by Valrie Davis, Florida & Caribbean Chapter, Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Division

Many of us understand that we have moved beyond Web 2.0 and into Web 3.0 – sometimes called the Semantic Web.  But what does it all mean, how can librarians become a part of the effort, and can we take it a step further and, ourselves, become Librarian 3.0?  The World Wide Web, as we know it, is adding a new underlying semantic layer that allows machines to find, share and communicate meaning. Librarians are long familiar with the connections between data – but not how these types of connections might change or become enhanced with machine readability. Librarians have no reason to fear for our jobs (or rather, there is no reason to fear for our jobs as we know it) as there is a role for us in the new world of semantically driven information. We too can shape development and assist in the building of common links between data, resources, and services.  Towards that end, here are 8 easy steps to becoming Semantic Web savvy:

1. Get portable: make yourself and your services mobile.
2. Get social: understand what social networking tools exist for managing and sharing information.  We are becoming increasingly familiar with tools such as Twitter and the Google Suite.  The list grows by the day! (FriendFeed, Collexis, VIVO, Mendeley, BibApp, Scientopia, etc.)
3. Focus on the individual: semantics help build and serve communities, while simultaneously better serving the individual. People join community networks when their individual needs are met.  Web 3.0 is about personalizing the information experience.
4. Provide dynamic content: understand how machines can help deliver content to you. Find the tools that assist you in locating the information your user requires.
5. Widgets and mash-ups:  Identify which widget tools would be the best to showcase on your website. Be your own widget by combining or showcasing your services in unlikely places.
6. Organization: get involved in the underlying organization of information through the development of ontologies and other Semantic Web standards (RDF, OWL, SPARQL, SKOS, etc.).  It’s no longer just for catalogers and programmers!
7. Contextualize your support:  How is location important? Are your users device driven? Subject driven?
8. Filtering: Web 3.0 filters out the stuff that doesn’t pertain to your context – a time honored role of librarians.  Not only are we utilizing the Semantic Web to categorize resources (journal article, book, person, datasets, etc.) but also relationships (author of, employed by, head of) between resources.  These semantic relationships help us filter through the information to identify what we need (i.e., all journal articles written by people employed by University of X).

Becoming Semantic Web savvy isn’t as difficult as you think, and it’s the beginnings of a new and interesting approach to structuring and discussing data.  There are lots of great conferences having these conversations – get involved in the discussion and bring that discussion to SLA!  Additionally, look around and see how much you and your colleagues are already involved in some aspect of Web 3.0. You will be surprised.

Valrie Davis is an Agricultural Sciences Librarian at the University of Florida and the UF Implementation Lead for VIVO, a semantic web application used as the foundation for a national network of researchers (http://vivoweb.org). She has been a member of SLA since 2005 and is the current Chair of the Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Division.

by Helen Josephine, Silicon Valley Chapter, Science-Technology and Engineering Divisions

A report on the new “bookless engineering library” was included in “Morning Edition” on NPR in July 2010. After this report aired, library and literary blogs quickly began discussing the future and fate of libraries in the digital age—is it the wave of the future or the end of the world as we know it? We find that some of our student and faculty users prefer digital content to print, while others do not. The digital library is not the end of the book and print collections, but the beginning of something new and exciting.

After four years of planning, the new Engineering Library at Stanford University opened on August 9, 2010. The vision document for the new library, SEQ2 Library Vision: The Information Collaboratory informed not only the physical design of the new facility but the staffing, collection and service models as well. In addition to the challenge to replace the physical collection with digital content, three themes for the new library were called out in this document: high-touch human contact, mediation and subject expertise and mutability or continuous change and experimentation.
To achieve our goal of becoming a largely bookless library with access to all of the online resources required by one of the premier schools of Engineering in the world, the constant questions we asked of our vendors were—can we get it online?, can it be flexible?, can it be self-service? We anticipate that even more innovative information resources and devices will be available to us as we continue to evolve and experiment with new technologies, new services and new vendors.

One current experiment is our e-reader program, a combination of circulating e-readers and tethered e-readers (10 Kindle, 8 Sony Touch,1 Nook,1 iPad) with content selected by librarians. In addition to the content we have selected and purchased for the e-readers, we are also testing the ability to load and read content that we have licensed from e-book vendors that allow for unlimited content download. Student feedback on the project has been positive and the e-readers are always checked-out. The e-reader program is part of our mission to understand the information needs of the current and future students and to experiment with new technologies.

Our physical space is one-third the size of our former library, but the open floor plan of the new library and the foldable, stackable, moveable furniture allows multiple configurations within our 6,000 sq ft. space. Collaborative work areas for groups of 4 or more with tables pushed together, individual work at tables near the windows, as well as impromptu classroom seating for groups as large as 50 are all feasible. The technology in the library includes a 60”digital bulletin board for announcements of library events and information plus School of Engineering events and student projects, a rolling display cart housing a 60” monitor with touch capability, an information kiosk using a 23” touch screen computer for basic library information and a 3M RFID system for book self-check out and security.

When you define your library as a place for innovation and experimentation with information technology and digital content, the possible roles for librarians are limitless and the types of services offered are dynamic and ever-changing. This is a true definition of “future-ready.”

Helen Josephine is Head of the Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Library (http://lib.stanford.edu/englib), part of the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center at Stanford University.  She is a past-president of the Silicon Valley chapter of SLA and has been a member of SLA since 1999. She has also been active in many regional, state and national library groups, including the Arizona Online Users Group, California Academic and Research Libraries, and ALA.

by Jill Heinze, Virginia Chapter, CI Division

From my vantage point as a research analyst, I see novel-worthy tales play out daily in the form of mergers, lobbying, new product launches, bankruptcies, client wins and losses, and on and on. With all of the drama unfolding in the marketplace, how proficient are we at capturing that dynamism in our presentations and reports? If you’re like me, you could probably stand to become a better storyteller. Even more, if you listen to some observers, you have to become a respectable storyteller to be future-ready.

In his book A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink asserts, “When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” Skeptical? Consider the success of Freakonomics¸ the book that transformed a collection of dry statistics into possible explanations for how society works and become a bestseller.

When weaving your tales, try emulating what I consider to be the traits of a good storyteller:

Creates well-developed characters.

A talented storyteller knows the history of her characters, their emotional and physical make up, what motivates them, and how they will grow and evolve. Similarly, a business info pro could enhance research by communicating the back story and drivers influencing “characters” like companies, executives, politicians, and products, and include suggestions about how those characters could change or act in the future given certain market conditions.

Says enough, but not too much.

There are few things more tedious than reading a story that leaves nothing to the imagination. While I don’t suggest leaving out key details or making too many assumptions, I do recommend considering how you can say more with less. Sometimes a single descriptive adjective, a clear graph, or a powerful image can get the point across and even improve the audience’s retention.

Constructs a plot.

Stories have a beginning, middle, and end. If you feel you’re assembling a collection of facts but losing the point in the mix, step back and see how you can reorganize the information so that it has a logical, compelling progression and reinforces your main conclusions.

Displays unique insight.

The best authors examine everyday occurrences in a new light and discover something profound. Maybe you’re no Shakespeare, but sometimes it’s those little nuggets that are commonly overlooked that can add large amounts of value to your deliverables. Try looking for themes, outliers, contradictions, trends and anomalies to deepen your clients’ understanding of a topic.

A note of caution: Unlike fiction writers, info pros need to tell stories responsibly. If you exaggerate too much for dramatic effect, you could sacrifice your credibility and, even worse, support bad decision-making.

To get going on your page-turners, check out some of the suggestions in Pink’s book and start small. In my case, I’m making a concerted effort to use graphics to convey my meaning and ensuring that each of my PowerPoint slides paints a verbal and visual picture. The future-readiness of PowerPoint is, well, another story.

Jill Stover Heinze is a librarian, marketing research analyst, active member of SLA’s Competitive Intelligence Division (CID) and Virginia Chapter, and a proud member of her profession. She earned her M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked in academic and business environments and is an invited presenter on library marketing topics. She is currently serving the CID as blog editor and is participating in the division’s annual conference planning.

by Kate W. Flewelling

A colleague recently dubbed me the “nomadic, geriatric librarian.”  At 32, I am hardly geriatric, but I do provide information support to those who treat our hospital’s oldest patients, and I leave my office (and the library) as often as possible.  I am mobile, and busy clinicians and students need me to be where they are.

At my institution, an academic medical center, the “ACE Team” (Acute Care for the Elderly) meets once a day in a hospital conference room (geriatrics patients can be on any service–cardiology, neurology, medicine–making bedside rounds impractical).  ACE Team members include an attending physician, a post-residency fellow, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, a pharmacist and residents/medical students on two week geriatrics rotations.   As cases are presented, I listen for clinical information needs.  Often, attendees will have additional literature search requests or a request for “one good article on….” or “clinical practice guidelines for….”  If I think a question can be answered in less than five minutes, I look it up on the spot on an iPad (I have also used an iPod Touch).  Other questions are taken back to the library for prompt response.

Schedule permitting, I have been attending rounds twice a week since October 2010.  In that short time, I have been accepted wholeheartedly into the ACE Team, including being invited to the division’s holiday potluck.  I send welcome emails to residents and medical students as they start their rotation.  The welcome emails contain a link to a reading list on RefShare that I created in consultation with the team.  I have received questions from all members of the team and have had in-office consultations with a number of them.

While I feel like I am providing a valuable service, I am constantly learning myself.  Going to rounds is like visiting another country whose language I can read but am not yet fluent.  I have a much richer understanding of the context in which clinicians work and am able to hear in real time their thought process.  I am a better librarian to all my health sciences professional patrons as a result.  I have also gained invaluable life lessons on what kind of “old age” I want for myself and family members.

Some advice for those who would like to start rounding:

• Ask for a meeting with the department chair to discuss how the library might better serve the department and mention rounding as an option.
• Before the meeting, do some reading on the specialty and current issues.  Attend the department’s grand rounds a few times.
• Become an expert on point-of-care databases, especially those with mobile versions.
• Be as mobile as you can with available technology.
• Be prepared to explain what you are doing there and the services you provide.
• Listen, listen, listen.

Kate W. Flewelling is Coordinator of Instruction at the  Upstate Medical University Health Sciences Library, Syracuse, NY.  Her email address is flewellk@upstate.edu.

by Rachel Wangerin, SLA Minnesota President

Had someone told me in library school that I would one day go on to become the president of the SLA MN chapter, I would have thought they were crazy. But here I am, 6 years after graduation, doing just that. The main advice I heard, whether just out of undergraduate school, or after receiving my Master’s degree, was network, network, network. So much so that it almost felt like a dirty word. One secret that they don’t tell you is that once you start participating in a professional organization (and I mean participating, not just joining) the networking starts to come naturally. Another secret that isn’t apparent is that participating in a professional organization can add to your professional development every bit as much as work inside your own organization.

I had the opportunity to begin my information career working with individuals with a huge amount of experience and knowledge. I learned so much those first couple of years. My boss was very supportive and constantly looking for opportunities for me to grow. During that time, I sat back and let her help direct my professional development. She is the one who recommend my name when the SLA Chemistry Division was looking for a program planner for the 2008 Annual Conference.

As that boss moved towards retirement, I began to realize that there would be no one left to drive my professional development. In school, we are used to teachers and professors telling us what we need to do to succeed. However, in the workplace, that isn’t always the case. We need to figure it out for ourselves and take the steps that will help us have new experiences and grow. So, I started to seek out ways to drive my own success.

The SLA MN chapter drafted me as I finished my stint as a program planner to step into the four year commitment that included President of the chapter. As I begin the third year of that commitment, I look back at how much I have learned and am amazed. My confidence is much higher and I have had the opportunity to make connections all over MN and the rest of the world.

While SLA has been a huge part of my professional development, I also do many other things. I monitor numerous blogs and websites for new ideas. I try to attend online and live seminars when they are applicable and available.

While I was very lucky to have someone to direct my early career development, this is not the case for everyone. We are the only ones responsible for our professional development. We have to own it and continue owning it throughout our career. This will help us to be “Future Ready.”

Rachel Wangerin is a corporate, technical information specialist working for a global research and development company.

by Babette Bensoussan, Director, The MindShifts Group

When I was asked to write on the theme of “What does it mean to be future ready?” I thought no problem. There is so much information out there that it would be an easy blog to write.

After all, today we have more information sources available to us as well as wonderful search capabilities that there really is very little we cannot find out. However, I believe this is where the problem starts.

It got me thinking – as a competitive intelligence practitioner – what does it really mean to be future ready? If I look at this question from a competitive intelligence (CI) perspective then my answer must always suggest options for being future ready.

So what does that mean?

Let me start with the original question itself. What are the assumptions here – are they positive or negative? Does the question relate to individual future readiness or organisational future readiness? What are some critical uncertainties around the future that would impact anyone’s readiness?

I would need to be clear about these factors before I drive through the plethora of information. Otherwise I am like a man with a buoy bobbing up and down in a sea of information and going nowhere.

And talking about the plethora of information…. It is not just the information that is available on the internet or has been published that is important. Rather when it comes to the future, it is important to talk to people. Yes, I know you can ask people on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for answers however I really wonder how many people would answer an unknown. Most of us are unknown. We don’t have familiar names or great swaths of followers like Ashton Kutcher or Lance Armstrong.

This means we need to go forth and seek answers from people who may have an idea of what any plausible future will look like. From an organisational perspective that could mean talking to academics, journalists, futurists, customers, suppliers, distributors to just name a few. Many of them may not have published their future developments or intentions on the internet for you to find via a single search on Google!

Let’s say I now have all this information and am well informed about possible futures. Does that make me future ready? In my opinion, absolutely not.

I would suggest we need to analyse the information in light of our current situation. This is without a doubt one of the weakest steps as managers and individuals we face. Analysis is the cornerstone for insights yet far too often we see summaries instead!!

As an organisation for example, all the information needs to be analysed in context of the organisation’s capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, etc to identify the gaps it needs to address to be future ready, irrespective of the future that plays out. Some suggested analytical techniques that would help here would be techniques such as Scenario Analysis, Critical Success Factors, Driving Forces Analysis, even SWOT (done properly mind you – not the silly little four boxes!!).

The output of these techniques would identify options, opportunities, and threats that an organisation could address to make itself future ready. This is the real insight.

To be future ready for me is not just about knowing what future may likely play out but about being prepared and alert to meet any future with the best possible advantage. What do you think?

Babette Bensoussan is passionate about CI, is a SCIP Meritorious Recipient and a best selling author. For more information on her work visit http://www.mindshifts.com.au/

by Danielle Salomon, Southern California Chapter, Business & Finance Division

To be future-ready, we need to look at the way young people are using information.  If we examine the attitudes and behaviors surrounding the use of information by young people, it becomes clear that many of the existing standards in our field will be challenged.  For example, in Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media, author Carrie James tells the story of Daniel, a high-school senior who contributes to Wikipedia and uses one of his entries in a school paper:

After reading Daniel’s paper, his teacher calls him into her office and accuses him of plagiarism, noting that he used verbatim lines from Wikipedia without giving proper credit to the source.  Daniel replies that since he was a contributor to the Wikipedia article, his use does not constitute plagiarism…Above all, he asserts, the purpose of Wikipedia is to make knowledge available for widespread use.  It does not provide the names of article authors, and he will not be cited by others for his contributions.  In fact, authorship is irrelevant.[1]

The rise of collaborative authorship, distributed scholarship, and participatory communities is creating differences in the way young people think about authorship and ownership, and their expectations with respect to use and attribution. Some of the legal and ethical standards that apply to the use of information today are likely to change in the near future to reflect how users are participating in the new media landscape.  In the midst of this changing environment, information professionals need to take the lead in developing new standards, instead of focusing solely on enforcing existing standards.  Information professionals are uniquely qualified to shape the public policy debate on these issues, and craft policies that reflect how users use information, while still protecting core values such as access, equality, and intellectual freedom.  We need to work with younger generations of users to advocate for standards that foster education, support the advancement of scholarship, encourage innovation, and protect intellectual property.

Carrie James, Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media:  A Synthesis from the GoodPlay Project (Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press, 2009), 45.

Danielle Salomon is an MLIS student in the UCLA Department of Information Studies. She is a soon-to-be, newly-minted information professional and a leader in the school.

by Ethel M Salonen, Boston Chapter and SLA Past-President

What do I mean by GET INVOLVED? Involved in what? Get involved with your customer’s work program…get involved in their meetings…get involved by attending the meetings, programs, or conferences they attend…basically let them see your commitment to learning as much about their discipline as you can in order to provide the relevant products and services that will meet their needs.

How do I get involved?

• Work programs – Many information professionals are now embedded within their customer organizations. The MITRE Corporation has a group of 16 information professionals who are either physically located with their customers or are assigned to specific centers. They also have their work funded by these centers. Each of these individuals knows the issues and the problems that need solving and by using their research and analysis skills, are able to produce targeted products and services. They are considered as “business partners” or “subject matter experts.” What a terrific recognition of their efforts.
• Meetings – Attend customer meetings, programs or conferences, either in-person or via another communication medium. Customers will notice your attendance and as you contribute to the conversation, they will begin to see you as a business partner and as a valued member of the team.

How do I prove the ROI for this involvement?

Secure feedback from your customers and specifically request stories that demonstrate the value of your involvement. These stories and your reputation for getting involved with your customers work program will be enough to show that you are becoming Future Ready.

Ethel Salonen is the Department Head of Information Services at The MITRE Corporation.

By Gloria Miller, Military Libraries Division

I work in a cubicle. However, most of the people around me are not Librarians. This gives me opportunities to overhear conversations, ask questions, and join in whenever I think I can help. At first, the quizzical looks seem to say, “How can a Librarian help with this?” It doesn’t take long for them to realize the value of an Information Professional.

For me as well as my boss (also a cubicle Librarian), it has meant learning more than we ever expected to learn about Business Case Analysis, Excel, government contracting, SharePoint, and more. Each conversation becomes an opportunity to learn something else, and put it to use for the good of the organization as a whole. And every successful project becomes an advertisement for other teams to seek out the Library staff for input.

So, get out of your chair, leave your comfort zone, and stick your nose into hallway conversations. You’ll be surprised at where you may end up.

Gloria Miller is a Librarian at the Headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal (Huntsville), Alabama. She is currently the Chair-Elect of the Military Libraries Division.

by Jill Hurst-Wahl, SLA Board of Directors

As a faculty member, I interact daily with LIS students.  These students are arriving in their programs feeling ill-prepared for their futures, yet also being future ready in terms of having creativity, energy, enthusiasm and the ability to collaborate and share information in ways foreign to many practitioners.  They have been users of both public and academic libraries, but few have any knowledge of where they might be employed outside the traditional domains.  While LIS programs can introduce students to corporate and embedded librarianship, etc., what makes non-traditional librarianship real for them is interacting with practitioners through panel discussions, one-on-one conversations, internships, and even part-time job opportunities.  In other words, those of us out in the field need to take time to introduce the students to our world where the jobs of the future are being incubated.

Practitioners, consider these ideas for reaching out to LIS students:

• Invite the LIS students in your region to tour your library.  Locate them through the nearest LIS program as well as through announcements on local library discussion lists.  (Place announcements in multiple places to improve your chances of connecting with distance students.)  Show them where you work and the resources you use.  Have 1-2 of your clients talk to them about the benefits of your work.
• Contact an LIS program (e.g., the one closest to you or your alma mater) and offer to guest lecture about your work either in person or via a video conference.
• Contact LIS programs about possible internships or student/group projects.
• Offer to review student resumes and cover letters.  While students do have campus resources for this, they appreciate a practitioner’s perspective.

Students, take these steps to connect with practitioners:

• Use the SLA directory to locate a practitioner in an area that interests you, and then schedule a time to talk with that person either in person or by phone.  Ask the person about his or her background, work, and advice.
• Attend SLA chapter events, even if it means going out of your way to do so.  Then employ some networking strategies to meet and interact with others at the event.  Remember that the people who are there can help you become the professional that you want to be.
• Volunteer to help with events that librarians and knowledge/information professionals will be attending.  Every event could use help and some will allow volunteers to attend the event for free.
• When a practitioner guest lectures in one of your classes, get the person’s contact information and then follow-up with the person to ask more pointed questions as well as seek advice.  If the person is bombarded with follow-up requests (and wouldn’t that be awesome!), offer to coordinate a group meeting.

Are there other ways of getting involved? Yes.  Follow your instinct and imagination.  Just keep in mind that it is up to us — practitioners and students alike — to ensure that when the future arrives that we have information professionals ready for it!

Jill Hurst-Wahl is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies.  She is a member of the SLA Board of Directors and several SLA units.  She co-authored The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success with Ulla de Stricker.