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 Alyssa Vincent, Oregon Chapter, Museums, Arts & Humanities Division

As an MLS student about to start my second year of study, I feel that I am gaining more of an understanding of what it will take to succeed in this profession. As I write this, I have just completed my “Research in Library and Information Science” class, and I know that the skills gained from that experience are the ones that will help me shape my future career.

A major foundation of this class was the concept of evidence-based practice. With budget cuts plaguing the information profession, nothing makes more sense than committing time and energy to conducting research that will enhance our services or identify weaknesses. For my evidence-based action plan paper, I chose to investigate the role of the librarian in a corporation and ways to improve that service. After many weeks of researching, I was able to formulate an action plan that both asserted that embedded librarianship was a worthwhile service model for corporations and provided steps on how to embed a librarian.

The difficult part of the realization that evidence-based practice through research is a key component to a thriving career is that the time that I was able to devote to research is a luxury in professional environments. So, what happens to my belief that research will move our profession forward when time is at a premium? It adapts and doubles in conviction. No, I may not have months to conduct studies of use patterns, but perhaps I can take a few moments to observe the foot traffic in my library. By continuously striving to work from a foundation of evidence-based practice, I will be improving the services that I can offer my users, even if I cannot devote weeks or months to developing theories or conducting surveys.

Alyssa Vincent is a midwesterner at heart who is enjoying pursuing her MLS in Portland, OR through Emporia State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and gender and women’s studies. When she’s not responding to posts on Blackboard or splitting her professional time between a technology-centered non-profit and a small architecture library, she’s reading about fashion, biking around town, and cooking. Her professional interests include digitization issues in relation to 3D objects and embedded librarianship, and she looks forward to somehow marrying those interests in the future.

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

Adding value

Information service departments are expected to show how they add value to the organization – a difficult challenge, but nonetheless an important topic. If you are not demonstrating value, the future of the department is at risk.

Value in this sense is perceived value by the customer, and this can differ from the ‘real’ added value as the producer added it. For instance, the costs of setting up a personalised information alert are quite low. But for a busy professional, this fine-tuned and highly personalised information delivery may be very valuable in terms of time savings, frustrations saved and opportunities created.

In a formula, you can express the perceived value as:

                 Quality x Service
Value =   ——————–
                    Costs x Time

In this formula, one aims to bring quality and service to the highest level, while keeping costs and time investment on the lowest possible level. Quality and service in this formula are as perceived by the customer – as illustrated by the following quote from Peter Drucker:

“Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for. A product is not quality because it is hard to make and costs a lot of money, as manufacturers typically believe…Customers pay only for what is of use to them and gives them value. Nothing else constitutes quality.”

Facets of perceived value

In order to find out what the perceived value of your service is you can, for example, use a customer satisfaction survey, asking what element of the service or product provides the value for the customer. In this context, it is more than just providing the service; it also entails exceeding the customer’s expectations and being proactive.

From an information service point of view, the real value is making sure the right information is available to the right person at the right time. If possible, this should be achieved with little time and effort for the customer to get maximum value. Part of the perceived service is also the trust of the customer in the provider, as the information delivered has to be trustworthy if decisions are to be based on it.

Last, but not least, are the cost and time components the customer has to invest to acquire and use the service. This covers not just the financial costs but also the effort involved; think about filling out a complex form, for example.

If you work closely with customers, you can gain valuable insights into what they perceive as the value of information products and services – and the investment it is worth making in them. In particular, when a customer does not pick up a product or service, it is helpful to see how the balance between value and investment is perceived.

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.