it seems that in the past, the balance tilted more heavily on keeping than sharing which was mostly okay with our users. Now our users (customers, consumers, patrons, people who walk in the door - or don't) want services (and resources) that go far beyond "keeping" - sure they still want the "stuff" but they want it delivered to them in a way that works best for them (customer service). There are alot of reasons why relationships with organizations, institutions, and yes, even corporations have changed, but some of this undoubtedly has been driven by the internet and our ability to create content - reviews, user opinions, emails, etc.

Given that many librarians in this greying profession (who aren't retiring by the way even if in years, they could)  began their career when roles (and yes, sometimes even rules) were more clearly defined and heavily tied to actual materials, moving more towards a service based and user centered view  is a huge shift ... and it's not paying lip service to service by saying "everything is a service" because although to a certain extent that is true (it's very hard to find an item without some kind of a record of it for example), service does not end. 
I could say the same about feeding my dog - well, she eats puppy food because that is what the vet told me to feed her when she was a puppy - so it must be good for her.

but relying on expertise can sometimes lead to a lack of innovation, a fear of change (if you're the expert, do you want to have to learn something new?)