Spotlight on SLA Members: An Interview with Kaycee Hale, Executive Director,
Resource & Research Center, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Kaycee Hale is the founder and executive director of the world's largest
network of educationally affiliated fashion research centers which are located
at the fashion Institute of Research and Design. She is responsible for all
program planning development, strategy implementation, divisional organization
and services coordination throughout the state of California. Hale has been
an active member of SLA since 1978.
What is the mission and role of your library?
The Resource & Research Center of the Fashion Institute of Design &
Merchandising is committed to serving the apparel, interiors, textiles, and
entertainment information needs of its diverse student, faculty, alumni, industry-related,
and general public communities. This commitment is executed by the following:
providing quality customer satisfaction; acquiring, organizing, and accessing
historic, current, and predictive resource materials; furnishing print and
non-print tactile learning tools; creating an environment that transcends
the information era and embraces the learning age; and utilizing advanced
technology to fuel the creative attributes of our users.
Our vision is to create a preferred future reflective of our potential
to exceed the expectations of our clients. It is to establish a living image
that changes as FIDM and our respective industries move into the next millennium.
Our mission is to respond to the "anytime, anyplace, and no-matter what" demands
of our customers.
Who are your clients?
Our users include members of many groups. Primarily we serve on-site FIDM
students, faculty, and staff in four California locations--Los Angeles, San
Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County. We respond to in-person, telephone,
fax, letter, and e-mail requests from FIDMís 20,000+ alumni. We, also,
service the information needs of the apparel, interior design, textiles, and
entertainment industries. Additionally, we receive numerous inquiries from
the general public regarding our industry-related disciplines.
Give an example of a typical request.
A typical request that we receive on a daily basis concerns fashion trend
forecasting. The request would be something like...îwhat are going to
be the hottest colors for womenswear for the first season of the new century?
whatís the best selling pant silhouette for teenagers for Fall ë99?
what will be the most successful fad for this coming summerî...
What is the most interesting request you ever received?
We receive both fascinating and entertaining requests daily. Some examples are as follows:
-- What do silk manufacturers do with the silkworms after it makes the silk?
-- Do you have a book on drawing necks and feet?
-- What textile companies make fabric that is scented?
-- Where can I buy plastic see-thru jeans?
-- What company makes disposable clothes?
-- Why do men's and women's clothing button on different sides?
-- Who's the European designer who makes skirts for men?
-- What was the most expensive dress ever made?
-- What are Barbie's dimensions?
-- If the label in my blouse says "handwash only", can I wash it in a washing machine?
-- How do you clean lipstick off a man's shirt?
-- How do you get candlewax off the carpet?
-- What size did Queen Latifah wear in the movie "Living Out Loud"?
-- How much is a pair of Ferragamo shoes like the ones Cinderella wore in that last movie?
-- How did Tommy Hilfiger make it so big?
-- How old was the youngest fashion designer who ever made over 100 million dollars?
-- Where can I get a patent on this dress I just designed?
Are requests time sensitive?
Yes. Some of our customers have a microwave mentality. They have a question
right now and they believe that the answer should be immediately
forthcoming; a 14 second wait for a website download is much too
slow. Due to the seasonal changes of our industries' products, everything
seems to be "behind deadline" and hence, time sensitive. As an academic library
we, of course, encounter students who just don't quite get started on the
project that's due tomorrow until 5 PM today.
On FIDM...
What is exciting about working @ FIDM?
Working at FIDM is tremendously exciting for a multitude of reasons. To enumerate
them would be take every page of Information Outlook. So let me try
to narrow the list down to the top 1,000. (only kidding). The excitement
is sewn within the fabric of our corporate culture.
We are an accredited two-year college. Our organizational mission is to educate
an international populace about lifestyle components that impact us all.
We take our academic and career-making leadership positions very seriously.
FIDM is a pro-active pathfinder in four exciting industries--fashion, interior
design, textiles, and entertainment. Every person in the universe is excited
by one or more of those societal elements. Even in Third World countries,
one's adornment of self and habitat and one's entertainment is of major personal
importance.
FIDM is an active community citizen. We involve ourselves in everything from
politics to K-12 education, from charity events to global projects, and from
costume exhibits to cyberspace partnerships.
One of the MOST exciting parts of working at FIDM is the administrative
support that is provided for professional involvement. Iím fortunate
enough to be encouraged by both the President and the Education VP to participate
ACTIVELY in all library associations. They are very
proud of the fact that Iíve been invited to speak about libraries,
librarians, and related topics in 43 states and on 5 continents.
What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day for me? Well, part of my day is much the same as that of any
other library administrator. That includes staff meetings, budget manipulations,
revising departmental policies and procedures, phone calls, e-mail, working
with department heads in four locations, the immeasurable "to do" list, and
more interruptions of all of the above than the law should allow.
I thought it might be interesting to randomly select a day from last month's
calendar and give you a short list of some of the more fascinating
aspects of that day. Here are a few of my calendar notes from that Wednesday:
(1) Meeting with administrators of the Los Angeles County Library System to discuss their library make-over marketing program
(2) Discussion with Fashion Exhibits International President regarding an upcoming costume exhibit at the Vancouver (British Columbia) Central Library
(3) Call from DeanZign (Celebrity Costume Designer for Natalie Cole, Patty Labelle, Nancy Wilson, etc.) regarding her upcoming editorial spread in Vogue magazine
(4) Collaboration with Utah Library Association program planner regarding a pre-conference session I'm presenting for them... "Knock Your Socks Off Service"
(5) Strategizing with FIDMís architectural interior designer regarding a facelift for our San Francisco library
(6) Call from a local Welfare-to-Work Coordinator who wanted me to talk to a young man wanting to start his own manufacturing company of young men's urbanwear
(7) E-mail reply to a Hawaiian Real Estate firm who's looking for someone to hire as an information technology consultant for an upcoming Eco-Spa project in California
(8) Discussion with FIDM faculty member re the Ferragamo Museum (Florence, Italy) Audrey Hepburn exhibit.
(9) Surfing the Net for 100 new hot links to add to FIDM's website feature...Kool Connections.
(10) Phone call from Tokyo requesting that I consider becoming a mentor in their International Business Mentor program
(11) Reviewing a donation of fashion magazines and hand-painted illustrations that dates back to the late 19th century
(12) Telephone call from the Peter Jennings show in New York regarding information
he needed before a 5PM broadcast.
How much time do you spend reading magazines or trade journals?
On a weekly basis, I spend an average of 10 to 12 hours.
To whom do you report in the FIDM hierarchy?
I report to the Vice President of Education.
Resource & Research Center Staff
What type of staff do you have?
The R&RC staff is our department's MOST VALUABLE
asset. Without a dedicated, enthusiastic, and customer-satisfaction oriented
staff, the library would wither into a collection of inanimate objects and
electronic tools. It's the staff that makes our division an interactive venue
of acquiring, organizing, retrieving, searching, researching, and delivering
on our service promise. There's a sign on every public desk that reads...
"PLEASE feel free to interrupt me." It is to inform our customers
that "they" are our jobs, not whatever paperwork is in front
of us.
The R&RC staff is both multi-fold and magic. They are efficient
and effective. They are pro-active in determining the anticipated needs of
our clientele, rather than waiting to react once the user shows up at any
public service desk. Our staff members exhibit a constant display of people-,
idea-, and action-orientation over process and technical operations. They
measure results by discovery, breakthrough, and innovation.
What provides us with a great deal of pride about our staff is the fact that
we have many levels of expertise--ranging from specialities in costume, textiles,
interior design, and information technology to masters degrees in several
disciplines. The age range is 20 to 72. In addition to English, the staff
speaks Spanish, French, Italian, and Tagalog.
Martin Luther King once said "The ultimate measure of a man is not
where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands
at times of challenge, controversy and change." The R&RC staff works to
meet the challenge, overcome the controversy between whether we should be
technology-driven or tradition-driven, and embrace change in order to service
the information/infotainment-insatiable society in which we live.
Indeed, they are a group of individuals who do not suffer from myopia,
rather they capitalize on their panoramic view of the future needs of a clientele
who have not yet come through our doorways. They believe that "being the best"
is, at best, transitional. They know that "quality" was once yesterday's extra,
but it is today's expectation and tomorrow's essential. Understanding and
embracing the premise that "change is now the norm" accentuates the flexibility
they utilize with each moment of truth encounter.
The R&RC staff is firmly ensconced in GREAT customer service/satisfaction.
This theory is substantiated by FIDM's organizational leadership. FIDM administrators
believe in the potential of every employee to be GREAT. Ours
is the belief in the ability of staff members to reach great heights...to
supersede their own expectations by expanding their skills and abilities...to
hold themselves accountable to be at their best at all times...to develop
new skills and to grow by achieving their own level of excellence...to act
as role models and teachers for our student body...and to embrace an ownership
attitude about their services and about our organization.
Iím very proud to say that the R&RC staff takes on a multitude
of roles in any give day. They act as ambassadors, catalysts, coaches, consultants,
counselors, entrepreneurs, explorers, futurists, historians, inquisitors,
interpreters, investigators, listeners, logisticians, mentors, motivators,
nurturers, planners, tactitioners, and teachers. Additionally, they excel
in their role as information specialists.
Peter Drucker said, "the only real difference between one organization and
another is the performance of its people". The R&RC staff puts on extraordinary
performances each and every day.
How many are on staff?
There are a total of twenty-seven on staff in the four locations.
R&RC Projects
Do you outsource any projects? If so, which ones and why?
No projects are outsourced.
Do you get involved in international affairs? Do you do international research?
Yes, we are very involved with international affairs and the R&RC staff
does international research daily--whether we are searching for a sock manufacturer
in Thailand or the electrical specifications for a computer-assisted design
firm about to re-locate in Pretoria, South Africa or obtaining the pattern
measurements of a size 4 in Singapore.
FIDM's student body is international and comes to us from over 40 countries;
hence, our daily interaction is with the future industry leaders of many countries.
Frequently, their class projects are centered on doing library research that
involves demographics and psychographics about their native land. Additionally,
our alumni live and work in countries on every continent. Our library services
are available to them at all times and for their entire lives. As they work
in their current jobs and as they progress in their future careers, we have
found that their need for our services grows.
Regarding international affairs, FIDM has developed projects that require
cross-functional organizational teams with different department heads acting
as facilitators. In international affairs, we are project and outcomes driven.
It is said that "in a rapidly changing world, change is stability." Thus,
the R&RC has become the central core of the international research needed
for our organization, our student body, and our respective industries.
What future projects are coming up in which you are directly involved?
The most exciting project in our immediate future is to create a twenty-first
century library on all our campuses. Each and every staff member is directly
involved. I've directed them to think about their respective divisions with
"new eyes", to mentally clear their rooms of everything, and to envision what
we should be, rather than what we are. I've challenged the staff to "dare
to dream GREAT dreams", to be expansive in their vision, and to energize their
imagination.
One of my other directives to the supervisory staff is to do field research.
They've been asked to visit the top ten libraries in their residential communities
and to interview the staff and patrons about (1) what makes that library a
WOW library and (2) what are their best practices. We're
also reviewing commercial and residential furniture manufacturing catalogs
to look for non-traditional furnishings that will function in our
learning environment. We want to take advantage of the trend toward "great
rooms" that are multi-functional.
We want to increase our value to our customers...not only by what resources
we offer, but also by the type of environment we provide for their studies,
research, and entertainment. We've adopted the attitude that our research
centers don't have to be drab and/or boring. Our customers are creative and
we want to establish the type of environment that complements and enhances
their strengths.
Is your library becoming more virtual? Do you have an Intranet? What
role do you play in maintaining it? How was it set up? Were there teams/focus
groups? What challenges did you encounter when working on this project? What
suggestions do you have for other librarians involved in this process?
We are researching ways to provide services and resources access to all eligible
users regardless of their geographic location. We need to provide these services
as FIDM enters the realm of distance learning. The challenges abound in determining
electronic collections and services, in keeping up with the hardware, software,
and connectivity issues, in assessing the staffing and budget requirements,
etc.. We plan to set up focus groups of various user population segments.
Does your organization have a website? What is your involvement in that?
How is the information on the site coordinated, kept up to date, and where
does it come from?
The URL for FIDM's website is http://www.fidm.com. Our college
established the website in 1996 and I was directly involved in the initial
planning, design, implementation, maintenance, and marketing phases. I worked
closely with the Information Technology department to develop content for
the site. The R&RC provided research, interviews, and text; we developed
three of the current features on the site...Kool Connections, the Global Fashion
Calendar, and FIDM Style.
Today, we continue to provide the content for those three features. Our site
is updated monthly. The site is administered by an on-site Internet Team of
which the R&RC is a member.
Are queries from your web site directed to the library staff? What kinds
of questions do you typically get from the web site?
Most of the queries that come to our website are related to our college majors,
admissions, and campus sites. We have a feature entitled "Dear Fashion Girl"
where internet users submit questions about fashion trends and fashion tips.
Do you get involved in training library clients on library services?
The Internet? How does your staff get involved?
The R&RC staff has developed a series of Internet lectures that are provided
to four distinct FIDM populations: students; faculty; staff; and administration.
Currently about fifty classes are taught by the R&RC each quarter. Internet
101 is for someone who has never touched a computer. Internet 102 is for the
user who has surfed occasionally. Advanced Internet Searching is for the serious
researcher who wishes to refine his/her skills. Our e-mail class teaches our
clientele how to set up their own free account, how to use different browsers,
and the intricacies of sending and opening attachments.
How do you market your library? Do you print publications, brochures,
internal newsletters? What has been a successful marketing tactic for you?
Why?
Our library is marketed through a variety of methods: library brochures;
instructional handouts; library orientations; faculty forums; instructional
offerings; department head luncheons; product demonstrations; library staff
participation in organizational teams; monthly meetings with other departments;
special events; articles and news briefs in organizational and student publications,
etc.
The most successful marketing strategy that we utilize is "knock your
socks off service." We stress customer satisfaction, rather than customer
service. We strive to transform our library users into library advocates who
will, in turn, become life-long learners who utilize our professional expertise
to enhance their career and personal lives. We work to make our clientele
feel like life-long partners in exploration and discovery. The library/client
mutual support and respect benefits not only our R&RC staff, but also
our institution, our profession, as well as our world.
We recognize that the path to successful marketing of our services is not
a single one, but at the same time, we are adamant about the strength of our
"moment of truth/first impression" contact with each and every library
user. That "moment of truth" establishes
that we are ready, willing, and very capable of providing successful results
for anyone who enters our Center.
What are your financial priorities? Do you spend more money on electronic
resources than print resources? Why?
Currently, we are assessing our purchase-percentage ratio of print versus
electronic resources. We're analyzing where we have spent our past dollars
and where we will shift our funds within the next three, five, and ten years.
Within the past 18 months, weíve found that we are putting many more
dollars into technological tools and resources that we could have imagined.
We feel that thrust of shifting funds will continue until we have reached
an above average student-to-computer ratio. Additionally, we have
found that our budget requests for this fiscal year have increased monumentally
due to the cost of on-line services for the fashion industry. Whereas before,
we could purchase one title of a predictive print service
for $5,000; now we find that in order to provide a twenty-four hour fashion
news service for one site, the price is quadruple.
Armed with the knowledge that we must keep up with the hardware and software
needs and the expectations of our users, we recognize that there
must be a strong focus on our learning everything we can from and about the
technology industries.
Our student body is strongly visual and tactile. They are the MTV generation
where color, movement, and where multiple things going on all at the same
time are the "norm". Their skills and intellectual assets are much more right-brained
than traditional academic college students. They've grown up sketching, painting
and creating. Our student is the child who instead of using the napkin
on his/her lap would take it and make clothes or curtains for Barbie or Ken.
Hence, our funds have always been proportioned so that non-print materials
provided learning experiences for our students and patrons that were unavailable
elsewhere.
The (not so) new kid on the block is the online information resources and
the Internet. We have students who've had a computer in their homes before
they were out of elementary school. Their expectations about nanosecond information
delivery are very different than mine were at their ages. Our funding allocations,
therefore, need much closer monitoring than ever before so that we can provide
a variety of information access points for our users.
We, here at FIDM, are intent upon building career professionals. Our student body will be with us in pursuit of their educational goals from nine months to three years; however, the Resource & Research Center's intention is to create deep and strong roots within each student so that lifelong learning and the pursuit of relevant information will follow them throughout their professional careers. We want our clientele to leave our campuses with a right-brained attitude toward accomplishment and a left-brained bravado of creative vision. With that as a vision, our budget allocations must reflect a new information age focus.
On SLA...
How do you feel about the word "librarian"? Do you think SLA's name accurately
reflects the membership?
What I feel about the word "librarian" is centered in what I feel about reality
versus perception. The reality of a profession credentialed by post-graduate
education and accredited by public service is noteworthy and distinguished.
The perception of us by others outside the profession does not carry
the same kind of recognition. The question, then becomes, are we "who
we are and proud of it" or are we "who others perceive us to be"
predicated on a
word that does not necessarily carry societal status, prestige, and
esteem.
If the word "librarian" is a stepping stone on a career path leading to the
CIO or CEO of an institution or organization, then weíre on the right
access road. If, however, the word is a stumbling block to career advancement,
then we had better reconsider what Max DePree said, "it's important to
remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are."
As we move into the twenty-first century, our assessment of verbiage may just parallel the transformation of our resources and the related communications systems. The printed word remains our foundation; however, the primary delivery process or vehicle must be more inclusive.
Iím not as hung up on the word "librarian" as I am concerned about
the job description of the position. Is a janitor more than
a janitor when he becomes re-classified as a sanitation engineer? I think
not!!! Is a librarian more than a librarian
when we change the name? It's not as much in the name as it is in the individual
responsibility we each should take to climb out of this "name calling/name
changing" rut.
Someone once said, "there is no point in doing well that which should not
be done at all". Close scrutiny of our individual day planners or computerized
appointment books might provide us with a better insight into our professional
future than merely the ongoing debate of "what am I going to be when I grow
up".
How has the association helped you advance your career? Where do you
think SLA should be heading in the future?
SLA has been instrumental in providing me with professional training, chapter/division/national
forums for discussion and debate, leadership preparation, access to esteemed
colleagues, international networking opportunities, and growth support in
achieving my personal goals.
Albert Einstein said, "Our imagination is our preview of coming attractions".
SLA not only serves as a professional and global vehicle for those with vision
and imagination; it, also, provides a strong and powerful framework for our
informational future, the skills to conquer the challenges, and universal
guides to help us all get there.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. With SLA's active members,
elected leadership, and association staff collaborating about our future,
I'm convinced that we, all, have been met with insurmountable opportunities.
It is not the Special Libraries Association's responsibility to lead us into the future. Indeed, it is our individual energy, enthusiasm, effort and vision that will get us there. Our future is ours to invent!!!
SLA Home Page | Join SLA Now | Feedback | Search
Copyright © 2000 SLA. All rights reserved.
RSS
Feedback form
