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Information Outlook, March 2011
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For more details and a video demonstration g www.acsmobile.org MAR information 11 V 15 | N 02 outlook THE MAGAZINE OF THE SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION
INFO VIEW SLA 2011 KEYNOTE SPEAKER 3 Building New Librarians 20 ‘Focus on the Things that JANICE LACHANCE Matter to Members’ STUART HALES INSIDE INFO 4 Board Candidates INFO TECH Named · Award to Help 24 Cool Stuff with Librarian Become More Transformational Involved in SLA · Former Potential Apple Leader Posts to STEPHEN ABRAM ‘Future Ready’ Blog
INFO BUSINESS FOCUS: INFO NEWS 26 A Positive Impact 6 Top-Flight Researchers on Perceptions Use ‘Gateway’ Websites librarianS and DEBBIE SCHACHTER FOCUS: More Often · More TheirTiTle image here Employees Using Smartphones to Perform 28 Coming Events Work Duties Remotely Ad Index 7 # Yes, Title It Still here Matters RUTHAUTHOR KNEALE RESEARCH METRICS 17 Measuring the 8 16 Dressing Title here Like We Mean It Impact of Research MALLORY K. OLGUIN, MLIS, AND JAMES KING, MLIS AUTHOR TONY STANKUS, MLS, FSLA
12 You Are Responsible for Your Performance Assessment JEFFREY PFEFFER, PHD
14 Advocacy and Image: Partners in Creating a Value Proposition SUSAN DIMATTIA, MBA, MLS, FSLA 2
SLA 2011 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO www.sla.org/Philly2011 Featuring Keynote Speakers: Pennsylvania ConventionCenter INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15N02MARCH 2011 author of Three-time PulitzerPrizewinnerand Thomas Friedman 12 –15June 2011 Hot, Flatand building loyalty andconnections. Researcher andconsultanton • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Crowded. James Kane
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. INFO VIEW
Building New Librarians
As if all this were not enough for even By taking advantage of all that SLA has to offer, the most ambitious and engaged infor- today’s information professionals can change the mation professional, SLA 2011 will fea- image others have of them as well as the image ture something new—the Need to Know they have of themselves. Forum (N2K). Through a series of eight sessions and a networking lunch, forum BY JANICE LACHANCE, SLA CEO attendees will discuss how best-in-class information solutions help organizations be more competitive, avoid lawsuits, Did you see any librarians in the crowds valuable information, half the cost that improve internal collaboration, and of protesters in Egypt, Libya, or the non-members must pay. increase innovation. The goal of N2K is other Middle Eastern countries that At our 2011 Annual Conference and to draw in as many people as possible have experienced political turmoil INFO-EXPO in Philadelphia, the oppor- who are not aware of the versatile skill recently? Frankly, it would not surprise tunities multiply exponentially—and so sets that SLA members possess, and me if some information professionals does the value. On Saturday, June 11, tell them what they need to know. had taken to the streets. After all, one of and Sunday, June 12, attendees can Attending the N2K Forum and the the common threads in these protests is take their pick of several continuing annual conference, enrolling in the government censorship, which is anath- education courses on topics ranging certificate courses or continuing educa- ema to members of our profession. from engaging senior management in tion courses, participating in Click U Granted, the notion of a librarian as your library’s mission to thinking stra- Webinars, reading Information Outlook, a protester, shouting slogans and per- tegically to communicating effectively and taking part in chapter and division haps even throwing rocks, is at odds in the workplace. Also on those days, activities are a far cry from marching with the time-honored image of a shy, Click U is offering certificate courses in in rallies and protesting against injus- retiring, middle-aged man or woman copyright compliance and education, tice. But they will help transform your quietly shelving books and rearrang- competitive intelligence practice, and image—what others think of you as well ing card catalogs. But that image has knowledge management, three issues as how you perceive yourself. That’s not rung true in many years, as a visit that are of growing interest to organi- also the goal of the three theme articles to any library or information center zations of all sizes and in all sectors. in this issue of Information Outlook. One will attest. Today’s librarian is often With education in these disciplines, offers contrasting views of appropriate someone who is adept with technology, information professionals can bolster attire (including what to wear to the SLA fluent in the language of decision mak- their resumés, enhance the level of Annual Conference), another discusses ers, proactive in anticipating the infor- services they can provide to employers, the merits of advocating for issues mation needs of clients—and always and even change the way they are per- and causes, and a third explains why looking for new opportunities to learn, ceived by co-workers and managers. actively promoting your accomplish- network, collaborate, and share. The rest of the conference has plenty ments can make people think more of The value of SLA membership lies to offer as well. More than 200 sessions, you, not less. in being able to take advantage of dozens of chapter, division and caucus So, read the articles, sign up for a many such opportunities. In April, meetings, and countless opportunities Click U course or Webinar, and make for example, Click University is offer- to network and socialize are on the plans to meet your colleagues at SLA ing a two-part Webinar, “Moving into schedule, as are keynote presentations 2011. Philadelphia is where a new Management and Team Leadership from a three-time Pulitzer Prize win- country was born. Let’s build a few Roles,” that will help info pros clarify ner, Thomas Friedman, and an expert thousand new librarians. SLA the expectations and priorities that on building loyalty, Jim Kane. The come with a new position, create an INFO-EXPO Hall will once again have individual action plan for transitioning hundreds of products and services to a new job, and develop a specific on display, and special “hot topic” approach for delegating and creating sessions will allow vendors to explore a motivating environment. SLA mem- issues of special interest to information bers pay just $49 per session for this professionals.
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 3 INSIDE INFO
BOARD CANDIDATES · PAM AWARD · BLOG POSTING
Board Candidates Named For more information about SLA’s leader of Apple paid tribute to a profes- governance practices and leadership, sion that has been more affected by The SLA Nominating Committee has visit www.sla.org/content/SLA/gover- the company’s products than most— identified 10 candidates to stand for nance/bodsection/index.cfm. librarians. election to five positions on the 2012 “There’s probably more knowledge SLA Board of Directors. Award to Help Librarian than ever, and it’s more accessible than The 10 candidates, who hail from Become More Involved in SLA ever, but the reinvented research librar- three countries, will serve three-year A librarian in Kenya will have the oppor- ian holds the key for using the Internet terms on the board if elected. The elec- tunity to more actively participate in in the most effective manner,” wrote tion will be held electronically in mid- SLA programs and events, thanks to Guy Kawasaki on SLA’s Future Ready September; the winning candidates’ an award presented by the associa- 365 blog. “Many, but not all, people terms of office will begin 1 January tion’s Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics know how to use Google and Wikipedia, 2012. (PAM) Division. but Google and Wikipedia do not pro- SLA members will have several oppor- Martha Nderitu, the information vide all of human knowledge. Some of tunities to get to know the candidates at resources and documentation officer that knowledge is locked away in private the SLA 2011 Annual Conference & at the Communications Commission databases, and some of that knowledge INFO-EXPO in Philadelphia. The can- of Kenya, was selected as the 2011 is difficult for a novice to find. That’s didates will be making speeches and recipient of the PAM International where research librarians still hold the taking part in networking sessions to Membership Award. The award is given key. They are the ultimate information meet members personally. each year to a librarian from the devel- curator, no matter what hocus pocus The 10 candidates are as follows: oping world for the purpose of providing you hear about the ‘semantic Web.’” an opportunity for active participation in Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for President-Elect: SLA and PAM. Apple and author of 10 books, including • David Cappoli, University of Martha’s primary duties are to (1) Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, acquire resource materials in applied Your Competition Crazy, and his lat- Calif. technology, especially in the field of est, Enchantment: The Art of Changing • Deb Hunt, Information Edge, San telecommunications, (2) catalog and Hearts, Minds, and Actions, is one of Leandro, Calif. classify materials, (3) help patrons more than 50 people who have shared access the library’s collection, and (4) their thoughts thus far on the blog. Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect: manage the library’s intranet by upload- Titles of blog posts have ranged from • Constance Ard, Answer Maven, ing related articles and media reviews. “Constantly Preparing” to “No More Louisville, Ky. In 2010, her library won first prize in the Excuses” to “Design-Thinking Your Way • Debbie Schachter, Vancouver Public special libraries category of the Library to Future Readiness.” Library, Vancouver, B.C., Canada of the Year Award (LOYA) in Kenya. Launched on January 1 in conjunc- By virtue of receiving the PAM award, tion with the start of Cindy Romaine’s Division Cabinet Chair-Elect: Martha’s travel costs to the SLA 2011 term as SLA president, Future Ready • Ann Koopman, Thomas Jefferson Annual Conference will be covered by 365 hopes to feature a new post each University, Broomall, Pa. the division. She will present a short day that looks at how information pro- • Catherine Lavallée Welch, University report about her work to the PAM mem- fessionals are a resilient, adaptive and of South Florida Polytechnic, bership at the conference. “future ready” workforce. Contributions Lakeland, Fla. For more information about the PAM are anticipated from all corners of the International Membership Award, visit association’s community—SLA mem- Director (two positions): units.sla.org/division/dpam/irc/index. bers as well as information vendors, • Marilyn Bromley, Bureau of National html. partners and users. Affairs, Inc., Alexandria, Va. To read the blog posts or contribute a • Hal Kirkwood, Purdue University, Former Apple Leader Posts post, visit futureready365.sla.org/. SLA West Lafayette, Ind. to ‘Future Ready’ Blog • Jane Macoustra, Tai-Pan Research, Perhaps no company has done more Surrey, United Kingdom in recent years to shape the future • Chris Zammerelli, ATSG, Rockville, than Apple, maker of the iPad, iPhone, Md. and a host of computers and computer technologies. On February 22, a former
4 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 INSIDE INFO
Info File
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INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 5 INFO NEWS
E-RESEARCH BEHAVIORS · WORKERS’ SMARTPHONE USE
Top-Flight Researchers Use number of hits. tions are not fully utilizing mobile tech- ‘Gateway’ Websites More Often • Downloads of journal articles are ris- nologies to increase their productivity. ing faster than the worldwide growth In particular, the report states, busi- Researchers in highly rated institu- in the number of articles published nesses are underestimating the latent tions and departments tend to seek each year. This, together with the demand that will come from two emerg- information differently than those in rise in the number of references ing segments of employees: mobile less influential institutions, using so- that researchers include and the “wannabes” and mobile “mavericks.” called “gateway sites” more frequently range of unique sources they cite, Combined, these two segments cur- and making decisions faster, according suggests they are reading a growing rently account for 22 percent of corpo- to a follow-up study by the Research proportion of the worldwide scholarly rate employees, but they are growing Information Network (RIN). literature. rapidly—by 2015, they will comprise In the initial phase of the study, • Researchers in different disciplines 42 percent. E-Journals: Their Use, Value and vary widely in their patterns and lev- Mobile wannabes have desk jobs Impact, RIN found that researchers els of usage of e-journals. Historians, and “want to” use smartphones, but IT generally are savvy about finding and for instance, spend more of their Departments don’t see them as mobile using e-journals and that higher spend- time reading than most scientists, workers; mobile mavericks, meanwhile, ing on e-journals is linked to better but they are less likely than other go outside the corporate purchasing research outcomes. In the follow-up researchers to use journals to obtain process by selecting smartphones on phase, RIN wanted to look more closely information. their own. Whereas mobile wannabes at the reasons for the research behav- • Researchers are more likely to be in are interested in gaining access to basic iors they identified in the first phase. their lab, their office or their home mobile applications such as e-mail, The study authors found that many than in the library when they seek calendars, corporate intranets, and researchers spend only a few seconds information. Once they find an article instant messaging, mobile mavericks on journal platforms because they arrive that looks interesting, they will often are focused on more advanced capa- there via gateway sites such as Google, browse through it to find the main bilities (such as conferencing) that can Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, points or read only the sections that help them interact with colleagues. and PubMed, then move swiftly through are especially relevant to their work. To learn more about the study, The the links to access the article(s) they Rise of Wannabe and Maverick Mobile want. The gateway sites are attractive For more information about the study, Workers, visit www.gartner.com. SLA to researchers because they are intui- visit www.rin.ac.uk/. tive to use and display a vast number of journal titles and articles, conference More Employees Using papers, technical reports, dissertations, Smartphones to Perform and other resources. Work Duties Remotely The authors also found that research- Nearly one in five employees are using ers at leading institutions are more likely smartphones to perform work duties, to use gateway sites than their peers at up from 13 percent last year, accord- lesser universities and research cen- ing to a study conducted by Forrester ters, and their greater knowledge of the Research. literature means they can scan long In a survey of roughly 5,500 workers lists of potential resources and make in Europe and North America, Forrester relevance judgments very quickly. They found that smartphone use is on the rise view abstracts on the gateway sites, and that employees with smartphones then go straight to the full text on the are increasingly relying on mobile appli- publisher’s platform. cations to perform job-related tasks. Other key findings of the study are More than half of workers with smart- as follows: phones are using navigational applica- • Researchers rarely use the advanced tions and instant messaging services, search facilities on publishers’ plat- while one in four are using social media forms. They prefer to use simple apps for their work. searches because their search terms Notwithstanding these findings, are often so specialized that even a Forrester believes that many organiza- simple search retrieves only a small
6 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE Yes, It Still Matters
hOW PeOPle See US STill aFFeCTS OUr abiliTy TO dO ThingS, earn a liVing, and gain reSPeCT.
BY RUTH KNEALE
n issue of Information a patron, your boss, the library board, or for Your Performance Assessment,” he Outlook devoted to the the head of your organization, you are notes that tooting your own horn is the image of librarians? Really? advocating librarianship. only way most of us can ensure that Aren’t we past that whole In “How We Dress Like We Mean It,” those who are higher up the organiza- Asituation by now? Mallory Olguin and Tony Stankus share tional chain are aware of our success. In a word, NO! their personal experiences with attire in As he says, “What matters is not just I wish we were. I wish things were the library workplace, in job interviews, what you do, but also how what you do finally at the point where our image— and at conferences. It is worth not- is perceived by others… and the visibil- how we present ourselves, how we are ing that while the occasionally derided ity of your performance to them.” perceived, what patrons think about us, sweater set and comfortable shoes are How people see us—our image— how pop culture presents us—no longer always appropriate, there are many directly affects our day-to-day ability to mattered. Alas, we are not there yet. other ways to dress that indicate capa- get the job done, earn our paychecks, In this issue, three librarians who bility, professionalism and individuality and ensure our future. We are often in work across the myriad fields of our pro- in the workplace. a position where we need to market our- fession will share their thoughts about Finally, a non-librarian—Jeffrey selves, do some public relations work why you should still care about your Pfeffer, a professor of business at on behalf of our skills, and educate our image and why you should speak up Stanford University—explains why it’s users. I hope you’ll keep the ideas put whenever you are confronted with the so important to us to get over our collec- forth in these articles handy for those dreaded phrases “I didn’t know librar- tive professional shyness and promote times. SLA ians could do that!” or “Wow, you sure ourselves. In “You Are Responsible don’t look like a librarian.” In “Advocacy and Image: Partners in Creating a Value Proposition,” Susan RUTH KNEALE is the systems librarian for the advanced DiMattia explains the importance of Technology Solar Telescope at the national Solar Observatory. advocacy, describes steps you should She writes a regular column for Marketing Library Services titled “Spectacles: how Pop Culture Views librarians” and is the author take in planning a successful cam- of You Don’t Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Building paign, and states what may become my Positive New Images in the Internet Age. new mantra: “Act like you matter, think like you matter.” Every time you talk to
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 7 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE Dressing Like We Mean It
librarianS WhO WanT TO be Taken SeriOUSly by Their PeerS and emPlOyerS ShOUld dreSS aCCOrdingly—WhiCh dOeSn’T mean They Can’T leT Their ClOThing exPreSS Their PerSOnaliTy.
BY MALLORY K. OLGUIN, MLIS, AND TONY STANKUS, MLS, FSLA
Librarians are more than their appear- Philosophy of Dressing They will always be there, though they ance, but their appearance is part of may not always be visible. Generally MALLORY: The fact that I get to decide them. With that in mind, what advice speaking, I prefer to let my boss and how people will see me by the simple would two successful information pro- co-workers get to know the quality of act of getting dressed in the morning fessionals give to their colleagues—par- my work before I find out whether or is hugely empowering to me. I’d say ticularly those hunting for jobs—about not I can have my tattoos visible in the that my aesthetic has toned down, par- how to dress? And what advice would office. I want them to see me as an ticularly in recent years as I’ve finished they give to those who want to “be more “amazing regular employee” before I grad school and started my career as of themselves” on the job in terms of let them meet the “amazing tattooed a professional librarian. But my past appearance? employee.” experiences of living in the gay, lesbian, In this article, two information profes- Even with my tattoos under wraps, I bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) com- sionals—Tony Stankus, an academic am often instantly recognizable at large munity in San Francisco still greatly librarian who has been in the field for professional functions, opening up a influence my style, so toning things more than 40 years, and Mallory Olguin, surprising number of opportunities that down doesn’t mean that I like to blend a government librarian who earned her I may not have had access to otherwise. in with the crowd. MLIS in 2009—share their thoughts on When my tattoos are visible, especially My tattoos have become a particularly how clothing makes the librarian (and my more bookish ones, they tend to be big part of my look, which is inevitable vice versa). They dress in very differ- a great ice breaker and end up starting when you have as many of them as I do. ent styles, but both wear clothing that most of my conversations for me! conforms to their job requirements. They also believe that how librarians dress matters, and that dressing with- MALLORY OLGUIN is a content management analyst at the naSa Center for out regard to the culture of the organi- aerospace information in baltimore. She can be reached at [email protected]. zation undercuts their attempts to be TONY STANKUS is life sciences librarian, science coordinator and professor at taken seriously. the University of arkansas libraries in Fayetteville, arkansas, as well as editor-in- chief of Science & Technology libraries, a quarterly journal. he can be reached at [email protected].
8 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE
TONY: Ever since I grasped the concept My interview strategy translates into that people could get paid for falling a two-piece business suit in gray, navy madly in love with learning and encour- or—especially in New York City—black. aging this behavior in younger people, In the South and Midwest, olive, taupe I’ve wanted to look like a professor. My and brown suits are equally acceptable. models were depictions of avuncular In the hot summer months, tan and academics in movies and TV, because oyster work well anywhere, although there were no colleges in my town, and white and seersucker suits are more few people even went to college. The suited for resort wear and retirement look I was going for then (and now) was homes. Solid color suits, or ones with horned-rimmed eyeglasses, tweed jack- moderately contrasting color pinstripes, ets, paisley ties, and a pipe, which I quit make the best impression, although smoking only a decade or so ago. somewhat broader white chalk stripes I learned the extra punch a suit could on charcoal or navy suits are justly pack on special occasions from Ronna regarded as a power look. The sophis- Davis, my past EBSCO representative ticated Prince of Wales glen plaid suit (now North American sales manager for (black plaid on an off-white background TDNet and a fellow SLA member), who with the occasional red or burgundy taught by both her personal example accent stripe in a discreet repeating and by giving me a copy of what pattern) is dynamite year-round for became my bible for dressing when it daytime interviews, but garish plaids are particularly mattered—the dated, but still associated with used car salesmen still valuable, John T. Molloy’s New and 1960s-era comedians. Dress for Success. Today my closest I always wear a long sleeve shirt in adviser on business attire is my wife, solid white, although pastels or discreet Chris Soutter, who has firsthand knowl- pinstripe or tattersall pattern shirts will edge of what many real professors actu- work for many others. One’s tie is ally wore at Harvard from the days when undoubtedly the most important accent she took her degrees there. I now know piece. It is front and center, and while that while I would never have qualified you may be invited during an interview for admittance to Harvard as a student, to take your jacket off for the sake of I could confidently make a good first informality or as a concession to overly impression there as an information pro- hot rooms, it would be rather unusual if fessional. you are asked to take off your tie. Always be conservative rather than Dressing for a Job Interview cute with your tie. As a rule, non-shiny solids, stripes, Swiss dots and small MALLORY: I often keep things really foulards are equally appropriate. In low-key for job interviews. I’m not say- New England, and in academia in gen- ing that I want to fade into the back- eral, paisleys and tartan plaids also do ground or not be remembered—that’s well, but otherwise these might be bet- the last thing I want to have happen ter relegated to occasions when you are at a job interview! I just want to show Top, Mallory Olguin plays tourist in Washington, dressing down to a sports jacket. in that initial meeting that I can play D.C.; bottom, Tony Stankus prepares for a The overwhelming majority of men by the business world’s rules, and if I formal event. are best advised to wear a long tie, as need to, I can be buttoned down and bow ties are thought to be indicative freshly pressed. It’s a no-brainer that before, which allowed me to focus on (at least in many corporate settings) of the tattoos are always covered up and what I was going to say on the day of eccentrics, although many venerable, my nose ring is always taken out. the interview. distinguished attorneys, doctors and, For my interview at the NASA Center yes, professors, particularly in “old- for Aerospace Information, I chose to TONY: I want to convey that I am an money institutions,” do wear them. pair my black trousers and matching accomplished professional and look the Being an inveterate, if not exactly a jacket with a purple striped button- part. I also want my appearance to venerable or old-money, eccentric, I down shirt and some shiny wingtip- affirm that I am gauging my prospective invariably wear bow ties. inspired black shoes. I picked out employers just as closely as they are Your shoes should be leather wingtips everything I wanted to wear a few days taking my measure.
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 9 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE
or cap toes, but upscale tasseled loafers of my childhood dreams to work every Representing Your Employer also do very well. In any case, your day. It marks me as a member of the MALLORY: I always want to present shoes should be very well polished. faculty, ideally both knowledgeable and myself in a way that shows I care about Black and cordovan are the preferred approachable, but without quite fram- my position and the welfare of the orga- shoe colors. Your socks may match ing me as “a suit” (for example, as the nization for which I work. If I’m making your suit or your shoes in color, but they chancellor or provost of the university, some sort of special presentation, there should never be white. When in doubt, although at my particular institution, is likely a message I want to send that I go with black socks. these officers are unusually approach- don’t want to distract from or overshad- It is a cardinal error to dress casu- able even though they always wear ow by the way I look. All the tattoos will ally for an interview just because you suits). be covered up, and I will don a more know that employees at the organiza- traditional “business casual” look with a tion dress that way. Casual attire may pair of slacks, a sweater and black flats. convey the impression that you are not As always, including colorful pieces is taking the interview process seriously, important to me even in the most seri- or that you think that “gaming” the ous situations, so I usually pick simple dress code is your idea of preparing for pieces in bright colors. the interview—or, worst of all, that you think you already have the job. TONY: When making presentations, I revert to the interview suits mentioned Appearance on the Job earlier. I believe you show respect for the audience who came to see you, and MALLORY: I have been lucky in my the employer who sent you, when you professional life so far and have only are dressed as seriously as you want worked in places that allow employees the message you are delivering to be to decide for themselves what to wear heard. to the office. (Exception: the dress code specifies that clothes worn to the office must be clean and in good shape—no Attending the SLA Conference holes, for example—and can’t have Mallory Olguin in typical workday attire. MALLORY: My first trip to the SLA offensive phrases or images printed Annual Conference was last year in on them.) I assume the powers that be In the fall and winter months, I New Orleans, and boy, did I feel under- figure that if they can trust me to do my wear tweed sportcoats in herringbone, dressed! I packed clothing in anticipa- job, they can probably trust me to be a hounds tooth and tick weaves, as well tion of hot and humid weather. Little did grown-up and dress myself appropri- as corduroy, favoring earth tones of I know that the convention center would ately before I come to work. gray, brown, tan, and olive. In the be air conditioned to a consistently I dress my age. I am in my twenties spring and summer, I switch to blazers glacial temperature, so I didn’t need to and want to look that way even when at in classic colors and wear some cotton, wear shorts, a T-shirt and sandals to work. To my mind, there should be an linen or Tencel blends in the warm- hoof through the exhibit hall. evolution from a youthful and experi- est weather. For comfort year-round, I I remember walking into the “First mental approach to dressing to a look generally wear khakis, though if I want Time Attendee Meet-And-Greet” in my that is grounded in well-fitting classic to kick it up a notch in dressiness, I go run-around-town outfit and suddenly wardrobe items. Even though I want to with flannel wool slacks or, increasingly, realizing that everyone else was dressed be taken seriously as a young profes- microfiber, which is very wrinkle resis- in business casual wear and even full- sional, I also want to exude a feeling of tant and drapes very well. on interview suits! I held my head fresh, new ideas, and I think that can By the way, for interviewees who do high, walked in and focused on meet- be done with the right type of clothing. I not have the budget for a full business ing new people and having interesting like wearing jeans and sweaters or but- suit or are quite sure that such a suit conversations. I ended up having a ton-down shirts with a vest. Sometimes, would be inappropriate, the very best great time and getting more out of that if I want to get really fancy, I’ll wear a bets would probably be a navy blue session that I could have imagined. skirt or slacks and a fun blouse with a (black in New York City) blazer or a Perhaps my casual outfit projected a modern print and some metallic flats. light tan camel hair jacket, combined more casual demeanor and made me I always have a bright color accent to with contrasting slacks. These have more approachable. I can’t say for sure, my outfit. the virtue of being excellent on-the-job but I what I do know is that everyone outfits as well. very graciously ignored the fact that I TONY: I now get to wear the clothing didn’t quite fit in that day.
10 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE
That being said, there really are no tion-wide soirees. rules for how to dress at the SLA Annual While I no longer feel the absolute Conference. I think it mostly depends on need to dress to impress my SLA col- your own reason for attending. If you’re leagues that I felt when I was younger, there to meet your future employer, you I find that wearing, at a minimum, a lin- may want to dress accordingly. en-blend sportcoat, dress shirt and tie My favorite activity at the conference (and often a tropical-weight suit) puts is networking and connecting with inter- me on a better footing when exchanging esting people. I go to as many sessions views with the publishers, aggregators as I can and end up learning a lot of and other information industry repre- things to bring back to my workplace, sentatives who greatly underwrite our but I dress primarily to be comfortable, Photo by Molly D. Boyd, University of Arkansas Libraries annual gatherings and who we, in turn, stylish and recognizable. I really enjoy support through our subscriptions, pur- meeting people in one session and chases, and licensing agreements. In spontaneously reconnecting with them Tony Stankus in typical workday attire: a tweed addition, since I am now an SLA Fellow in other places during the conference sportcoat, white dress shirt, and hand-tied and have long held office at the division bow tie. and around town. The best way for me and chapter levels, I feel that being to facilitate that is to be recognizable icy cold when I’m not. I focus my dress dressed a bit better enables me to greet and stick out a little bit, which isn’t hard on times spent indoors, because dur- with respect our new and, increasingly, when you’re about a head taller than ing the day I’m attending the opening international member attendees, who most other people and have a drasti- and closing sessions, meetings, and are often the best-dressed people in cally different style and appearance. workshops and exploring the INFO- the room and who may find the informal EXPO Hall, and in the evening my wife attire at our professional events a bit TONY: The general rule I follow is that and I are dining out with vendors or strange at first. SLA regardless of the venue city, it will be colleagues from across the country, or God-awful hot while I am outdoors and we’re attending divisional or associa-
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INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 11 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE You Are Responsible for Your Performance Assessment
librarianS are Only aS ValUable aS Their CO-WOrkerS and ClienTS PerCeiVe Them TO be. TO raiSe yOUr PrOFile, Find OUT WhaT maTTerS TO Them and Talk abOUT The ThingS yOU dO Well.
BY JEFFREY PFEFFER, PHD
ost people suffer from The research literature clearly shows able than those not participating in the two illusions—that the that most of us want to believe in a lunch program. Often, the “just world” world is a just and fair “just world,” to use the term social psy- phenomenon results in our blaming the place, and that if they chologist Melvin Lerner coined decades victim. doM good work (as they define good ago. This means that we revalue others The research also shows that work), they will be recognized and depending on their circumstances, so although job performance is a statisti- rewarded. that there is congruence between our cally significant and positive predictor of Librarians are no different. Often perceptions of others and what happens pay, promotions, and job performance accustomed to working out of the lime- to them. For instance, research has assessments, the magnitude of the rela- light as support staff in law firms, gov- shown that people randomly assigned tionship is often small. Other factors, ernment agencies, corporations, and to receive an electric shock (which such as educational credentials, years universities, librarians are not prone they did not get) were shunned by oth- of experience, and yes, political skill to self-promotion or to shaping oth- ers and perceived as deserving of that (such as the ability to get along well with ers’ expectations about them and their shock, even though those making the one’s boss, show apparent concern for work. But if they are to achieve career attribution knew about the fact of the others, and build networks), also affect success or, in some cases, just keep random assignment. Similarly, children how well we do in our careers. So, by their jobs, they need to behave in a who received subsidized school lunch- all means, do a good job—but do more manner that is out of their normal com- es were perceived as less academically than that, too. fort zone.
JEFFREY PFEFFER is the Thomas d. dee ii Professor of Organizational behavior at the graduate School of business at Stanford University, where he has taught since 1979. he is the author or co-author of 13 books, including his latest, Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t, published in 2010 by harperCollins. he has presented seminars in 34 countries around the world as well as for numerous companies and associations in the United Sates.
12 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE
The Dilemma of Self-Promotion the quality of the publications, not and you’re even hotter if several agents In the financial world, there is much short-term operational results. Her suc- make that claim. If everyone believes a discussion about managing expecta- cess illustrates how you can help man- stock is going to go up, it will, as people tions. Research by Stanford account- age expectations by proactively setting rush out to buy it. If everyone believes ing professor Maureen McNichols and them—describing what you perceive to that the iPhone or the iPad is the hot- her colleagues shows that company be the most important aspects of your test, coolest product, everyone wants to stock price movements, which affect job and how you are performing along own it, and so that particular product total shareholder return, are often more those dimensions. becomes the hottest and coolest thing. influenced by meeting and beating ana- This leads us to the second important Similar processes operate with respect lysts’ expectations than they are by the lesson—don’t be afraid to promote your to employees, entire departments, and absolute level of company performance. own achievements. Your supervisors special libraries—to claim value, it is What’s true for stock prices is true for are not necessarily paying that much essential to manage perceptions of the employees as well: What matters is not attention to you and what you are value being created. just what you do, but also how what you accomplishing, unless you are messing Note that I am not suggesting that do is perceived by others—the dimen- up. They are (big surprise!) mostly pay- you and your department shouldn’t sions they use to evaluate your work— ing attention to what they are doing and actually do good work and provide and the visibility of your performance to how they are perceived by their own important services. It’s just that when them. Fortunately, both of these factors bosses. So, make sure that others in you do good work and make that work are largely under your control. powerful positions know what you are known and take steps to ensure the Most jobs are multidimensional— accomplishing for the organization and work meets your bosses’ expectations, there is, at a minimum, both a qual- for them. you are much more likely to be reward- ity and a quantity aspect to the work. This, of course, presents a dilem- ed for that work. There are two implications you should ma—people who promote themselves What I am suggesting sometimes derive from this fact. First, unless you are not viewed as favorably as those strikes others as inappropriate behavior. are a mind reader, you need to talk to who seem more modest and self-effac- But you need to ask yourself a funda- your bosses to discern which aspects ing. But if you don’t claim competence mental question: What if you don’t do of the job are most important to them. for yourself, others will think you aren’t what I’m suggesting, but others do? I have seen excellent performers lose that good. Will you be put at a disadvantage? Will out because they did not pay suf- A way around this dilemma is sug- your department get the recognition ficient attention to what mattered to gested by research I conducted in con- and resources it deserves if you stay on those above them. To cite just one junction with social psychologist Robert the sidelines and hope that, in the end, example, a colleague did great work Cialdini and two doctoral students. Our your good work will be recognized? building executive education offerings research shows that if you can get In my teaching and writing, it is my and a leadership program, but in the someone else—perhaps an agent or job to describe the best social science process he was not always sufficiently someone who has an economic inter- research that explains how the world deferential to those higher up in the est in promoting your competence—to works—not necessarily how it should chain of command. Their evaluations sing your praises, you receive all of the work, or what leaders ought to do, but were based more on how “difficult” he benefits without incurring the disap- how people actually think and behave. was than on what he did, so his own proval of others. That’s true even when Pretending that the world is a just and assessment of his performance and his observers recognize that you are in fair place won’t make it that way. In fact, bosses’ assessments diverged. control of the people advocating on your if you want to change the world, under- Second, manage the dimensions that behalf. In a work setting, the practical standing power dynamics and doing are used to evaluate your work by talk- implication of this research is to make what is required to build your power ing about those areas in which you a “deal” (either explicitly or implicitly)— and that of your library are necessary perform particularly well. Tina Brown, you sing the praises of a colleague, and first steps. SLA the editorial wonder who turned around that colleague returns the favor for you Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, has by noting how competent and effective always been great at building circula- you are. tion and advertising revenue and creat- ing buzz for her magazines, but she Understanding Power Dynamics has not always been as successful in I believe that we often underestimate making those magazines profitable on a the extent to which perception becomes day-to-day basis. When she talks about reality. If a book agent maintains you her publishing career, she emphasizes are a “hot” author, you become one— the building of enterprise value and
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 13 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE Advocacy and Image: Partners in Creating a Value Proposition
by SUPPOrTing iSSUeS Or CaUSeS, inFOrmaTiOn PrOFeSSiOnalS Can raiSe Their PrOFile and enhanCe Their image WiThin Their OrganizaTiOn.
BY SUSAN DIMATTIA, MBA, MLS, FSLA
hat comprises the total deserve their support. Keep in mind action—in this case, to support and image of information that your image is how other people advocate for things needed by an infor- professionals and their perceive you, not necessarily what you mation professional and the department products and services? believe it is. she or he manages. Obviously, such an ForW the individual librarian, a profes- argument requires strong communica- sional image may start with appropriate The Importance of Advocacy tion skills to reach its intended audi- attire. What’s “appropriate” varies with ence and encourage them to take up Why does guidance on creating a strong cultures, organizations, and the age the cause. advocacy campaign belong in a discus- of the person, among other factors. But until information professionals sion about the image of information But what you wear is just one piece are tuned in to their clients’ needs and professionals? Image is a visible, exter- of the image puzzle. Voice, vocabu- goals, they cannot expect their clients to nal depiction of who you are. Advocacy lary, communication skills, reputation, perceive them as valuable team mem- goes beyond that to change and/or handshake, eye contact, and self-image bers and become advocates for their strengthen perceptions of you as a pro- all play a role in the way you are per- cause. Too often, in fact, our audiences fessional and a valuable member of the ceived—in the image you convey. do not even have a strong sense of what organization. Successful advocacy campaigns, information professionals do. Many Advocacy is neither marketing nor with their goal of educating customers, years ago, the American Association of public relations. Simply put, it is the begin with the foundation of a strong Law Librarians presented a program on art of persuading or arguing in favor of image. Everyone wants to be identified the topic of “What does your law firm something. It asks the audience to take with a winner, so polishing the elements of a personal image before launching an advocacy campaign is an essential first step. Creating a positive image and SUSAN DIMATTIA is a consultant and writer and serves as a feeling comfortable with it are required visiting associate professor at the Pratt institute School of library precursors of an advocacy campaign. and information Science. She was president of Sla in 1999- Before you ask people to support your 2000. cause or project, the image you por- tray has to inspire confidence that you
14 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE management expect of you?” The first A successful advocacy campaign speaker went right for the jugular in her opening remarks. “I don’t know what requires that information professionals to expect of you,” she said, “because I don’t know what you do.” have confidence in themselves and What followed was a lively discussion their abilities. about how law librarians can inform their clients about what they do. What it failed to address, however, was the need stressed that there needs to be a con- each issue, so be sure to allow enough for law librarians to focus first on iden- tinuous effort to enhance the perceived time to develop a solid argument for tifying their clients’ needs and expecta- image of librarians. Communication and each. Deliver your campaigns in several tions and working to meet them. The advocacy skills must play a major part formats and venues to more than one exchange was reminiscent of Theodore in that effort. audience (if that is appropriate). Don’t Levitt’s advice to his marketing students In her 1997 keynote speech to the rush your campaigns, and remember at Harvard Business School. “Your cus- SLA Annual Conference, Eugenie to keep them simple. It takes time to tomers don’t want to buy a quarter-inch Prime, then head of libraries at Hewlett devise a strong campaign and deliver it drill,” he would say. “They want to Packard, warned of the dangers of what enough times to make it resonate with make a quarter-inch hole.” she called “puny visions.” She chal- the intended audience. A successful advocacy campaign also lenged her audience to stop blaming Step III: Identify the key audiences requires that information professionals others and to carve their own future for each issue you decide to address. have confidence in themselves and their by taking charge of their own fate. Focus on opinion leaders—the “go to” abilities. In this regard, however, the Paraphrasing, she said “The fault, dear people in your organization. Each issue evidence is not encouraging. In 1988, Brutus, is us.” you select may require a different audi- the SLA Board of Directors approved ence or mix of audiences. a $10,000 grant to finance an inter- Creating Advocates At this stage, create a simple “case association task force on image. Eight for support.” This statement outlines Advocacy is essential if we are to take like-minded associations joined SLA in why it will be in the best interests of the charge of our fate. Most advocacy cam- surveying the attitudes and opinions key audience(s) to support your cam- paigns require six planning steps. In of their members and their members’ paign and goals. The case statement this case, a seventh step was outlined clients on a range of topics. The end might, but will not necessarily, include previously: ensuring that your personal goal was to inform a campaign to boost such points as these: and departmental images are in order salaries of the associations’ members. 1.The problem for which you are before planning for the other steps. The task force’s final report, issued seeking support and the resources, Step I: Create and be able to verbal- in 1990, contained useful information actions or other inputs that will be ize and justify your overall vision for as well as some disturbing results. needed to successfully resolve the your profession and your services. List More than half of the librarians in the problem; no more than five issues around which survey perceived that their profession 2.The relevance of your cause to the you will create messages to deliver to and their colleagues lacked confidence. audience being addressed—why potential advocates. Each issue will Sixty-eight percent said salaries of the they should care and what they be the focus of a separate advocacy time were appropriate because librar- should expect in return for their campaign. These issues may include ians were not highly regarded by their investment; the following: employers. Of the respondents from 3.Your contributions to projects that 1.Improving the perception and under- outside the profession, one in five said have improved the bottom line or standing of the value of information librarians lacked assertiveness and met the goals of the organization professionals and their services; imagination. (such as saving time or enhanc- 2.Meeting funding and budgeting Granted, a lot has changed since ing the quality of information used needs; and 1988-1990, but how many of us can to make decisions) and how these 3.Ensuring staffing priorities are met. look at those results and recognize experiences have equipped you to Step II: Prioritize your issues from their shadows in today’s information tackle the problem at hand; and most to least essential, based on how profession? To dispel those shadows, 4.How success will be measured and soon they need to be accomplished. we may want to turn to technology—the the benefits of achieving success. Identify the desired goals and outcomes introduction to the survey report said There are many sources available under each issue. Plan to address only more respect for librarians resulted online that describe how to construct one issue at a time. from the introduction and usage of a powerful case for support. Keep it It will take awhile to structure an electronic technology. The report also simple, direct, and reflective of the effective advocacy campaign around
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 15 LIBRARIANS AND THEIR IMAGE
Designing and conducting an advocacy lar philosophy in a 2003 speech to the Annual Conference of AALL, where she campaign may be the best of all talked about having “bifocal vision.” Maximize today by making decisions expenditures of your time. that move you to the reality of tomorrow, she said—hence the term “bifocal.” We need to partner with people in our organizations who can help make needs and goals of the organization Effective spokespersons must be pre- the dream a reality, Prime said. The being served. pared and passionate. They should daily e-mail management tip from the Step IV: Determine your key mes- be well versed in the message that is Harvard Business Review on December sages—the talking points or “elevator to be delivered. They need to react to 23 was to create a personal board of speeches” for each issue. Limit these all questions with positive answers— directors—a group you feel comfortable messages to three for each issue and never repeat a negative posed by a consulting for advice and feedback and create different messages for different questioner. who will make unique contributions to audiences. Make the messages pithy, Use any of several methods and your thinking. That personal board of memorable and short. Use statistics tools to draw people in so they listen to directors could form the core of your sparingly and for impact. Stress out- your message and so you can control network of advocates as you strive to comes, not inputs and outputs. the conversation. Three such tools are become future ready. Test the messages with a few people called “bridge,” “flag” and “hook” and For detailed guidelines on the many in your key audience to be sure they are explained both online and in books aspects of a successful advocacy cam- convey the intended information and about effective communication. paign, consult the American Library perceptions. Once they are finalized, Above all, take every opportunity Association’s Website (www.ala.org/ repeat them to the key audience fre- to push your agenda. In one of her issues). ALA has been stressing advo- quently. Repetition, in different formats many presentations on similar topics, cacy and training its members to be and over a period of time, ensures a Eugenie Prime said information profes- effective for many years. Some of their better outcome. sionals sometimes suffer from “failures materials deal with being advocates in In his 2005 book Blink, Malcolm of imagination” because we see chal- a legislative sense, but the philosophies Gladwell insists it takes people only two lenging opportunities as resulting in and concepts are suitable for use in any seconds to reach conclusions when more work. Designing and conducting setting. SLA they encounter new people and new a campaign may, however, be the best ideas. In a speech to an audience of all expenditures of your time. It may If you have questions, comments, and/ of librarians, he encouraged everyone result in greater job security, better pay, or opinions about the image/advocacy to create an “advocacy epidemic” by a stronger understanding of your role challenge, or if you have created an framing an idea in such a way that in the organization, and a host of other advocacy campaign and have stories it creates a powerful impression and positive developments. you can share, contact me and keep enables a “blink”—that first moment If you already conduct streamlined, the dialog moving forward: sdimattia@ when people find a new idea. informal advocacy campaigns, keep optonline.net or +1.203.359.5614. Gladwell told his audience to decide it up, but give it more formal thought what they want to come to people’s and expand the effort. Success will take minds when they think about their hard, sustained work. If you believe in library. The answer may not be the what you do, advocacy will help you same for all audiences, so you may share that enthusiasm. Act like you have to use different “frames” (mes- matter; think like you matter. Affiliate sages) for different audiences. Decide with “big ideas” that will define the what you want your audience to think, future of you, your profession, and your feel, and do, then create messages that organization. spark an emotional response. Step VI: Select and train the “army” ‘Future Ready’ Is the Goal to deliver your message. It may not The concept of “future ready” is SLA always be effective for you to deliver the President Cindy Romaine’s theme for message yourself, so approach audi- 2011. It involves being flexible, adapt- ence members you know are already able, and more confident in aligning with predisposed to advocate for you and robust opportunities in order to become your cause. Ask them to convey the essential. Eugenie Prime voiced a simi- message to their peers.
16 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 RESEARCH METRICS Measuring the Impact of Research
SeVeral TOOlS haVe been deVelOPed TO helP librarianS eValUaTe The imPaCT OF reSearCh COndUCTed by in-hOUSe SCienTiSTS.
BY JAMES KING, MLIS
hen Eugene Garfield of Science, Elsevier’s Scopus, and the ing. This has increased competition envisioned the cita- National Library of Medicine’s PubMed. for scarce funds and put additional tion index in 1955, In addition, two factors have converged pressure on funding organizations to he wanted to improve to create a strong need for bibliomet- show the value of their research expen- Winformation retrieval by showing rela- rics. First, scientific knowledge has ditures. tionships between articles based upon continued to grow and become more A recent large-scale example of how their citation and reference history. A specialized. This has made it harder for bibliometrics affected science was the potential side benefit of the index was a small group of experts to effectively 2005 Department of Defense (DOD) to monitor the growth and structure of review research proposals without rely- Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) scientific knowledge, but neither the ing on an “objective” measure, and it review process, which required all DOD corpus of published data nor sufficient has forced an even greater reliance on research groups to submit aggregated computing power was readily available computerized methodologies. Second, publication and citation counts for writ- to effectively do so. at the same time that science has ten articles that were used in research This benefit is now within our grasp become solidly global and collaborative during a two-year period. These counts due primarily to the work of large-scale in nature, the pools of research funding were then included in deliberations indexes like Thomson-Reuters’ Web around the world have been shrink- about which military bases and research
JAMES KING is an information architect at the national institutes of health (nih) in bethesda, maryland, working for the nih library in the Office of research Services. he is the immediate past president of Sla’s Washington, d.C., Chapter and now serves as the chapter’s Webmaster and as convener of the association’s information Futurist Caucus. he recently helped gali halevi of elsevier coordinate a one-day seminar, “impact and Productivity measurements in a Changing research environment,” at which speakers shared their perspectives on various research metrics. The presentations from the seminar, which was hosted by elsevier, are available free online at trainingdesk.elsevier.com/bibliometrics2010?utm_source=eCU001&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=e mail&bid=PJFg62F:VlgVS1F.
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 17 RESEARCH METRICS
labs to close, which to combine, and (from the top 50 percent to the top 0.01 ful reports. Examples of these reports which to move. U.S. military libraries percent) published by each WRAIR include a bragging list of the 25 most around the world scrambled to help researcher, plus the number of citations frequently cited NRL papers of all time, their military labs respond to these criti- of each researcher’s works. These mea- the journals in which NRL papers are cal data analyses, demonstrating how sures were entered into WRAIR’s bal- most often published, and—with some information professionals could play a anced scorecard, a strategic planning analysis by a third party—the patents role in defining and defending the value and management system that provides that have cited NRL work. This effort of the research organizations in which a framework of financial and perfor- came out of a mandate from the NRL they serve. mance-based measurements tied to director of research requiring all sci- I believe information professionals the vision and strategy of the organiza- entific promotion candidates to submit are ideal candidates to develop a set of tion. By also comparing the output and a publication list with citation counts services to help our organizations define average citation count of Army research generated by the research library. and defend their value. It requires a publications on a discipline or topic A number of other U.S. govern- clear understanding of the organization (such as hemorrhage resuscitation) to ment agencies, such as the National and its preferred measures of success, the total, the library was able to show Aeronautics and Space Administration but this goal is achievable and provides the impact of WRAIR’s researchers on (NASA), have also pursued the creation immense value. areas of interest to stakeholders. of internal databases of all agency- Over the past several years, the Naval produced materials. In a similar vein, Creating Useful Metrics Research Laboratory (NRL) has been the National Institutes of Health (NIH) working on another approach to creat- requires that all publications resulting An example of how libraries can utilize ing useful metrics. By identifying and from NIH grant funding be deposited existing tools to create useful evaluative capturing the metadata of all jour- into the PubMed Central database. Dr. reports for stakeholders comes from the nal articles, conference proceedings, Elias Zerhouni, the former director of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research book chapters, U.S. patents, and tech- NIH, pushed for this mandate spe- (WRAIR) Library. Library staff compiled nical reports written and developed cifically so that NIH could have a tool to the number of publications produced by its researchers and engineers, the measure research productivity. and the number of high-impact papers NRL automatically creates several use-
IMPACT AND PRODUCTIVITY ness. CiteSearch is an example of Four clusters of analysis methodolo- MEASUREMENT THEMES a multi-faceted citation analysis tool gies were identified for consideration: that accounts for citation quality Gali Halevi of Elsevier identified five variance, considers multiple facets • Citation analysis (usage): includes themes from the presentations deliv- (like document type or language), number of citations over time, qual- ered at the “Impact and Productivity and covers different aspects of qual- ity of citing journal (IF, SNIP, SJR, Measurements in a Changing Research ity assessment. and EigenFactor), quality of citing Environment” seminar (see the author’s 3. Different metrics should be com- authors, and disciplinary analysis of bio on page 17 for more information). bined to ensure fairness and citation; These themes are as follows: inclusiveness. Utilizing a toolkit • Reference analysis (prior art): 1. Different disciplines have different of different metrics, including the includes number of references, ref- needs when measuring research Impact Factor, Eigenfactor, h-Index, erence years, reference languages, impact. This goes well beyond SJR, and Source Normalized Impact and reference institutions; determining an average number for per Paper (SNIP), ensures that a • Author analysis (network): includes a particular metric and embraces a more complete picture of productiv- author impact, number of co- full understanding of what is impor- ity and impact is captured. authors, co-author impact, co-author tant to each discipline. For example, 4. Data sets should be opened up for institutions/languages, and co-author some disciplines place a high value testing and developing a variety of disciplines; and on their research results being used metrics (e.g., SJR). Opening data • Social analysis (effects on the to influence policy or standards, sets will enable innovation and new world): includes patents, policy/law while other disciplines would object approaches to citation analysis (or making, and improved processes to this. Look at the Becker Medical other data elements). and/or methods. Library model (see the discussion on 5. Methodologies that go beyond cita- page 19) for an additional example. tion analysis, such as social impact 2. It is necessary to include more than and reference analysis, should be one database to ensure complete- considered.
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Identifying Useful Measures An effort to develop a national network In pursuing an effort like this, it is criti- cal to know what to measure and which of scientists has the potential to change measures will be of value. The WRAIR example relied upon the institute’s bal- the way researchers collaborate by anced scorecard to tie metrics to the enabling the discovery of research and strategic plan, while the NRL’s effort stemmed from a research mandate. scholarship across disciplines. The Bernard Becker Medical Library at Washington University in St. Louis provides a great model for libraries to research project number, project title, and scholarship across disciplines. use to assess the impact of research. contact information for the principal Well-placed information services and Though focused on biomedical investigator, name of the performing resources that specifically meet the research, it can easily be applied to any organization, fiscal year of funding, NIH needs of our community will continue research setting. The model highlights administering and funding institutes to make the difference between suc- five key areas to explore when measur- and centers (ICs), and the total fiscal cess and failure, even between life and ing research impact: year funding provided by each IC. death. However, as distribution costs • Research output: counting how A second NIH-hosted service, the in the digital world approach zero, we many publications were made and Electronic Scientific Portfolio Assistant must be willing to rethink both the tracking the various outputs; (eSPA), helps the intramural commu- traditional view of the library as a place • Knowledge transfer: determining nity evaluate the outcomes (including and the traditional services that libraries if the research was referenced or outputs and impact) of NIH funding. It have offered. reused, including counting the num- is primarily focused on helping review Will today’s information professionals ber of references to those publica- and analyze portfolios of research proj- be brave enough to critically evaluate tions; ects for program planning and evalu- the current slate of services and reduce • Clinical implementation: identifying ation. By combining research funding what is no longer of value in order to whether the research was applied to with publications, custom portfolios of make time for new services like the practice (e.g., used in a patent or a research can be created to help pro- ones described in this article? I believe medical protocol); gram managers and administrators that exploring such new roles has the • Community benefit: assessing track and evaluate their research. potential to open new doors in our whether the research made a differ- The NIH Library has recently engaged organizations and enable us to apply ence in efficiency, effectiveness, or the RePORT and eSPA groups, as well our expertise in new ways. If we as a quality of life where it was applied; as other groups across NIH, to encour- profession are to continue to be relevant and age the addition of bibliometric mea- in this era, we need to be willing to take • Policy enactment: evaluating the sures and more researcher-focused risks. SLA research’s impact on laws, policies, reporting in their tools. and regulations in the pertinent Note: The author wishes to thank Gali sphere of influence. Challenges and Opportunities Halevi, account development manager Some organizations, such as NIH, for Elsevier, who provided tremendous Eugene Garfield’s vision was to explore have also been fortunate enough to support in the creation of this program the networks of scientists, so he turned have the resources to work with index and the writing of this article. to publications—then, as now, one of providers to create robust, customized the richest sources of relationships views of their data. One NIH-hosted The information in this article does not through co-authorships, references and service that uses customized data is necessarily reflect the opinions of the citations. A natural step in this evolu- Research Portfolio Online Reporting National Institutes of Health. Any men- tion (and, from a personal standpoint, Tools (RePORT), which is designed to tion of a product or company name is one of the most intriguing development support the extramural research com- for clarification and does not constitute efforts to date in this area) is an NIH- munity by providing per-year data on an endorsement by NIH or the NIH funded effort to develop a national net- grants as well as disease portfolios. This Library. work of scientists, built upon the initial service allows users to search a reposi- work of Cornell University. This effort, tory of intramural and extramural NIH- dubbed VIVO (vivoweb.org), is an open- funded research projects from the past source semantic Web project being 25 years and access publications (since built by libraries that has the potential to 1985) and patents resulting from NIH change the way researchers collaborate funding. Search results can include the by enabling the discovery of research
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 19 SLA 2011 KEYNOTE SPEAKER ‘Focus on the Things that Matter to Members’ an exPerT On bUilding lOyalTy SayS ThaT aSSOCiaTiOnS Can beneFiT mOre by PUTTing Their memberS’ inTereSTS ahead OF Their OWn.
AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES KANE
BY STUART HALES
onventional wisdom holds Q: How did you get interested in the cutting-edge medical procedures and that it costs much less subject of loyalty, to the point where techniques; he had no office support at money to retain an existing you decided to make a career of it? all. On the surface, these are all things customer or member than My interest had always been in how we think people want from their doc- toC acquire a new one. But if money isn’t communities work, what holds them tors. We want them to be competent the issue, why are some organizations together, and how human relationships and have all the latest technologies. My better able to retain customers or mem- work. While there are a lot of things I’ve father was low-tech but very focused on bers than other organizations? What’s done that kind of pointed me in that his patients, and they were very loyal the recipe for the “glue” that binds direction, it was actually my father who to him. people to certain brands, companies got me interested in loyalty. He was a This made me start thinking about and associations? podiatrist in a small town and had a the way relationships get built and the James Kane thinks he knows the two-room office, with no staff and no way businesses truly get built. What my answer: building loyalty. He calls loyalty nurse. He was right out of a Norman father had was this incredible ability to “a classic human emotion,” but says it Rockwell painting. make each of his patients feel very spe- really goes much deeper than that—it’s My father had these incredible rela- cial and important. He knew who they “part of our human nature, embedded tionships with his patients—they loved were—their families, their friends, their in our DNA, and responds when we him and couldn’t be more loyal to kids. He knew about celebrations and recognize very specific behaviors in oth- him. He didn’t have state-of-the-art tragedies in their lives and understood ers.” These behaviors, he claims, are equipment; he didn’t keep up with what was really important to them. And the key to nurturing loyalty among cus- tomers and members, so it’s essential to learn and demonstrate them. STUART HALES is publications editor at Sla and editor of Information Outlook asked Kane to Information Outlook. share some of his thoughts about build- ing loyalty. To hear more from him, be sure to register for the SLA 2011 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO, where Kane will deliver the closing keynote speech.
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he knew we don’t need the very best of serve purposes. everything when someone just makes Let’s be honest—it can be an incred- Wiley us feel important and valuable. ibly powerful and useful thing, in both His life and practice taught me, at a our personal and professional lives, to very early age, that relationships aren’t have people become loyal to us. But my Business built on competency. They aren’t the focus in helping organizations has less Wiley International result of our resumé or where we went to do with how to manipulate people Encyclopedia of Marketing, to school or how many awards we’ve and more to do with understanding won. Strong and loyal relationships what makes someone loyal. 6 Volume Set come from something much more fun- For example, it would be tempting Editors: Jagdish Sheth damental. Putting science behind what for SLA to think about loyalty in terms and Naresh Malhotra I learned from my dad is what’s really of how the association can benefit from ISBN: 978-1-4051-6178-7 interesting to me, and helping others creating loyal members—for example, Hardcover develop the same kind of relationships can we charge more for dues, or can 1776 pages in their own organizations is what I like we get more volunteers? Those are February 2011 to do. great outcomes for SLA, but the rea- $1,100.00 $900.00 son members might be loyal is not (Until 4/30/2011) Q: Your Website underscores the because of some manipulative process. emphasis on science—it mentions It’s because SLA has stimulated some- anthropology and behavioral psychology thing inside those members’ brains Wiley Encyclopedia of and says that loyalty is embedded in that essentially tells them that being our DNA. What does science have to do involved in SLA makes their lives easier Operations Research and with loyalty? Isn’t loyalty just an emo- and better. Management Science, tion or feeling? Loyalty became embedded in our 8 Volume Set Yes, it is an emotion, but that’s what DNA because it narrows our choices Editor: James J. Cochran makes it a science. All emotions have so that we don’t have to spend a lot of ISBN: 978-0-470-40063-0 some fundamental basis in science brainpower making decisions. To put Hardcover and neurology—that’s where emotions it in practical terms, if I can spend my 7200 pages come from. money in a lot of different ways, why January 2011 Unfortunately, the word loyalty has would I spend it on SLA? Loyalty limits been hijacked by so many groups that my choices because I trust SLA and $2,800.00 $2,380 most people have no idea what it really trust the relationship I have with them. (Until 5/31/2011) is. Religions have forever identified it It also means I feel a sense of belong- as kind of a moral principle; poets in ing—I feel connected to SLA, and SLA the Middle Ages wrote about it as a makes me feel good about myself. virtue; hotels and airlines describe it So the key to loyalty is not to think Encyclopedia of as a rewards program; and businesses of it as a manipulative process, but to Quantitative Finance, and organizations view it as a form of understand that SLA will become a bet- 4 Volume Set retention. ter organization when it starts to focus Editor: Rama Cont What’s common to many of these even more on the things that matter ISBN: 978-0-470-05756-8 examples is that people have tried to to its members, the things they really Hardcover look at loyalty as kind of a manipulative care about, the things that make their 2194 pages process. Their attitude is, Can I make lives better and easier. And when SLA people loyal to me in order to benefit starts focusing more on those things, April 2010 my life? But that’s not loyalty in the true its members will become loyal. It’s not $1,100.00 sense. because SLA is trying to change its Loyalty is a real human emotion, so members’ behavior, but because it’s there is a neurological function behind trying to change its own behavior. it and there are specific stimuli that our brains respond to that cause us to feel a Q: But if I join SLA, I might do it certain way toward something or some- because I’ve heard they have good Also available online. one. But there’s also an evolutionary professional education programs and explanation behind why loyalty exists a good conference, or because I know in humans. It serves a purpose, just other librarians who are SLA members as love and hate and fear and disgust and I want to be one, too. I’m not think-
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 21 SLA 2011 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
ing about loyalty when I make this deci- sion. A few years later, when I become Q: Relationships with good friends membership chair for my SLA chapter are built over time. They don’t happen or division, I’ll try to recruit new mem- overnight. What kind of time investment bers based on those same benefits that is an organization like SLA looking at attracted me in the first place. Again, before the rewards of loyalty start to loyalty doesn’t enter into the picture. pay off? And where’s the best place You’ve touched on a core problem that to build those relationships—in the exists not just within associations, but national office, or in local chapters? also within businesses and even in I remember once asking a guy how long individuals. We think we’re addressing it would take to learn to play the guitar, the needs of members or customers and he asked, How long do you want to without realizing that what they really spend on it? That’s probably true in this want goes well beyond resources and case as well. good service. When I think of organizations I’ve For example, if I asked you why you’re worked with in the past, some had a a member of SLA, the answer you just culture that embraced loyalty immedi- gave and the reasons you just men- ately; with some others, after I’d spent tioned are precisely the things I would about 15 minutes with them, I could expect you to say. But the fact that SLA tell it wasn’t going to work. What they does all of those things doesn’t make fall short. All they do is simply meet wanted was some magic, some pixie you feel any indebtedness or loyalty the basic needs of their members or dust to be tossed onto their customers to them. It’s simply a transaction—it’s customers, and that just isn’t enough that would make them do whatever the what you pay them to do. What they did these days. company said. They didn’t want to build for you was what you paid them to do I think what tends to happen with loyal relationships—they just wanted to when you became a member. So you many professional associations is that a reap the benefits of them. have no reason to be an advocate for lot of people become isolated. They’ve In cases where organizations really them or volunteer your time, because paid their dues and they’re just hanging care about their customers and work- all of the things you described are part out there and nobody’s noticing them, ers, the time frame is fairly short. And of an understood contract. and they feel it. So what they give back that’s the thinking behind the project The problem is that if all we’re going is the same as what they feel they got. I’m going to lead with SLA. The proposal to do is meet people’s expectations They paid their dues and feel they got I gave to SLA was specifically a pilot, and conduct transactions, that’s simply what they expected. and I did that for a reason. It was to say, where it ends. If you think of the inter- When you only meet the minimum rather than roll this out across the entire actions you have in your life, both with criteria, and then the game changes— organization and have it come from a organizations and with other people, you need more money or more volun- consultant, it has to come from within as long as they do what you ask them teers—you’re surprised and shocked the organization, and the organization to do, you’re square. They owe you that these people aren’t there for you. as a whole has to embrace it. nothing, and you owe them nothing. But they don’t feel indebted to you, If I take one chapter and spend six But think of the people you’re loyal to, because everything you did for them months or a year with that chapter, a people who aren’t just doing what you was part of the contract. You didn’t do couple of things will happen. First, the ask them to do. These are people who anything more than what they paid you group is small enough to be manage- understand who you are, who have to do. That’s really the key to developing able, so it will be easier to begin under- some insight into your life and the chal- a loyal relationship. standing which practices will work with lenges you face. Now, you can’t make everyone loyal— SLA members. I can tell the chapter SLA members rarely think of SLA; it takes too much time and energy to do officers about the fundamental build- it isn’t a huge part of their lives. They it. You have to know which relationships ing blocks of loyalty, but the way those have other things—jobs, families, and are key to expanding your membership building blocks are expressed to the so on. So SLA simply becomes an base or creating stronger advocacy individual members is something we’ll appointment to them. But what if SLA programs or whatever else you want have to work on together, and the local were so important to them that they felt to do. If you know you don’t have the chapter will have to do some experi- they couldn’t live without it, couldn’t do resources to make everyone loyal, you menting. That will allow the chapter to their job as well without it, couldn’t cre- have to ask yourself which relationships try some things on a smaller scale and ate opportunities for the future without you should focus on, and whether they then present those findings to other it? That’s where most organizations can make others loyal. chapters and the membership as a
22 INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 SLA 2011 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
whole. Q: I sense from some of your comments Over time, this will become a cultural that you’re not a fan of hotel and air- process, so every unit within SLA will lines loyalty programs. Wiley begin asking, What are we doing with They’re hostage programs, not loyal- our members? How are we interacting ty programs. They bribe you to buy Science & with them that will cause them to feel into them, and they hold you hostage loyal toward us? What can we do so they because you can’t go anywhere else Technology feel they’re receiving more value from and keep the benefits you’ve earned. us than just the contractual promises There’s a story I like to tell about Patty’s Industrial Hygiene, they paid us to provide? these programs. I flew 176,000 miles th That, ultimately, is what is going to on a certain U.S. airline, and I hate that 4 Volume Set, 6 Edition happen. And the benefits are truly for airline. I tell everyone I hate it. But I’m a Editors: Vernon E. Rose the members. The members are going captive—I can’t go anywhere else now, & Barbara Cohrssen to feel better about their relationships because I’d have to start all over. So the ISBN: 978-0-470-07488-6 with SLA, and feel that their lives are way I pay this airline back is to fly all Hardcover better for it. So that’s the main focus. over the world and tell everyone not to 2830 pages This is another outcome that will fly them. How good is that for them? December 2010 benefit SLA as a whole. If you have $780.00 a large population of loyal members, Q: You’re the closing keynote speaker those people will be more engaged, at SLA 2011. If you’re the opening act, they will be advocates for more mem- you have the opportunity to be the main bers, they will volunteer for more events topic of discussion among attendees for Encyclopedia of and activities, they will be more likely the next three days; if you’re the closing Aerospace Engineering, to assume leadership positions, and speaker, your words will be on people’s 9 Volume Set they will be more willing to pay higher minds as they leave and go back home. Editors: Richard Blockley dues if the financial need arises. So Which do you prefer—to be the opening & Wei Shyy there are benefits on both sides, but speaker or the closing speaker? ISBN: 978-0-470-75440-5 the key is that we’re not starting from It normally wouldn’t matter to me, but Hardcover the organizational side, which is what it’s kind of interesting in this case, and 5480 pages hotels and airlines do. They think, How also ironic. Thomas Friedman will be December 2010 can we make people loyal to us so we delivering the opening keynote, and his $3,750.00 can benefit as an organization first? The work focuses on the future—where we point of this pilot project is to improve might be heading, and what might hap- the relationships that members have pen when we get there. All of the work with the organization so they feel there’s he’s done and the books he has written Burger’s Medicinal more value for them. have been about that. Chemistry, Drug Discovery In my mind, there are certain things My work is mostly about the past. We and Development, we can do—and that we will do—to have this human emotion that’s been th measure the success of this pilot. There evolving for thousands of years, and 8 Volume Set, 7 Edition are some obvious things, like member- it’s more powerful than maybe anything Editors: Donald J. Abraham ship retention and participation levels else people can feel. So I thought it was & David P. Rotella in activities. More importantly, however, ironic that he’ll be opening by talking ISBN: 978-0-470-27815-4 we’re going to measure the relation- about what skills we’ll need to compete Hardcover ships of the members with the chapter in the future, and I’ll close by talking 6416 pages at the beginning of the pilot and at the about an emotion that has served us October 2010 end. I’m confident we’re going to find well for the past 100,000 years and will $2,350.00 that, at all levels, those relationships are continue to do so in the foreseeable stronger and more positive, and people future. SLA are feeling more loyal to SLA. And that chapter is then going to have a whole Also available online. series of practices they can share with other chapters to build upon. And SLA will be culturally much different than it is today.
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 23 INFO TECH
Why I Love My 3D Printer Cool Stuff with (5:31 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyZxzkd- Transformational Potential Jsk 3D Printing (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing New innovations with the potential to transform the information and library environments is already showing MakerBot 3D Printer and Thingaverse up in some unexpected places. 2010 (1:58 minutes) videos.webpronews.com/2010/02/10/ BY STEPHEN ABRAM, MLS build-anything-with-makerbot-3d- printer/ MakerBot 3D Printer Demo - CES I haven’t written a column about some umn is so full of pointers to videos—it’s 2011 (2:47 minutes) of the things that are on the farther just that they do a much better job than www.youtube.com/ horizon—not the one we see, but just I could to orient you to what’s over the watch?v=yEiZYfpa75Q beyond that, over the rainbow—for a horizon. As information professionals, 3D Printing Potatoes with the RapMan long time. So, since this issue is about we know that sometimes it’s better to fabbaloo.com/blog/2011/2/26/3d-print- librarians and their image, I thought I’d show than tell.) ing-potatoes-with-the-rapman.html go out on a limb and talk about stuff that’s not simply practical, boring or 3-D Printing I’m awaiting a version of a 3-D printer stuffy. (Librarians aren’t boring or stuffy, This blows me away. Being able to that runs on sugar and sells at Toys R but I have observed that we tend to design and physically print three- Us. I don’t think I’ll be waiting long. I prefer the serious and useful while, at dimensional models of things quickly— really love 3-D printers and think that the same time, adopting all manner of things we used to be able to see only on the applications for education are awe- innovative tools!) a screen—is magic to me. 3-D printing some. If you want to see more videos or So, in this issue, I’ve selected a few has been around for a few years, but it pictures about 3-D printing, there are things that have captured my atten- is now so affordable that some grade loads of them on YouTube and Google tion and gotten me excited about the schools have the printers and kids are Images. Be warned—you’ll get lost in future the way flying cars, jet packs, using them. awe and time. robots and space travel did when I was Some 3-D printers use gels, polymers, a teen, and how the Internet and Web powders, sugar, mashed potatoes, or Gesture Computing did in the 1980s and 1990s. Following whatever to make three-dimensional I love the concept of gesture com- are a few futuristic innovations that I objects of many sizes. There are pro- puting. It has started to appear in find absolutely fascinating in terms of duction models and homemade ones, the gaming space, but it’s going way their transformational potential. Many open source and inexpensive versions. beyond Wii and simply waving a plastic of these innovations and inventions These printers can make prototypes remote. Gesture computing has been are very difficult to explain in words, and are being tested at making circuit commercially developed by a company primarily because they are, I think, so boards and replacements for human in India called SixthSense. They have totally different from, and devoid of easy body parts. You can even print edible a wearable gestural interface that aug- references to, our current world. I find food. Like I said, this blows me away. ments the physical world around us them as inspiring as those robots and Check out these links, especially the with digital information and lets us use jet packs of olden times. first one—it’s a 10-year-old kid’s pre- natural hand gestures to interact with (I apologize in advance that this col- sentation from the iGNiTe conference: that information.
STEPHEN ABRAM is vice president of strategic partnerships and markets for gale Cengage learning. he is a past president of Sla, an Sla Fellow, and a 2003 winner of the association’s highest honor, the John Cotton dana award. he is also a past president of the Ontario library association and the Canadian library association and received the aiiP roger Summit award in 2009. he is the author of a book, Out Front with Stephen Abram, and a blog, Stephen’s Lighthouse. This column contains Stephen’s personal perspectives and does not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of gale Cengage learning. Stephen would love to hear from you at [email protected].
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The potential for gesture computing Again, I’m amazed at how far glass Wireless Electricity Demonstration, seems unlimited, and the excitement is has come since I first saw glass fiber WiPower, CES 2010 (2:04 minutes) building now that it has become afford- on a tour of the Corning Glass Works www.youtube.com/ able. The TED video in the following factory at age 14. Can you see the watch?v=tp8elCIrKoY links is very cool and defines and dem- transformational potential? Wireless Electric at CES 2011 onstrates the potential of gesture com- (1:20 minutes) puting. (It also shows how far ahead the Augmented Reality www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ awesome TED videos really are, since I get quite excited playing with this one. SyGt9wNc0 this one is two years old and the stuff is I can imagine a time when QR or bar I can see a day when meeting room, finally coming to market.) codes will look quite dated and won’t office and library furniture is built with be needed to discover what’s in a book, SixthSense TED Talk (13:51 minutes) integrated charging for all of our devic- get reviews, find out about a movie in a www.pranavmistry.com/projects/ es. No more crawling around on the theater, tour a museum right away, and sixthsense/#VIDEOS floor to plug in our electronic gadgets! so much more. Imagine simply using SixthSense: A Wearable Gesture your own camera phone to get more An Impact on Our World Interface (4:40 minutes) information about that painting in the So, are these space age technologies www.youtube.com/ gallery or that dinosaur in the museum really beyond the horizon? I ran across watch?v=ZfV4R4x2SK0 or even that building across the street. an interesting statistic recently. In 1971, SixthSense Technology - Amit Pate Augmented Reality: Explained by only 5 percent of U.S. households (6:18 minutes) Common Craft (Free Version) (2:17 owned a microwave oven; now, 40 www.youtube.com/ minutes) years later, only 5 percent do not. In watch?v=mHOW70Oa8o8 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D- 1990, there was no fully public Internet Just ask yourself, “Why do I have to A1l4Jn6EY or Web and no virtual social networks, physically touch my iPad or any other Layar: Impactful Augmented Reality in but 20 years later, Facebook was reach- e-reader to turn the page on my e-book? Your Everyday Life (2:15 minutes) ing almost 90 percent of social network Why can’t I turn a wall or anything into www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id users and more than 57 percent of a screen instantly? Why do I have to use =annotation_121798&feature=iv&v=H Internet users. eMarketer forecasts that a monitor at all? Why do we need to kill W9gU_4AUCA by 2013, 62 percent of Web users and thousands of hectares of trees daily for almost half of the U.S. population will Layar: world’s first mobile Augmented newspapers when we could have the be on Facebook. Reality browser (2:08 minutes) same experience on a single piece of Change happens faster and faster www.youtube.com/ paper, forever?” every year, it seems. I notice that many watch?v=b64_16K2e08 I wonder what the matrix of the book technology adoption and use decisions ecology will look like as technology are becoming closer to lifestyle deci- grows. It excites my imagination. Wireless Battery Charging sions. I have plenty of friends who I despise carrying dozens of charg- don’t have a landline phone and very Glass Paper ing cords all over the world. The few who don’t have home broadband Speaking of paper, maybe it will be Transportation Security Administration access, but then, I’m a pretty urban made of flexible glass. We’ve been fol- always thinks I’m carrying something guy. There are some people who prefer lowing the development of black and dangerous and digs into my backpack to live a remote lifestyle and check their white e-paper for many years and are like they’ve never seen charging cords e-mail at the local library. Indeed, many seeing it used in the most popular digi- before. This little technology seems to futurists have predicted the emergence tal e-readers. Color e-paper is emerg- offer hope of lightening my bag. of a class who choose not to use tech- ing, but it is, in my opinion, still pretty Powermat - Wireless battery chargers! nology. poor compared to a plasma screen on (1:22 minutes) Anyway, the inventions I’ve discussed an iPad tablet, laptop, or notebook. www.youtube.com/ will have an impact on our world. Will the potential for glass e-paper watch?v=vakqaQ0drq8 Librarians, I have no doubt, will again change soon? I think so. Check out be part of exploiting the emergence of Of course, I’m still waiting for wire- these Corning innovations: these inventions in the world of informa- less electricity, and this really blows me tion, learning and research. Now, if only A Day Made of Glass... Made possible away. I’m especially fascinated about we could get that image out there! SLA by Corning (5:33 minutes) the applications to charge whole elec- www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_ tric cars at the same speed as plug-in eZ38 electricity and then powering a video on cereal boxes. Wow.
INFORMATION OUTLOOK V15 N02 MARCH 2011 25 INFO BUSINESS
promote themselves and their services A Positive Impact within their organizations. Today, it is not unusual for a staff member with on Perceptions a library degree to be using his or her library skills but not be recognized as a librarian. This illustrates the positive and negative aspects of what informa- Librarians must be proud of their profession and vocal tion professionals have been accom- about their abilities if they want others to recognize and plishing in business and industry. value their skills. When is it important that people know BY DEBBIE SCHACHTER, MLS, MBA we are librarians (with expectations of what our skill sets are) and value us as members of a profession versus under- standing and valuing the skills and We librarians are forever wondering a variety of work contexts. expertise that we as individual workers (and sometimes worrying) about our In my case, I have always thought brings to a project or a business? For image in the eyes of our clients and about how I want my skills to be per- the profession as a whole, it is essential employers. I think we all understand ceived, and I have modified my language that business leaders and influencers that librarians have an enduring brand and behavior accordingly. For example, know they are hiring librarians and rec- and that librarianship is a recognized when working in a legal environment, it ognize the value they are receiving. We and valued profession. At the same was important that I understand the role should be proud of, and vocal about, time, it is possibly one of the most mis- that information professionals play in our profession. understood professions today. the legal world (a work environment that The changes that have been occur- Although some librarians continue to has very clear and regimented roles and ring in academic and public libraries hold traditional types of library positions, responsibilities), understand and use have also had a positive impact on the by and large our professional activities, the language of attorneys, and encour- perceptions of librarians. Students are skills and expertise are not well under- age an understanding of the realms in exposed to a new type of library profes- stood by people outside the profession. which I have expertise. sional, one who works in innovative and A recent OCLC report, Perception of We must embrace the language of engaging environments, both online Libraries 2010, states that while librar- our clients, making it clear that we and physically. When these students ians are highly recognized and valued use the same rigorous management move into their professional roles, they by society, they are not the first source practices that other professions do. The will have a better understanding of how of information for most people. The real question lies in whether we want to the library profession has changed from report says that librarians have a posi- change our image. On the one hand, the stereotypical impressions of the tive image, but are not necessarily the the term librarian conveys very strong mid-20th century. “first port of call,” an honor that belongs and often positive images that we can Continuing to ask questions about our to Google and other search engines. effectively leverage to our benefit; on image and how we want our profession the other hand, it also conjures up to be identified is important in driving Capitalizing on Our Brand stereotypes that do not reflect who we the very real changes that are happen- SLA’s Alignment Project focuses on are or what we do. As the OCLC report ing in our profession. We can capitalize using the language of our clients to con- shows, though, librarians are trusted on our recognized and valuable brand vey our professional and personal value sources, even if the traditional library by informing, educating, and, above all, to our organizations. Misunderstandings environment is not where people think continuing to innovate. These behaviors about our profession can and do deval- to go first for information. will benefit us as individuals, as well as ue our very tangible skills—skills that Special librarians and information the profession overall. SLA are both transferrable and applicable to professionals have gone a long way to
DEBBIE SCHACHTER is director of technology and collection management for the Vancouver Public library. in that role, she is responsible for the information technology systems, technical services, and collection management for a 22-branch library system. She has more than 20 years of experience in a variety of nonprofit and for-profit settings, including news, legal and social services organizations. She can be reached at [email protected].
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APRIL 2011 SLA 2011 Annual 6-9 Conference & INFO-EXPO Museums and the Web Philadelphia, Pa., USa loews Philadelphia hotel Philadelphia, Pa., USa http://conference.archimuse.com/ CLICK U WEBINARS: CERTIFICATE COURSES conferences/mw/mw2011 AT SLA 2011: 12 april 2011 18-20 Moving into Management and Team Librarians’ Information Literacy Saturday, 11 June 2011 Annual Conference Leadership Roles: Part 1 CIC11b: Competitive Intelligence british library/london School of 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm eT Services Management for Info Pros economics library members: $49/session 8:00 am – 5:00 pm london, england, Uk non-members: $99/session members: $495 http://lilacconference.com/WP/ 26 april 2011 non-members: $595 Can’t attend a live Webinar? Moving into Management and Team 27-28 Sunday, 12 June 2011 you can view Webinar International Conference on Leadership Roles: Part 2 CIC11c: Designing and Using Information Management and 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm eT rePlayS. These 90-minute the Intelligence Audit for seminars from our Click Evaluation members: $49/session Effective CI Practice Ted rogers School of management University programs were non-members: $99/session 8:00 am – 5:00 pm ryerson University recorded as they occurred, members: $495 Toronto, Canada so you’ll get the complete non-members: $595 www.academic-conferences.org/icime/ experience of the original icime2011/icimell-home.htm CONTINUING EDUCATION Saturday, 11 June 2011 session. Visit www.sla.org/clicku COURSES: CCM600: Copyright Compliance for more information. MAY 2011 and Management Saturday, 11 June 2011 8:00 am – 5:00 pm 11-13 Engaging Senior Management members: $395 Mobile Technologies: in the Library’s Mission non-members: $495 Information on the Move 8:00 am – noon emerald group Publishing members: $199 Sunday, 12 June 2011 brisbane, australia non-members: $299 CCM700: Teaching Others http://www.aserl.org/documents/ About Copyright MLibraries_2011_call_for_papers.pdf Saturday, 11 June 2011 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Implementing Library Mashups 24-27 members: $395 8:00 am – noon non-members: $495 Qualitative and Quantitative members: $199 Methods in Libraries non-members: $299 Friday, 10 June 2011 National Hellenic Research Foundation KMKS03: The Knowledge Audit Athens, Greece Sunday, 12 June 2011 8:00 am – 5:00 pm 29 may-1 June Charting a Path to New Levels of members: $495 International Conference on Expertise, Employment and Career non-members: $595 Integrated Information Technology Satisfaction ADVERTISING INDEX Federal University of 8:00 am – noon Saturday, 11 June 2011 Sao Carlos/ieee members: $199 KMKS01: Fundamentals of ACS...... C2 Sao Carlos, brazil non-members: $299 Knowledge Management and http://www.dirf.org/intech/ Knowledge Services Annual Reviews...... C4 Sunday, 12 June 2011 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Thinking Strategically: members: $495 Whiley ...... 21, 23 JUNE 2011 How to See the Big Picture non-members: $595 8:00 am – noon 12-15 members: $199 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO SLA PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Pennsylvania Convention Center non-members: $299 SLA 2011 Annual Conference .. .. 2 Philadelphia, Pa., USa Sunday, 12 June 2011 http://www.sla.org/content/events/ Communicating Effectively SLA Career Center ...... 11 conference/ac2011/index.cfm in the Workplace Click U Certificate Programs...... 5 15-17 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm 14th International Conference on members: $199 SLA Membership ...... C3 Business Information Systems non-members: $299 (BIS 2011) Virtual Worlds...... 27 Sunday, 12 June 2011 Poznan University of economics Poznan, Poland Copyright in Today’s Digital World 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm members: $199 JULY 2011 non-members: $299 4-8 13th International Society of Scientometrics and Informetrics Conference (ISSI 2011) international Society for Sciento- metrics and infometrics (iSSi) durban, South africa
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