( ) Intl. Inform. & Libr. Rev. 1998 , 30, 123  141 Article No. lr980088 Needed Capabilities and Development Strategies for Future Information Professionals: A Malaysian Perspective SAJJAD UR REHMAN,* AHMAD BAKERI ABU BAKER† & SHEHEEN MAJID†† ABSTRACT A survey of professional leadership of library and information organizations in Malaysia was conducted to gather their perceptions about the trends in the field during the next 10 years, the extent of preparedness of entry-level professionals and the strategies they proposed for an improvement in education and development programmes. A total of 148 top- and middle-managers from 30 organizations, equally divided among the three strata of academic, public and special li- braries, were interviewed for filling in an open-ended ques- tionnaire. A qualitative analysis of the responses revealed that the participants strongly felt that future libraries would be electronically inter-connected, would have a variety of media to access and would undergo organizational changes. They noted major discrepancies in the demands and preparedness of the entry-level professional in the areas of information technology, management capabilities and behavioural dimen- sions. A number of measures were proposed for improvement in formal education, continuing education activities and the role of the professional association. *Professor, LIS Program, College of Graduate Studies, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait †Head, Department of Library and Information Science, International Islamic University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia ††Assistant Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, International Islamic University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia 1057-231798020123  19 $30.000  1998 Academic Press