Organizational effectiveness begins with an enterprise-wide knowledge culture. KMKS103 provides guidelines for developing the vision, mission, and values statements for aligning knowledge management (KM) and knowledge services with organizational priorities.  In the course, you will learn to identify critical steps for launching or enhancing service delivery for the benefit of the larger organization.  Instructors Guy St. Clair and Dale Stanley will cover

• knowledge strategy basics, including definitions and applications
• organizational structure and the environment for KM/knowledge services
• visioning vs. planning
• determining strategic direction
• change management and change implementation
• infrastructure and planning for future needs

KMKS103 is part of Click University’s Certificate in Knowledge Management/Knowledge Services program, but any course may be taken à la carte.

KMKS103
Dates: August 12 – 28, 2013 (full schedule)
Format:  Live online lectures and discussions, and independent reading
Cost:  $495/members | $595/non-members

Read more from instructor Dale Stanley about the need for leaders in knowledge services, and how you can succeed in that role.

Questions?  Contact Click University staff.

The post What You Need to Know About Knowledge Culture in Your Organization appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

Organizational effectiveness begins with an enterprise-wide knowledge culture, and KMKS103 will help knowledge professionals understand knowledge strategy basics and the organizational environment for KM and knowledge services.  Course participants will learn about determining strategic direction, visioning vs. planning, change management and implementation, and planning for future needs.

KMKS103 Knowledge Strategy: Developing the Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Culture is one of six courses in the Knowledge Management/Knowledge Services (KMKS) Certificate program offered by SLA in cooperation with SMR International.  Any course may be taken à la carte.

The course begins August 12 and is comprised of five online sessions.  At the end of the course, each participant will complete an action plan, for implementation in the organization, based on their knowledge and understanding of course content.

For further information about the curriculum, course schedule, and discounts for members, visit the KMKS page on SLA’s website.

Questions?  Contact Click University staff.

The post What You Need to Know About Developing an Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Culture appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

On Sunday, June 9, Lesley will be holding an Ask the Copyright Expert session, where she will offer free confidential consultations on copyright and licensing.

What are your copyright challenges?  Do any of these situations resonate with you?

Are there copyright implications for using a discussion list to solicit other libraries for an article for a client?  I don’t always have time to go through regular interlibrary loan channels, or the budget to purchase the article online from the publisher.

When I create a report for a client, do I need permission to reproduce charts, tables, or graphs from source material?   What if I recreate them myself?  Do I still need to seek copyright permission?

What can our information center do to prevent users from making copies that violate copyright laws?

I’m a blogger.  What can I do to protect my work from being taken and re-used without my permission?

Do I need permission to use images I find online in search engines like Google?

You’ll find Lesley in the Social Media Lounge in the registration area of the convention center from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.  There will be a sign-up sheet so you can plan your time slot around your other conference activities.  This session has been popular in the past, so don’t be late!

The post Ask the Copyright Expert at SLA 2013 appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

During the last decade—and in some cases stretching out over another prior decade or so—corporate and organizational leaders have come to recognize the benefits of high-quality information and knowledge management. It has been a phenomenal realization, this sea change in the way organizational leaders think.   It affects nearly every exchange that takes place in every unit of every organization (indeed, some make the case that this move toward better information sharing is taking place in society at large). So it is no huge surprise that with all the talk about “big data” and “drowning in information,” companies and organizations are looking for new leaders to address their information, knowledge management (KM), and strategic learning needs.

And it’s the perfect job for you.

As your company’s special librarian (or research associate, information center manager, strategic knowledge professional, or whatever you’re called), how many times have you been asked to talk about knowledge management (KM) with a colleague? With a project manager? Or with a program officer? Or a company executive?

What about when you were asked to take on a knowledge management (or “collaboration” or “records” or “data management”) assignment (“We have a little KM initiative going and we need your help”)?

How did you respond?

The news for us—as SLA members—is that KM is now part of our working lives. It wasn’t always, and for many years our company’s leaders just didn’t think much about KM.

Perhaps we didn’t pay much attention either. Maybe we were too busy running our libraries?

It all began to change a few years ago, and we all found ourselves moving toward KM. For one thing, KM began to gain attention among leaders in the management community. And as managers began to connect the electronic capture of KM elements with knowledge sharing, performance, and strategic learning, the advantages of KM began to fall into place (and, importantly, to be recognized as corporate advantages). These advantages, in turn, began to make even more sense when senior managers began to recognize the futility of speaking about “managing” knowledge and put their interest in knowledge development and knowledge sharing in more practical terms.

By the late 1990s, we were speaking about knowledge services, the management and service-delivery methodology—a way to work—that combines information management, KM, and strategic learning into an over-arching operational function. As a management methodology, knowledge services recognizes that the most critical asset of any group or environment is what its people know, and this knowledge—this intellectual capital—is the organization’s most competitive asset. Moving to knowledge services provides the organization with the tools its people need for ensuring that the company’s intellectual assets are captured, organized, analyzed, interpreted, and customized for maximum return.

Sound familiar? Of course it does: we do all these things, and we’re the experts for each task in that list above. There’s no question about it: the single employee in the organization best qualified to manage and lead the KM/knowledge services effort is the company’s special librarian.  Special librarians know about information, knowledge, and strategic learning. We know about knowledge development and knowledge sharing (what we like to call “KD/KS”)—it’s what we special librarians have been doing throughout our history. And for us individually, throughout our careers.

And our work now has a new flavor. It matches what organizations and companies are looking for when they talk about the need for a “strong” KM/knowledge services function in the organization. And it becomes clearer to us every day that we special librarians are the best people in the organization to work as knowledge managers and knowledge services professionals.

And if we’re not yet as highly specialized in KM and knowledge services as we want to be (or as our managers and clients would like us to be), we have the resources for developing our expertise, thanks to SLA.  All we have to do is take advantage of Click U’s offerings of courses to support us in our work.

Learn More

More information about KM, knowledge services, and knowledge strategy is available from SLA, beginning with the SLA 2013 Annual Conference in San Diego. KMKS101 (Fundamentals of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services) will be offered on Saturday, June 8, following KMKS102 (The Knowledge Audit: Evaluating Knowledge Capital Use), offered on Friday June 7. The other four courses in the KMKS Certificate Program are available online throughout the year: KMKS103 (Knowledge Strategy: Developing the Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Culture) in August, KMKS105 (Change Management and Change Implementation in the Knowledge Domain) in October, KMKS104 (Networking and Social Media: Technology-Enabled Knowledge Sharing) in February 2014, and KMKS106 (Critical Success Factors: Measuring Knowledge Services) in April 2014.

For more information about the KMKS program or individual courses, please contact Click University.

The post Does Your Professional Future Include KM and Knowledge Services? appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

There are no secrets for protecting your online content from unauthorized use. However, there are a number of best practices you can undertake to help ensure that your readers understand that your content is protected by copyright and that your permission should be sought before using, adapting and sharing your content.

The Copyright Symbol

One basic action to protect your online content is to use the international symbol for copyright: ©. This copyright symbol is a reminder to the world at large that copyright exists in the work. Many believe that online content is free for the taking; use of the symbol educates and reminds people that, in fact, copyright does exist in your online content and permission is necessary before using that content.

Using the copyright symbol does not require copyright registration of a work or any specific permission or rubber stamping. In countries like Canada and the U.S., the symbol is not mandatory; however, there are incentives to use it. In Canada, use of the symbol provides evidence in a court action that the alleged violator should have known that copyright existed in the work. In the U.S., use of the symbol precludes an alleged violator of copyright from submitting that he did not know that copyright existed in a work. In the U.S., works published before March 1, 1989, were subject to different rules and the copyright notice was mandatory, though corrective steps could be taken if it was omitted on a published work.

Should the symbol be displayed on any page within your Website? What are other best practices for protecting online content? Should you register the copyright in your content? These and many other issues will be explored in the upcoming course CCM800 Copyright Principles for Authors and Publishers.  CCM800 begins Thursday, May 2, and registration is now open.

For more information about CCM800 or the Certificate in Copyright Management program, send an e-mail to Click University. Follow Lesley on Twitter.

The post Authors and Publishers: Copyright Protect Your Online Content appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

You know you need to spread the copyright message with your colleagues but keeping the copyright message relevant to the day-to-day activities of your organization is challenging. Equally challenging is communicating your message. The key is to present the message in a manner that invites participation and cooperation. Here are some suggested copyright education opportunities.

Copyright Education Ideas

• Develop a scavenger hunt on copyright. Have it incorporate several scenarios that are likely to occur in your organization. Ask staff to identify as many copyright issues as they can. Provide a number of sources of information staff can use to answer the questions (e.g., your country’s copyright office, WIPO, organizational policies).

• Ask people in your organization to write and produce short (3 minute) vignettes on the use of copyright-protected materials. Getting others involved in copyright education will make them more interested in it. Make it fun; have them record the videos on their smart phones.

Find more copyright education ideas at Copyrightlaws.com.

Learn more about spreading the copyright word in your organization by attending CCM700 Teaching Others About Copyright and Licensing. This one-day course will be offered in San Diego at the SLA 2013 Annual Conference on Friday, June 7.

For more information about CCM700 or the Certificate in Copyright Management program, contact Click University.  Follow Lesley on Twitter.

The post Copyright Education That Invites Participation and Cooperation appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

CE courses are presented by SLA’s divisions, whose planners have worked diligently to bring expert instructors to you in San Diego.

There are 7 half-day and 3 full-day CE courses taking place on Saturday, June 8:

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• The Accidental Systems Librarian (Information Technology)
• Chemistry for the Non-Chemist Librarian (Chemistry)
• Preparing for, Planning and Managing a Sales Call (Business & Finance) — CANCELLED
• Thinking Strategically and Building the Future (Knowledge Management)

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Chemical Information Sources (Chemistry)
• The Road to Successful CI: From Novice to Expert (Competitive Intelligence)
• Social Media Techniques for Info Pros (Competitive Intelligence)

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Information Is Beautiful: Using Design to Enhance Your Narrative (Business & Finance)
• Introduction to Taxonomies (Taxonomy)
• Patent Research: The Next Level (Science-Technology)

You may also want to consider taking a Click University certificate course:

Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Teaching Others About Copyright and Licensing (CCM700)
• The Knowledge Audit: Evaluating Intellectual Capital Use (KMKS102)

Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Fundamentals of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services (KMKS101)
• Copyright Compliance and Management (CCM600)

Register for any of these courses through the conference registration site, and check the online planner for course descriptions and instructor information.

See you in San Diego!

The post Register for an SLA 2013 CE Course Today! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

The 2013 event includes some notable features that will create a more focused conference aligned with the SLA Board’s strategic vision:

• Four 120-minute time slots provide opportunities to dig deeper into the most relevant topics and offer more advanced programming.

• Conference will start and end a bit earlier.  Opening events a full day early (on Sunday morning) will allow us to close the conference Tuesday evening, potentially saving the Association money on convention center rental costs and you the cost of a hotel night and an additional day out of the office.

• Ten division-sponsored CE sessions will be offered on Saturday, and are complemented by four SLA-sponsored certificate courses in copyright and knowledge management on Friday and Saturday. Each of these courses will provide a focused learning opportunity that has a true impact on practical skills, knowledge development, and career advancement.

We are excited for you to explore the conference program, which is comprised of sessions developed by SLA’s many divisions, chapters, and caucuses. We have strived to design an engaging educational experience that will give members opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge, hone expertise, advance and expand their careers, contribute to the success of their organizations, and become leaders of the profession.

Our goal is for educational sessions to be of immediate, problem-solving relevance, with actionable takeaways. We recognize that the annual conference is SLA’s biggest membership benefit, and want it to be the ideal opportunity for members to expand their knowledge, share their expertise, and network for future success.

See you in San Diego!

The post Looking Forward to the SLA 2013 Annual Conference appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante recently gave a paper entitled The Next Great Copyright Act. The paper included some historical analysis of U.S. copyright law including the following facts:

•    The 1976 Copyright Act codified the fair use doctrine (previously fair use was a concept in court cases)
•    The 1976 Act created specific exceptions for libraries and archives
•    Congress (then) intentionally deferred any specific exception for educational use concluding that it was not justified.

Jump ahead to March 2013. In Pallante’s paper and in testimony on 20 March before a Congressional Committee, she asked for a dialogue to begin on a general revision of the U.S. Copyright Act. Pallante states that the next copyright act should be forward thinking and flexible at the same time. Congress has to examine what does and does not belong under a copyright owner’s control, and also has to consider exceptions and limitations, enforcement tools, licensing schemes and a registration system that matches today’s world.

Pallante believes that the new copyright act will require many discussions relating to exceptions and limitations, including updating baseline standards for libraries and archives, addressing the ecosystem of higher education institutions and markets and even clarity in personal use activities. She sees all of these issues as complements to fair use. She notes that library exceptions and orphan works have already been the subject of many discussions by the Copyright Office and in Congress.

Libraries and Future Copyright Law

Pallante has opened the door for discussions; it is now up to Congress to move ahead. A general revision of the Copyright Act could take years; the last one took twenty years! Since many library issues are on the table, this is an excellent opportunity to participate and help formulate the provisions that most affect librarians.

How to begin? Librarians need to understand what uses of copyright materials they are making, how the current law works, and what the issues closest to them are. Exceptions, fair use and orphan works are a few of the many issues discussed in CCM500 Library and Special Library Copyright Issues, which begins April 10. Join this online course to learn the most relevant copyright issues in your library today.  If you have questions about the course or about the Certificate in Copyright Management program, please contact Click University at clicku@sla.org.

The post The Next Great Copyright Act — Librarians, Listen Up! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante recently gave a paper entitled The Next Great Copyright Act. The paper included some historical analysis of U.S. copyright law including the following facts:

•    The 1976 Copyright Act codified the fair use doctrine (previously fair use was a concept in court cases)
•    The 1976 Act created specific exceptions for libraries and archives
•    Congress (then) intentionally deferred any specific exception for educational use concluding that it was not justified.

Jump ahead to March 2013. In Pallante’s paper and in testimony on 20 March before a Congressional Committee, she asked for a dialogue to begin on a general revision of the U.S. Copyright Act. Pallante states that the next copyright act should be forward thinking and flexible at the same time. Congress has to examine what does and does not belong under a copyright owner’s control, and also has to consider exceptions and limitations, enforcement tools, licensing schemes and a registration system that matches today’s world.

Pallante believes that the new copyright act will require many discussions relating to exceptions and limitations, including updating baseline standards for libraries and archives, addressing the ecosystem of higher education institutions and markets and even clarity in personal use activities. She sees all of these issues as complements to fair use. She notes that library exceptions and orphan works have already been the subject of many discussions by the Copyright Office and in Congress.

Libraries and Future Copyright Law

Pallante has opened the door for discussions; it is now up to Congress to move ahead. A general revision of the Copyright Act could take years; the last one took twenty years! Since many library issues are on the table, this is an excellent opportunity to participate and help formulate the provisions that most affect librarians.

How to begin? Librarians need to understand what uses of copyright materials they are making, how the current law works, and what the issues closest to them are. Exceptions, fair use and orphan works are a few of the many issues discussed in CCM500 Library and Special Library Copyright Issues, which begins April 10. Join this online course to learn the most relevant copyright issues in your library today.  If you have questions about the course or about the Certificate in Copyright Management program, please contact Click University at clicku@sla.org.

The post The Next Great Copyright Act — Librarians, Listen Up! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.