The term "disintermediation" has developed to describe the finding of information by an end-user without the need for a third party. New developments in techniques for retrieval and dissemination have led to a situation where an end-user can acquire the basic skills necessary for searching the myriad databases available. The information professional needs to become more proactive and add value to the end product in order to meet the challenge of new technology. This paper includes a basic discussion of the pros and cons of disintermediation, training, subject awareness and end-user confidence, and disintermediation as the discipline of the future. The paper concludes with a case study of working practices of enquiry in the library at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (London, United Kingdom). Librarians and information workers have always been able to adapt their working practices to fit the requirements of their community. Librarians have to accept that others will begin to impinge on what they have always seen as their "territory," but if they develop their jobs in line with the demands of the technology, they should find that disintermediation acts as a discipline and does not become a disaster. Individuals will find that their jobs become far more highly profiled and their contributions to the data handling within their organizations will be marked. (Author/SWC)