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Who Is Your Source?: Information Professionals on the Cutting Edge Remarks by Janice R. Lachance, CEO, Special Libraries Association Minnesota Chapter Visit 8 May 2007 |
Thank you Jill for that very nice introduction.
I always enjoy speaking to SLA members...and I am especially pleased to have this opportunity to speak with you...as well as your managers...about a subject of interest to all of us...the role of Information Professionals in the Information Age.
Before I begin, I would like to recognize award winners: Chelsy Shoger, winner of the first conference grant for a Minnesota SLA Professional...and Donald Lorr, winner of the College of St. Catherine's SLA Student Group Conference Scholarship.
I also would like to thank those of you who organized today's luncheon...and say a special thank you to our sponsors. Please join me in thanking the Copyright Clearance Center...James J. Hill Reference Library and Elsevier.
I was very eager to speak with you about today's topic because it relates directly to one of SLA's priorities...articulating the value information professionals provide in the changing world of information.
In my view...the crux of the profession's value proposition lies in the strategic value information professionals provide to individual companies...government agencies...non-profits...and other organizations... AND the contribution they make to the bottom line.
This has been the case for decades. But today...with the increasing use and reliance on cutting-edge technology in the selection... acquisition... storage... delivery...and analysis of information to make decisions and meet organizational goals...many organizations are re-examining the role information professionals play.
Clearly...that role is very different today than it was ten years ago when many executives wondered aloud whether the advent of the Internet would eliminate the need for information professionals altogether. That did not turn out to be the case.
And why is that?
Today...the name of the game at any organization is getting the right information...to the right person...at the right time...to make the best decisions possible.
That does not mean that info pros should not have to continually measure and communicate their value to their respective organizations. Like everyone else in business today ... info pros must continually demonstrate their worth.
While I could easily bury you in charts...graphs...and statistics about the contributions info pros make...I am mindful of the fact we just completed a very satisfying lunch.
And... so as not to be accused of inducing a mass food coma...I would like to change gears.
When unenlightened senior managers think about info pros...and I am NOT referring to those of you in this room...I can guess what many of them are thinking. "Gee...since everyone can get what they need on Google...Ask.com...or Yahoo!...what do we need those folks for and how much could we save if we got rid of them?"
It is true...isn't it?
Unfortunately...much of this attitude results at best from wishful thinking and at worst from woeful ignorance. I often wonder how many of these managers are the same people who bought into the argument that computers would make personal assistants unnecessary and self-administered Web sites would eliminate the need for IT staff.
I believe that much of this thinking comes from misperceptions about the nature of valid information today and the role info pros play in obtaining it. So...with all due respect to David Letterman...I am going to give you my top-ten list of "Myths about Online Information and Information Professionals."
Ok...here we go.
Myth Number Ten... "Everything You Need to Know Can Be Found on the Internet."
While this may be true of many things...it is not necessarily true of complete... valid... and accurate information.
It has been said that since so much information is available online...we often assume all the particular information we need is there. That is not the case. The content of many articles...publications...and books...which are copyrighted...is not accessible on the Internet.
This is also true of many technical journals and other highly specialized information that companies need to make important strategic decisions related to their industries. And how do you know if the information you have found is valid and well-sourced? Chances are you do not...but information professionals do.
Myth Number Nine..."You Do Not Need an Info Pro When You Have Search Engines Anyone Can Use."
Without question... general search engines are extremely helpful to us in finding all sorts of useful information. As you know... however...the information needs of an individual can be very different from the complex needs of a corporation...law firm...or research institution. That is why it does not make dollars and sense to substitute the knowledge and experience of info pros with unfiltered information from general search engines...no matter how good they may be.
A survey of middle managers released by Accenture in January found that middle managers spend up to 25 percent of their time searching for information they need to do their jobs. I suppose that would not be so bad except for the fact that more than half of the respondents say the information they find is of absolutely no value to them at all.
This research buttresses a somewhat similar study conducted by the consulting firm...Bersin Associates a year or so ago. The firm surveyed ten thousand senior-level business executives to determine how they learn... stay informed... and access timely information. The results were very interesting.
While 71 percent of those executives surveyed felt they were well-informed..., most admitted they devote a significant amount of time to searching for information.
Seventy three percent of respondents indicated they spend 2 to 4 hours per week conducting research.
By taking into account the typical salary of a top executive... Bersin calculated that at least one thousand dollars per week is lost in time spent on each executive doing his own research. AND...this figure doesn't reflect the opportunity cost associated with executives focusing on activities not directly tied to their primary responsibility of managing their companies.
Back in the early days of radio...station owners used to give the person who sold on-air commercials the worst chair and desk in the station because they wanted them out selling...not sitting around in the office.
It seems to me it makes great sense for law firms...manufacturing companies...or non-profit organizations...to let their attorneys ...managers...and executive staff do what they do best... and let their info pros do the same.
Myth Number Eight...."You Do Not Need to Pay for the Milk When the Cow is Free."
Despite what many think...all information on the Internet is not free....even though it appears on our computer screens. Some online content that may be particularly relevant to a business may be copyrighted and require the purchase of a subscription or...at the very least...the purchase of an article.
How are employees supposed to know which subscriptions their companies have paid for unless these companies have someone managing the process? And think about this for a moment.
How much money do you think is wasted every time an employee who needs paid content purchases a subscription or an article a company has already paid for? It is probably incalculable.
And...this may only be part of the cost. Copyright law...as applied to digital content...is evolving rapidly.
Companies whose employees find information on the Internet and share it with colleagues or customers could be exposing their organizations to significant lawsuits for copyright infringement.
Info pros understand copyright law and are well-suited to educate others about the do's and don't's associated with it.
Myth Number Seven ... "Information Is Not Hard to Find When All You Need to Do Is Run a Search for It."
If there is one issue that perplexes most business people today...I would say it is information overload. Information comes at us from all directions. Technology has made it possible for us to get information wherever and whenever we want it....and even when we do NOT want it.
Let me try and give you some sense of how many new sources of information there are today. In 1994...there were approximately ten thousand Web sites. Today... that number is estimated at about one hundred million.
And...according to statistics from the blog engine... Technorati ....there are about 70 million blogs in existence today.
What is really amazing...however...is the fact that approximately one and a half new blogs are created every second!
I am sure most of you have had the same experience I have had searching for information online. You type in a search term and...presto...you get twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and sixty hits.
I sometimes feel a little like Diogenes who spent his entire life searching for an honest man. I would like to find just one person who has taken the time to plow through twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and sixty search results.
Compared to libraries and information centers that are well organized and easy to maneuver with the help of a trained professional...the Internet can be chaos.
It is said that when everything is important...nothing is important. Info pros help us make order out of chaos and money out of time.
Myth Number Six..."Search Engines Offer Unbiased, Factual Information to Users"
As I have said...we can often find very useful information online...but I think it is fair to say that always relying on general search engines for fact-based information is like relying on car commercials for consumer advice about automobiles.
The Internet is a remarkable invention. It is changing the way we live and the way work. Sometimes...however...I think we forget that for all of its enormous possibilities...the Internet is largely a commercial medium.
Companies that build search engines provide a great and important service...but let us keep in mind... they are in business to make money. There is nothing wrong with that. They do it by selling advertising and by manipulating complex algorithms that determine which information is presented to users first.
Most companies know this...and...as a result...they try to outwit the algorithms to ensure their companies or their clients better placement in searches. And when they do...the search engines respond by changing their algorithms. It is sort of like a mad math arms race.
We recently conducted an unscientific experiment. SLA's in-house info pro ran a search of the term "knowledge management." While we do not want to single out one search engine as better than another...suffice it to say the results differed.
By way of full-disclosure...I should say there was some good... reputable information contained in the top-ten results on each engine...but there was some very questionable information as well.
What is important...however...is that all information is not equal...and all facts are not to be believed. Fortunately...info pros have the experience and the training to know the difference.
Myth Five..."Since We Are Going Electronic, Info Pros Have Little or No Role in the Digitization of Content...I-T Knows Best." If you have ever interacted with a Web site designed completely by I-T professionals...you know how vexing that can be. Info pros understand organization and have been trained in it. I-T pros know technology.
Organizations require a partnership between these two professionals to succeed in an increasingly electronic world. Without the involvement of info pros in the transferring of collections to digital format...there is a high risk of extremely valuable and sensitive information being lost forever.
Early last year...the Environmental Protection Agency announced it was cutting back services dramatically throughout its network of regional libraries. SLA was particularly concerned about the fact that EPA intended to digitize information and data housed in these libraries without a well-thought out plan for doing so.
We raised this issue with Congress...which has stepped in...and SLA is now working with EPA on a systematic approach for digitizing its holdings.
Unfortunately, we have been told that information important to the health and safety of Americans has already been lost or destroyed as part of the digitization process. Info pros understand the importance of information and the need for its easy retrieval and use.
That is why they must play a role in managing the information we value as we rush head-long into the Digital Age.
Myth Number Four..."Online Collaboration Does Not Require the Involvement of Grown Ups."
The Internet is going through some remarkable changes. Today...we characterize the extensive...multi-faceted... and collaborative nature of Internet communications under the broad umbrella of social networking.
The term seems to reflect pretty accurately the interconnection of millions of users through an array of applications that include; blogs...wikis...online reviews...podcasts...networking sites such as MySpace...and YouTube...and virtual worlds... such as Second Life.
More and more experts seem to agree that "prosumers"...those who both produce and consume digital content... will continually seek new more imaginative ways to participate ...collaborate ...communicate... and influence online in the so-called Web Two Point Oh world.
Whether through existing information technology or ...as of yet...undeveloped applications....prosumers are just beginning to plug into the power of personal and professional expression which the Internet offers.
I would say there is nearly unanimous agreement among most technology experts that successful organizations in the future will have to find ways to harness this collaborative creativity for the benefit of employees and customers alike...as well as their bottom line.
It may be true that you will not be able to control this type of organic process...but you do want to guide it the best you can. Will Sherman in his article..."Are Librarians Totally Obsolete?" makes a very good point. Sherman says that some of the most popular collaborative Web sites are also the best moderated and that the future quality of the Web will depend on... quote "...guidance from the academic...library model."
I think he is right. For all of the freedom the Internet offers...its value will ultimately depend on the systems of organization that can be applied to it. I believe the knowledge and skill of info pros will be applied more and more to this task.
Myth Three..."The Value of Info Pros Has Diminished with the Downsizing or Elimination of Organizations' Libraries and Information Centers."
It is true that many organizations are changing the way they gather and manage information.
A recent study of twenty-four Fortune 500 companies by Best Practices found that nearly 50 percent of all corporate library resources are currently available electronically. About one in three of these companies now offer more than 90 percent of their content electronically.
I find that a rather startling statistic. In this new environment... is it really any wonder that organizations are examining the way information is used inside their companies?
Regrettably though...some have thrown the baby out with the bath water... having eliminated the role of information professional as they downsized their library operations. What a mistake.
It is in this changing environment that info pros can often make the greatest contribution. Who is better suited than they to develop the approaches necessary to adapt new sources of information for the greatest possible use? I would argue...no one.
Interestingly...while the importance of corporate libraries or information centers may be declining...the importance of info pros is on the rise.
Myth Number Two..."With Access to New Forms of Information, Info Pros Are No Longer Necessary."
In some ways...this myth includes elements of many I have already listed. The fact is...it makes little difference what type of information a company uses or how it is delivered because most info pros have received rigorous academic instruction in the processes of information retrieval and management.
They know what quality information and valid data look like. They know how to gather it. They know how to evaluate it. And... most importantly...they know how it can and should be used strategically.
And now for Myth Number One. This is where I could really use some help from Paul Schafer and his band.
Ok... Myth Number One, "Info Pros Do Little More Than Respond to Requests for Information."
While this may or may not have been true to some extent in the past...it is not true today. Today...you often find info pros imbedded in business units or in other strategic areas of an enterprise. They are now significant contributors to their organization's decision-making...offering up insightful ideas and meaningful solutions before they are asked for them.
When it comes to the information needs of an organization... no one can match the skills of the information professional. That is why in many organizations...info pros are becoming the hub of a wheel... playing an integral role in all decision-making and education practices surrounding them.
And...without question...info pros are assuming more and more responsibility for information management inside their organizations. As this occurs...many are finding they are becoming technology specialists as well as subject specialists. This actually makes sense because... who is better qualified than an info pro to explain to a CEO or other senior management the advantages of one information technology over another?
That is why I believe it is critically important for info pros to continue educating senior managers about the significant contributions they make...and why they must regularly communicate the business case for the growth of your positions.
There you have it....My top-ten list of myths about information and info pros. While some of you may want to haggle over the order of the list...I hope you nonetheless recognize its overall truth and relevance.
For SLA's part...we want you to succeed and we want your organizations to succeed as well.
That is why we will continue to do all we can to provide our members with stimulating conferences...important networking events...relevant and easily accessible learning opportunities...such as Click University ....and a safe supportive... risk-free environment for experimentation of all kinds.
We want to help our members continue to develop the right mix of skills and experience needed to be the innovative leaders of tomorrow.
Info pros have the talent...the skill...the desire...and the commitment to help their organizations in the changing information industry. I have all the faith in the world they will do just that.
Thank you very much.
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