by Steven A. Lastres, New York Chapter, Knowledge Management Division

Since the earliest days of libraries, librarians have served as knowledge managers. Whether they were maintaining the scrolls at the Library of Alexandria, creating the catalog for the House of Wisdom (a Ninth Century Islamic library), or assembling annotated links for the law firm intranet, law librarians have always been in the forefront of organizing information and adding value to it. Librarians have long excelled at getting information into the hands of the people who need it. The precise definition of knowledge management (KM) is an elusive one, but one pillar of KM practice holds that knowledge management “is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets.”¹

Steven Lastres

Becoming Business Managers

What has changed is that the librarian needs to wear a new hat–that of a business manager. The array of tools available to today’s librarian has driven that change. No longer restricted to offering only upon-request services, librarians can instead embrace a broader view of their professional role. They actively manage their organization’s information assets rather than passively respond to requests.

KM, as evolved from traditional librarianship, today means identifying business opportunities within our organization to help our users practice more efficiently and effectively. Librarians need to understand how our users work, not just anticipate what their information needs will be.

As librarians expand their professional roles, their efforts at KM must align with their organization’s business objectives. Librarians need to become business managers. If we take the business view, librarians are selling a product (knowledge and information) to a market (our users) that needs to be serviced effectively (the right product), efficiently (at the right time), and cost-effectively (at the right price). Figuring out how to improve upon that business model is what knowledge management is all about. When it comes to knowledge management, the emphasis should be on management.

Why do librarians make good knowledge managers? The answer may be that librarians tend to be more eager to adopt new ways of sharing information than our users. Librarians look at new technologies and services with a critical eye to understand how to meet current and emerging information needs. KM is not technology for technology’s sake. Instead, librarians focus on content and its seamless delivery. In many ways, they can decipher what our users need before our users even ask. (After all, that’s what reference interviews are for!) They know the resources, they know how the resources are delivered, and they know how to find the information that our users ask for.

In addition to their skills, when it comes to knowing the content available, most librarians fit well into the KM mold because of their technical sophistication. Today’s librarians are perfectly at home in the online world. And unlike the past, when any project that lived on a server was automatically the ward of the IT department, KM projects are now managed by librarians. Library staff members drive the selection of tools to deliver content, the adoption of interactive services such as wikis and blogs, and the promotion of KM applications such as work product retrieval. This is a major change in librarianship, in which librarians are innovators and technologists, as well as content managers. Most librarians bring considerable technical savvy to their professional work. Librarians, in short, should select the information resources that best fit the practices they support, but they also should be involved in selecting the best delivery platforms. That includes managing the graphic display of information on portal or intranet pages and creating a Web-based presentation that is easy to use and search.

As librarians adapt to a changing world, it’s a good idea to understand some of the changes they face, including these:

• Users expect to receive information faster than ever.
• Users expect to have no impediments to get the information they need.
• Users depend on knowledge managers to keep up with KM innovations and best practices.

As knowledge management becomes more ingrained in corporations and law firms, KM managers need to become experts in three specialized fields: librarianship, legal technology, and business management. Librarians need to understand the technical possibilities–not just the nuts and bolts of the software but also the realistic research needs of the lawyers.

Change is propelling librarians forward in a world where they must adapt to new ways of thinking about the information over which they are stewards. This changing world means new opportunities for librarians, as librarians redefine themselves as KM managers who create value for the firm by effectively managing the information for which they are professionally responsible.

¹ Megan Santosus & Jon Surmacz, “The ABCs of Knowledge Management”, CIO Magazine, 2001.

Steven A. Lastres is Director of Library and Knowledge Management at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. His e-mail address is salastres@debevoise.com.

by Adrianne J. Washburn, Texas Chapter, Engineering Division

The Web 2.0 landscape has quickly changed the library’s role as the source for accessing information. With the arrival of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Bit.ly, Blogger, Wolframalpha, StumbleUpon, Digg, Twurl, Flickr, Del.ici.ous, YouTube, Hulu, Pandora, Rollyo, Skype…you might be asking where do libraries fit in?

The library is a cultural icon – this is known. What is not known is how the library will weather in the world changing around it.

Icons (think Madonna!) are not afraid of change. If anything, they embrace change; they seek it out and use it in unexpected ways. While libraries have managed change for years, the rate of change libraries experienced was slow but consistent until the 1980s-1990s. Since the onset of the digital age, the rate of change has exponentially increased.

Libraries tend to mirror the command-and-control organizations they support, controlling the access and organization of information. However, many command-and-control businesses and organizations are realizing there is more risk in clinging to “business as usual.” Businesses are realizing change and adaptation is a must for survival, but moving from a structured and controlled type of organization to a collaborative organization is scary and probably seems risky. What if we lose authority control? What if this collaboration buzz doesn’t work? What if technology fails?

Unfortunately, libraries are losing control and library closures are occurring more frequently. Perhaps what we need is a better understanding of how to balance a command-and-control culture with a collaborative culture. We are more connected now than ever before and yet we are also more isolated. Creating a balanced culture will empower a sense of community that has seemingly been lost.

What are you doing in your library, knowledge center, information organization or research facility to impact the culture of your organization and the future of our profession? Collaboration is about connecting people, sharing information, and using tools to connect and share. What unexpected methods are we using to collaborate and connect people? How are you shaping your organization to be future ready? Let’s hear your comments!

Resources

Rosen, E. (2009). The culture of collaboration: Maximizing time, talent and tools to create value in the global economy. San Francisco: Red Ape Publishing.

Adrianne is a Project Manager for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, and she is the SLA Aerospace Section Chair for 2011.

by R. David Lankes, iSchool, Syracuse University

Why “what is the future of libraries” is a bad question, and a way to start an agenda.

Future Ready from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.

R. David Lankes is an associate professor at the iSchool as well as director of the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS) which houses several high-profile research efforts, including the Educator’s Reference Desk and projects for NSF’s National Science Digital Library. Dr. Lankes co-founded the AskERIC project in 1992 and also founded the Virtual Reference Desk project and was the first fellow of the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy.

by Jane Kirby, Oregon Chapter, Government Information Division

A few weeks ago, a library customer hailed me in the parking lot as I returned from lunch.  “Hi Jane, I have a DVD to return.  I’ll stop by the library when you open at 1:00.”  I glanced at my watch: 12:50. “No need wait,” I said.  “I’ll take it now so you can be on your way.  I know you have a manager’s meeting this afternoon.”  I smiled as I walked into my building. “Working in a special library is like being a librarian in a small town,” I thought. “You represent the library wherever you go and you always know what’s going on.”

We special librarians are in a position to know our customers very well.  After all, we have a long-term clientele made up of co-workers and business associates. This close-knit relationship offers a unique opportunity to anticipate and respond to our customers’ information needs. If we simply tap into the grapevine, we’ll quickly learn how we can help.

Is the government affairs manager convening a task force and looking for volunteers?  Step up and join the team.  Who better than a librarian to provide research and analysis for a high-visibility project? 

Does one of the engineers have a reputation for being demanding and difficult to please?  Win her over with the current awareness service and you might find your library’s best advocate.

Or, how about the young data analyst who is overwhelmed with a major project, not to mention a new baby at home?  Save him some time by delivering information to his cubicle. It only takes a minute.

Reach out.  Listen. Be flexible. The Future Ready special library melds high touch with high technology.

by Marilyn Bromley, Washington DC Chapter

When Cindy Romaine announced Future Ready as the theme of her presidential year, I thought “what a great idea/slogan/catchphrase! What does it mean???” So I continued to ponder the question, confident that the fog would lift and the sun illuminate the way.

As it turned out, after thinking some more, I understood what Future Ready meant to me in a negative way – when I realized what I was NOT doing. 

According to the Outsell report Information Management Trends and Benchmarks 2010 by Roger Strouse (November 15, 2010), information managers need to “get on the device train.” 37% of IM functions currently deliver content to handheld devices, but that means that 63% of us do not. Roger writes, “The device train has left the station and a majority of information managers are left milling about on the platform.” 

More and more content is being created and delivered specifically for mobile devices, so we don’t have the excuse that there is nothing to offer. Since I work for a legal publisher, I know this to be true.

Further, our workplaces are full of employees whose lives live on a handheld device, and the idea that they think we’re irrelevant sends shivers down my spine. Outsell feels that we need to have “a stronger sense of urgency in catering to these platforms” and I agree.

So what am I doing to be Future Ready?

Here in the BNA Library, we’ve just bought an iPad, and some of us have Kindles and Nooks and many of us have iPhones and Androids. With all these devices, at our next Open House we plan to have a petting zoo. It may be that only the managers of Gens X & Y will be the ones who show up, but if we can help them speak the same language as their staff, and “live the future” too, then we’ve done a good thing. As an additional benefit, we can show what’s out there in the legal marketplace, and help managing editors imagine BNA’s next “killer app.”

It’s nice to see all of you here on the platform, but let’s get on that train!

Marilyn Bromley is Library Director at BNA and past-chair of the Social Science Division.  Her work interests are competitive intelligence, ROI, and copyright issues.

by Brent Mai, 2012 SLA President

We recently celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of the new library at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.  At 74,000 square feet over three floors, it is truly a transformational building, serving a multitude of essential roles in the campus learning environment. 

“But I thought books were a thing of the past,” I heard people say. “Why would anyone build a new library today?”  Trust me!  This thought even crossed the minds of some campus administrators. But these comments indicate a misconception about the role that the library as place plays in contemporary higher education.

With this in mind, our team set about designing a very adaptable building that could be relatively easily reconfigured as space needs and usages change in the coming years.  Current needs called for room for about 200,000 volumes, teaching and meeting rooms, spaces for student interaction, faculty and staff offices, and a climate-controlled archive.  But each of these use-defined spaces needed to be reconfigurable to accommodate a host of unknown future space needs.

With these practical needs in mind, it was also critical that we create a place where students actually wanted to be.  In consideration of the variety of learning styles, we began by creating hard and soft spaces, loud and quiet spaces, and group and individual spaces.  A mix of soft and comfortable seating arrangements were interspersed with more traditional tables and study carrels with wooden chairs.  Ten group study rooms accommodating various numbers of students were distributed throughout the building.  Quiet study areas were created on the upper floors of the building. Reliable wireless access and abundant electrical outlets were essential.  A café added to the comfort factor of the space.

For us, the answer was to build flexibility into the structural components of the building. Several areas currently being used as classroom and meeting spaces have been structurally designed to hold the weight load of stacks and/or compact shelving – should that be needed.  “False floors” have been installed in a number of spaces to accommodate future changes in technology needs.  Most of the furniture is mobile – to accommodate the multi-use needs of public spaces and the varying instructional styles of faculty members in teaching spaces.

My colleagues, planning library spaces with an eye on the future isn’t rocket science.  But intentionally planning for flexibility in new construction is definitely a component of being Future Ready!

There’s a photo of the new library at http://cvgs.cu-portland.edu/about/cu_library.cfm.

Brent Mai is University Librarian at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, and has been elected as 2012 President of SLA.

Guy Kawasaki is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures.  Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple. Kawasaki is the author of ten books including Enchantment, Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Cindy Romaine, SLA President 2011, caught up with Guy at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, where he was talking about his new book Enchantment: the Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. The ideas he brings forward in the book seem particularly relevant for information professionals right now.

This year, at the Consumer Electronic Show, you introduced ten ideas from your new book Enchantment: the Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. I came away from your talk convinced that librarians and information professionals need to learn about enchantment and take that lesson to heart. Using a broad brush, tell us what Enchantment is about.

Did you hear the story that a reporter asked Tom Clancy what his new book was about and he said, “It’s about $26.00,”? Mine is about $14, street. Actually, my book is about learning skills to become more enchanting so that you can delight your customers, employees, and bosses.

One key point you mention in Enchantment is achieving trustworthiness, which requires a knowledge of our users. What’s the best way to gain that knowledge and trust?

There isn’t a “best way” to gain knowledge and trust. Rather, the process requires an array of skills. The starting point of becoming trustworthy is that you trust others. There is a definite order here: first, you trust others and then they trust you. Then you need to be a baker, not an eater. A baker makes a bigger pie so that everyone’s slice is larger. An eater just tries to get as much of a finite pie as possible. Finally, trustworthy people are transparent and give for intrinsic,  as opposed to quid-pro-quo, reasons.

In an era of diminished resources and limited bandwidth, it’s tempting for information professionals to hunker down and focus on their core competencies. Yet in your new book, you share your idea of “defaulting to yes.” How does that work?

Defaulting to yes and focusing on core competencies are not mutually exclusive. Defaulting to yes means that when you meet people, you’re always thinking, “How can I help this person? If she asks for help, I will try to help.” Whether you help along the lines of your core competencies or not isn’t the key. What’s important is that you want to say yes and help.

I would think this is how librarians think anyway. Isn’t your default attitude to help people find information? Librarians can skip this part of the book.

This is me enchanting my boss. What does it look like?

Like it or not, the key to enchanting your boss is to drop everything when your boss asks you to do something. This can produce sub-optimal prioritization of tasks in the “big picture,” but it works. I never said enchanting people would be easy.

As you’d be the first to admit, not everyone has your phenomenal chutzpah. So, some of your prescriptions may seem a bit daunting. Can anyone be an enchanter? Please expand on this a little.

Enchantment is a matter of degrees, not either/or. Almost everyone can be more enchanting. Enchantment is like fitness: almost everyone can be more fit. Imagine if people were either fit or not fit, and there wasn’t anything you could do to change that.

I’m intrigued by your concept of reciprocity. In fact, I’ve been drawn into it, in asking you for this blog post—a great bit of mental jujitsu, by the way. What do you mean when you advise people to say “I know you would do the same for me?”

Reciprocity is what makes society work, and when society doesn’t work, it’s often because someone has violated the basic principle that if people help you, you should someday help them back. My hero, Robert Cialdini, is the person who taught me that when people thank you for doing something, the optimal response is “I know you would do the same for me.”

This phrase communicates three important points: first, I believe you’re an honorable person; second, we both know I did something significant for you; and third, someday you should repay me. That’s a lot of meaning packed into a simple phrase.

Cindy Romaine & Guy Kawasaki

In your book, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy: Creating Disruption for Fun and Profit you encourage people, when investigating their competitors to, “by all means, suck up to a research librarian.” We certainly appreciate the plug! Can you explain what you meant there and provide an example of your relationship with research librarians over the years?

Research librarians at the time I wrote that book held the keys to the golden castle of all the knowledge that was written down on paper. Mere mortals had a difficult time acquiring this knowledge without help. I can remember using the Reader’s Abridged Guide to Periodical Literature for hours in my youth.

Fast forward to today. There’s probably more knowledge than ever, and it’s more accessible than ever but the reinvented research librarian holds the key for using the Internet in the most effective manner. Many, but not all, people know how to use Google and Wikipedia, but Google and Wikipedia do not provide all of human knowledge. Some of that knowledge is locked away in private databases and some of that knowledge is difficult for a novice to find. That’s where research librarians still hold the key. They are the ultimate information curator no matter what hocus, pocus you hear about the “semantic web.”

You have your hand in many pies—writing, speaking, and running your company Alltop.com and Garage Ventures. How has a librarian or information professional helped you along the way?

Honestly, I don’t do much in-depth research for my writing, speaking, and running Alltop.com. The nature of my work is grinding it out and sucking it up. I’m the Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) of technology.

What’s your advice for a new college graduate just entering the workforce as an information professional?

The bottom line is that the Internet is the greatest threat or greatest promise ever to an information professional. On one hand, it democratizes information–bad news, does this mean information professionals are no longer necessary? On the other hand, there is so much information that it’s harder to find good, credible sources–good news, does this mean information professionals are more necessary than ever? A new college graduate should understand this dichotomy and, I think, has to reinvent what “information professional” means.

Get enchanted! Find Guy Kawasaki’s new book at his website: Enchantment: the Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.

by Cindy Romaine, SLA President

For my first official business trip as the new president of SLA, even before the mid-January board meetings and SLA Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., I flew to Las Vegas and walked the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show. For two days I explored the Show with Bay Area senior member Cindy Hill. We were immersed in new handheld technology, new reading tablets, and new cell phones. A tremendous amount of energy is going into the simple task of getting more, and better, information into the hands of consumers at warp speed.

Trends
There were nearly 2700 exhibitors and I was blown away by the sheer volume of new tech toys and applications on display from the hundreds of companies vying to be The Next Big Thing. But frankly, the energy and enthusiasm of the show were even more fascinating to me; there was no shortage of optimism about the future on that floor. Here are few distilled thoughts, stats, and trends from CES:

Stats:

• 80 new tablet devices were announced, including the new Motorola Xoom
• 20,00 new consumer electronic products were released
• 140,000 people attended the show

3D: 3D graphics are being showcased in gaming, sports, and art. The entertainment industry is leading in this space again, but expect to see high-end graphics soon in medical, educational, and other technical applications.

Convergence: Data, because it exists in the cloud, is more and more platform agnostic. Form factors—that is, your data device, whether it is a cell phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, car console, or smart TV—are converging in their functionality.

Social: Consumers are saying ‘I want to share my life as it happens’ and products, telecommunication capacity and  apps are making that possible. Social networking was integrated into games, such as X-Box Kinect, smart TVs and apps. Copia.com is an interesting app for book clubs.

Capacity: Capacity is increasing as cell networks transition from 3G to 4G, and there is an increase in computer processing speed as well. Expanding capacity enables complex problem solving, immersive entertainment, and new experiences.

Design: Data devices, or form factors, were very elegant and restrained. It seemed that there was an effort not to overwhelm the consumer with technical options, but to simplify and curate.

Implications

The CES is the leading tradeshow for an $186B industry that is driving economic growth and is an enabler for the new knowledge economy. Consumer electronics are an underpinning of the information industry, regardless of which corner of it you occupy. An interesting factoid is that now 80% of electronics are purchased by consumers, not businesses. It was not long ago that businesses were driving the purchases of electronic goods.

With all these new products and optimistic marketing, our clients—that is people using and consuming information resources—will be even more demanding of content delivered on the form factor that is just right for them. They’ll want information that is curated, edited, and analyzed to fit their needs. And information  that is customized to their locale and time zone.

The consumer electronics industry is moving very, very fast—and will eat our lunch if we are not moving at least at its pace of change. To keep up, we need to adopt a strategy of being flexible, adaptable, and resilient. In short, we need to be Future Ready!

Enchantment

As enchanting as it was to handle all those gadgets, one of the highlight of my visit to CES was listening to, and later engaging in discussion with, Guy Kawasaki. Author of The Macintosh Way and Selling the Dream, Kawasaki is the former Apple “wunderkind” who encourages his readers to rise above the usual marketing clutter to find emotional levels of attachment to products. He encourages marketers to morph into “evangelists” who create movements, not just spreadsheets. He epitomizes one of the ideas behind my push to make members more Future Ready – he wants us all to Think Big.  

In his book, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Kawasaki tossed SLA members a great compliment when he told his readers to “suck up to a research librarian.” I liked the way he put us on a pedestal, because it reminded me that ours is an honorable profession, and we add value. Someone obviously impressed Guy Kawasaki at one time.

After his talk, he and I chatted for a few minutes about his new book Enchantment: The Art of Changing Minds, Hearts and Actions. I asked him to consider posting for the Future Ready 365 blog. He seemed delighted to be asked and his thoughts will be posted here, tomorrow, February 22!

Are you feeling future ready yet!?

by Tom Rink, Oklahoma Chapter, Advertising & Marketing Division

This is the definition of “Future Ready.” When you stop to think about it, the future is really only a second away.  We spend out entire lives preparing for our futures. And while we cannot predict what these futures may be, our hopes, dreams, and desires help us steer toward our possible futures. 

Continuous learning is the key to being “future ready.” Informally, we learn from our parents and we learn from our environments and experiences; formally, we attend schools (and later colleges) to prepare ourselves for our individual futures. Our “futures” become our “presents” as we begin careers, but the learning doesn’t stop here; we continue to learn through in-service training, continuing education, and other professional development opportunities in order to stay abreast in our chosen fields.

Being an information professional was not my first career. Once I decided that this was the direction I wanted my life to take, I had to take the necessary steps to prepare myself for this new future. How did I make myself “future ready” for a new career? It all started with a plan. Having a plan/goal (i.e., knowing the direction that you’d like your future to go) certainly helps you transition from the present to the future. I went back to school to attain the formal education required, I read the important journals, I joined the professional associations, I attended conferences, and I networked with other professionals in the field. I immersed myself into the culture of my desired future so that when the opportunity presented itself, I’d be ready to grab this future with both hands and move forward. My plan worked. After a twenty-five year career in one field, I was “ready” for and successfully transitioned to the “future.”

How do I plan to stay “future ready?” I will continue to learn and take advantage of every available opportunity.  For example, I’m not the most “tech savvy” person in the world, but a couple of years ago I understood the importance of the whole web 2.0 and social media movement and completed the 23 Things program just to get up-to-date. I’m hoping to stay up-to-date by embracing and using these web 2.0 and social media tools (blogs, RSS feeds, etc.). 

The only constant in life is change and to be truly “future ready” you must conquer your fear of change, envision your future, and never look back.

Tom Rink is a member of the Oklahoma Chapter and the Treasurer of the Advertising & Marketing Division.  In 2005 he was named SLA Fellow. He is 25-year veteran of the Tulsa, Oklahoma police department who successfully transitioned to academia in late 2007.  He is currently an Instruction Librarian at Northeastern State University – Broken Arrow Campus.  Tom has been active in SLA since 1996 holding numerous leadership positions.

by Deb Hunt, San Francisco & Silicon Valley Chapters, IT & KM Divisions

When SLA’s 23 Things premiered at the SLA 2008 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Seattle, it became one of the most popular benefits of membership in SLA. In 2010, it was time to re-establish the opportunity for collaborative learning, and I, who chaired the original effort, worked with graduate MLIS student Kim McGrath to rejuvenate the package. 

Now, 23 Things is making a new debut.

Some outdated links and resources have been removed, existing lessons have been updated, and completely new material has been added to the package.

A few highlights: Week 6 was remodeled to introduce “Social Media and Networking.”  Now included are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and how each one can be used to help you find a job, advertise your business, or gain competitive intelligence. Read articles and watch videos that point you to valuable resources you can put to use right away! If you’re a seasoned veteran, we’ve got next steps covered too.

With the Future Ready 365 blog in full swing, try out a few of the weeks, learn something new, and become Future Ready yourself. Spend as little as an hour a week, and reinvigorate yourself with fresh ideas and a mastery of tools like RSS, Tagging and Folksonomies, and more. If you’re new to 23 Things, all you need to do is create a username in SLA’s wiki dashboard to get started.

So what are you waiting for? Jump in and try out all 23 Things, sample a baker’s dozen, or just start with Week 6. No need to go in order, but it helps you experience the full effect. There is something here for everyone to increase employability and career skills, so don’t delay!

Sincerely,
Deb Hunt
Chair, 23 Things

Deb Hunt is a member of the Professional Development Advisory Council. She has held positions in the San Francisco Bay Region chapter and the Board of Directors.