New and Evolving Roles ofBusiness Information Professionals

SLA 2004 Annual Conference, Business & Finance Division

Cindy Hill & Rebecca Jones

Our focus Cindy Hill, Sun Microsystems

cynthia.hill@sun.comand

Rebecca Jones, Dysart & Jones Associatesrebecca@dysartjones.com

• Look at drivers of professional evolvement– Technology, Organizational Processes & Practices (Cindy)

• Talk about current roles– Our competencies, our potential (Rebecca)

• Discuss critical success factors– For our profession, our roles & each of us

Our preference

An interactive discussion!

Cindy & Rebecca’s Perspectives

• Experience

• Benchmarks

• Observations

SLA in context

• Vision statement

• Strategic Plan

• Core Competencies Document

• Tactics

Vision statement

• SLA is the global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners

At our parent organization’s level

• Vision statements ->• Mission statements ->• Strategic plans ->• Annual priorities and goals ->

• Cascading down and throughout

At our own organization’s level• CASCADING:

– Vision statements ->– Mission statements ->– Strategic plans ->– Annual priorities and goals ->

• Which might lead to personal goals and development plans

• Cascading down and throughout

UC Berkeley experience• Terry Huwe, UCB Labor Studies Library

– Identified an information gap within his school• By attending departmental meetings, talking with peers, observing

behavior

– Defined a solution– Developed and implemented the solution

• Some implications: staff core competencies, availability of time, technology support, future sustainability

– At a mature stage of the program, identified a point at which it was “okay” to turn over the project to another group for ongoing support

Rapid change

• Throughout our industries, organizations and profession

• Continual chaos– Technology influencers– Economics influencers– Environmental influencers

Organizational needs drive demand

• Organizational initiatives are opportunities– Ex: mobile worker– Ex: mobile student– Ex: mobile executive, administrator– Ex: “outsourcing” (business sourcing)

• New core competency identified: vendor relationship management

The mobile worker• Looks like: hoteling, iWork initiative• Impact:

– 24 hour clock now a given– demand for faster speed of delivery? – demand for selected, targeted information vs the info dump?– demand for “just the right info, in just the right amount, at just the right time,

JUST FOR ME?”• Moved from “nice to have” status to “must have” status?

• Opportunities for us:– eContent or physical?– Connections– Delivery of materials

• Bandwidth, postal mail– Training/education

The mobile student

• Distance education demands are growing

• Access to content

• Access to instructors, library staff

• Access to colleagues

The mobile executive• Are their needs different from other

workers?• Are their expectations different?• If the answer is “yes”, is there an

opportunity for us?– Different services, content, delivery,

packaging, communication?

Business sourcing (aka outsourcing)

• New core competency identified: vendor relationship management– Job definition/clarification (scope of work)– Annual or multi-year contract negotiation– Training or re-training– IDEA: Look to the Federal Government for

some best practicesJune 2004 Harvard Business Review

Technology as an influencer• Technology examples in the 3-5 years:

– Multilanguage translators– RFID tags– Webinars– Videoconferencing– Flash video training sessions– Federated search tools– Large content visualization tools– Automated taxonomy tools– 24X7 reference– Walk-around phones and headsets– GPS systems becoming ubiquitous

• Opryland?

Technology as an influencer

• As new technologies emerge…– …we test them

• Alpha and beta tests with information partners• Personal exploration & use -> professional use

– Gaming -> learning via simulations

• Adoption and incorporation

The info pro as an influencer• As we identify new needs…

– We define them– We begin creating them and/or making requests of our

partners– We may even enter into joint partnerships– Some examples: multiple language translations,

usability of eBooks, content for handheld devices, RFID potential

Technology as an influencer• As new technologies emerge…

– …we learn about them• Tech talks: Stephen Abram, Genie Tyburski, Gary

Price• Conference sessions: “24x7 Librarian”, “Innovative

Instruction”• Professional publications • Our colleagues

Within that context

• Is us!

• Let’s start at the very beginning…– Our competencies

Our competencies• Roughly defined as a specific range of skills, abilities or

knowledge enabling or qualifying someone to perform a particular function or carry out selected responsibilities

• They are:– The very foundation of a profession– The basis for professional growth and performance measures

• Widely used by the profession as well as by educators and employers http://www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/index.cfm

Management of:

Information Organizations

Information Resources

Information Services

Information Tools & Technologies

Four major competencies• Managing Information Organizations• Managing Information Resources• Managing Information Services• Applying Information Tools and Technologies

Each of which are augmented with specific skills

Managing information organizations– Business Skills– Align with strategic directions of parent thru partnerships– Communicate value to stakeholders– Management, operational & financial processes with sound

business judgment– Contribute to organizational strategies & decisions– Lead info services team & champions their development– Market services & products– Gather evidence to support decisions re products & services– Advise on copyright & intellectual property

Managing information resources– Manage the life cycle of information– Build dynamic collection of information resources– Demonstrate expert knowledge of content– Provide access to external & internal information– Negotiate purchase & licensing of information products &

services– Develop information policies re: external and internal

information

Managing information services

– Develop & maintain portfolio of information services

– Conduct market research of info behaviors & challenges of current & potential clients

– Research, analyze & synthesize info into accurate answers/actionable info

– Develop & apply relevant metrics to continually measure quality & value

Applying information tools & technologies

– Assess, select & apply current & emerging information tools & create info access & delivery solutions

– Apply expertise in databases, indexing, metadata, info analysis & synthesis to improve info retrieval & use

– Protect info privacy– Maintain current awareness of emerging technologies

Our Personal Competencies• Seek challenges & new opportunities• See the big picture• Communicate effectively• Present ideas clearly, confidently • Create partnerships & alliances• Plan, prioritize & focus on critical• Take calculated risks• Team approach• Plan career

We continue to enhance & evolve…

And to embrace this!

We did not choose this profession because it’s easy

A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.

English proverb

New Roles Using eCompetencies• Explorers & navigators in the information

ocean– Translating for & training our communities

• Information designers– Building collaborative spaces– Integrating content into workflow & processes

• Information futurists– Daily blogs with links to econtent– Analyzing information trends

Samplings in academic venues• “Educators” of the faculty and administration

• Terry Huwe talked about the incredible influence of this role

• The new frontiers….distance education & literacy• Defining & delivering services through partnerships, &

strategies

• The business perspective of stakeholders• Demands for business plans, performance measures &

portfolio reviews with libraries leading the way

Samplings in government venues

• eGovernment:– Working for decision makers in a global

economy– Special library model converging with the

business model– Business skills for survival in the future

including trend watching

Samplings in corporate venues

• Extending spheres of influence• Manager of Research in a global organization includes

responsibilities on the Global IT Team determining IT budgets & resources, as well as on the Global Marketing Team

• Director Knowledge Networks involves responsibility for enterprise information portal, a business information portal, contracting & integrating content, plus enterprise intranet solutions for external clients

Anywhere you want to go…

Information initiators, facilitators, strategists, mediators, moderators, movers

Director of Web Communications, Web designers, definers, developers, divas

A few more…Knowledge Management – Architect, Content

manager

Communities of Practice Coordinator

Information Strategists

Information Discoverers

Oh! And those consultants….what do we do?

Evolving doesn’t mean erasingSystems librarians

Taxonomy, cataloguing & indexing consultants

Oh yeah….let’s not forget…

Reference, research & advisory

Competitive Intelligence:• Managing Collection Networks; Tools & Technology

Analysts  

Records:• Analysts; Policy & Program Advisors

Learning:• Learning Architects & Advisors

And move onto our potential

• Our potential is now

• As information becomes increasingly regarded as a commodity, high value roles will be applied at the ends of the process and rarely in the middle

We are in a service revolution• Farmers add value by enhancing seed or breed

development or by creating specialty foods• We must research our markets and processes

• Where can we expand, what market gap can we fill?

• We must analyze our portfolios of skills• What must we start, stop, continue? • What can we outsource in terms of our roles that enable us to

concentrate on what we truly want to do?

Our potential depends on• Readiness:

• Continuous competency & professional development & demonstration

– Find the learning opportunities at SLA & other organizations/universities/etc.

• Relationships:• Networking in your organization & your profession

• Realism:• Understanding what’s required in the role you want, & what

the organization requires

The roles are there for you

• You get to decide what role you want and where you want to end up

We have looked to the future & the

future is us.