by Eileen Davenport, Illinois Chapter, Business & Finance and Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Divisions

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” this oft-used Charles Dickens quote describes the situation of all library/research and information center environments today. The idea of an “information economy” might suggest to some that any kind of knowledge repository would be a priority for organizations of all kinds, but paradoxically (and frustratingly), experience indicates otherwise. For further exploration, let’s look at the definitions. 

As a closet Luddite, I began with Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, copyright 1974.  Unsurprisingly, neither “information economy” nor “knowledge economy” appears, although “information retrieval” (the techniques of storing and recovering and often disseminating recorded data esp. through the use of a computerized system) does.  

The next step: the Oxford English Dictionary. That venerable resource does not include a definition for “information economy” but it defines “knowledge economy” as a cycle where growth is thought to be dependent on the effective acquisition, dissemination, and use of information, rather than the traditional means of production.  Sounds good to me.

 To be thorough, and in keeping with the rule of three, I also searched Google and Bing for definitions.

But even with a definition of what this type of economy is, what are the practical applications of being part of the information/knowledge economy? Knowledge and information is put on a pedestal, but information centers and libraries are not acknowledged as the base of that pedestal. Instead, this observer has come to view the situation as a kind of the-emperor-has-no-clothes scenario: everyone values information, but no one wants to fully fund it. And recent developments in my hometown illustrate this: Rahm Emanuel’s cuts to the library budgets exceed the definition of draconian – massive personnel cuts and further reductions to operating hours. And, even sadder: he can justifiably argue that his budget makes more provisions for public libraries than other major systems. Public library budgets are just that – public. What is going on in many private organizations is comparable, but not as widely followed. Most people reading this have experienced it, or at least know someone who has.  If not, please share your strategies. 

What we are left with is an information/knowledge economy where people have unprecedented access to information, but their understanding of and facility with that information is highly varied. Besides the other technological innovations that drive the evolution of the profession, the necessity of combining the center and the service is the next big challenge. Not only do we have to make our skills Future Ready, but the organization must understand that libraries/research and information centers are future relevant. How do we make sure that the concept is shared by the decision-makers?  Lacking the method depicted in Inception as a viable alternative, what works?  There must be a workable medium between the expanding entity of The Desk Set and the relic from Shooting the Past, mustn’t there?

Eileen Davenport works as a librarian for an investment bank and a community college in the Chicago area.  An avid reader of blogs, this is her first contribution to one.

By John J. DiGilio, National Manager of Research Services, Reed Smith LLP

Back when the internet was still young, so was I . . . well somewhat. I was fresh out of law school and fresh out of work. Two things were certain to me back then: I had no desire to practice law and I was happiest when I was researching in the library. When I made up my mind to pursue a degree in information science, one of my closest friends and an early tech guru, asked me if I was crazy. According to his digital crystal ball, once this “internet thing” took off, libraries and librarians would surely go the way of the dinosaur. All of these years later, I am pleased to say that not only have I failed to fossilize, but that I am happier than ever to call myself a librarian. Librarians are survivors!

It’s a new millennium. Yes, the internet is bigger than anyone imagined. Yes, libraries have gotten smaller in many respects. Maybe we saw that coming. But in a stroke of tenacity and adaptability, librarians have become, in my opinion, more integral than ever. In this age of easy access and information on demand, we are more than the gatekeepers. We are the curators of relevance. We are information quality control at its finest! Staying relevant has not been an easy road and many of my colleagues in the industry are struggling with changing technology and tightening fiscal belts. Yet, I have just to look around to see many others adapting to new roles and processes that few of us might have expected even just a few years ago. Call it a “can do attitude” or even career Darwinism. I think of it as the very nature of librarianship. It is quality, innovation, and service despite and in response to changing circumstances. It’s what we do!

Being future ready means being adaptable and responsive. It requires keeping your finger on the pulse of change and meeting it head on with new methods, fresh ideas, and unwavering enthusiasm. It is also embracing the fact that as times change, so too will the definition and domain of the librarian. It is only natural. Librarians can and do adapt. We do survive. Above all, we can thrive in the face of change. Here are just a few of the skills I believe that can keep us from getting voted off the island (OK, bad “Survivor” reference!):

• Anticipate change.  Change is a given, whether we like it or not. Yet it seldom blindsides us. Librarians are imminently positioned to see what is coming our way. We are out there interacting with the resources, vendors, and information – the very agents of change – on a daily basis. If you are not already leveraging your contacts, networks, and conferences to help you prepare for tomorrow, you really need to start doing so. Change cannot sneak up on you if you have eyes in the back of your head. Old librarian stereotypes aside, you do have eyes in the back of your head right?
• After you ask WHY, ask HOW!  Like I said above, change is a given. So is the fact that we are not always going to like the changes that occur. It is only natural to lament when the rug is pulled from beneath you. But once you get done sweating over why something has changed (an important question in and of itself), it is time to start thinking about how you are going to adapt. As librarians, our goal is to continue to deliver quality service and work regardless. Shrinking budgets and spaces be damned, our goals do not change. Regardless of the size of the institutions we serve, we are each part of a team that keeps that place running. Want to show them how integral you are to the team and your workplace? Show them just how much you really can do with the resources you are given. As Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work!”
• Don’t just shift . . . SHINE! Finally, it is not enough to just make the most of change. Shifting approaches and expectations may be the bulk of the battle, but they are not enough to win the war for survival. What good is besting change if no one knows what you are doing? You have got to be able to talk up what you and your department are doing in ways that are meaningful to your institution. From raising the bar on the quality of information and results to saving money, the powers that be need to know the impact of your work and changes. Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn. Just toot it strategically.  No one wants a cacophony of self-congratulations. A sweet tune of success is enough to tempt the ears of those at the top.

I could go on and on about the ways in which librarians can thrive in changing and even uncertain times. I have at times even been accused of being too optimistic about the changes that are shaping our industry and its future. You can call me a Pollyanna. I really do not mind. If I did not believe it and practice it, I would not preach it. Librarianship, in all of its evolving names and forms, is every bit as exciting to me as it was when I was starting info school. I still love what I do and, most importantly, I am still doing it. That friend, the tech guru with the gloomy prognostications? He is not in tech anymore. In fact, I am trying to get him to try librarianship too. I am certain there is a future in it!

John DiGilio is the National Manager of Research Services for Reed Smith, LLP. He has over 20 years experience in libraries and has written for numerous publications and taught college and graduate courses for attorneys and librarians. He has twice been awarded SLA’s Dana Award. John blogs at iBraryGuy, and follow him via Twitter (@iBraryGuy).

by Michelle Mayes, Illinois Chapter, Business & Finance and Taxonomy Divisions

As a child I started autobiographical essays with some form of “Like Columbus, I discovered America on October 12…”A trope usually good for a chuckle from the teacher.

 In some Caribbean countries, Columbus Day is actually called Discovery Day, and with the passage of another year I am finding I am still discovering where the future leads. After eight years in one firm I am again on a path to find out what is next. In my last full-time position, I was the person who was defying stereotypes in a siloed firm, using my skills in research, Web slinging, data mining, and knowledge management in new ways, across silos. On the far side I am finding that being the person who can do anything is great when you’re employed, but such a diverse resume leads interviewers and recruiters to ask “with so many different things you’ve done, what do you want to do now?”

That question took me aback at first. Did they want to hear that I only had eyes for this particular job and discount everything else? Do they think I’ll leave because they can’t offer me a position in all those areas? But when I think about those doubts, I realize it goes against my personal experience of taking what you have and making more from it.

Many pieces on this blog have stressed the importance of stretching yourself to develop new skills, and I have followed that path most of my career, to generally positive results. In my first professional position it meant moving from research to designing the first intranet site (after IT) in the company. In my next position it led to starting a satellite library and taking over hands-on portions of training. In my last position it meant moving from behind the scenes to working on the trading floor.  I have not found every experience ended in a rosy ever after, but as Thomas Edison notes, learning what paths do not work is also valuable.  

So what then is my answer to “what do I want to do now?” I want to keep discovering, I want to keep reaching, and I want to work for someone who values an employee who is always reaching, not to “move up and out” but to say “yes and.”  The future rarely belongs to those who simply fulfill the requirements of the job description.  It belongs to those who, when encountering the unexpected, forge a different path instead.

Michelle Mayes is a member of the Future Ready 365 task force. True to form, she said, “sure, I can set up the blog” even though she hadn’t actually worked in WordPress before.  Previous SLA positions include Webmaster of SLA Illinois’ web site.  

By Judith Binder, Illinois Chapter, Business & Finance and Leadership & Management Divisions

Today’s clients expect more for less. The deadline is tight. There is no budget. Requirements demand accurate, granular detail. The old adage “fast, cheap, accurate – pick two” has broken down. The challenge is to solve the unsolvable.

My client wanted projections of global demand for a key component (similar to a small electric motor) used in many kinds of consumer electronics and industrial devices. Although it was clear that 100s of millions of units were being shipped annually, my client was not satisfied with the methodologies that produced top-down market sizing and growth estimates. Content services and analyst houses sell reports and forecasts for each device type, but my client sought an original methodology with more credibility than a top-down prognostication. So, buying canned analyst reports and fee-based database content was not an option.

The approach I used was to develop a bottom-up market forecast for each of the 20 major device types aggregated into a data-driven forecast for the component’s total addressable market. Over the years I’ve developed a flexible analytical framework for bottom-up market studies.  Adapting this for the component market was straightforward. I created 20 instances of the model — one for each device type market. Using only publicly available information and interviews with key industry players, I created a data mosaic reaching back ten years in each segment. This gave me a trend line that I extrapolated to generate forecasts, segment by segment. Additional analyses of industry trends and drivers were used to tweak the model. Any growth assumption that was not substantiated with data was documented and parameterized so the client could review the results and conduct their own what-ifs.

The result? The report was delivered on time and in budget. The client was thrilled with the findings.

To see the original post, please visit the RBSC blog.

Judith Binder heads the Research Group of RBSC Corp. Launched in 2002, RBSC provides business, market and competitive intelligence services to major corporations, middle market and smaller organizations, including professional service firms.  To learn more, go online to the RBSC website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Right Answers. Right Time.™

Welcome to Illinois! Our chapter is pleased to be writing this week’s blog posts and even more pleased to be hosting the Annual Conference in 2012. We’re already pulling together to wish you a warm welcome (it will be July after all).
We are a diverse chapter of 500 members; our members are also hold leadership roles in many of SLAs divisions. Two iSchools are resident in Illinois and we have students from virtual programs across the country.
So welcome to Illinois. Please comment on our posts, and give your ideas in person, next year, July 15-18 in Chicago. Our enthusiastic conference committee has already started to develop the Hospitality wiki so check it out as it develops.

by Lorene Kennard, Illinois (2011 President) and South Carolina Chapters, Business & Finance and Leadership & Management Divisions

One cannot be Future Ready alone.  One must have connections and contacts in many networks and locales no matter one’s chosen profession.  To stay connected to everyone, one must have three important communication skills: public speaking, email management and writing skills.

Public speaking gets a bad reputation because a long ago survey showed that people are more afraid to speak in front of people than they are of dying. If you are willing to speak in public, you will have an advantage over many people. Start small. Ask your chapter program planner if you can introduce the speaker at your next meeting. Then, find one or two more people and co-present on a chapter or division webinar on a topic on which you are very knowledgeable. A few days before the first time I spoke in front of my SLA IL chapter, I had a slight bout with vertigo. Every time I turned to gesture to the screen, I was worried that I would spin right over and fall down on the table holding the projector. After that experience, I figure it cannot get much worse. Your first time speaking probably will not be as bad as that. The more you speak in public, the more comfortable you will be in front of an audience. Public speaking is a great skill to have in your toolbox.

It is important to regularly check one’s email. While this may seem obvious, I know people who say they are ‘bad with email.’  How can one be bad with email? This is the main platform on which business and professional communication takes place.  If one is not good with managing one’s email, one will miss a lot of important opportunities and timely information. Everyone gets too much email, so I recommend an Inbox review to see who exactly is sending all those emails. I like to organize my emails into folders. I have rules set up to sort certain types of emails, like listservs posts, into folders. Also, I unsubscribe from e-newsletters that are no longer relative. My Inbox generally contains only those emails that I need to address. I can check the folders at my leisure to see what is being posted to listservs. Once your email Inbox is decluttered, it will be much easier to manage your incoming messages.

Writing opportunities remind some people of the chore of writing term papers in school. But, as grown-ups, we can write on topics we know and love without strict parameters. As with public speaking, start with your chapter or division. Interview someone for your unit’s newsletter. Then, ‘cover’ your next chapter meeting and write it up for the chapter website or blog. Include a link to your writing in your email signature file. The list of potential writing opportunities is long. Your employer may have an internal newsletter or blog. Your local newspaper may be looking for bloggers. If you volunteer in your community, write up local meetings or activities for the newspaper. Writing well is a skill that can come in handy when you least expect it.

I am always trying to improve my public speaking, email management and writing skills. What are your secrets on managing these skills? Please comment below.

Lorene Kennard is the owner of the freelance research business Walnut Avenue Research. She is active in AIIP (Association of Independent Information Professionals) and is 2011 President of the Illinois Chapter of SLA. She enjoys writing and speaking on her career path, entrepreneurship and owning a small business. If you email her, you can expect a quick reply. She and her chapter are excited to host SLA 2012 in Chicago!

by Karen Huffman, SLA Fellow for 2011, Past Chair, SLA Knowledge Management
Manager, Technology Solutions, National Geographic Society

During the SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, I attended a Knowledge Management session on “Building an Innovative Environment.” People from leading organizations shared what innovation meant to them:

• PricewaterhouseCoopers: Innovation = something new or different. It’s about ideas. Definition does not say anything about the value of the ideas. How do you create a culture where all ideas are valued? ~ Sheldon Laube
• Cargill: There’s a kernel of genius in everyone, and the goal of all of us is to bring that out. ~ Gregory Page, Cargill’s CEO
• NIH: It’s about connecting very divergent dots and putting diverse ways of thinking in new, innovative ways. “Creativity is connecting the ideas.” ~ Steve Jobs

Many “dots” are key, but how do we evolve our model for sharing ideas and engaging in conversations to foster a continuous process of improvement? I’ve had a handful of follow-up conversations with SLA members and brainstormed a possible initiative to create a framework for proposing and voting on ideas for consideration by SLA and its members. From those discussions, I would like to propose the following format for pitching ideas:

Idea title (start by suggesting something achievable within a timely fashion).
Brief description.
Keywords
(include two to three keywords to categorize your idea).
Value to SLA member.
Strategic fit (see SLA’s Vision, Mission, and Core Value statement www.sla.org/content/SLA/AssnProfile/slanplan/index.cfm).

So, if you are willing to participate in a pilot project, pitch your ideas to me: ideas(at)cybersailors.org. I’ll plan to aggregate and develop a mechanism for discussing and voting on ideas proposed.

By Steven K. Frets, Wisconsin Chapter, Knowledge Management Division

Helen Partridge’s focus group study and scholarly article Becoming “Librarian 2.0”: The Skills, Knowledge, and Attributes Required by Library and Information Science Professionals in a Web 2.0 World (and Beyond) (Library Trends – Volume 59, Numbers 1-2, Summer 2010/Fall 2010, pp. 315-335) identified 8 primary themes to becoming a Librarian 2.0: technology, communication, teamwork, user focus, business savvy, evidence-based practice, learning & education, and certain personality traits. I would argue and expect that any librarian has these in mind and demonstrates them in practice. Nothing new here – books themselves are a technology, albeit an old-fashioned type. Librarians in institutions have been collaborating with other librarians since the early 1800s. John Dewey made an emphasis on user focus in the 1920s. So what’s changed in the 21^st century? How should I as a first-semester LIS graduate student adapt to be “Future Ready”? I posit three words as an answer: pace, direction, and flexibility.

The confluence of new technologies and dynamic leadership in the library community has fostered a challenging pace. So I’m thinking “Future Ready” is a paradox: I need to make change a constant. This is why I’m not narrowing my academic experience to a track. I hardily appreciate library school but have applied to go to an i-school in Austria for a semester in order to embrace the interdisciplinary aspect of this profession. My motto of “Future Readiness” is to stand straight and authoritatively as a second baseman (ie. with the knowledge and ethics of a librarian) but always look to steal for 3^rd. Change gets you farther, after all. So own it.

Steven Frets is a  31 year-old first-year graduate student at the School of Library and Information Studies-University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before graduate school, he was a translator and educator. His main interest is in corporate librarianship.  He interned at the Greendale Public Library and volunteers at the Milwaukee County Historical Society and Milwaukee Central Library. He speaks three languages and hopes to learn a fourth while in Austria. 

by Michael D. McDonald, Dr. P.H.

It can be argued that libraries have their origins in the swarm behavior of individuals and groups acquiring and sharing cultural artefacts (e.g., pictographs, books) as the fundamental repositories of knowledge within a community and the broader society. Librarians have played a key role in the founding and differentiation of America at its origins. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, for example, played key roles in deepening and broadening the tradition of knowledge sharing within the early United States.

Thomas Jefferson saw public education and acquisition of knowledge as one of the key cornerstones of a free republic. As a result, he founded the University of Virginia and the Library of Congress with the sharing of his own extensive library. Ben Franklin, in holding a similar ideal for knowledge sharing, formed the first social libraries in the late 1700s in Philadelphia, which could be described as perhaps the first public libraries in the United States.

Fast forward — the United States, in the early 21st century, is a global society with its knowledge-based transactions touching billions of lives a day. Knowledge sharing is now more a phenomenon of the world wide web and social media than of static collections of books alone. As a result, library science is fusing with knowledge science, the cognitive sciences, and the sciences of complexity, which now have less to do with human/book interactions than human/information system interactions. As a result, librarians are not only influencing the interactions between individuals and the knowledge source, but also how the knowledge of populations shapes collective intelligence and its impact on individual behaviors, and collective behavior.

Like the biologist of the 21st century, who must think not only of germs, plants, and animals but also about DNA and genes, the librarian of the 21st century must also now consider memes and memeplexes — the fundamental artefacts of science and culture and how they replicate and inform behavior, social process, and social structure. In so doing, the 21st century librarian, thinking back from the ultimate impact of their craft, has enormous power in shaping the trajectory of individuals and populations influenced by the knowledge management systems librarians architect and manage. In a world of human populations rapidly exceeding the carrying capacity of their ecosystems globally leading to food insecurity, energy crisis, water crisis, social conflict, and war, the librarian’s effective shaping of knowledge management systems becomes mission critical.

Librarians in this context have enormous power in guiding the great transformation of social ecologies in the U.S. and around the world toward resilience and sustainability. In this context, the work of librarians makes a strategic difference in humanity’s epic struggle between mass collapses of populations and humanity’s abilities to thrive under rapidly changing conditions. It is no longer just the shaping of knowledge that the 21st century librarian must attend to, but the kindling of wisdom to anticipate changing conditions, collectively transforming wise decisions into unity of effort across large populations — to collaboratively shape and live within resilient and sustainable social ecologies compatible with healthy biomes; this is the power and the craft of librarians today facing the strategic challenges of their communities, the United States, and the future of our collective humanity globally.

Dr. Michael D. McDonald is director of the National Sustainable Security Infrastructure Initiative and the chief architect of the U.S. Resilience System. Dr. McDonald has led several large PanFlu exercises and provided testimony to the Congressional Budget Office on key weaknesses of current U.S. pandemic flu policy. He has been an early voice for global, real-time, transparent biosurveillance systems and building infrastructures supporting situational awareness and verifiable resilience at the household, neighborhood and community levels. Dr. McDonald chaired the Genomics and Bioinformatics working group and was co-founder of the Bioterrorism working group of IEEE. Dr. McDonald does research in memetics and biosecurity in association with several universities and government agencies and has been co-principal investigator with the Centers for Disease Control on the Psychosocial Dimensions of BioSecurity Initiative. He is Principal Investigator on the Global Resilience System testbed and is currently the President and CEO of Global Health Initiatives, Inc. He is deeply involved in the prevention and management of large-scale social crises, such as through his work in Haiti, Japan, Vietnam, and the United States.

On October 20, Dr. Michael D. McDonald will engage a discourse on the social media, intelligent social networks, information sharing environments, and Resilience Systems, as some of the fundamental tools of strategically oriented librarians embracing the full power and responsibilities of the professions. You may join this in person or via simulcast.

by Jason Griffey
Reposted with permission from http://jasongriffey.net

I had the pleasure of presenting to the librarians at Western Kentucky University during their 2011 kickoff event. When discussing a topic with the Dean, I was told that they were interested in the future of the academic library, technology, and how to manage the changes that are coming. That’s definitely in the sweet spot of my library interests, so I gave it a shot. Below you’ll find a slideshow with accompanying audio of my presentation, along with the Q/A session at the end. The whole thing is about 1.5 hours, but my presentation is just the first hour or so. I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you disagree with any of my points.

The Future is Already Here from Jason Griffey on Vimeo.

Jason Griffey, the Head of Library Information Technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is busy blogging and publishing. Read more about him here.