by Gwen Alexander

As the dean of the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, I spend a great deal of time thinking about how we should be offering learning experiences that will support 21^st century librarians. The two most important skills that come to mind immediately are both related to “change”:  1) leading/planning for change and 2) recognizing change as opportunity. New technologies and global developments have accelerated the pace of change recently, which engenders related questions:  How shall librarians learn the skills of adapting to change, recognizing opportunities, and planning and implementing changes for the future? Are these skills that can be taught in a master’s level course? How do people learn to discern change that adds value from change that harms? What about unintended consequences that result from change and its inherent opportunities? How can leaders of change overcome competing commitments to traditional librarianship?

In That Used to Be Us, written by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, the authors discuss the unique role America plays in providing important public services across the globe and the consequences of failing to renew domestic sources of American prosperity and strength. They argue that a strong, pro-market federal government is necessary to create favorable conditions that promote private enterprise. I would add that one of these domestic sources has been, and continues to be, our libraries and the ethic of freedom of access to information for everyone. If this is true, librarians and supporters of libraries are tasked with the responsibility of updating libraries and library services to keep them relevant to 21^st century information needs. To accomplish this task, we need to know what is relevant to meeting 21^st century information needs.

I think our libraries need to focus on being community information/learning centers that support education and information literacy from birth through old age. Providing access to the world of knowledge (far more than the basic subjects in formal education) in a variety of formats is still what libraries and librarians do best. Libraries are not repositories for books, computer labs, or quiet places—they are educational institutions that are vital to all age groups. We need to make sure that the general public and individuals who are part of the funding process understand that libraries are necessary to the initial and continuing education of all age groups, from birth to old age.

I began with the idea that librarians need the skills to plan and lead change and recognize change that brings additional opportunities. I am ending with the thought that all change is not necessarily for the good and we need to be able to recognize the difference so we can know which path to choose. The “good” changes are those that support libraries as community information/learning centers. SLIM has initiated a concentration in Leadership and Administration that includes courses in management, leadership and leading change, marketing and public relations, and a choice of courses focused on public libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries. Recognizing the need for change, planning change, and implementing change are taught across the curriculum. This is the change we have made as our response to the need to educate students in how to move forward in our changing profession and environment and contribute to the library and information management field as professionals in the future.

Gwen Alexander is the Dean of Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management.

Howdy from the beautiful Rocky Mountains! The Rocky Mountain chapter of SLA is thrilled to contribute this week’s FutureReady365 posts. We are a small, diverse community of 150+ members spread across a four-state region (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota). We have a medley of posts from public school, government, higher education and independent professionals that we hope will prompt conversations, comments and thoughts on being future ready. Happy reading!

These days there is lots of talk about collaboration. I’m a believer as all my best ideas come from engaging in life’s experiences by listening, learning and discussing with others; and reading constantly.

This is how I developed cooperative intelligence www.thecisource.com/coopintel in 2004. I learned that many in competitive intelligence, my professional angle, are frustrated since their ideas and insight either don’t get shared with decision-makers or are ignored. We often blame management for this behavior, when it’s up to us to be heard and listened to. You need to figure out how to earn the respect of managers individually—and over time they will listen and engage.

The core attitude is cooperation, in that you show a willingness to give to others without expecting something in return. There are 3 interrelated behaviors in cooperative intelligence: Leadership, Connection and Communication.

Cooperative Leadership: While info pros and librarians usually don’t hold traditional leadership positions, we can be leaders by doing excellent work, which contains a proactive, future looking element. It is easy for us to become mired in the reactive detail of projects.

Likewise, we need to stand up for what we believe. Sometimes we are asked to research topics or use research methodologies which we think are unethical, and we have to say NO! We also need to share information and analysis that our management won’t like. It’s our job, and cooperatively we can gently, but firmly share what we learn.

Cooperative Connection: Cooperative connectors value everyone we meet. We make a point of making people feel important by listening and staying in touch. We make the person we are speaking to feel like s/he is the only person that matters, even when surrounded by hundreds at the SLA Annual Conference, for example!

Cooperative connectors share specific information only with those who might value it. Sharing with those who don’t care is rude. Take the time to identify who will appreciate what you produce. Cooperative connectors also keep their contacts up to date and add new people to their distribution lists in the areas they value.

Cooperative Communication: One way to be a cooperative communicator is to be a good listener, to observe, engage and ask good questions. Notice what people choose not to share or when their body action doesn’t jive with their words. Librarians are trained to be good listeners so have a competitive advantage over most other professions. However, do we project a cooperative attitude? Take the next step and find out how out how your customers want to be communicated with, their areas of need as well as their expertise. In our quest to be helpful, we often forget that people like to be asked about what they know.

Help your company be future ready by sharing your knowledge cooperatively. Your management team needs your insight, and you need to figure out how to reach them cooperatively!

Ellen Naylor is the owner of The Business Intelligence Source (http://www.thecisource.com). Read more of her insights at http://cooperativeintelligenceblog.com. She is a member of the Rocky Mountain SLA team.

Note: This blog builds on Ellen’s January FR blog.

The Challenge of Information Overload & the Opportunity of Abundance

by Charlie Davidson, CEO, Attensa

In Part I of this post, I called out the “Opportunity for Information Professionals in an era of Information Abundance.”  I also explored the many challenges created by the ubiquity of information and why traditional information services and tools struggle to address the problems and opportunities of information abundance. Chiefly, this struggle occurs because current information gathering and delivery tools were designed in and for a paradigm of information scarcity rather than information abundance.

In conjunction with this shift from scarcity to abundance, the role of information professionals is evolving as well. Alexander Feng, director, strategic research at the dd+p group and chairman of the Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division at SLA, offers a wonderful perspective on this in his essay “Corporate Librarian 2.0: New Core Competencies” (PDF). He observes, “the core role of information specialists is changing from information gatekeeper to information guru.” Feng believes this can empower librarians to become both “information enablers” and “knowledge creators.”

Information professionals are uniquely positioned for this important new role by virtue of understanding myriad information sources and how information maps to organizational objectives. What is missing, however, are the processes and enabling technologies to empower them.

The best part of this evolution is that it does not require radical changes to company processes or worker behavior. The basic notion is to implement a simple framework with four essential elements:

• An aggregation engine that unites digital sources inside and outside the organization.
• An automated way to rapidly capture and organize information into topics relevant to the organization and its people.
• Content delivery options that span offices, geographies, viewing devices and more.
• Analytics that report how information is being consumed to drive content recommendations and purchasing decisions.

These elements are described in the graphic below.

These four elements form the foundation of a solution that is robust enough to deliver on the promise of exploiting the abundance of information available today — and capitalize on the changes to come. These innovations will bring immediate value to your organization by extracting new and untapped value from the information already flowing through it. You can learn more about this here.

A question I often get asked is: “How do information professionals get started sponsoring these needed changes?”

Here is the good news! The business justification for these projects and the ROI are straightforward and provide impact across different roles in the organization. You will find many friends and supporters to help make your business case. In our work with customers across various industries, common interests have emerged between information professionals, knowledge management professionals, marketing and sales operations, CIOs and senior technology professionals.

Effective information management generally goes to the heart of many corporate initiatives and the connections between your initiative and other roles in the organization will be mutually beneficial. For example, knowledge management professionals gain insights into the intellectual assets of the organization and are able to effectively connect people, information and processes. CIOs and technologists harvest greater value from existing technology and communication assets. Marketing and sales operations professionals can grow revenue more effectively and empower better customer relationships.

Of course, the ultimate value accrues when the people across the organization receive more relevant and timely information about the topics that matter to them so they can find prospects, monitor competitors or industries and keep clients satisfied.

Charlie Davidson is the CEO of Attensa, an enterprise software company solving the problem of information overload for businesses and professionals. He serves on the Steering Committee for the Information Overload Research Group and is also a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations. Charlie can be reached at charlie.davidson@attensa.com on Twitter @CharlieDavidson or  at +1 971.340.2000 ext. 100.

Info-entrepreneurs, represented by the Association of Independent Information Professionals, stand out as innovative, forward thinking, and client focused information professionals.  This series of posts delivers future ready solutions and strategies from current and past presidents of AIIP.  As industry thought leaders they have much to share about staying ahead of the curve and delivering cost effective solutions to clients worldwide.  In this insightful series of postings readers will learn how to create a job for life by listening for opportunity, watching for changes, stretching to acquire new skills, finding a balance, planning for the long term, and drawing on your strengths. -  C.S.

by Marge King

Management and leadership gurus as well as sociologists and psychologists have discussed and debated the differences between management and leadership for a number of years now.  If you follow Peter Drucker, you know that he prefers the term “management” over leadership.  But many other scholars believe there are subtle but very real differences between the two roles.  Management is all about exercising administrative, supervisory, and executive direction to a group of people or an organization.  Leadership, on the other hand, is a process where an individual influences a group of people to achieve a common goal.  The two roles are not mutually exclusive, though.

SLA and AIIP members, in general, have superb technical skills, a key ingredient to being a competent and successful manager.  But having technical skills is not the only piece; to be truly effective as a manager we also need to have conceptual (the ability to see opportunities and/or work with ideas and concepts) and interpersonal skills.  Leadership requires us to develop broader and deeper interpersonal skills—become effective coaches and to be empathic, good listeners, inspiring, while being willing to delegate tasks and give recognition to others.  Leadership also requires us to expand our conceptual skills to establish direction, clarity, and vision to influence others to achieve a common goal. 

We are often presented with opportunities to hone our management skills, but generally it is up to us, as individuals, to seek out leadership roles.  So how does one find leadership opportunities?  The answer is simple: Volunteer.  Several years ago Women’s Way conducted a study that showed critical business skills like problem solving, coaching/mentoring, and public speaking are developed and improved through volunteerism.  By volunteering for a leadership role for small projects or even unpopular or tough projects, you can develop your leadership skills and visibility.  If your corporate setting doesn’t have any leadership opportunities available for you, look for committee or board positions in your favorite professional association or local nonprofit.

Aside from connecting with your regional nonprofit association, three of my favorite resources for finding volunteer leadership opportunities are:

• Boardnetusa.org: A clearinghouse for matching potential board candidates with nonprofit organizations.
• Opportunityknocks.org: A job site that lists both volunteer and paid positions.
• Volunteermatch.org: A clearinghouse for matching volunteers with nonprofit organizations.

Finally, I recommend that you read Bridgestar’s article on finding a rewarding nonprofit board position.

As your career develops and you consider becoming an information entrepreneur or moving up the ladder in a corporate setting, your leadership skills will help you make the leap with ease and grace. 

Marge King is president of InfoRich Group, Inc. (www.inforichgroup.com), a research-based fundraising consulting firm, and current past-president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (www.aiip.org). In addition to raising millions of dollars for her clients, she has broad experience developing and organizing nonprofit boards and advisory councils. She is a highly–skilled researcher and proposal writer; she is adept at researching individuals, corporations and foundations. She also speaks and writes about contemporary fundraising issues.

By Dennie Heye, Europe Chapter, Petroleum & Energy Resources Division

Very often, leadership is considered to be the same as management. The simplest difference between those two terms is that you can be appointed a manager, but can only become a leader. A manager can only be effective when management techniques are complemented by leadership skills.

If you are not a manager, you can still be a leader – being a leader is about being able to influence teams to work towards a common goal. As a leader, you do not have employees but followers, who believe in your leadership to actually “lead the way.” There are many different kinds of leadership, and each of us should be able to find a style that fits us.

As an information professional, you can be a leader in the information management discipline, in your organization or your community. In my career I have was lucky to work with several leaders who have influenced my work and personality. A good leader inspires you to do great things and facilitates the road towards a goal.

Being a leader is a competency that is gained over time. Below are three insights and techniques that have helped me expand my leadership capabilities.

Enthusiasm

Nothing is more contagious than enthusiasm. If you encounter someone who is clearly excited about a new idea and simply radiates enthusiasm, it is hard to resist sharing that enthusiasm. Enthusiasm helps others to build willingness to change, to work harder, cooperate, study or make decisions.

You can stimulate enthusiasm by telling others what the ideal solution would be, what it takes to get there and how people will feel when the ideal solution is reached. Genuinely describe how you feel about the proposed solution, why it makes you feel good and interact with people to share those feelings and build enthusiasm.

Trust

If you are leading others, trust them to do as you agreed – give them time and space to do it their way. Let them gain your trust by showing results but achieving them in their particular way. Try and steer on the outcome of peoples’ actions, rather than the way others achieve the outcome. If you are like me, you will find it hard as a perfectionist that others do not do things they way you would do them. So sometimes I refrain myself from ‘trying to help the other,’ as I know my trusting the other will result in better results in the long run. If you do not trust others to perform their work, they will frustrated and unmotivated.

Challenge

If you have young kids, you know the period in their lives when they keep asking “why?”. They will start asking simple questions and then keep asking for the reasons why for every answer: “Why do cars drive on the road?” “Otherwise they would collide with the pedestrians” “Why?” Etcetera. Kids are curious by nature and do not accept things just because. That curious nature is still inside the adult of us and should be used more often. We will often feel that asking ‘why’ will make others thing we are not smart or “don’t get it.” Wrong. Challenge established procedures or new ideas by asking ‘why’ a couple of times after every explanation. It is very clarifying to see how easy it is to get to the bottom of things!

Dennie Heye is Global Knowledge Manager at Shell International. He is also a member of SLA’s Information Outlook Advisory Committee and the International Relations Chair for the Petroleum & Energy Resources Division.

By Qin Tang, Minnesota Chapter, Transportation Division

In the last few years, I have learned a great deal about what makes a great leader through intensive reading on leadership, attending workshops, interviewing leaders and witnessing a true leader in action. That leader is – Tom Sorel, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, where I serve as a librarian. I would like to share a few things I have learned.

Let’s start with the basics of what leadership is about.

In Leadership Challenge, authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner say leadership is not about position or title, power or authority, status or wealth, being a CEO, president or a hero. Leadership is about relationships. It is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It’s about character and what you do.

The fact is, everyone can be a leader. You are a leader in some way even if you don’t hold an official title in the organization. You are the most important leader in your organization, in your family and your life. Learning leadership skills is everyone’s business. Leadership opportunities are everywhere.

To be a better leader and a future ready leader, we need to move away from the traditional leadership styles that are individual-centered and to a more relationally oriented style – transformational leadership, democratic leadership, servant leadership and collaborative leadership.

This new approach to leadership means rather than having a hero who tells us what to do, we need a servant who inspires us, empowers us and helps us do the work ourselves. Leadership is shifted from “power over” to “power with.”

A true leader is a transformational leader, not a transactional manager. A transformational leader helps his or her followers become self-empowered leaders and change agents. Transformational leaders can articulate vision and values clearly so their followers, the new self-empowered leaders, know where to go and what to do.

In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, author John Maxwell says: “To lead tomorrow, learn today. Leadership doesn’t develop in a day. It takes a lifetime.”

Starting today, cultivate the following characteristics of great leaders:

• Characters – “Leadership is character in action.” – James Hunter
• Competence – Your emotional intelligence is as important as your IQ, if not more important. Hire people who are competent and smarter than you. “Competence is doing the right thing, the right way at the right time.” -Sheila Murray Bethel
• Collaboration – Seek to forge alliances both inside and outside of the organization. “Including colleagues and constituents in decision-making and problem solving strengthens organizations and builds participants’ commitment.” – David D. Chrislip
• Compassion – Create a caring, respectful, people-centered culture within your organization. “Take care of your people and they will take care of your business, not just because they have to, but because they want to.” – Lee Cockerell
• Connection – Connect with yourself, connect with others personally, and connect to the world. Forging the bond between people can strengthen teamwork. “Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.” – John Maxwell
• Continued learning – All great leaders are lifelong learners.
• Empowerment – “Only secure leaders give power to others. Leading well is not about enriching yourself, it’s about empowering others. Believe in people and give your power away.”  - John Maxwell
• Humility –Have a humble spirit. Admit mistakes and learn from them. To be the best leader is to be the best servant. Choose service to others over self-interest.
• Humor and fun – Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have a sense of humor. Laugh at yourself so others will laugh with you. Celebrate and make work fun.
• Inspiring and motivational – “Leaders are to influence people and inspire people to act.” – James Hunter
• Mentoring and legacy – “When you invest in others, you gain the opportunity to create a legacy that will outlive you. The best leaders lead today with tomorrow in mind by making sure they invest in leaders who will carry their legacy forward.” – John Maxwell
• Openness and transparency – Openness in mind, heart, policies and dealings encourages curiosity, creativity and innovation.
• Trust – Character and competence are the foundations of trust; trust is the foundation of leadership. When you believe in people, they will believe in themselves and rise to greatness.
• Vision, purpose and values – “Leadership is getting people to want to do what you want them to do because they share your purpose, vision and values.” – Kevin Freiberg

Along the leadership development journey and in your practice as a leader, pay attention to the following pitfalls:

• Having tunnel vision
• Micromanaging
• Demanding perfection
• Having low self-esteem and confidence
• Having emotional insecurity and immaturity
• Making decisions based on emotions
• Acting as a roadblock between upper managers and employees
• Acting differently in front of their superiors and subordinates
• Blaming others for failures and taking credit for others’ successes
• Making assumptions without fact-checking
• Reacting negatively to criticism.
• Showing favoritism
• Being rules-oriented rather than people-oriented

Learning about leadership skills from reading and attending classes is important; learning from other leaders is equally as important. Both good and bad examples can teach us valuable lessons.

But what’s even more important in this process is application and practice. We become better leaders by applying our learning, knowledge and experience to our everyday lives. To become better leaders, we must be willing to change and grow.

Wherever you are in your organization and in your life, start the leadership journey today with the first step. Be the leader you were created to be and be future ready.

Qin Tang is a librarian at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. After graduating from college in China, she studied in Germany for five years on a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service receiving her MA in German. She came to the U.S. in 1991 and fell in love with libraries as she spent countless hours reading and using the Madison Public Library to learn English. She received her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1994. Qin has worked in public, academic, corporate and government libraries. She was profiled in the March 2007 issue of Information Outlook - “A roundabout route to Minnesota”. Qin is also a writer and blogger. Read her article “There is no place like the library” and connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter @TangQin.

The Challenge of Information Overload & the Opportunity of Abundance

by Charlie Davidson, CEO, Attensa

Information professionals have always played a critical role supporting knowledge workers. Today, that role is more important than ever as future-ready solutions are implemented.

As digital information proliferates, businesses and their knowledge workers are confronted with unprecedented information management challenges. These challenges arise not just from the sheer volume of information, but also the number of sources that produce it and the number of locations or devices where this information is consumed.

As organizations grapple with the consequences, information professionals play a critical leadership role in the solution. There is a massive opportunity to impact personal and organizational performance throughout their organizations.

This post explores the nature of the challenge presented by information overload (and the opportunity of information abundance) and why information professionals must play a leading role in the solution.

It is no small irony that today we have unprecedented access to information and yet it always seems so difficult to maintain awareness of the information that really matters to us and drives organizational performance. Consider the results of a study by Xerox that reported that 53% of the knowledge workers surveyed believe that half of the information they receive is valuable. The study also revealed that organizations believe “that time constraints and lack of understanding of how to find information is preventing their employees from finding the information they need to do their jobs.” This topic is explored in greater detail in the Attensa White Paper: Reducing Information Overload in the Enterprise.

Why is information so poorly targeted? It is easy to lay complete blame on information overload, which is unquestionably a major issue. However, the fundamental issue is our inability to filter and discern the information that matters. In other words, the killer app in the era of information overload will deliver relevance. Information professionals are ideally suited to deliver this to the people they serve.

Today, with the right tools, you can deliver the right information to the right people and build a flexible foundation that is “future ready.”  Implementing these tools and strategies can be done incrementally and is not complex. We find that with many of our customers relatively simple first steps create immediate business benefits.

Why Existing Approaches and Tools Aren’t Working

Before considering solutions, it is worth exploring why existing approaches and information content providers are failing to fully address the problem. One of the fundamental reasons is that current solutions were designed on the premise of information scarcity rather than information abundance. This paradigm shift has been occurring for the past couple of decades, fueled by the digitalization and networking of content and the new communications and publishing tools that have decentralized and democratized publishing. More disruptive change is clearly on the way, as ebooks evolve and content in general is further atomized. This shift not only requires new tools, but a new perspective.

From Managing Sources to Managing the Flow of Information

This shift is perhaps best captured by the authors of The Power of Pull who observe that “Information now flows like water and we must learn to tap into its stream.”  In the era of information abundance, the traditional information supply lanes are blurred.  Unless that fundamental issue is addressed, getting the right information to the right people at the right time is extremely difficult.

By the same token, leveraging the notion of flow with the right tools will enable information professionals to effectively manage and deliver information in new and impactful ways. With the right tools:

• information from different sources inside and outside the organization can be filtered and managed in a unified way;
• simple software-enabled processes can streamline the work of information professionals and simplify the lives of information consumers;
• the information that matters can be delivered to people in appropriate places rather than requiring them to look for it; and
• intelligent software can help people focus their attention on important information and help organizations utilize the knowledge that exists throughout their organizations.

Information professionals can and should be at the epicenter of this shift. It should a fun ride.

In the next post, I will describe how these tools and future ready design principles can be easily integrated with existing systems and information sources. In the meantime, feel free to call contact me with any questions or comments.

Charlie Davidson is the CEO of Attensa, an enterprise software company solving the problem of information overload for businesses and professionals. He serves on the Steering Committee for the Information Overload Research Group and is also a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations. Charlie’s can be reached at charlie.davidson@attensa.com on Twitter @CharlieDavidson or  at +1 971.340.2000 ext. 100.

by Nora Martin, Australia and New Zealand Chapter, Leadership & Management Division

In May 2007 I began employment as the inaugural Library Manager at the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). AUSTRAC is Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit (FIU). My major contribution included the establishment and maintenance of an online library and the implementation of a new library and research centre service.

I attended the 11th Aurora Leadership Institute in February 2008 as a result of being awarded the inaugural AGLIN Scholarship. Subsequently I served on the AGLIN Executive Board from 2008-9. AGLIN is an independent organization established to coordinate Australian Federal government libraries. The Aurora Leadership Institute assists future leaders in the library and information sector to maximise their skills and potential. This was also an opportunity to spend time with and learn from leaders in the library profession.

My participation as an AGLIN Executive Board member for 2008-9 gave me an insight into how an executive board operates and was a valuable learning experience. I would describe the benefits of participating at the Institute as increased self awareness and learning about the difference between leadership and management, especially the importance of leading from within.

Aurora increased my confidence to such a degree that I applied for and obtained a 9-month reassignment within AUSTRAC as Senior Analyst within the Strategic Analysis Unit. This role included conducting detailed research to provide internal and external stakeholders with proactive intelligence on money laundering and terrorism financing typologies, trends and vulnerabilities. This reassignment turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for professional development, leading to an increased understanding of the information needs and requirements of our Intelligence business unit. Another benefit was that this knowledge greatly assisted me upon return to my substantive capacity as Library Manager in early 2009.

Information professionals have exceptional research and analytical skills, often not recognised by the intelligence community. These skillsets are very transferable and it’s a positive sign that increasingly government agencies are strategic in their approach to the exercise of professional development within human resource management. Governments worldwide continue to deal with the threat of terrorism and organised crime plus work together to combat global threats, such as those concerning the environment and climate change. As a result, the need for the services of government information professionals has increased in recent years. The need for current information and qualified information and knowledge services staff cannot be underestimated. The challenge is to reinforce this message to key stakeholders within government agencies, to prove our value and become indispensible.

In July 2009 (due to operational requirements) I was permanently reassigned to the position of Senior Analyst within the AUSTRAC Operational Intelligence branch. My responsibilities included the evaluation and dissemination of Suspect Matter Reports to domestic and international partner agencies. Concurrently at this time I took on a mentor role and trained another information services colleague in library procedures. My mentee demonstrated her commitment to the library profession by taking on the responsibility of maintaining a streamlined library service in addition to her normal duties.

Whilst enjoying the challenge of working in the intelligence field, library work remains and is my passion! Late last year I obtained a promotion to an executive leadership role at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Library. Our ATO eLibrary model is linked to the 2011 SLA Annual Conference sub-theme “using knowledge sharing to encourage collaboration.” The library team is placing a particular emphasis on web 2.0 and emerging web 3.0 services, demonstrating a capacity to innovate and develop new information products and services to meet an identified need.

The moral of the story is to think outside the square in terms of professional development opportunities. Often a break from “traditional” library work will reenergise and reinvigorate you leading to other exciting opportunities down the track!

After working in a public library as a paraprofessional for over twenty years, Nora Martin completed her degree in 2005 and is now Assistant Director, Library & Information Services at the Australian Taxation Office. In 2009 Nora was the recipient of the SLA Diversity Leadership Development (DLDP) award and International Travel award. She previously worked as Library Manager at AUSTRAC, Australia’s anti-money laundering regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit. Prior to this time, Nora was employed as a Research Librarian at Fairfax Media, providing high-quality research and information services to journalists, working on local print publications and helping journalists from various interstate and overseas bureaus.

by Roberto Sarmiento, Illinois Chapter, Transportation Division

For a while now I have been bumping into “revolutions.” Not only the political kind (Buddha knows that we are having plenty of those lately), but in remote areas of my personal thinking and reading.

Like all good stories, it all started for me before the holidays last year…I do not know if it was the cold, the darkness or the arbitrary finality of another year, but I sensed that deep within me the time was coming to fix me some Molotov cocktails, crank up The Police (my proven revolutionary soundtrack – let’s leave this one for another time) and start looking for banners.

And lo and behold, “revolutions” started popping up no matter what I read: music, management, innovation, education, information… People kept calling me to arms to start, to pick-up, to continue, to fight against/for something…and I said YES…I am ready…I want a change, I need a change…and only I can get myself ready for it. So I started my revolution!

No bloodshed, no tear gas, no burning tires…but a deep strong commitment to do better, to be better, to be nimble, to be prepared, to recognize and anticipate change…to be present. I am living my revolution.

So, now it is my turn to raise my (right) arm and insistently whisper into your ear: Future Ready is a revolution, or more precisely: it is part of my and shouldbe part of your revolution!

You may be thinking: am I ready for this? If deep down you have this funny (and not ha-ha funny) feeling that what you got right now will not be good enough in the future, then I urge you to take matters into your own hands and start your own revolution to be become a better you, a more prepared you…a ready you.

Now, GO…do what you need to do! Write in your own little red or black or pink book – but do it with passion, be bold, go on the streets and with your chin jutting out and wrists on your hips tell the world “to bring it on,” you are ready.
Now, look to your left…that’s me next to you…look to your right and behind you…that’s the rest of us who believe in being future ready. Welcome to the revolution…

…don’t forget a good playlist!

Roberto “Brother-in-Arms” Sarmiento

Roberto is currently the head librarian at the Northwestern University Transportation Library. He is the former director and reference librarian of the Panama Canal Commission Technical Resources Center (a former US government agency). In addition he has been a consultant on transportation information to the US government and international organizations, an exploration geologist, a mentor to librarians and a former member of the SLA Board of Directors.  He has personally experienced a couple of honest-to-God revolutions and a shooting invasion. Roberto has received several awards, including the SLA Transportation Division 2010 Innovation Award and the 2008 Professional Achievement Award. He holds an MLIS from Dominican University and a BA in Geology from St. Louis University.

by Christian Gray, Southern California Chapter, Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division

Thinking about SLA President Cindy Romaine’s core tenets of Future Ready it is easy to see the convergence between pillars of Future Ready–career agility, alignment and community–and Corporate Social Responsibility/Social Responsibility (CSR/SR).

Your participation in CSR/SR can enhance your skill set and give you an opportunity to take on new roles and responsibilities giving you a more agile career.  CSR/SR is a very high profile matter for many public companies and other institutions. You will find yourself aligned with senior management’s desire to be a socially responsible organization by providing direct support to that department. And as CSR/SR relates to community, well it doesn’t take much effort to explain. That is what CSR/SR should be about, making a real difference in your community or the community that your organization represents.

I have several working hypotheses regarding CSR and SR which I hope to validate over the next few months:

1. Your personal participation in an SR program can increase your quality of life.
2. Your active support of your company CSR goals and objectives can have a positive impact on your career.
3. Being a leader for CSR/SR programs in your organization can lead to greater satisfaction in that role.
4. Professional associations and other business organizations benefit from participation in CSR.
5. Being an advocate and champion for CSR/SR programs can provide direct benefit to your clients, company and partners.

Recently I had a very late night of introspection and an honest evaluation of the many gifts I have in my life and had been aware of my growing need to be active in a community organization. I started researching non-profit organizations and even wrote a few checks. I joined the board of a local arts organization, Create:Fixate, and began to more actively participate in a group for which I had previously been a donor, LA’s BEST. Through that participation I reconnected with former associate Jim Howard, the founder of the Room to Read Los Angeles chapter.

Jim put the book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, in my hands and told me a little more about Room to Read. I was hooked before I even finished reading the book. I initially helped out informally, then facilitated their chapter strategic planning session. After visiting the global offices in San Francisco, I realized that what had begun as a conversation with an old friend had turned into not only an incredible project, but also a great and very personal passion.

My new-found commitment to caring and helping aligned with the broader community of colleagues I work with in the publishing and information industry, including clients, prospects, partners, publishers and even the Special Library Association. I was happy to discover that my commitment was also shared even closer to home, when I was casually speaking to my CEO at Reprints Desk, Peter Derycz, in December 2009 about life outside of work. While sharing my interest in Room to Read he got a funny smile on his face and began telling me about his own experience trekking in Nepal, how he wanted to start a school or library but was concerned about it being sustainable.

So like many good intentions, time passed and Peter’s plans faded until our conversation rekindled his own interest in creating a sustainable, positive change. Over the following weeks, Peter’s personal interest became a corporate initiative and a new partnership was formed between Reprints Desk and Room to Read. The result: basically every time there is a transaction (we deliver scientific articles to some of the largest research and development organizations in the world) Reprints Desk drops a small percentage in the Room to Read bucket. That commitment has, in one quarter, generated enough to fund more than 12 years of girls’ scholarships, including bikes and uniforms as needed, or more than 50 percent of a library, or more than 3,000 new books in local languages.

By integrating corporate social responsibility into Reprints Desk’s DNA, as we grow the company, the financial support and direct impact on children’s lives will grow with us. And that does not even count the impact of the initiative’s growing fan base. Both inside and around Reprints Desk, employees are making a difference around the world. While writing another line of code or providing customer service, our employees know clients are often thrilled to learn that their choice to use our services how has the added value of making the world a better place. As Peter and other senior managers have visited with the world’s largest publishers and they’ve learned about our partnership with Room to Read, many of these publishers are now asking how they can participate.

Over the past several years I’ve presented a series of talks about Career Agility to SLA Chapters and Divisions, sometimes solo, other times partnered with Cindy Hill or Kim Dority. One of the themes in these talks is emulating some of these positive characteristics of corporate leaders.  One key take-away has been that it is not only important to understand our own strengths, but to look at ways to channel our strength into action. I believe we have the means to do just that. To be an effective and valued contributor at your organization, you must consider becoming directly involved in your company’s CSR program. If your organization doesn’t have a CSR program, now is the perfect time to initiate one. Why? You will benefit by increasing your exposure to senior management, you can make a difference outside your enterprise and inside the “cause,” and you’re likely to gain tremendous personal satisfaction from your participation.

I hope this is the beginning of the conversation about CSR/SR and the role of the special librarian/info pro. We had a very engaged group during the SLA CSR Unconference session and we will continue the conversation via the SLA Social Responsibility group just started this week.

With over twenty-years of sales, marketing, business development and public speaking experience, Christian Gray has a unique and diverse perspective of technology, software and information companies. As a Strategic Account Manager for Reprints Desk, Christian has worked directly with many of the world’s largest life science companies including Amgen, Gilead, Genentech, Johnson and Johnson and Allergen, as well as other Fortune 500 Companies including Sony, Disney and Sun Microsystems.
Christian has been an active member of the Special Libraries Association since 2002 and is a past Board member of the Southern California Chapter and recently received an SLA Presidential Citation for his work on Future Ready 365.

Christian has given presentations to numerous SLA Chapters and Divisions and published a series of articles for Searcher Magazine, an Information Today publication on Enterprise Social Software. He has also been published in the Los Angeles Times, and Los Angeles Business Journal.