Looking at the study conducted by Frank Portugal for the Special Libraries Association (SLA) on the existence of libraries at Fortune 500 companies, I'm left with mixed feelings. While the upper echelon of America's corporate community clearly believe that libraries and information centers are critical to their success, the raw numbers reveal that over 180 companies in the United States do not fund and operate their own libraries.
Let's look at the optimistic side of things first, shall we? It's a no-brainer that the most successful companies--the ones that sit atop the Fortune 500 listing--are benefitting from their libraries and information centers. This is particularly true in research-heavy sectors such as health and science, technology, and financial services. These companies are taking full advantage of organizing their resources and knowledge so that all employees benefit. Conversely, far fewer companies are making the list but failing to break into the top half. This, it would seem, indicates that you can survive without libraries or information centers, but they are essential if a company is to thrive.
Now, the pessimistic side of the story. The cynic in me looks at this survey and says, "Sure, the most successful companies can afford to fully integrated a library strategy into their operations because they are successful and have plenty of money." Companies that have yet to reach the top are more likely to be leaner, meaner, and generally more thrifty with their resources. Only half of the lowest 200 companies in the Fortune 500 actually have libraries or information centers. When analyzed by industry, we find that businesses that are less reliant on research typically do not have libraries or information centers.
So, how do we convince these companies to invest in knowledge management by hiring information professionals? As my colleague, Ruth Arnold, mentions in her column this month, all companies have a use for data, information, and knowledge. Additionally, they all have a need to locate such things quickly and easily. The trick is to give them a reason for hiring staff specifically to manage their resources. The most popular reason you can give them is how you can improve "the bottom line." In the coming months, SLA will release more information on how you can answer that question.
Will Click-On Licenses Become Enforceable Contracts?
They will in the United States, if the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) is passed by the 50 state legislatures. This legislation came into being due to the inability of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) to approve its revisions to article 2B of the Uniform Commercial Code, which harmonizes state commercial laws. Having failed in that effort, NCCUSL has convinced many state legislatures, including Virginia, Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Maryland, to consider the measure as a proposed law rather than an amendment to commercial code.
The proposal will, in effect, make shrink-wrap (software) and click-on licenses fully enforceable contracts under the law. Currently, such licenses are considered unenforceable contracts of adhesion (they throw it at you and hope it sticks), except in the Seventh Federal Court Circuit, which includes Chicago, Illinois. This legislation is questionable to the point that, in the State of Washington--which is, shall we say, very supportive of software and content licensors--the state's attorney general opposes the bill. It's going to get interesting.
What can you do? Contact your state legislators and let them know your thoughts on this matter. Stay tuned to the SLA website Government Relations Section for detailed analysis of UCITA and updates on what's happening. SLA is participating in a national coalition of business, academic, and library interests to seek improvements to the legislation or defeat it altogether.
For more information, contact John Crosby .
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