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Remarks to University of Kentucky School of Library Science Class on Information in Society 14 October 2008 |
It is wonderful to be in a classroom and have an opportunity to speak with you.
I want to start by clarifying the term "special library." Traditionally, a special library was a specialized collection of information. The special librarian was the person who gathered, catalogued, and disseminated this information--usually upon request.
Today's special librarians are something quite different. First, they go by many names . . . information specialist, knowledge navigator, and resource center manager are a few. I am going to use the term "information professional."
Info pros still support corporations . . . government agencies . . . health, academic and cultural institutions and the like. But more and more of them work for consulting firms. Many are going into solo practice.
The workplace of the info pro may be a library . . . but then again, it may not. It may have stacks . . . and it may not. It may involve lots of face-to-face interaction . . . but online interaction will surely be a great part of it.
There are, in fact, few aspects of an info pro's work that are not subject to continual change--except their most important function . . . ensuring that their organization has the right information at the right time so it can compete successfully in the marketplace.
In a corporation, that may translate into competitive intelligence about products, consumers or the competition. In a university, it can involve tracking everything from admissions patterns to research grants. For healthcare organizations, reliable access to the right information at the right time may be a matter of life and death. Government agencies must gauge the economic impact of their actions. Info pros play an important role in the procurement process of many organizations.
That is now. What does the future hold?
Once, most organizations were judged primarily by how much money they brought through their doors. The new standard is accountability . . . how effectively human, capital, and even environmental resources are used . . . as well as the organization's track record in achieving the objectives it has set for itself.
In this environment, the information professional will continue to use technology to manage information--and sound knowledge management will become a strategic tool and the hallmark of the successful organization.
In a study released last year, Accenture concluded that middle managers spend more than a quarter of their time looking for the information they need to do their jobs--and that when they find it, it is often wrong. That means that valuable human capital is being squandered--and that critical corporate decisions are being made on the basis of bad information.
Part of the problem, of course, is the explosion of information around us--the good, the bad and the downright useless. Innovations that are in the pipeline right now, like spoken word searching, will only add fuel to the fire.
Information professionals will play an increasingly important role in applying analytic principles and skills to their organization's decision making process. The right decision can only be made with the right information.
Too often, however, the organization already has the right information in hand. It simply hasn't been made available to the people who really need it. In a recent survey of done for SLA by Outsell showed that no matter where they work, what executives most want from their organization's library is information delivered to their desktop.
It is worth noting that managing the physical library and print collection--which librarians tend to consider their most important role--ranked much lower, especially with corporate executives.
These are important findings in an important SLA initiative called the Alignment Project . . . an effort to achieve a common vision of the future--and the information professional's role in it.
Tomorrow's information professionals will understand the dynamics of management and use a marketing approach to strategic management and problem solving. They will be evaluated on their ability to consistently get the right information to the right people, quickly and securely. They will be so well attuned to their organization's priorities, strategies and financial picture that they will anticipate its information needs. And they will have a seat at the strategic planning table.
The most successful info pros will be superb team players with excellent communication skills and an understanding of the knowledge base, work style, strengths and weaknesses of each member of the team . . . including themselves. They will know exactly how each team member wants information delivered.
Think of it this way: yesterday's information pro was a gatherer . . . today's is a trapper. Tomorrow's will be a full collaborator.
Collaboration is, of course, the name of the game. First there was user-generated content; then came social networking, wikis, and the rest of Web 2.0.
Now Web 3.0 will bring real collaboration in research and development. Information professionals will be indispensable, embedded members of collaborative teams, using their knowledge and skills to advance innovative approaches to problem solving.
In this brave new world, the importance of sharing knowledge and experience within the information profession will be paramount. Bringing information professionals together is our job at SLA, and that is one thing that will not change.
SLA is the only global organization for information professionals and their strategic partners. We have some 11,000 members in 75 countries.
In 2009, SLA will celebrate 100 years of bringing together corporate, academic, and government information specialists to learn, advocate and network.
SLA plays a significant role in demonstrating the value information specialists bring to organizations--and the high price these organizations pay for doing without them.
SLA members have unparalleled opportunities to connect with other information professionals to share ideas and experiences, learn new skills and tap into a world of information carefully assembled to benefit them.
Continuous learning will be critical to tomorrow's information pro. SLA's online Click University offers an amazing array of professional development opportunities today. Right now, we have:
- Self-paced certificate programs in Competitive Intelligence, Knowledge Management and Copyright Management.
- Live online seminars, individual courses to learn new skills and gain new insights, even a quarterly review of the newest in Internet tools.
- Access to special e-libraries on leadership, management and knowledge management.
SLA's online Innovation Laboratory lets our members play around with the newest Web 2.0 technologies in a safe place.
- We even have a self-paced program where our members can commit just one hour a week to learn and practice 23 new technology tools.
- SLA partners with many other organizations to bring our members discounts on publications, online courses at major universities, conference registrations and more.
SLA also has important career tools
- Our Annual Salary Survey
- Our list of "Competencies for Information Professionals," which will help you define your value within your organization by outlining the specific skill sets of information professionals.
- The Career Center, with job listings and career coaching.
SLA's Advocacy Program promotes the value of information professionals and the profession. We work to shape public policies that affect our members and advocate for the profession to employers, the public, and others.
Most important, SLA brings thousands of information professionals together, in person and online
- SLA's annual conference and INFO-EXPO is one of the most content-rich professional gatherings you will find anywhere. In 2008, more than 5,000 attended from 6 continents.
- SLA's network of local chapters brings together the local community for learning and networking. The Kentucky Chapter is very active and has some great people you should get to know.
- SLA's subject- or practice-specific groups bring together like individuals to learn and network in depth.
- SLA's discussion lists, wikis, blogs, and other social networking tools bring members together to learn and network in various media of their choice.
And, of course, we roll out the welcome mat for student members!
Mastering new information technologies will be a career-long priority for you--not, as is the case today, something info pros do after hours. A professional organization like SLA will help you keep your career on track by linking you with the right people and the right information.
You have chosen a field that will offer you an abundance of opportunities, challenges and rewards. I believe you have chosen very well.
I wish you every success and hope that we will meet again.
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