The special library as a competitive intelligence centre

The strategic value of competitive information to a corporation has received increased attention in management, business practice and information literature. This paper describes the role the staff of a special library can play in obtaining and processing competitive information. It is suggested that a library should make an effort to become the centre of a company's environmental scanning programme. The librarians in a special library are well‐positioned to become a valid part of the corporate information environment, but they must become more proactive in promoting and defending their library within their own company.