Information Outlook, April 2005

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Information Outlook, 2005 Information Outlook, 2000s

4-2005

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£näänÇÇ ^ÊÓää{Ê/ ÃÊ>i]Ê«>ÀÌÊvÊ/ iÊ/ ÃÊ À«À>Ì°Ê/ ÃÊ>`Ê-Ì>ÀÊ}Ê ÜÜÜ°}>i°VÉÌiV }Þ >ÀiÊÌÀ>ì>ÀÃ]Ê>`Ê>iÊÃÊ>ÊÀi}ÃÌiÀi`ÊÌÀ>ì>ÀÊÕÃi`Ê iÀiÊÕìÀÊViÃi° 2 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 Features

15 Competitive Intelligence Columns and Focusing on the Competition By Susan J. Leandri Departments 18 5 On the Job with Executive Outlook a CI Researcher Connections for Life By Cybèle Elaine Werts 6 23 Web Sites Worth a Click Transformation 6 Change in a Small Law Library SLA News By Karen A. Nuckolls 11 27 News Briefs SLA Toronto 2005 How to Have a Great 12 Time in Toronto Business Management By Elana Broch Competitive Advantage and Information Services 30 Welcome to Toronto 37 City of Neighborhoods Coming Events/Ad Index Edited by Patrizia Brasch 38 Copyright Corner Linking Agreements By Lesley Ellen Harris 40 Information Tech Blogging: Who Are You Reading? By Stephen Abram 44 Information Management Competitive, Not Just Competent By John R. Latham

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 3 The Monthly Magazine of the Special Libraries Association Vol. 9, No. 4 April 2005

Publisher, Editor in Chief: John T. Adams III ([email protected]) Editor: Loretta Y. Britten ([email protected]) Columnists: Stephen Abram Lesley Ellen Harris Janice R. Lachance John R. Latham Ethel Salonen Debbie Schachter Carolyn J. Sosnowski Layout & Design: Nathan Yungkans

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4 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 Connections for Life

About two months ago, I was in The connections I made during that association. They are role models in the Tampa for the SLA Leadership Summit. trip were valuable for the continued profession, and clearly possess the (By the way, it was a fantastic experi- growth of SLA. But they were also the qualities of leadership that we need. ence!) Just about 250 SLA members kind of connections that make me But most important is that they are gathered there to explore, connect, and proud to be associated with, and repre- good people, too. And when you have grow as leaders—at work, in life, and sent, this profession. The best part of that mix of traits, SLA and the informa- in their association. Everyone enjoyed this story? You can do this yourself— tion profession will always win! the Summit in its first year of transition every day—without having to jump Do you have a great success story to to a more holistic learning experience. from continent to continent. It is share? Tell me about it via e-mail at I can’t wait to see what’s in store for through the sharing of knowledge, [email protected]. Houston in January 2006! experiences, and personal insights that As I was saying, several days later, I you can leverage the most valuable was in Australia. To clarify, one day I’m component of membership: networking in Tampa, and the next thing I know, with other information professionals in I’m in Sydney and I’ve lost a day! But our community. If you aren’t getting there I was, attending the Information connected on a global scale now, why Online Conference in that beautiful are you waiting? city, interacting with new SLA mem- Surveys have shown that SLA members and other information profession- bers consider networking to be the als, and extolling the virtues of the most vital aspect of their experience in great and global network of which you our association. My sense is that most are a part. My time there included sev- members understand this, but I’m eral events with SLA members in guessing that they’re benefiting from Melbourne, and a meeting with CEOs local interaction in chapters. Why not Janice R. Lachance of IFLA member associations, all of connect with colleagues in Canberra, which made the trip worthwhile. or propose partnerships with people in So there I was, in New Zealand… Paris? OK, now I realize I didn’t get oh, wait. At some point during my trip enough sleep during my trip! SLA Executive Director I made the trip over to Australia’s beau- So remember: you don’t have to tiful neighbor. I visited with SLA mem- travel around the world to get connect- bers in Auckland and Christchurch. ed in SLA. Join a discussion list and Connecting with members in person is ask for contacts in various countries. so valuable, particularly when they Participate in one of our online com- belong to a newly-created chapter. munities and establish virtual friend- Where am I again? ships there. Or better yet: search the Just as I was getting comfortable online member directory, locate a few with two of the most beautiful countries members around the world, and pick on the planet, off I went! I found myself up the phone! That’s what makes the in beautiful Seville, in the Andalusian SLA network so great! region of Spain. Why? Unfortunately, it This month’s success story involves wasn’t for a holiday! But I was attend- all of the candidates for election to the ing the European Business Information SLA Board of Directors. By the time you Conference, where some of the best and read this, the elections may be nearing brightest information professionals an end or completed. I want to thank from that continent meet each year. I all the candidates for their commitment participated in a debate on the question to SLA; their energy, ideas, and of whether laws and regulations are dynamism; and their willingness to limiting the growth of the knowledge take risks. I will be excited to serve economy, and took a fairly balanced with any of them, for they clearly care stance on the matter. about the direction and future of their

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 5 sla

By Carolyn J. Sosnowski, MLIS Info ‘Heroes’ Win SLA Awards National Gardening Association www.garden.org/home SLA has selected 22 outstand- Wallace (A.E. Staley Manufacturing This colorful and informative site features an ing individuals and one team of Co., Decatur, Ill.) extensive number of articles and other resources for information professionals as recip- SLA President’s Award: Barbie the home gardener. If you are trying to determine ients of its 2005 awards and hon- Keiser (Washington, D.C.) which varieties of tomatoes grow best in contain- ors. SLA honorees will be saluted SLA Professional Award: Karen ers, create a butterfly garden, or control garden during the SLA 2005 Annual Melville (University of Toronto) pests, this site is for you. The food gardening sec- Conference in Toronto. and Judy Russell (U.S. Government tion outlines the basics of growing fruits, vegeta- SLA President Ethel Salonen of Printing Office, Washington, D.C.) bles, and herbs, from plant descriptions to planting, Cambridge, Mass., said, “Our SLA Honorary Member: Susan maintenance, and harvesting instruction. 2005 honorees reflect the heart of Tarr (U.S. Federal Library and Information is browsable and searchable, and addi- the profession now and into the Information Center Committee, tional services like discussion boards, a Q&A future. These ‘info heroes’ consis- Washington, D.C.) archive, and e-mail newsletters personalize the user tently deliver value for their Factiva Leadership Award: experience. Basic reference materials, including a organizations and the profession. Susan Fifer Canby (National buyer’s guide, a dictionary, a zone finder, and cal- They also live the values of our Geographic Society, Washington, culators, round out the content. community: leadership, service, D.C.) innovation and continuous learn- SLA Innovations in Technology MedlinePlus ing, results and accountability, Award, presented by LexisNexis: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ collaboration and partnership. Individual: Brandy E. King (Center When it comes to medical information, source They set the standard for informa- on Media and Child Health, authority is vital. In this case, the authority is the tion professionals worldwide.” Boston); Group: The U.S. Defense National Library of Medicine and the National Candidates for SLA Awards Technical Information Center (Fort Institutes of Health, so you can be sure that you are and Honors were reviewed and Belvoir, Va.) getting accurate, quality information. The site’s considered by the SLA Awards and SLA Member Achievement illustrated encyclopedia provides descriptions and Honors Committee, chaired this Award: John Latham (Special cause and treatment information for diseases and year by Bill Fisher of San Jose, Libraries Association, Alexandria, injuries, among other ailments. The dictionary Calif., SLA Board of Directors. Va.) (from Merriam-Webster) is helpful for pronuncia- The 2005 SLA honorees are: SLA Diversity Leadership tion and basic definition. Conditions are explored SLA Hall of Fame Inductees: Development Award: David Liserio in greater depth in the Health Topics section. Here, Carol Ginsburg (New York) and (USAA, San Antonio), Tamika the user can find links to guidelines, articles, and Phyllis Waggoner (San Francisco) Barnes McCollough (North other materials in areas such as disease prevention John Cotton Dana Award: Sylvia Carolina State University, Raleigh, and management, related maladies, clinical trials, Piggott (Global Information N.C.), Tatiana Pashkova (Emporia organizations, and alternative therapies. Drug infor- Solutions Group, Montréal) State University, Emporia, Kan.), mation includes brand names, description, guide- Rose L. Vormelker Award: Carol Phebe Poydras (Florida A&M lines for proper use, and a list of side effects. Of Berger (C. Berger Group, Carol College of Law, Orlando), Matildah course, this site is not a substitute for advice and Stream, Ill.) and Tony Stankus Misengo Sakala (U.S. Embassy, treatment from a medical professional, but it’s an (College of the Holy Cross, Lusaka, Zambia) excellent starting place for health information. Worcester, Mass.) Other notable features: e-mail announcements of Fellows of the Special Libraries Detailed biographical informa- new content, information on evaluating medical Association: L. Susan Hayes tion on all SLA honorees is online materials, and a directory of medical professionals (Parkland Library, Parkland, Fla.), at www.sla.org/awards. and other health providers. Thomas Rink (Tulsa Police Department), Davenport “Dav” Zimmerman’s Research Guide Robertson (National Institute of www.lexisnexis.com/infopro/zimmerman/ Environmental Health Sciences, default.aspx Research Triangle Park, N.C.), This site began as a paper-based collection of Hope N. Tillman (Babson College, legal research resources, and it evolved into an Babson Park, Mass.), and Richard online tool in 1999. Entries, which can be searched

Continued on page 8...

6 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 sla

SLA, H.W. Wilson Honor Writers SLA will present its H.W. Wilson Company Award to three exem- plary information professionals. The award recognizes the author(s) 2005 Board of Directors of an outstanding article published in Information Outlook. The 2005 winners are: Laura N. “Lolly” Gasaway (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), John J. DiGilio (Thomson West, Los Election Results Angeles); and Gayle Lynn-Nelson (LexisNexis, New York). The award committee honored Gasaway for her Information Outlook column, “Copyright Corner,” which appeared monthly from President-elect September 1998 through December 2004. DiGilio and Lynn-Nelson Rebecca Vargha, librarian at are honored for their November 2004 article, “The Millennial the School of Information and Invasion: Are You Ready?” Library Science, University of The annual award is sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Company. North Carolina The prize will be presented at the SLA 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto. The committee praised Gasaway as a “shining light” for Information Outlook. Committee Chair Christine De Bow Klein, in the award letter, wrote that “Gasaway’s body of work defined our professional concerns and understanding, emphasizing our professional Chapter Cabinet Chair-elect responsibilities…” She said Gasaway’s columns “positioned us to Anne Caputo, director, learn- become leaders in the area of copyright and personal property ing and knowledge programs, issues.” Factiva, Washington, D.C. De Bow Klein commended DiGilio and Lynn-Nelson’s article. “We hope this is the first of many articles that will highlight the cultural changes as well as the impact of technology on the delivery of our information products…The committee hopes this article is the beginning of an important discussion the entire SLA membership will Division Cabinet Chair-elect engage in over the next few years.” Agnes Mattis, head, corporate More information about SLA awards and honors can be found at library, Skadden, Arps, Slate, www.sla.org/awards. Meagher and Flom, New York Interior Department Honors SLA Member SLA member Bonnie Carroll, president of Information International Associates, has won the Department of the Interior’s Conservation Service Award for 2004. At-large Director At the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., Interior Secretary Cindy Romaine, corporate Gale Norton recognized Carroll for “outstanding contributions” to archivist, Nike, Beaverton, developing the national biological information infrastructure (NBII) Oregon and other biological informatics efforts. Norton cited Carroll’s “strategic vision” both with NBII and with the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Biodiversity Informatics Working Group. She also commended Carroll’s “tireless efforts” as co- chair of the NBII Coalition to raise NBII visibility to trade and profes- At-large Director sional associations, NGOs, and others. The award underscores Carroll’s “innovative leadership.” Norton Roberto Sarmiento, head pointed specifically to Carroll’s success as both the executive director of librarian, Transportation CENDI, the Federal STI Managers Group, and with NBII. Library, Northwestern Carroll is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement University, Evanston, Illinois of Science. She represents the National Academies as the U.S. National Delegate to CODATA, a committee of the International Council for Science that serves 22 nations. She has consulted for such organiza- The newly elected board members will be installed tions as the International Atomic Energy Agency; the United Nations to the SLA Board of Directors at the association’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and the International annual conference June 5-8 in Toronto. For more Council for Scientific Information. information see the SLA Board Election results at Carroll, of Oak Ridge, Tenn., has been a member of SLA since 1992. (www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/ She is a member of the Southern Appalachian Chapter and the Science bodsection/0405bodcand/0405bodelect.cfm). and Technology Division.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 7 sla

Web Users Are • 68 percent of searchers say that Continued from page 6... search engines are a fair and unbi- Unsophisticated or browsed, run from state and country names to ased source of information; 19 per- terms (petitions, bill status, docket sheets) to top- Searchers, Survey Finds cent say they don't place that trust ics of legal concern (kosher food, medical ethics, in search engines. "Internet users are very com- credit reports). The content of each entry provides Internet users are extremely fortable as searchers, partly several suggestions for finding information, positive about search engines and because they set themselves up so including Internet sites, proprietary databases, the experiences they have using it's difficult to fail," says Deborah books, periodicals, and old-fashioned telephone them. But these same Internet users Fallows, senior research fellow at research (phone numbers provided). As an exam- are generally unsophisticated about the Pew Internet and American Life ple, the entry for “Bankruptcy” lists sources for why and how they use search Project and author of the report. news, rankings, and statistics, and offers guidance engines. They are also strikingly She notes that lists of the most pop- in determining if a company is about to go bank- unaware of how search engines ular searches for 2004 show that rupt. Guide creator Andrew Zimmerman consid- operate and how they present their such searching is dominated by ers the site a “work in progress” due to the chang- results. popular culture, news events, ing nature of legal research, and he welcomes Those are the findings of a new trends and seasonal topics—all comments, suggestions, and contributions. nationwide survey by the Pew areas in which searches are sure to Internet and American Life Project. return reasonable results. For Some of the survey's highlights: National Geographic MapMachine example, Google's top query for • 84 percent of online American http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/ 2004 was Britney Spears. AOL list- adults have used search engines. mapmachine/ ed "horoscopes," and Yahoo listed That amounts to 108 million peo- Maps! Get your maps here! Street maps. American Idol. ple. On any given day, 56 percent Historical maps. Space maps. Weather maps. Internet users behave conserva- of those online use search engines. Many, many maps. Maps, which are accompanied tively as searchers: They tend to • 92 percent of those who use by legends and data source, may be customized settle quickly on a single search search engines say they are confi- by choosing zoom level and adding text markers. engine and then stick with it, rather dent about their searching abilities, Users have the ability to save maps on the site for than switching as search technolo- with over half of them, 52 percent, future reference, or print or e-mail them. Large- gy evolves or comparing results saying they are "very confident." format maps are available for purchase, as are from different search systems. • 87 percent of online searchers various other map-related products including Some 44 percent of searchers regu- say they have successful search globes, atlases, wall maps, and software. Even if larly use just one engine, and experiences most of the time, you don’t have a business need for this site, it’s another 48 percent use just two or including 17 percent of users who fun to browse and discover. three. Nearly half of searchers use say they always find the informa- search engines no more than a few tion for which they are looking. National Bureau of Economic Research times a week, and two-thirds say • 55 percent of searchers say www.nber.org they could walk away from search about half the information they Every once in a while, we are called upon to engines without upsetting their search for is trivial, and half is research an area or industry with which we are lives very much. important to them. unfamiliar. If you need to find out more about the Internet users trust their favorite • 50 percent of searchers say they economy and how it works, a good place to start search engines, but few say they are like search engines but could go is the National Bureau of Economic Research aware of the financial incentives back to other ways of finding (NBER). The organization is “private, nonprofit, that affect how search engines per- information; 32 percent say they [and] nonpartisan,” and populated by researchers form and how they present their can't live without search engines; who are “leading scholars.” The site provides search results. and 17 percent say could let them working papers on topics such as business cycles, Only 38 percent of users are go tomorrow. inflation, Social Security, and housing prices. In aware of the distinction between • 47 percent of searchers will use addition to producing these shorter works, some paid or "sponsored" results and a search engine no more than program areas provide more in-depth research. unpaid results. And only one in six once or twice a week; 35 percent Chapters from upcoming books are also freely say they can always tell which of searchers will use a search accessible. Not sure how to find other sources of results are paid or sponsored and engine at least once a day. economic information? In its extensive data sec- which are not. This finding is iron- • 44 percent of searchers say they tion, NBER collects the press releases of groups ic, since nearly half of all users say regularly use a single search like the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor they would stop using search engine, 48 percent will use just Statistics, and the Census Bureau, and links to engines if they thought engines two or three, 7 percent will use many other organizations across the globe. were not being clear about how more than three. they presented paid results.

8 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 You're the Expert Share What You Know Here Are Information Outlook's Major Topics for 2005

We're always looking for new authors for Information Outlook. That's one way we get new ideas, learn new ways of doing things. The editorial calendar below shows major topics we want to cover for each issue in 2005. Please note: The editorial calendar is only a starting point. We need more articles on more topics than we've listed below. If you want to write on a topic that isn't on the calendar, or on a topic that isn't listed for a particular issue, we want to hear from you. For example, articles on topics like marketing, searching, and technology will be welcome throughout the year. We want to hear all of your ideas for articles. Also, our descriptions of the topics may not fit your approach. If you have a different idea for a topic, let us know.

July November Searching. Trends in library design. A library is more than a collection of books and periodicals. How can design August make a difference for your clients? Or, with increasing Global networking. How have you built your net- digitization of information, are the days of physical work of fellow professionals? How has it helped you libraries nearly through? succeed? E-publishing. E-publishing. December September Purchasing. How do you get the best deal for your Knowledge management. In an information-based company’s information needs? economy, how is your organization getting the most out of all its intellectual capital? Deadlines In general, we need to receive completed articles October six weeks prior to the month of publication: for Marketing library services. example, October 15 for the December issue. However, we prefer that authors inquire before submitting a manuscript. If you are writing for a particular issue, your query should be early enough to allow for writing the article. For more information on writing for Information Outlook, see www.sla.org/content/Shop/Information/ writingforio.cfm, or write [email protected].

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 9 sla

SLA Member Wins many different countries in imple- menting internationally recognized Margaret Mann Citation cataloging standards and practices. She has helped both individual Dorothy McGarry, retired head of librarians and the profession as a the Cataloging Division of the UCLA whole by recruiting and encouraging Physical Sciences and Technology librarians to serve on committees, task Libraries, will receive the 2005 forces, and working groups of many Margaret Mann Citation presented by professional organizations. the Association for Library Collections Colleagues have said the common and Technical Services (ALCTS), thread in McGarry’s professional life is Cataloging and Classification Section the knowledge, expertise, dedication, of the American Library Association. and spirit of helpfulness she brings to The award is a citation and a $2,000 whatever activity is being undertaken. scholarship donated in the recipient’s The range and depth of her contribu- honor by Online Computer Library tions to promote and advance the art Center Inc.(OCLC) to the library school of cataloging and classification serve of the winner’s choice. It recognizes as a model for professionals in many outstanding professional achievement different kinds of library settings. Her in cataloging or classification either work has helped replenish the ranks through publication of significant pro- Dorothy McGarry of library professionals and move fessional literature, participation in library methods and practices forward professional cataloging associations, She has sought to enable an under- into a new age of automation and demonstrated excellence in teaching standing of these and other IFLA information sharing. cataloging, or valuable contributions to efforts through presentations at inter- McGarry has been a member of SLA the technical improvement of cata- national meetings and publication of since 1971. She is chair of the loging and classification or the intro- articles in international publications. Committee on Cataloging, a position duction of a new technique of recog- McGarry has made significant contri- she has held several times over the nized importance. butions to the cataloging of cartograph- years, and a program planner. She The Margaret Mann Citation recog- ic and scientific materials. She is a mem- served for two years on the SLA Board nizes McGarry’s multiple contribu- ber of the Anglo-American Cataloguing of Directors, one year as division cab- tions to the practice of cataloging. In Committee for Cartographic Materials, inet chair-elect and the next as divi- particular, the award committee noted which prepared the second edition of sion cabinet chair. She also was presi- her prolific involvement in profession- Cartographic Materials: a Manual of dent of the Southern California chap- al association work at regional, Interpretation for AACR2 in 2002. She ter, and was chair of the Physics- national, and international levels. Her also has played a significant role in the Astronomy-Mathematics Division and service within ALA—and within development of geoscience information the Science and Technology Division. SLA—has encompassed a number of sources, such as the Georef Thesaurus She received the John Cotton Dana divisions and activities. She has dis- and Union List of Geologic Field Trips Award in 1991 and became an SLA tinguished herself in SLA by her advo- Guidebooks of North America. Fellow in 1994. She was selected to cacy of cataloging issues. McGarry’s Throughout Dorothy McGarry’s the SLA Hall of Fame in 2000. intense involvement at the interna- career, she has served as a mentor and McGarry holds a master’s degree in tional level over the past 15 years has trainer to many catalogers, scholars, library science from the University of included chairing the IFLA Section on and cataloging activists. One of her California, Los Angeles. classification and indexing. former interns, Martha Yee, has said: The Margaret Mann Citation will be McGarry’s contributions to the “Since Margaret Mann was a teacher, presented on June 26, at the ALCTS technical improvement of cataloging it would be particularly appropriate to Awards Ceremony during the ALA include participation in the develop- give this award…as recognition of her Annual Conference in Chicago. ment and ongoing revision of several generosity in teaching several genera- of the International Standard tions of interns to catalog.” Bibliographic Descriptions and the pro- The recent publication of Seymour motion of these standards to the inter- Lubetzky: Writings on the Classical national cataloging community. Art of Cataloging, which she co-edited, McGarry has participated in IFLA is another instance of her outreach to working groups on guidelines for sub- new generations of librarians. ject authority files and on principles In her role as a consultant, underlying subject heading languages. McGarry has assisted librarians from

10 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 Archive Keeps Vietnam Era prisoners of war or missing in action from would need to accommodate these sorts of the Vietnam War. The group, a combina- spikes in use and rapid growth. Alive and Personal tion of civilians and military personnel, has The center chose Cuadra located documents that have been used in STAR/Museums, a collections manage- More than 30 years after altering how Southeast Asia to help further their forensic ment database program. The application millions of Americans view world history, investigation and historical study. links multiple databases and allows them their government's role in foreign rela- In addition, staff members of the to be searched transparently by users. In tions, and the nation's place in history, Veteran's Administration and others addition, it allows archive visitors to search interest—and passions—may be greater involved in assisting veterans with claims the collection in seconds using any of more than ever before. have been using the archive to uncover than 20 million search terms. To today's generation of students, the data that will help substantiate, document, The system continues to evolve, adding Vietnam War is a significant period of and advance the creation or processing of new capabilities to assist site visitors in United States history to be studied. But to claims for veterans’ benefits. locating and accessing the documents men and women of other generations, his- In November 2004 the Vietnam Center they need. In recent months, a storage torians, and scholars, America's years in launched its Teacher's Resource Web, a area network and Cuadra's StarFetch Vietnam are still regarded as unique era, new section of the site that provides edu- capability were added to the system. This still capable of stirring intense passions and cators with an array of online resources combination of hardware and software vivid memories. The Vietnam Center in and stylized search capabilities to identify allows the Center to retrieve files from Lubbock, Texas, recognized the importance and locate course materials, syllabi, and anywhere within the system, replacing the of the U.S.-Southeast Asia Experience and outlines. system wherein users could search only a believed there was a much larger story to The Virtual Vietnam Archive affords a single directory string, which made the be told. unique opportunity for teachers to share addition of huge amount of data—espe- Using state-of-the-art database and primary source material with their students cially audio and video files—to the system Internet technology, the center developed a so the students can hear first-hand about a complicated and time-consuming under- program to provide members of the public the Vietnam War in the words and voices of taking. The SAN allows the center to load —from students to teachers, military veter- soldiers who were actually there. everything onto the network, and then ans, or simply those with an interest in the The Virtual Vietnam Archive contains enable the StarFetch capability to find the subject—free and instant access to letters, 1.7 million pages and includes material requested data. photos, films, artifacts, oral histories, slides, donated by veterans, their families, and negatives, and other material documenting civilian participants who were involved in Competencies for the Vietnam era. the war. These contributors primarily are The Virtual Vietnam Archive concerned that the materials are kept in a Information Professionals (www.vietnam.ttu.edu) began in 2001 as a place where others can learn from them, federally funded, $1.8 million project for where they will be cared for and preserved, of the 21st Century the purpose of digitizing and making avail- and where they can be shown the dignity able to the public, the most complete and and respect they deserve. The online significant collection that could be amassed archive's ultimate goal is to include approx- and held by the Vietnam Center. imately 20 million pages of information. Scholars and students use the virtual The Vietnam Center receives new collec- archive to study and understand the tions daily and its staff scans some 30,000 Vietnam War in new and more detailed pages per month for archiving. ways. Vietnam veterans, meanwhile, use Daily visits to the site number from 500 the data in the archives to put their own to 1,000 with the greatest peaks in usage at Professional Competencies experiences into perspective. The center the end of school terms or when articles on also has created a dedicated portal page the Vietnam War appear in the media. for Vietnam Center staff, so archivists can Most recently, the 2004 presidential Personal Competencies help users find needed materials by election brought the Vietnam War to searching those that are not directly avail- greater national consciousness. Leading up Core Competencies able to the public. to the election, as documents surfaced Acceptance and growth of the archive about Senator John Kerry's involvement in is succeeding in directions that were never the Vietnam War, hits to the archive imagined when it was launched three increased by more than 500 percent. An years ago. average of about 30,000 distinct file down- The Joint POW/MIA Accounting loads are recorded each month, but that Visit Command has been combing the archives number shot up to 80,000 requests during www.sla.org/competencies as part of its efforts to investigate outstand- October 2004. ing cases of military personnel listed as It was anticipated that the archive for the complete document.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 11 business management Competitive Advantage and Information Services

By Debbie Schachter Understanding the nature of your industry in which your firm operates firm’s competitive advantage is impor- but also what other corporate libraries Competitive advantage is tradition- tant because it gives you the context for are doing in your industry is essential. ally defined as the advantage one determining what services and prod- This research can be as simple as par- nation has over another in producing a ucts you provide to the organization. ticipating in appropriate e-lists and type of good or service. For example, You will tailor and change your service being active in SLA chapters and divi- access to natural resources or cheap offerings over time as you see the sions. Comparing what you are doing labor makes mining or manufacturing demand from users changing, and as with what other information profes- more efficient in one country than in you become aware of changes in the sionals in the same industry are doing another. Even within a country or a industry. Companies operating in the ensures that you are not falling behind. state, competitive advantage can be cre- same industry “are also highly interde- Checking into changes that key infor- ated within the domestic market by the pendent in the sense that they share the mation service vendors are planning in availability of, say, skilled knowledge same changes that affect an industry products and services can tip you off to workers (for a knowledge-based organ- over time,” according to Lei and changes in technology and trends in the ization), inexpensive real estate, or a Slocum. Awareness of these changes is marketplace and help you anticipate major transportation hub, as the partic- key to your ongoing library planning and meet the demands of your bosses, ular service or product requires. and is conveyed to management colleagues, and competitors. The company you work for has through your efforts to market and pro- Always be wary of those who would developed a competitive advantage mote your services, and through your try to minimize your value to the organ- over other companies creating similar important work branding your infor- ization through attempts to co-opt your services or goods in a variety of unique mation center. traditional work or to keep you from ways. That is what ensures the viabili- A second important factor of com- taking ownership of services that add ty and continuing prosperity of that petitive advantage is more internally new value to the organization. For firm. The fact that your organization focused. Not only are you contributing example, the full realm of information has a corporate library or information to the organization’s competitive services includes not only gathering, center also indicates that it places a advantage in its industry, but as an classifying, filing, and distributing high value on having information pro- information professional your own information, but also analyzing and fessionals provide services within the competitive advantage within your firm reporting it. Most librarians and infor- organization. The library or informa- changes over time. You must be contin- mation professionals are called upon to tion center thus contributes to the bot- ually planning modifications to your do some form of analysis and report tom line and the ongoing profitability activities as the company’s needs writing, but this should be a standard of the firm. change. Your planning must relate to library service. You need to ensure that As proof, SLA has found that what is happening in the industry over- you are developing your analytical and “eighty-five percent of the companies all, as well as to employees’ ability to reporting skills to compete with others ranked in the top 100 on the Fortune get the information they need for them- in your firm who are involved in 500 list employed information profes- selves. Branding information center research and delivery of information. sionals, compared to less than fifty per- services and products is essential, as is Your competitive advantage may cent of the companies ranked in the finding ways to connect the value of diminish over time. Expect to abandon bottom 100.” These successful firms your work to the firm’s bottom line. some services and seek new ones to clearly recognize the information cen- Proactively researching not only the replace them. Naturally, people seek ter or corporate library as an important aspect of their business. It can also be Debbie Schachter has a master's degree in library science and a argued that the presence of the firm’s master's degree in business administration. She is the Head of information professionals leads to a Strategic Planning and Development at the British Columbia greater competitive advantage. Courthouse Library Society, where she is involved in planning and managing organization-wide projects, marketing and communications, Web site management, and branch supervision. Schachter has more than 14 years of experience in management and supervision, technology planning and support, and reference service in special library settings. She can be contacted at [email protected].

12 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 business management

information in a variety of ways, and information professionals. References decision-making in organizations is As jobs turn over at your firm, you often based on managers talking with may feel as though you are repeating David Lei and John W. Slocum Jr. 2005. colleagues rather than obtaining infor- the same message over and over. This is “Strategic and Organizational mation from the information center. necessary work. By carefully branding Requirements for Competitive Spend time broadening your reach everything you do, you make this repe- Advantage,” Academy of Management within the firm. Instead of targeting tition easy for yourself and overt and Executive 18(1): 31. specifically those responsible for the clear to your users and potential users. ultimate decision-making, try to identi- Over time, this cycle of promotion and Beth Dempsey. 2005. “Target Your fy the people who influence other peo- marketing of services within your Brand.” Library Journal 129(13): 32. ple in your firm, even though they may organization will always be underway, not be responsible for the ultimate deci- as the firm undergoes changes in staff, SLA. “Professional Development Value of sions. If people go to them for advice, changes in plans and direction, and Information Professionals,” www.sla. make sure they know you’re there to changes in demand for services. Your org/content/ipvalue/index.cfm. support them. Rather than feel threat- flexibility and proactive approach will ened by these people, be proactive. provide the competitive advantage over Identify the advantages you bring to others who seek to provide the services, decision-making and specifically mar- whether vendors or other staff within ket those skills and services, to be used the organization, and it will add an in conjunction with the skills of your important component in your firm’s colleagues in the firm who are not overall competitive advantage.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 13 Bailey’s Industrial Oil and Fat Products, Sixth Edition Fereidoon Shahidi, Editor First published in 1945, Bailey’s has become the standard reference on the food chemistry and processing technology related to edible oils and the nonedible byproducts derived from oils. Some brand new topics in the Sixth Edition include: fungal and algal oils, conjugated linoleic acid, cocoa butter, phytosterols, and plant biotechnology as related to oil production. 6-Volume Set • 0-471-38460-7 • Cloth • 3,616 pp. Special Set Price Through 6/30/05: $1,350.00 US/$1,754.99 CAN Afterward, $1,500.00 US/$1,949.99 CAN Corrosion Handbook—Corrosive Agents and Their Interaction with Materials, Second Edition Gerhard Kreysa and Michael Schütze A comprehensive collection, unique in both scope and content, of data on corrosion and the chemical resistance of all technically important metallic, nonmetallic, inorganic, and organic materials in contact withaggressive media, as well as methods of corrosion protection and prevention. This is the prime information source worldwide for the selection of materials for equipment in which corrosive media is handled or processed. 13-Volume Set • 3-527-31217-X • Cloth • 6,500 pp. Prime resources $5,535.00 US/$7,195.99 CAN for the chemical community

Material Science and Technology: A Comprehensive Treatment— The Classic Softcover Edition Robert W. Cahn, Peter Haasen, and E. J. Kramer A softcover edition of the classic reference work devoted to materials science and technology. A compendium of current, state-of-the-art information, it covers the most important classes of materials: metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, semiconductors, and composites. Each volume deals with properties, processing, applications, or general phenomena associated with these materials. Edited by internationally renowned experts in materials science, this edition makes a seminal work widely, and affordably, available. 11-Volume Set • 3-527-31395-8 • Paper • 14,000 pp. $780.00 US/$1,013.99 CAN • 1997 Cloth edition: $5,035.00 Sax’s Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, Eleventh Edition Richard J. Lewis Sr. Since its inception in the early 1950s, this book has become the number one resource for those who need to evaluate the hazard of substances used in commerce. Now in its Eleventh Edition, it contains extensive data on toxicology, fire, reactivity, explosive potential, and regulatory information for approximately 26,000 substances. The book has been updated to contain Immediately Dangerous Life or Health (IDHL) levels for approximately 1,000 chemicals. 3-Volume Print Set • 0-471-47662-5 • Cloth • 4,860 pp. Special Set Price Through 5/31/05: Available through your vendor. $500.00 US/$649.99 CAN Afterward, $595.00 US/$773.99 CAN 3-Volume Set CD ROM • 0-471-47661-7 Online editions available at www.interscience.wiley.com $500.00 US/$649.99 CAN Competitive Intelligence

By Susan J. Leandri ny's sales representatives salesperson in the field in The success of librarians might be encouraged to find bringing useful information in becoming integral mem- In an uncertain and fast- out more about a competi- to light. But in organiza- bers of the CI team hinges on moving global economy, tor's offerings and pricing, tions where the library is a familiar theme: They must competitive intelligence (CI) or a small business owner viewed as mostly a support let their customers know can be a powerful business might monitor a rival's or administrative function, what they can do for them. management tool. By uncov- actions through the media. the value of information And, indeed, they can do ering and applying vital CI isn't strictly for traditional professionals to the CI effort many things to grease the information about rivals, businesses, though. could easily be overlooked. wheels of reconnaissance. organizations can fine-tune Organizations such as uni- their strategies and goals, versities and nonprofits also improve their ability to man- rely on it to keep pace with Susan J. Leandri is managing director age risks, and stay a step their peers. of the Global Best Practices operating ahead of the competition. Because librarians work unit at PricewaterhouseCoopers Not all organizations behind the scenes, they may (www.pwc.com). Global Best Practices, engage in formalized intelli- not be among the first www.globalbestpractices .com, is an gence gathering, but most employees thought of as online knowledge resource offering best perform it to some degree, if good sources for competi- practices, business risk, and benchmark- only in simple, low-tech tive intelligence, yet they ing tools. She can be reached at ways. For instance, a compa- can be as effective as a [email protected].

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 15 Competitive Intelligence

An Ethical Approach to Intelligence Gathering Consider these strategies Do they want access to differ- that you as an information ent resources? How do they On the hit television show Alias, the lead character is a professional can use to raise want to receive information, female CIA operative who frequently relies on deception as a your profile and influence and how frequently? means of intelligence gathering. When it comes to internation- when it comes to CI: Even if your library has al espionage—and television ratings—apparently anything Understand customer recently conducted a survey, goes. But this is not the case in the world of corporate competi- expectations for intelligence. keep in mind that the process tive intelligence. You may need to take the ini- of understanding customer Sure, the potential for ethical lapses and unscrupulous prac- tiative in becoming involved in needs and expectations is a tices in the execution of CI is high. Laws governing privacy, intelligence-gathering efforts. never-ending loop. Preferences cyber security, breach of confidence, and electronic data protec- You can do this by working and needs change quickly in tion have all been strengthened in the wake of technology with customers to establish today's information-driven advancements. Moreover, the proliferation of tools available for expectations for CI, identify economy. Librarians often find unearthing competitive intelligence increases the likelihood key areas of interest, and they need different tools and that librarians or their organizations will deliberately or inad- develop procedures and for- resources to support customer vertently cross the line. mats for communicating find- needs from one year to the The challenge for librarians is to exploit the legal means at ings. Also, find out about exist- next. For example, maybe your their disposal to maximize CI efforts while maintaining their ing CI efforts within the com- library is still spending most of commitment to obeying the laws and expectations that define pany and become a part of its budget on print publica- acceptable behavior. Organizations with formalized CI practices their communications loop. It's tions when users would prefer often have guidelines in place to ensure an ethical and legal likely that groups such as sales more online resources. approach to information gathering, but library staffs should support, market research, and Finally, try to get a picture reinforce the importance of ethics in carrying out day-to-day CI (if there is a department of the relative priority of CI activities. Here are some ways to do this: dedicated to the effort) already to the company’s competitive • Set the right tone. The head librarian or another senior have an active information- strategy. Has your company staff member should set the tone for ethical behavior by mak- sharing network. Get copied participated in CI bench- ing clear to library employees that ethics matter. Explain to on their newsletters, meeting marking exercises to see how staff members that they have a responsibility to conduct them- schedules, requests for infor- its efforts stack up in relation selves with integrity because the organization relies on their mation, and other communica- to others? Does it track CI’s judgment and professionalism in the execution of their duties. tions so that you can track contribution to key perform- In addition to discussing your internal code of ethics, make their information needs. ance measures (e.g., changes sure staff members are familiar with ethical guidelines issued You will also want to make in sales relative to competi- by groups such as the Association of Independent Information sure you have a clear under- tors, percentage of new cus- Professionals (www.aiip.org), the American Library standing of who makes up tomers captured from com- Association (www.ala.org), the American Society for your customer base. Is it petitors, or customer reten- Information Science and Technology (www.asis.org), and the midlevel managers, senior tion rate)? Are the company's Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals executives, or both? Are cus- investments in CI activities (www.scip.org). tomers dispersed across several growing or shrinking? • Give examples. Talk to staff members about situations business units or concentrated Disseminate competitive they might encounter that could pose ethical dilemmas. These within one department, such intelligence to the right people discussions, which can benefit from role-playing exercises, as marketing or product devel- in the right context. Librarians should cover topics such as representing oneself properly and opment? Although most librar- are keenly aware of the need using established channels for obtaining information. ians already have a good sense to demonstrate their value, • Keep up with developments. In the digital age, many of who their customers are, it's and nothing makes their case rules are still emerging or evolving. Make it a point to keep important to clarify assump- more persuasively than being your team informed about changes in privacy, copyright, or tions—and not just with those able to deliver actionable related laws that might have an effect on how they perform you report to but also with information to those who need their jobs. This is particularly important if you operate in mul- influential people in the larger it, when they need it, and in tiple locations, where laws or ethical standards may vary. organization. a manner that improves • Encourage open communication. When it comes to intel- Customer surveys can help decision-making and helps ligence gathering, gray areas remain. Encourage your staff to you gauge how well you’re business leaders carry out ask for guidance any time they are uncertain about how they meeting expectations and how strategies and attain goals. should proceed with a request or if they have misgivings about you can improve. Ask users Information professionals something they've been asked to do. about their interactions with who are skilled at gathering Most information professionals will welcome guidelines the library and its staff. Are and sharing CI begin with an that aid them in gathering the intelligence their customers their needs being met? Why or understanding that they are need without jeopardizing their reputation—or their organiza- why not? If respondents don't trying to transfer actual knowl- tion's—in the process. use the library, find out why. edge, as opposed to simply

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accumulating data and infor- Encourage specialization. Develop a CI mindset. A observations about a competi- mation from disparate sources It's a given that the more CI approach may be a little tor can build a picture of its and letting users sort it out. research specialists work with different from business as future directions. In this way, They aim to educate users of certain individuals and busi- usual in your library. you may be able to help your CI about how to frame their ness groups, the more adept Gathering competitive intelli- company spot early warning needs and requests in ways they become at meeting their gence, and adding valuable signals of a competitor's new that can be addressed quickly information requests. Although analysis, may require some products, marketing strate- and that will produce relevant many libraries do not have creativity. Take some hints gies, and distribution plans. intelligence about the competi- enough staff to allow for sub- from clever CI profession- Information professionals tive landscape. ject matter or business unit als, who go beyond mining know they must continue to For instance, does the head specialization, it's a goal worth annual reports and business evolve if they're to flourish in of marketing want information striving for if adequate literature and check out today's fast-paced, hypercom- on only a handful of direct resources do exist. less obvious sources, such petitive business world. The competitors or on anyone who As you develop subject as the following: need for good competitive might be making inroads into matter expertise and gain • Job postings—Does a intelligence is particularly the company's market? Do greater familiarity with certain competitor seem to be acute in this environment, senior executives want to track customer segments, you move expanding its workforce? providing librarians with a all press mentions of rivals or from simply processing infor- What categories of jobs is golden opportunity to distin- only those that refer to new mation requests to assuming a the company recruiting for? guish themselves as go-to products or services? Do they more consultative role, helping • Patent filings—Is the professionals. But first they want to monitor certain indus- customers shape and define competitor applying for new must make their organiza- try resources? By getting their intelligence needs. An patents or letting existing tions aware of how they can answers to these and similar added benefit is that you will ones lapse? contribute. Savvy librarians questions, you can better set learn more about the rationale • Litigation records—In won't wait for an engraved priorities for the types of infor- and motivations behind cus- what areas does the competi- invitation; rather, they'll mation users will seek, and, tomers' needs, which further tor appear to be vulnerable? take the initiative to ask to ultimately, improve service. strengthens the CI network. Applying analytical skills to be part of the team.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 17 Competitive Intelligence

On the Job with a CI Researcher ‘Industrial Espionage Is Not the Right Way to Phrase It’

Sarah Bombardier is the director of futures research for Fletcher/CSI in Williston, Vermont. She has been a team researcher, lead researcher, and project manager on multiple projects, some of which have involved advanced photographic equipment, automated teller machines, lens grinding, ceiling tiles, pharmaceuticals, radiology products, convenience- store logistics, and credit card transactions. Bombardier has presented papers at the World Futures Society and the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals. Her presentations focused on blending futures analysis with competitive research. She also has professional experience in technology transfer, financial auditing and fore- casting, and wastewater treatment. She holds a master’s degree in studies of the future from the University of Houston, Clear Lake, and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Wales, Swansea. Frequent Information Outlook contributor Cybèle Elaine Werts interviewed Bombardier recently on her activities in Sarah Bombardier can be reached at competitive intelligence. [email protected]. Werts: Most people don’t really know what competitive intelligence is about. Can you give me a brief overview of the field? Cybèle Elaine Werts is an information Bombardier: Essentially what competitive intelligence encom- specialist for the Northeast Regional passes is finding information for our clients about their com- Resource Center. She can be reached at petitors. The nature of the information varies from a simple [email protected]. The Northeast question like “we heard a rumor that our biggest competitor is Regional Resource Center Web site is at going to launch a new product at the trade show in three www.wested.org/nerrc. Her personal Web months” to in-depth studies around multiple competitor’s site is at www.supertechnogirl.com. organizational structure, company culture, new product pipeline, marketing plans, etc.

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Werts: There is a mistaken impression that what you do and make a number of phone calls. As for information- is “espionage,” although that might sound romantic. gathering skills, much of our work is telephone based. How would you respond to that? When I have a project, I’ll start by doing research to learn about the industry and identify key contacts. When Bombardier: I’d say that, as fun as it sounds to say we do I feel comfortable enough about how things work (and “industrial espionage,” that’s not the right way to phrase sometimes when I don’t), I’ll make phone calls to con- it. Espionage has an international, almost shady, aura to tacts and ask them questions. Some of the bigger skills I it; and we follow very strict data collection guidelines use are being able to answer questions about why I’m where we tell the truth to all contacts. Espionage gives the calling truthfully without divulging the client’s name impression that you might lie to your contacts to obtain the and asking leading questions. information desired, whereas we absolutely do not lie to It’s a good thing to let the contact talk, and yes-no our contacts. We are completely truthful when explaining questions don’t illicit lengthy responses. It’s good to ask to them what we need and why we have called. things like, “How does that happen?” “Why did you do it that way?” or, “Can you elaborate on that?” Additionally, Werts: How did you get started in this career path? What it’s a skill to listen. Many people are uncomfortable with would you suggest to other people who are interested in silence so when I ask a question, I then close my mouth this area? and let the silence hang. The contact will begin talking, and I take notes and ask them to elaborate. It’s largely a Bombardier: Believe it or not, I got into this career pretty conversation, as opposed to a survey, so often the contact much as most people get into their jobs. I just fell into it. doesn’t realize what they’re telling us. It wasn’t until I’d been here a short time that I realized what a good fit it is for me. I applied for this job from an Werts: Please tell about a particularly interesting project ad in the local newspaper, and that’s the truth. As for you’ve worked on. others interested in this area, I’d suggest that the most important skill is being able to learn about different busi- Bombardier: One of the areas where we gather data is nesses quickly and being able to chat with upper levels trade shows. For this particular client, I was attending a of management, including CEOs, CIOs, and CFOs com- trade show to chat with competitors about their products fortably, even though you may not fully understand how and gather marketing materials. One of the other assign- the product works. It also helps to have a strong sense of ments was to “infiltrate” the client’s booth. The client curiosity and a desire to find the answer, and certain lev- trained their staff in handling potential CI consultants els of persistence. with politeness and yet in a manner to get them to move along and not linger at the booth. Additionally, the client Werts: You live in Vermont, which isn’t exactly the hub told the staff at the booth that a CI consultant was there of high commerce. Do you think there is any loss not at the show and he or she was going to try to obtain crit- being in a metropolitan area, or does it not make any dif- ical information. ference where you are? When the time felt right, I approached the client’s booth and started to chat with the staff. The first person Bombardier: I think it works in our favor immensely to did very well and politely answered my questions but not be in a major metropolitan area. First of all, our fees would not volunteer anything and quite obviously did are much lower than our competitors because we don’t not want to speak with me. The second person was a bit have to pay Boston or NYC rates, and secondly, Vermont less blunt, but still did not go in-depth. The third person, is a very low-key state. The fact that Vermont is known however, not only gave me in-depth details about the primarily for maple syrup and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream client’s product but he showed me the product, opened works in our favor. When we call a contact and explain it, explained the inner workings, and then told me I had that we’re calling from Vermont we often get folks nice smile! I probably could have had him tell me their responding favorably. It’s not unusual for a contact to marketing plans and new product strategy had not our respond with something like, “Oh Vermont! I was there client contact approached at that time. years ago to ski. It’s so lovely. Whereabouts are you?” And immediately the conversation is off to a great start Werts: Historically, businesspeople generally relied on and the contact is at ease because they know Vermont is their own intuition when it came to making business an easy-going, non-threatening place. Because Vermont decisions, but that appears to be no longer the case. How isn’t exactly the hub of high commerce, it makes the has the marketplace changed so that something like com- contact feel at ease and not threatened by our questions. petitive intelligence is so much needed?

Werts: What is a typical day like for you? What are some Bombardier: I don’t think the aid of intuition is gone, of the information gathering skills that you use? especially in smaller businesses. But I think the use of intuition is enhanced with data collected from the field – Bombardier: Actually, my typical day isn’t very exciting. I either from the company’s own sales force or folks like sit at a desk and stare at a computer for a good part of it us. But, when the information is sought by the compa-

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 19 Competitive Intelligence

ny’s own staff, the contacts may be reluctant to say Werts: What kinds of ethical challenges have you faced? much beyond what is public knowledge. However, when How did you resolve them? I call from Vermont and explain that I’m trying to understand this, that, or the other, the contact is often not Bombardier: I try to avoid ethical challenges by being honest threatened and sometimes flattered that we sought them up front, but when a contact asks point blank if you are call- as an expert. ing on behalf of a competitor, and they mention the competitor by name, and the competitor happens to be your client, Werts: Some people feel that there might be something then you are indeed faced with a dilemma. We cannot lie, so unethical going on in terms of intelligence work in the busi- often we just answer with something reassuring like, “We ness arena. Can you straighten them out on this? are conducting an assessment of this product and I cannot divulge my client.” Bombardier: I’m not going to deny that unethical practices Here’s a story that describes a situation like that. A while exist, because they do. Just like any business, the illegal back we were working for a client that wanted to know stuff is what you hear about. But on the whole, competitive about a competitor’s product. Much of this involved trying intelligence, the way we collect it, is both ethical and legal. to contact product managers and field salespersons who sold We follow a strict code of ethics that prohibits us from the product. lying or misleading our contacts. This means, for example, We were having moderate success. But then the client that I cannot call a company and represent myself as a buyer requested that we “pull out all the stops” and bombard the when I have no intention of purchasing the product. What I target company with phone calls. While this isn’t illegal, I can do, though, is call the contact and tell them that I’m would say it hovers in the lighter shades of grey because it’s assessing such products for a client. Likewise for job listings. annoying. That and, by peppering the target company with I can call and ask about a job posting to see what sort of multiple phone calls, it becomes obvious that we’re not actu- information I can find out about organizational structure, ally looking to purchase the product. increased marketing, or new product launches but I cannot We found sales representatives’ names via the target com- say I am interested in applying for that job or go on job pany’s Web site, but had to use an answering service to interviews with the sole intent to gather data. Nor can I leave messages since the sales reps’ phone numbers weren’t “dumpster dive.” Finding information about your competi- listed. A colleague and I pounded the phone for several tors is nothing new. hours on a Friday and received a few calls back and got a few more pieces of information. What we did was call the Werts: I wasn’t sure about using your real name and compa- answering service and ask to leave messages for several ny name because I was afraid that you would lose your abil- reps. We were getting the same two or three message service ity to scout out information if everyone knew who you were. agents, too, so that was a bit creepy but we figured that tak- But you assured me that this was not an issue. Why isn’t it? ing messages was their job. They never said anything to us. About three hours into this strategy, I received a call from Bombardier: It’s not an issue because we have a registered somebody at the target company who was not happy. He business name that we use for research purposes. It’s a legiti- would not identify himself but he told me in no uncertain mate DBA in the state of Vermont with a phone number and terms to, “cease and desist calling our company. Do you address. The Fletcher/CSI name is a brand we want known. understand?” He also called our research vice president and may have spoken with our managing director/owner, I’m Werts: What has been one of the most challenging projects not sure. At any rate, both the research VP and managing you have completed, and why? director asked if either myself or my colleague had done anything illegal, which we hadn’t, but were supportive of Bombardier: Actually, they’re all challenging in their own our efforts since that’s what the client wanted. We explained way because most often every project is in a different indus- our process, and annoying though it may have been for the try. Here’s another example of some work I did: A few years target company, it was absolutely not illegal. ago my boss was seeking business with a competitor to L.L. Things like that happen from time to time in our busi- Bean. He was at the prospect’s office and chatting with them ness. As long as we didn’t misrepresent ourselves or get any about our services when one of the prospect’s staff said, information illegally, we don’t worry about it. While I have semi-joking, semi-not joking, something like, “Well if you’re received letters from target company’s legal counsel, we (or so good, can you find out Leon Gorman’s shoe size?” Leon I) have never been taken to court or had legal action taken Gorman is the CEO of L.L. Bean, and since we know that against us. We stop when we’re asked. L.L. Bean started with their boots, it seemed like a fun question. My boss, who always enjoys a good challenge, called Werts: Have you found that being a woman has helped you me and posed this question. I told him I’d see what I could in this career in terms of gathering intelligence? Has it find and call him back. I don’t remember how long it took, helped or hindered in terms of your growth at your own but in about three phone calls to L.L. Bean I had the answer: company? 9½ to 10 depending on the footwear.

20 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 Competitive Intelligence

Bombardier: I’ve found being a woman has certainly helped would cite the article and ask if they can help. Otherwise, in some of my projects. Many industries are male-dominated we simply identify ourselves, let the contact know why we and that often works in my favor as I make calls. called, and then ask if they have time to chat. We use a con- For instance, one project a few years ago was for a ceiling versational style approach so the interview is smooth and tile manufacturer that was assessing the idea of putting the contact doesn’t feel like you’re not listening. We also speakers in ceiling tiles that would hide the fact that a may offer some information we’ve found along the way and speaker is present. This involved seeking information from ask for their comments or feedback. ceiling tile experts together with audio/visual experts. Many of these experts are male and, while I was working on this Werts: You must have a huge amount of information after a project with a male colleague, I was able to conduct more big research project. How do you organize this information interviews and received more returned calls than he. It got so that your client is able to digest it easily? to the point where he asked me to follow up on some of his calls and when I did, I got returned calls. It was strange but Bombardier: From the beginning, we have identified what we did what worked. the client wants and needs. We keep a draft report going As for my own growth at the company: No, being a that we constantly update as we obtain information. This woman has not had an effect on that. helps to keep it organized.

Werts: When you approach a new project, you do something Werts: The growth in the use of the Internet has radically of a needs assessment. Please explain how you would go changed information technology. As an information special- about this process. ist myself, I’ve found that over the last few years our research has gone from being primarily library-based, to pri- Bombardier: As with any project, it’s only going to be marily Internet-based. Has a similar shift affected your busi- useful to the client if it answers their questions. So, we ness? How did you search before the Internet? have a rather in-depth proposal process to ensure we cap- ture the client’s needs so we can explain to the research Bombardier: We never relied on the library heavily, so I can’t staff what needs to be done. The staff here are excellent say there’s a similar switch for us as there has been for you at understanding the client’s needs and then asking the but, indeed, we rely quite heavily on the Internet. From my right questions of contacts. early days here, we used the Internet to do primary research, Before any project begins, we have a kick-off meeting but we had a limited connection via a phone line so we had with the client so all research staff can hear in the client’s to take turns logging on to get what we needed. We used to own words what they need. It’s then up to us to get that call the target companies and ask for their annual report, information and analyze it into useful and actionable data which often lists key contacts. These days we have a con- for the client. Additionally, we will find out why the stant Internet connection via a T1 line and companies’ client needs this information and what they plan to do annual reports are available on their Web sites. with it so we know what sort of peripheral information would also be useful. Online References

Werts: What are some of the research gathering techniques Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals: you use? www.scip.org

Bombardier: Initially, we conduct secondary research, which Fletcher CSI: www.fletchercsi.com is largely scanning the Internet for industry-specific information to learn about the industry and any associated products. The Competitive Intelligence Handbook: We may also review any information the client has gathered. www.combsinc.com/handbook.htm From there we can begin to identify key contacts. These are folks who may be quoted in journal articles or otherwise Using the Internet for Competitive Intelligence, by Jean L. associated with the industry. From there, our research is Graef, The Montague Institute: largely conducted via telephone calls to the contacts we’ve www.cio.com/CIO/arch_0695_cicolumn.html identified. What is Competitive Intelligence?: Werts: Some of the sources you might contact are company http://aurorawdc.com/whatisci.htm employees, suppliers, clients, competitors, and senior management. What are some of the techniques you use to get Competitive Intelligence: A Librarian’s Empirical Approach, people to talk to you? by Margaret Gross: www.infotoday.com/ searcher/sep00/gross.htm Bombardier: It depends on where we get the contact’s name. If the contact was identified via a journal article, then we

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Change in a Small Law Library

How We Moved Our Department into the 21st Century

By Karen A. Nuckolls

When I arrived at a newly created position as head of technical services at a small academic law library, I found my work cut out for me: change my department’s outdated procedures and bring it into the 21st century. After all, change is constant—and scary—and it affects every- To begin, after observing them at In addition, I began working on a job one differently. The very fact that I was their jobs, I scheduled one-on-one description for the position of acquisitions coming into a new position to make meetings with each staff member, dur- associate, which had been vacant for 18 changes was, no doubt, upsetting to my ing which I discussed any problems or months. This activity acquainted me with new staff. concerns they were having. In addition, the rules and regulations involved in hir- Over the years, I have learned that I invited each staff member to come to ing on campus. When a candidate was among library staffs there are those who my office to discuss privately anything hired, I held a party to welcome her to find change unsettling, those who are they wanted addressed. I immediately our department, as was my custom. I am intimidated by change, and those who are began the tradition of having weekly planning several other gatherings in the resistant to change. For me, the questions meetings with my department, in near future, because I believe there is a were twofold: how to find acceptance and which all staff members had a chance need to celebrate important staff achieve- how to unite these diverse types. I am to give reports on their respective ments and completed projects—and it’s sure that many readers can relate to at areas, an effort that I felt was impor- good for morale. least some aspects of this task. tant in generating a good team spirit. A project that truly tested our newly I was lucky to have a director who On a chart I prepared, I asked each developed relationships was the reassign- was very supportive of my efforts and staff member to fill in his or her responsi- ment of offices. Plans had been underway spent many hours helping me understand bilities so I could identify duplicate proce- for several months to redesign Technical the history of the library and offering sug- dures within each area and assess weak- Services. When I arrived, there was no gestions and guidance. Because the library nesses that could be resolved in the rede- space for me in Technical Services, so I had been chronically understaffed, the velopment of the department. I also shared the Technical Services staff had not had a worked with the director in using the Public Services great deal of individual supervision. With library promotion and retention guidelines librarian’s office. the director’s help, I determined that my to set standards to which employees Because one first priority was to develop a plan that would be held accountable. I held six- room was larger would build an acquaintance with them month reviews to and their daily routines—and that would make sure my build a relationship within our depart- Karen A. Nuckolls is associate university staff knew the ment. During my first month on the job, I librarian and head of Technical Services at consequences of focused on three areas that were likely to the West Virginia University George R. failing to meet change: staff, procedures, and personal Farmer, Jr., Law Library in Morgantown, those standards. growth—both mine and theirs. West Virginia.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 23 Transformation than the other, we switched the two make them feel part of the team will lead in were helpful, but we also needed the Acquisitions staff members into the small- them to help one another complete the boost provided by external workshops, er room, and I joined the Serials staff in project, even though it might not be in classes, and conferences. Allowing sup- the larger room. Instead of dreading this their immediate area of responsibility. port staff members, as well as profes- change, the staff became fully engaged in When the acquisitions duties were sionals, to participate in continuing the process. I handed out a time line, and reassigned, I assumed responsibility for education activities gives them a feel- on a weekly—and sometimes daily— cataloging and processing materials. I ing of importance and accomplishment, basis, we discussed items to discard or began by reviewing and evaluating proce- in addition to providing a forum for relocate, staff preferences for new chairs, dures for consistency and accuracy. them to learn new things. and the configuration of privacy areas. I Identifying and correcting bibliographic Limited funds were allocated for the believe that introducing this topic early records is an ongoing process. We have enrichment of the mostly clerical staff, on, answering questions whenever they agreed to stop ordering shelf list cards for so I sought out ways to engage them “on came up, and assigning parts of the proj- each title we import from the Online the cheap.” To help them research prob- ect to each staff member ensured that the Computer Library Center. Although those lems on their own, I gave them pass- change took place with everyone working cards are low in price, there were hidden words and training for our library sys- for it—instead of against it. In fact, I think costs in the amount of time spent receiv- tem support web. I encouraged them to it gave us a renewed focus on our jobs in ing, tracking, and filing them. join relevant e-lists and to attend free the year ahead. The staff learned that they A routine task that needed to be local and university courses. I also can tackle large projects and survive, and changed was the typing of spine labels arranged for some of them to sit on uni- it has brought us together in an improved used for our library materials. The system versity library committees. working relationship. was to use ordinary office labels and to Personal growth is harder to gauge type call numbers at one of the last elec- than changes in staff or procedures, Reviewing Procedures tric typewriters in Technical Services. but it is often an outgrowth of those With a new hire and staff issues These labels were not adhering very well changes. As a supervisor, it is my addressed, I began my review of library to the book spines, and the typewriter was responsibility to help the staff to grow procedures with the Acquisitions area. on its “last keys,” so I asked Technical professionally and, I hope, personally The Technical Services librarian was reas- Support to investigate whether the spine as well. And, even though I am a signed as Acquisitions librarian. She now label program written by a fellow librarian supervisor, I must not forget that I works solely on ordering, acquiring, and could be adapted for use with our own have not finished developing, myself. receiving new materials and replacements. materials. The program was implemented In fact, part of a new job is to manage Updating how we generated budget with much success, and just in time for change in yourself before you can reports was also long overdue. In the our major reclassification project. manage change in others. past, these reports had not accurately Sometimes projects have their genesis I had to get used to living in a differ- reflected the available monies at any through interaction with other depart- ent part of the country and to find new given time during the year. I have encour- ments. In a conversation with the head of opportunities to educate myself and to aged the Acquisitions librarian to use Public Services, I realized a major shift of network with new people. To that end, I Access queries to pull out relevant infor- the collection was to take place. It sought out and joined new library organ- mation relating to statistics and budget, occurred to me that the timing could coin- izations and e-lists. I attended regional and she has taken classes in beginning cide with our proposed reclassification conferences and workshops and volun- and intermediate Access. I also imple- and shift of two major law areas, JX clas- teered for committees. I was also making mented tracking by invoice rather than by sification into JZ (international relations) the transition back to academia from a purchase order, because the price at the and KZ (international law). With the able public library system, and I had to famil- beginning of the ordering process was assistance of several students and staff, we iarize myself again with law materials. rarely the final one when the invoice integrated classified items with materials If change is scary because it is arrived. With these procedures in place, I processed through the years. More than unknown and sometimes uncontrolled, have real expectations of useful reports 2,000 titles were involved in the change. I it is possible to create a “safety net” for for the next fiscal year. was pleased that the library would have to staff by enabling them to participate in The Serials area seemed to run by itself shift items only once, and I was also the decisions that affect them. By plan- in the capable hands of the Serials super- pleased that a successful project demon- ning, communicating, and involving the visor. But this year I have asked the staff strated the importance of interdepartmen- staff in all decisions, you can develop to pitch in together on a project to input tal cooperation, as Technical Services methods of working with change— the serial publication patterns. This project worked with Public Services to finish the instead of against it. Personalities do not will give the public a more accurate pic- job before fall. change, and I do not pretend that I was ture of both the journal titles, and which able to create entirely new people. But I issues of those titles, we have. The result Morale Issues do see an increased willingness on the of this project should allow us to make An important aspect of managing part of the staff to be open to new ideas full use of our system’s serials module. change is to be alert to staff morale. The and methods. They have learned that the The steps I took to engage the staff and meetings and staff projects we engaged 21st century is a nice place to be.

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SLA Toronto 2005

How to Have a Great Time in Toronto

By Elana Broch

I’m not a traveler. When my husband and I were getting married we went to the rabbi who was to perform the ceremony. I had never met him but my husband had known him since childhood. He asked us what we had in common and my husband replied, “We like to travel.” I looked at him and said, “I don’t like to travel.” Well ten years later, and despite whatever prognosis the rabbi had for our marriage, we’re still happily married. And I still don’t like to travel. But here I am writing an article about why you should come to Toronto. In 2003, I was new to librarianship and SLA, and had two young children at home. One morning I dropped the kids off at their respective nursery and elementary schools and managed to spend a short day in New York at the SLA annual meeting. I attended the presentation of an acquaintance, visited the exhibits, and attended our chapter’s reception. It was a day well spent. The following year I decided to take the plunge. Yep, I spent four days and nights living in the terrarium better known as Opryland. Opryland was not my idea of paradise, although it certainly was unique. But I had such a good time at the conference that I wanted to write this article to inspire other people to come to Toronto in June. There are many valid reasons for not going to a conference. The two main reasons are probably time and money. There are another two not-so-minor reasons. One is feeling The welcoming smile of a Torontonian. Lana Slezic; PhotoSensitive awkward in a situation where there are thousands of people, none of whom you know. Finally, the fourth reason, one mail address of a colleague I’ve been trying to reach or the elu- that I don’t have an answer for, is that you have kids and/or sive article that’s befuddling our ILL department. Finally, there’s elderly parents at home and the care giving logistics make it always the possibility that your next boss may be the person nearly impossible for you to travel. I would like to address you happened to stand next to at a reception. each of these concerns and suggest some tips to help you One way to justify spending the time away from work is switch from “no” to “go”. to try to make the most of the time you’re there. Many of the people I know try to go from session to session to session. Can’t Take the Time My brain just can’t handle that. Do spend time going through There’s no denying that three or four days out of your the program, making sure to highlight the things you defi- work week will definitely put you behind when you return. nitely don’t want to miss. And you didn’t hear it from me However, there is guaranteed to be at least one session that but, if a session is not what you expected, leave. People come changes some aspect of the way you do your job or think and go all the time and you aren’t obligated to stay if the ses- about your career, or gives you just that one piece of infor- sion isn’t working for you. mation that makes your life just that much easier. Priceless. If there’s nobody holding down the fort for you back at And on a practical note, once I have met someone at a confer- work, one way to stay in touch is through e-mail. Computers ence I would not hesitate to e-mail them directly to obtain an e- are available at the conference hotel for checking your e- mail. Be advised that the lines can be long, the computers are

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 27 SLA Toronto 2005

available only from say, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., and you’ll probably And speaking of free food, don’t be shy. Believe it or not, spend a lot of time reading e-mails that can wait until you’re my employer just recently started covering meals while travel- back in the office. ing. Fortunately, I rarely paid for a meal. In addition to the Visit the exhibits. While I’ve yet to win something that I’ve vendor breakfasts and lunches I described, there are a number wanted to win (the first year I went I didn’t even know what an of continental breakfasts in the exhibits, and the Dialog party iPod was), the exhibits are a great way to see what’s new and is famous for dinner. cool in library resources. The hotel, of course, is another big expense. Right before I I find it useful to have a list of the vendors I want to be sure left for Nashville, I happened to sit next to someone at our chap- to see. It’s easy to experience exhibigo, a state of disorientation ter meeting who became my roommate. It worked great. I got to brought on by the layout of the exhibits. This condition, which know her better and cut my room costs in half. is aggravated by consuming the piece of chocolate provided at When figuring out your budget, remember that the hotel bill each exhibit booth, is temporary. Speaking of exhibits, be sure to includes several taxes in addition to the room charge. For non- wear comfortable shoes. Canadians, be sure to take advantage of the Canadian Visitor Rebate Program that reimburses you for some of the tax paid on It’s Expensive your hotel room and on purchases of goods that you’re taking Even if you’re sure you’ll get a lot out of the conference, home with you. Information about this program can be found at there’s no denying the conference registration is very expensive. www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/nonresidents/visitors/faqs-e.html. Be sure to take advantage of early-bird registration which will save you $50 and ends May 1. I Won’t Know Anyone Another way to possibly cut registration costs is to apply for Although I consider myself outgoing, I hate going up to a grant to attend a continuing education session. Many divisions strangers and striking up a conversation. Here are several sponsor grants to their division members to cover the cost of ways you can meet people without having to walk up to a attending one of these sessions. stranger. Not only does the early bird catch the worm, but she gets If you are a first-timer, try to attend the SLA First-Timers lots of mail from vendors. My personal favorites are invitations and Fellows Connect on Sunday afternoon, an invitation to breakfast or lunch meetings where vendors profile their only, affair. There you’ll meet other First-Timers and get an products. Not only does attending one of these sessions save insiders’ view of SLA. you the price of a meal, but it is an excellent way to learn Getting involved in SLA is the easiest way to get to about new products. Most importantly, the questions asked by know people. One way I got involved—and this isn’t for the people in the audience are an invaluable source of infor- the faint of heart—I presented a paper. I got to wear a nice mation about some of the pitfalls they have encountered using ribbon on my name badge (always a good ice breaker at a that product. If a breakfast or lunch session catches your eye, social hour). Presenting isn’t for everyone, but it sure is a be sure to RSVP. Every one I attended in Nashville was full foolproof way to get involved (you’ll have had many e- and they had to turn away people who hadn’t said they were mail conversations with your co-presenters and moderator attending. As a bonus, these sessions are a way to share a before you get to the conference). meal with some new colleagues. Now you may be wondering how someone who was new

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to the division was able to present. I saw a call for presen- Again? I asked if I could present on this topic and my sug- ters on a non-SLA listserv I subscribe to. Once I got over my gestion was warmly received at the planning meeting.) initial reaction (“what could I possibly know about immigration that would be of interest,”) I bit the bullet and was I’m Needed at Home accepted. Now I’m an expert on immigration who has pre- Even a supportive husband like mine cannot stay home sented at the national level. for a week while I travel, so I go on shorter trips than I A surefire way to meet people with similar interests is would like. I try to find a flight that allows me to drop the to go to your division meetings. One division membership kids off in the morning and spend only one or two nights is included in your SLA membership. My division (Social away. (I haven’t been west of the Mississippi River since I Science) was very welcoming (after all, what division had kids.) Once I’ve packed, typed the seasonally-appropri- isn’t looking for fresh blood). In fact, they were so wel- ate “honey do-list,” indicating who eats what for snack, has coming that I felt badly that I had ever thought twice gym on Thursdays, etc., I’m ready to go. about attending. Thinking about switching divisions? Go Does the conference sound like a blast? I hope I’ve given to their meetings. Nobody will turn you away. I promise. you some reasons to join us in Toronto. I’d like to think that If you’re feeling daring, go to a planning meeting for if you try even one of my suggestions for getting involved, the following year. Even if you’re not quite ready to pres- you won’t feel lost in the sea of people. Make some connec- ent, planning a conference needs many hands. Consider tions. Enjoy Toronto. (Its should be beautiful there in June.) serving as a moderator for a session (requires the organi- If you do go, I’d love to hear from you. Still not sure? E-mail zational skills every librarian possesses), or be brave and me; we can plan to meet for coffee in Toronto. help someone in your division organize a few sessions. Finally, if you’re looking for a rollicking good time, Elana Broch is the assistant population research librarian at where you’ll know at least one person (me!), plan to attend Princeton University. She earned a Ph.D. in psychometric “Taking the Sting Out of Statistics: Basic Concepts” on June methods before earning her MLIS. She can be reached at 7 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (How did I get to present? [email protected].

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Thomas Faires The Authors Several members of the Toronto Chapter of SLA contributed to this article. Gwen Harris is principal of Gwen Harris Information Services. She is an information consultant and Internet specialist in develop- Welcome to Toronto ing and delivering Web-based courses on searching the Web. Gayle Kiss is with LexisNexis and is past president of SLA Toronto Chapter. City of Neighborhoods Marilyn MacKellar is the resource technician at Willow Breast Cancer Support and Resource Services. She is also a leader with the Toronto Bruce Trail Club. Tom McGreevy is product manager, publishing, at Micromedia ProQuest. Originally an archaeologist, he tired of trying to decode cryptic artifacts and associated metadata, and instead became a database indexer/editor, a creator of “cryptic” metadata. Lana Miljkovic completed her MLIS degree at University of Western Ontario in December 2004. While looking for permanent employ- ment, she does volunteer work for the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s National Information Resource Center. Patricia Petruga is editor of the Canadian Environmental Directory published by Micromedia ProQuest. She also volunteers her time to the SLA Toronto Chapter Conference Local Arrangements Committee. Rani Pooran is with AlphaPlus Centre, where she provides reference services and as well as conducts marketing and training activ- Edited by Patrizia Brasch hoods of various ethnic backgrounds form ities. She also volunteers with the SLA a city that offers its citizens and visitors a Toronto Chapter as coordinator of the New Hi there! Is everyone looking forward taste of just about anywhere in the world. Information Professionals program. to the 2005 SLA Conference? I’ll bet you Unfortunately, few visitors have the is with Borden Ladner Kay Samuels are. Toronto is really excited about hosting time to explore all the different aspects of Gervais, LLP, and serves as treasurer for the multicultural Toronto, so members of the Toronto Association of Law Libraries. She is the conference this year and we look for- originally from New Zealand and also lived in ward welcoming everyone who is able to SLA Toronto Chapter have written several London before moving to Toronto to continue visit us in June. So allow me to take a few articles about different neighborhoods to her career in law libraries. minutes of your time to tell you a little bit give our visitors a “tour” of Toronto and Erika Steffer, a research consultant with about our fantastic city. an opportunity to decide what you may Russell Reynolds Associates, is the president First, a few facts. Toronto was founded want to see and do while in Toronto. of the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe, who What follows are excerpts of articles that Association of Special Libraries and was then Lieutenant Governor of Upper appear in full on the Toronto Chapter Information Services, and has 15 years of Canada. At that time, Toronto was Web site for the 2005 SLA Annual professional experience working in aca- known as the city of York, but it was Conference (www.sla.org/toronto/2005/) demic, government, and corporate later renamed Toronto, which is the in the City of Neighborhoods section research and writing roles. Mohawk word for “meeting place.” What along with restaurant reviews, things to Thomas Faires, photographer and friend of do, how to get around, and everything SLA’s Toronto Chapter, is project manager, an appropriate name for the host city of information technology, at HCN Business this year’s conference! else you need to know about making Information Group. Today, Toronto is Canada’s largest city your stay in Toronto as memorable and Patrizia Brasch, who compiled and edited with a population of 2.3 million; the exciting as possible. the article, is principal of PMB Consulting, Greater Toronto Area has a population of specializing in creative and customized train- more than 4 million. On the surface, Toronto Islands and Harbourfront ing solutions. She is also the SLA Toronto Toronto is a big, sprawling metropolis situ- We’ll start our tour by looking south, Chapter archivist and a member of the SLA ated on the north shores of Lake Ontario. over Lake Ontario, to the Toronto Islands Toronto Chapter 2005 Conference Local However, when you scratch that surface and a trendy waterfront neighborhood, Arrangements Committee. She thanks all SLA just a little bit, you find a social and cul- members who contributed to this article. which Marilyn MacKellar describes for us. tural mosaic like few others. Neighbor- One of the gems of Toronto is a small

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group of islands in the lake. This ern end of the island group, harbor. The lakeshore came up to the archipelago has a diversity of attrac- Here is a small airport with views rear of houses along Front Street and tions, and it can be reached by ferry toward the western waterfront and hoists were used to move goods from from the waterfront at the foot of Bay Ontario Place. There is also a small the ships into the warehouses. Street. There are three ferries to the nature reserve close by. A former St. James Cathedral. This is the site Islands in the summer, one to each school building has been converted of the first church in Toronto, and the end of the group of islands and one into artists’ studios. present building is the fourth church to the middle. The Queen’s Quay Terminal Building. on the site. The first wooden church Apart from all the things you can West of the docks you can find an impres- was built from 1803-7. The orientation do on the Islands, the ferry ride is sive old warehouse building which dates was changed from the traditional east- worth taking even if you don’t stay. from 1926 and where goods shipped to west entrance, facing Jerusalem, to Not only do you get a beautiful view of Toronto were received. This building now face south onto King Street. The pres- the Toronto waterfront from the boat, houses a number of upscale shops, some ent cathedral shows its British Gothic but, on a hot day, it’s nice to cool nice restaurants, and a dance theatre and roots and is modeled after Salisbury down on the water for a half hour. many tour boats —anything from a paddle Cathedral. Furnishings recall the early Here’s a guide to what’s there, so you boat to a three-master. events in Toronto’s history, such as the can choose where you want to go. Harbourfront. Beyond the Terminal flags that were buried in the 1812 war Ward’s Island and Algonquin. Take Building is an area of the waterfront to prevent the Americans from destroy- the Ward’s Island ferry to the eastern called Harbourfront donated by the ing them. St. James Park was original- end of the group, and you will find Government of Canada for community ly the church’s cemetery where many two small communities which date activities. There are a number of build- of the town’s first settlers were buried. back to the time when the Islands held ings here and explorations will reveal When the cemetery was closed in the the summer cottages (and even hotels) craft studios, a shop selling Canadian mid-nineteenth century, some of the of many Toronto residents. There are crafts, photographic exhibitions, an art original tombstones were incorporated no private cars allowed on the Islands, gallery, cafes, and other activities. into the main porch of the cathedral. so these people bring all their groceries Around the buildings are the artists’ Mechanics Institute. The original and the plants for their gardens (even gardens, a variety of creative ideas for Mechanics Institute building used neo- trees) over by ferry and transport them gardening, which will provide both classical lines to show solidity and in interesting carts and bicycle attach- amusement and appreciation of the give a stately appearance. An impor- ments. Many residents are artists. A skilled plantings. If you go along far tant part of the building was its refer- wander along its small streets is very enough you will find the Music Garden ence and lending library with a sepa- pleasant, with small houses and gar- (planned by famed cellist Yo Yo Ma and rate reading room. There was also a dens and views of the lake. If you turn designed by Julie Messervy on the semi-circular theatre where lectures right from the ferry you will pass the scheme of the first of Bach’s Suites for were given on science, astronomy, and yacht basin and come to an arched Unaccompanied Cello). There are con- literature. In 1883 the Mechanics bridge on the right over the water- certs and dance performances here in the Institute became part of the Toronto way—the route to Algonquin Island. summer months. Public Library system. The music hall Centre Island. In the middle of the was equipped as a reading room with island group is Centre Island, which is a St. Lawrence Market newspaper racks down the center. large park oriented toward pleasure. Back on land, we’ll continue with a When the library moved to the new Centre Island offers a children’s amuse- walking tour, described by Kay Samuels, Carnegie Reference Library in 1906, ment park, with a small train, animals, of the historical St. Lawrence Market the building was used as a branch. and miniature golf, and along the beach area which is found on Front Street a York County Magistrates Court. there are snack bars and a pier out into few blocks east of Yonge St. (incidental- This building, similar to the Seventh the lake. You can rent bicycles here if you ly, the world’s longest street) and offers Post Office Building at 10 Toronto want a faster form of transport. There and architecturally interesting and historical- Street, shows part of the Greek a long pool with fountains, many picnic ly significant buildings all within easy Revival architecture. The building tables and pavilions, and an occasional walking distance. So enjoy a little exer- accommodated the Courts and the exhibition. Where the Centre Island ferry cise and fresh air as you visit the follow- County Council in the same building. lands you can see another yacht club ing sites. Make sure you bring along The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto (there are three of them in the Islands) your camera! met for several years in the old court- and a marina where sailing lessons are St. Lawrence Market. A view of Lake room. At the rear of the Courthouse available. As a result, you will see some Ontario could be seen from the windows was the “hanging square” where pub- sailing activity in the water of the harbor of the council chambers facing the lake lic executions took place. It is now between Centre Island and the city. and harbor. The height of the clock the Court House Restaurant. Hanlan’s Point. The third ferry goes tower meant that the City Hall was a Bank of Montreal. The interior has to Hanlan’s Point, which is the far west- prominent feature for ships entering the a 45-foot high banking hall with a

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stained-glass dome depicting a dragon The Beach guarding gold from an eagle. This Heading east along was the head Toronto office until Queen St. this time, we 1949 although it remained open as a arrive in the neighbor- branch until 1982 when it became the hood known as The Hockey Hall of Fame. Beach. Patricia Petruga, a long-time resident of Queen Street West The Beach, tells us a lit- A few blocks north of Front Street is tle about this lively Queen Street, which runs east and west. neighborhood. Gayle Kiss tells us about Queen Street Get yourself on the West, recently re-named the “Art and Neville Park street car. Design District.” Enjoy the 20-minute ride Queen Street West is well worth visit- along Queen Street East ing during your stay in the city. The area and have the driver let Bellair Cafe at night, in the trendy Yorkville neighborhood. Tourism Toronto is an eclectic mix of trendy clothing bou- you off at Woodbine. tiques, unique restaurants, and art gal- Welcome to The Beach! Don’t forget It’s just been renovated in the Arts and leries. The neighborhood is rapidly your sunscreen and shades. Crafts style, and we’re very proud of changing and every week different stores Walk due south and stroll east our Carnegie library. or restaurants appear in this neighbor- along the three kilometer long wooden hood that is quickly gentrifying. Factories boardwalk. Take your shoes off, walk Yorkville are giving way to loft and condominium on the sand and make sure to have Back to Yonge Street and heading a lit- developments. Many yoga studios can be your photo taken at the Leuty tle further north, we reach Yorkville. Rani found along this strip. Lifeguard Station, a Beach historical Pooran describes some of the highlights One feature along the strip is Trinity- site. Walk to the very end if you like of this must-be-seen-in neighborhood. Bellwoods Park with the original gates and come up to Queen Street, where Yorkville is an urban oasis fusing from the 1880’s when Trinity College, we have coffee shops galore. Believe it old world and modern styles. Within now part of the University of Toronto, or not, but we have almost, but not several small streets, Victorian mews, called this land its home. See the now- quite, one for every block! modern buildings, statues, art galleries, paved horse carriage trail that wound We are also known for our wonderful boutiques, restaurants, bars, and hotels around the main building, torn down in restaurants, our galleries, and intriguing are all concentrated. The area was 1925. The park is also home to a band- arts and crafts and you won’t be able to founded by Joseph Bloor in 1830 and as stand and outdoor theater, in addition to resist some of the reasonably priced it stands today betrays its early begin- the baseball diamonds, hockey rink, and handmade jewelry at Arts on Queen. nings as a hangout spot for musicians tennis courts. When it’s time to grab yourself a such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. The shopping is another neighbor- coffee, go sit and relax in Kew Park. Yorkville is best known for its peo- hood draw. Trendy clothing in boutiques Kew Park is one of the most beautiful ple watching potential. Celebrity will certainly provide plenty of choices parks in Toronto, with trees over 100 sightings are frequent as many for those who like to dress hip. Most years old, lots of benches, and a view of Hollywood stars stay, exercise, or selections are originals by local design- the lake of course. As library folks, you dine out in the neighborhood. ers that can’t be found elsewhere. You won’t want to miss the Beaches Library. For a night out, there are several won’t find shoes like the restaurants where the food and drink ones at Heel Boy, and at is ultra trendy. Strolling down the those prices you will streets of Yorkville will put you face- have to stop in. There is to-face with many restaurants and a fabulous jewelry shop you will most certainly find some- just a few doors down. thing to your liking. Restaurants reflect the But Yorkville is not all about shop- eclectic mix of nationali- ping, dining out, and people watching. ties along the strip. Small art galleries such as the Hollander Authentic Tibetan food, York Gallery and the Arctic Bear are Malaysian, and Korean worth a drop in. As you amble through fare. Vegetarians will the side streets of Yorkville you will have several restaurants come across auctioneers and antique to choose from. And if dealers like Sotheby’s. All in all, even if you collect art, this strip the prices seem out of your budget, is not to be missed. Women dance at a street party in the Beaches. Andrew Stawicki, PhotoSensitive Yorkville is definitely still an attraction.

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Queen’s Park/ thousands of people from all imaginable University of Toronto backgrounds eager to shop, eat, and socialize. The neighborhood is home to a As you head west, you variety of authentic Chinese cuisines from can wander through Dim Sum to Szechwan, Hunan, Queen’s Park and continue Mandarin, and Cantonese. In addition, north back to Bloor Street you will also find an abundance of other while you stroll through Asian restaurants specializing in authen- the beautiful campus of tic Korean, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese the University of Toronto. cuisine. As you explore the neighborhood Marilyn MacKellar takes expect to pass dozens of shop windows you through a mini-tour lined with barbecued pork, duck, below. steamed buns, and other more exotic fare. If you take the subway Next to eating, shopping is the thing to the Queen’s Park sta- The view along Dundas Street West in the heart of Chinatown. Tourism Toronto to do in Chinatown. Dundas Street and tion, you will emerge in Spadina Avenue are lined with countless front of a large reddish sandstone If you are hungry while you are shops brimming with merchandise such building. This is the Legislative exploring this area, there are a number of as bargain priced clothing, shoes, eclectic Building, the heart of the Ontario gov- places worth investigating: a choice of jewelry and accessories, Eastern herbs, ernment. This historic building dates ethnic delights including Chinese, teas and medicines, and unique Asian to 1886 and was built in a Malaysian, Mexican, Italian, and French inspired home decor items. “Richardsonian Romanesque” style, cuisine. To the west, on Spadina Avenue However, be forewarned that which is particular to Toronto. (Old south of College Street, you will find Chinatown is a notoriously busy neigh- City Hall is another example in the Chinatown (which includes Vietnamese borhood every day of the week but espe- downtown area, and 149 College Street cuisine as well) and on the way you can cially on weekends. Don’t let the intensi- is also in this style.) Tours are avail- pay a visit to the Toronto Public Library’s ty of the crowds overwhelm you. Instead, able. To the north of the Legislature is Lillian H. Smith Branch (239 College St). allow yourself to revel in the scene as a large and pleasant park, and if you This is an interesting building architec- you take in the sights, the sounds, and walk north through it you will arrive turally, but it also houses one of the best the smells of a truly authentic slice of at the Royal Ontario Museum and the historic children’s book collections in the Asia in the center of Toronto. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, both world and an equally impressive science Kensington Market. Kensington con- worth a visit. fiction collection. tinues to attract new immigrants from To the west of the subway station, regions such as the Iberian Peninsula, you can walk along College Street Chinatown and Kensington Market Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. where the University of Toronto build- Okay, so now let’s head over to However, Kensington is increasingly ings line the north side of the street. Chinatown and the Kensington becoming a trendy neighborhood known The University of Toronto is extensive Market which are west of Yonge for its unique atmosphere and eclectic and, if you turn north at St. George Street along Bloor Street. Lana coexistence of diverse cultures. Street, you will walk through the center Miljkovic takes us through this not- Kensington is Toronto’s only year- of it. You will pass the Robarts Library to-be missed neighborhood. round outdoor market. The area is a whose architecture is typical of the 70s Chinatown. There are several Chinese maze of narrow streets and alleys, some and whose satellite buildings contain neighborhoods across Toronto from the an impressive rare book library and downtown core to the dis- the Faculty of Information Science (ex- tant suburbs, but the best Library School). St. George Street has known Toronto recently been modified to make it more Chinatown can be found pleasant for pedestrians and calmer for downtown. This is the traffic. To the right as you walk north neighborhood where is the older part of the campus, with Chinese Canadians first King’s College Circle forming the focus brought their unique mix for many of the original buildings. of markets, shops, restau- University College, on the north side of rants, and theaters to the Circle, is the oldest of these, and a Toronto during the 1960s wander through it will show you an and 1970s. impressive staircase, nice interior The sidewalks are details, a chapter house, and a clois- crammed with open-air tered walk at the back. food stalls, vendors, and Casual dining on a patio in the eclectic Kensington Market. Tourism Toronto

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of which are lined with Victorian houses Although Toronto is a multicultural through the eyes of Gwen Harris. painted in bright, eye-catching colors. It city, Hillcrest Village is alive with restau- Artists come to Bloor West Village to is a place of organized confusion, where rants and shops representing diverse cul- sketch the scene. Visitors drop by for a merchants sell their goods on the side- tures. No single culture dominates here. European pastry and a coffee and chat walks and in Victorian houses converted Restaurants in the neighborhood with friends in the outdoor cafes. Every into shops. On busy days, the market is include those serving Italian, Mexican, day the streets are bustling with resi- alive with a cacophony of sounds and a North African/Mediterranean, dents going about their errands. This is diverse, sometimes counter-cultural, cus- Malaysian/Thai, Chinese, Greek, Bloor West, about 20 minutes west of tomer base. People are attracted not only Caribbean, South American, and downtown Toronto by subway. Here the to the great prices but also to the mar- Japanese cuisines (not to mention villages of Bloor West and Swansea ket’s unusual variety of shops. McDonald’s, KFC, and Starbucks). Many meet. Just down the street, a short 10- The neighborhood boasts a wide have small patios in the summer. minute walk, are the woods and gar- assortment of shops selling everything Since this is a residential community dens of the 399-acre High Park. In all, it from fresh baked goods, organic fruits and many other types of shops share the is human-scale living with an ethnically vegetables, and exotic spices from around streetscape with restaurants. There are diverse sensibility. the world to army surplus products, and bakeries, vegetable shops, a butcher, eth- The ideal combination for the visitor funky accessories and jewelry. nic grocery stores, a local supermarket, to these neighborhoods is to spend some To take a load off after scouring ethnic cafes, fast food joints, lots of other morning time strolling about in the vil- through seemingly endless racks of vin- kinds of retail stores (clothes, drugs, lage, pick up some picnic fare, and head tage clothing, there are a number of hardware, rugs, antiques, computers, to High Park. Alternatively, begin in the restaurants and cafes to choose from. To flower shops, corner stores, photo stu- park and then walk up Bloor to lunch in experience the sights and sounds of an dios, funeral homes, hair/beauty salons, one of Bloor West’s cafés. old world market in a modern eclectic dollar stores), community halls Bloor West Village. Bloor West Village, setting, Kensington Market is certainly (Hungarian), churches, and low rise technically speaking, is the section on the worth a visit. apartment buildings. It is a wonderful north side of Bloor Street between neighborhood (despite being a bit archi- Runnymede Road on the east and Jane Hillcrest Village tecturally challenged…) and the nearby Humber River on the While out in the west end of west. This is the shopping district, a col- Toronto, you may want to wander Bloor Street West and High Park orful stretch of fruit and vegetable stores, around Hillcrest Village, described by Further west along Bloor Street, we flower shops, delicatessens, bakeries, and Tom McGreevy. find ourselves in the Bloor West and small restaurants catering to all palates. If you are coming to Toronto for the High Park neighborhood, as seen The heritage and tastes are East first time and you feel a bit adventur- European, imported by Ukrainian, Polish, ous… willing to venture off subway lines and Czech immigrants. The delicatessens and see Torontonians where they live… and bakeries carry a wide choice of then consider that it is worth getting out- bagels, breads, pastries, cheeses and side the downtown core to actually see meats. Or you can pick from the counters and understand the city. for hot food, cheeses, desserts, and spe- I’m going to tell you about Hillcrest cialty imports. Village, a small area roughly encompass- At the corner of Runnymede and ing 10 blocks at St. Clair between Bloor, close to the subway stop, is the Art Christie and Oakwood. Deco Runnymede Theater opened in Why the name “Hillcrest Village”? In 1927 and now a Chapters bookstore. It the Toronto area there was an old glacial was originally an atmospheric-style lake now called Lake Iroquois that drained movie theater where a courtyard effect roughly 12,000 years ago. The steep ridge was evoked through lights and murals, rising north of Davenport and south of St. and the ceiling became a twinkling sky Clair is the old beach ridge for that lake. of stars. Chapters restored the ornate inte- You can see the ridge clearly on many rior to reveal the splendid concave blue major streets, best on Avenue Road, ceiling, the proscenium-arch stage, and Bathurst, or Christie. So the “hill” of the balcony. It is very much worth a “Hillcrest” is actually a beach ridge, while visit. The book selection is good, too, and the “crest” is the beach proper. As for the there is a Starbucks coffee shop upstairs. area of Toronto currently known as The Swansea. The south side of Bloor Beach, it was deep under very cold water. stretching to Lake Ontario and nestled Well, enough prehistory… let’s zoom between High Park on the east and to the present. Shopping in Little India. Tannis Toohey, PhotoSensitive Humber River on the west is the Village

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of Swansea. It may have been the rolling and as you travel along Danforth you feel like company on your ride, join in countryside that prompted the early resi- find yourself on “The Danforth,” a the 15,000-person strong Ride for Heart dents from Wales in the early 1900s to delightful street and neighborhood Erica and Stroke. It takes place on the Don name it Swansea. Oak and maple trees Steffer writes about. Valley Parkway, a.k.a. the DVP, (the east- shade the modest brick houses. Larger The Danforth. Danforth between ern side of the city’s main north-south houses with a somewhat English cast Broadview and Pape streets is known as highway) on Sunday, June 5. take positions closer to the water. Fans of “Greektown” for its abundant Greek Are you a wine lover and/or loved the Anne of Green Gables may be interested restaurants, clubs, and shops. Patio cul- movie “Sideways”? You will certainly in a pilgrimage to 210 Riverside Drive ture reigns supreme throughout hot sum- enjoy Bob Burwell’s article “A Niagara where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived her mer days and long into sultry evenings. Wine Route Tour” available on our Web last years, regrettably not all that happily, Prime time dining kicks in around 8:30 site under Things to Do. It is an easy 1935 to 1942. A plaque marks the home or 9 p.m., followed by families and hour and a half drive through beautiful she called “Journey’s End.” friends taking digestives after-dinner countryside, and Niagara Falls from the High Park. East of Bloor West is promenades. And, while known for its Canadian side is magnificent. However, High Park, one of Toronto’s largest and Greek community, the Danforth includes once you have seen the Falls you might most popular parks. Bounded by Bloor a smattering of other cuisines mixed in like to enjoy something other than the Street West on the north, Parkside Drive for good measure. For those needing a glitz of souvenir shops and wax muse- on the east, and Ellis Park Road on the caffeine boost, all major coffee chains ums. Bob suggests that you explore the west, the park extends nearly to Lake have locations in the hood. Niagara Wine Route, an area that some Ontario. The park supports a mix of Lest you think I am such a foodie say rivals Napa. recreational activities of playgrounds, that I think only of restaurants, I will You will also enjoy Heather Wilson’s picnic areas, a swimming pool, and ten- also mention the strong eco-yuppie, article about Stratford. If you’re a theater nis courts while maintaining a natural family, pooch, and gay-positive presence lover or would like to extend your trip to environment of wooded areas, wet- along this stretch, as evidenced by a Toronto by experiencing a different part lands, and grasslands. There is even a longstanding natural and organic foods of Ontario, consider a visit to Stratford. small petting zoo on the east side. supermarket, fair trade shops such as Ten This charming city, featuring world-class During the past few years much work Thousand Villages, environmentally theater, is easily accessible from Toronto has been done to restore the black oak friendly clothing and household shops, by car or by train. savannah and native plants. The aim is to and numerous fitness centers, an inde- Most importantly, don’t forget to visit have vegetation restored to pre-settlement pendent bookstore and independent our Web site (www.sla.org/toronto/2005) conditions in one-third of the park. Nature record store round out the area. for more information about every- lovers turn out in large numbers for the Nature in the city. Due to our abun- thing you need or want to know weekend nature walks run by volunteers. dant ravine systems and the adaptability about your visit to Toronto. Read the My favorite access is from Ellis Park of numerous species to proximity to complete articles about each neigh- Road, on the west side of the park. A urban life, nature frequently comes to us. borhood and you will also find other small path cuts across into the wetlands The largest park in the vicinity, complete articles of interest, including “Theatre of Duck Pond. Turning to the left with with free tennis courts, outdoor swim- in Toronto,” by Barbara Fingerote. the bulrushes of the marsh on your left, ming pool, and lots of ultimate Frisbee Toronto has frequently been called you’ll be sharing the path with other matches is Riverdale Park. Most impor- the third largest theater producing walkers, possibly their dogs, and the tantly, from Broadview it has a spectacu- city after London and New York. If occasional cyclist. The upper part of the lar view of the Toronto downtown sky- you are a sports enthusiast, you’ll pond has been restored to natural vegeta- line. While you get a taste of the Don want to read the article on “Toronto tion. It’s an excellent spot for sighting Valley seen from Riverdale Park, you get Sports Highlights,” by Cynthea water birds, egrets, falcons, and with a an even better north-south view of it Penman. Toronto offers a wide variety good eye, turtles. As you get further into from the Bloor Street Viaduct—either at of both indoor and outdoor sports the park, the water widens into street level, or as the subway train passes activities, and June has ideal weather Grenadier Pond. A little further along the over the bridge. (I am in awe of the for spending time in the sunshine. path, a rock garden cascades down the visionary architect. His 1919 design I certainly hope you have enjoyed hill on both sides of a small stream. planned for a subway more than 30 years your mini-tour of our exciting city and before the system was in place.) I’m sure you will find it difficult to The Danforth However, to really experience nature decide where to go as there are so many (With nods to Riverdale and the Don in this area of the city, you have to get things to do, so many places to see and Valley) down into the Don Valley. The best way enjoy. Rest assured, whichever neighbor- Now for a complete change of direc- to enjoy the Don is by running, blading, hood you decide to visit, you’ll take back tion. At the corner of Yonge and Bloor, or biking its paved and unpaved trails, home with you some great memories, turn east and keep going. You’ll find which follow the river from the north pictures, and souvenirs. And besides, you that Bloor Street turns into Danforth, end of the city down to the lake. If you can always come back for another visit.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 35

American Medical Association Inside Back Cover AIIM Expo www.ama-assn.org April 2005 May 17-19 September 2005 Part 1: The Art of Negotiating Philadelphia, PA, USA Hypertext 05 Annual Reviews 2 www.annualreviews.org Anything http://www.aiim.org/ Association for Computing April 6 Machinery (ACM) Dialog Back Cover http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar Part 2: How to Start a Weblog: September 6-9, 2005 www.dialog.com Tools, Tips and Techniques Salzburg, Germany SCIP 20th Annual International May 25 http://www.ht05.org IHS 41 Conference and Exhibition http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar www.ihs.com Society of Competitive Intelligence 9th European Conference on Professionals Novintel 39 Research and Advanced www.novintel.com April 6-9 June 2005 Technology for Digital Libraries Chicago, IL, USA CoLIS 5: Fifth International (ECDL 2005) Ovid Inside Front Cover http://www.scip.org/05annual Conference on Conceptions of September 18-23, 2005 www.linksolver.com ACRL 12th National Conference Library and Information Science Vienna, Austria University of Strathclyde http://www.ecdl2005.org Powell’s Technical Books 41 April 7-10 www.powells.com/librarians Minneapolis, MN, USA June 4-9, 2005 http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acr- Glasgow, Scotland, UK Your Career: A Straight Shot or a RSC 39 levents/12thnatconf/12thnation- http://www.cis.strath.ac.uk/ Shot in the Dark? www.rsc.org al.htm external/colis5/ September 21 http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar Wiley 14, 22, 25 Buying & Selling eContent 2005 SLA 2005 Annual Conference www.interscience.wiley.com Information Today June 5-8 SARC III: Experience a Timeless April 10-12 Thomson Gale 1 Toronto Information Journey: Revolution www.gale.com/technology Scottsdale, AZ, USA http://www.sla.org/toronto2005 and Evolution Continue http://www.buy-sell-econtent.com September 28 Joint Conference on Digital Williamsburg, Virginia, USA Part 2: The Art of Negotiating Libraries 2005 (JCDL) http://www.sla.org/conf/ conf_sar SLA Notices Anything June 7-11, 2005 2005 Annual Conference 4 April 13 Denver, CO, USA Career Development Series 13 http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar http://www.jcdl2005.org/ Competencies 11 19th Annual AIIP Conference 2005 CLA Conference Information Outlook Editorial Calendar 9 Association of Independent Canadian Library Association Information Outlook Subscriptions 42 Information Professionals Mailing List 26 June 15-18, 2005 Salary Survery 17 April 13-17 Calgary, Alberta, Canada Tsunami Relief Effort 42 Tucson, AZ, USA http://www.cla.ca/ Virtual Learning Series 43 http://www.aiip.org/Conference/ conference/2005/proposals.htm 2004/

Positioning Yourself as a Leader July 2005 within your Organization 7th ISKO-Spain Conference: The April 27 Human Dimension of Knowledge http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar Organization University of Barcelona July 6-8, 2005 May 2005 Barcelona, Spain 14th International World Wide http://bd.ub.es/isko2005/en Web Conference (WWW2005) IW3C2 AALL 2005 Annual Meeting May 10-14 American Association of Law Chiba, Japan Libraries http://www2005.org/ July 16-20, 2005 San Antonio, TX, USA Part 1: Weblogs- Opportunities http://www.aallnet.org/events for Special Libraries May 11 http://www.sla.org/virtualseminar August 2005 Sixth World Conference on Globalization of Information: Continuing Professional Agriculture at the Crossroads Development--Preparing for New IAALD and USAIN Roles in Libraries May 13-22 IFLA Lexington, KY, USA August 11-13 http://www.ca.uky.edu/AIC/conf_ Oslo, Norway home_2.htm http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla71/call s-e.htm#cpdwl MLA '05 Medical Library Association World Library and Information May 14-19 Conference: 71st IFLA General San Antonio, TX, USA Conference and Council http://www.mlanet.org/am/ IFLA am2005/ August 14-18 Oslo, Norway http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla71

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 37 Linking Agreements

By Lesley Ellen Harris stances. First, there may be stances, you may wish for a include their specific URLs mutual links, from both lengthier agreement address- in your agreement. Also The debate continues sites to each other, thereby ing a myriad of relevant consider whether you want around the world as to helping distribute content issues. Below are some of your agreement to account whether it is necessary to on each other’s Web sites. the terms and conditions for any changes to these obtain permission and ulti- Second, such linking rela- you may wish to include in URLs. Where will you place mately have an agreement tionships may develop into your agreement. the link? How will it be dis- between a Web site that pro- further business arrange- played? Will you be using vides a link (i.e., a click on a ments. Third, it allows you Linking Agreement any logos, graphics or trade- URL that takes you to a dif- to include additional con- Issues marks from the destination ferent Web site), and the tent on your site which you site? Will you be “framing” You should begin any sort “destination” site. Out-of- did not have to develop or the linked content (so it of agreement with a clear court settlements suggest pay someone to develop on appears like it is on your description of the two par- that if you are linking to the your behalf. Fourth, it may own site), or providing ties entering into the agree- initial or “home” page of be an opportunity for the direct access to the destina- ment. Include the Web site another Web site, then it destination site to gain an tion site? addresses of both organiza- may not be necessary to audience for its content, Will there be any pay- tions involved, as well as obtain permission from the and to promote its own ment association with the “snail” mail addresses. This destination site. However, if organization. link(s)? If so, how will this will make it easier to contact you are linking to an inter- be determined? When will it the other party should one’s nal page in another site, be paid? In what currency Your Particular URL change. then permission should be (and how will exchange Circumstances You should consider obtained in advance. rates be determined)? Note Whether you obtain per- whether you want your that with online business mission to link to another agreement to encompass any models rapidly changing, Advantages of Linking Web site must be examined changes in URLs in the desti- you should carefully consid- Permissions in the context of your own nation site, or whether you er the basis of any such pay- Without permission or goals and policies, and in prefer to amend your agreements, and changes to busi- an agreement, you may be each particular circum- ment should any such ness models, etc. open to various legal claims stance. This is something changes occur. Cautious Will there be benefits to from trespass to copyright that you may wish to organizations would take the the destination party other (including moral rights) address in your overall latter approach to cover such than monetary payments? and trademark infringement Copyright or Internet Policy. circumstances as a new URL What are these benefits? from the destination site. If If you decide to obtain per- having a connotation that is How can the destination you are linking to a site mission to link to another undesirable. party ensure on going com- with illegal material, such site, it is best to put that per- Your agreement should pliance with the agreement as copyright infringing mission in writing so it is set out the nature of the link. so that it continues to bene- material, it is possible that clear and to provide docu- Will the link go to the initial fit from it? an agreement with the des- mentation of that permis- or home page of the destina- tination site may lower your sion. A simple e-mail or a tion site? Or will it go to exposure to any contributo- short “print” agreement may specific internal pages? If ry infringement claims. suffice. In some circum- linking to internal pages, In addition to legal concerns, there are other rea- Lesley Ellen Harris is a copyright lawyer/consultant who works on sons why obtaining permis- legal, business, and strategic issues in the publishing, content, enter- sion to link and entering tainment, Internet, and information industries. She is the editor of the into a written agreement Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter: For Libraries, Archives & may be beneficial to both Museums and the author of several books, including Licensing Digital parties in certain circum- Content, A Practical Guide for Librarians. She often speaks at conferences and teaches online courses on copyright and licensing. For more information, see http://copyrightlaws.com.

38 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 450113&44 +PVSOBMPG.BUFSJBMT$IFNJTUSZBOE$IFNJDBM $PNNVOJDBUJPOTHPXFFLMZ

General Provisions Which countries’ laws You will need to consider will govern the agreement? the duration of your agree- It is important to choose this ment and link(s). For jurisdiction since copyright instance, will the link be for and other laws vary from a one month period or for a country to country. Without one year period? Will the written confirmation of this, duration be renewable? jurisdiction for any Internet- related legal claims is not $IFN$PNNJTDFMFCSBUJOHZFBSTPGQVCMJDBUJPO BOEJODPOUJOVFT Under what terms and con- UPNBLFIFBEMJOFTCZEPVCMJOHJOGSFRVFODZGSPNUPJTTVFT ditions? always clear. $IFN$PNNSFNBJOTBLFZUJUMFGPSJOTUJUVUJPOTJOUFSFTUFEJOUIFMBUFTU How will the agreement You may want to include JOUFSOBUJPOBMSFTFBSDIJOUIFDIFNJDBMTDJFODFT 'PSGVSUIFSJOGPSNBUJPOHPUPXXXSTDPSHDIFNDPNN terminate? It will naturally a clause that ensures that the terminate at the end of its agreement does not mean +PVSOBMPG.BUFSJBMT$IFNJTUSZJTOPXCSJOHJOHZPVUIFCFTUSFTFBSDI duration but what if one that there is any further legal FWFOGBTUFSCZCFDPNJOHUIFmSTUXFFLMZNBUFSJBMTDIFNJTUSZKPVSOBM relationship between the two +PVSOBMPG.BUFSJBMT$IFNJTUSZLFFQTZPVVQUPEBUFXJUIUIFBMMUIFMBUFTU party breaches a term or EFWFMPQNFOUTJOUIFmFMEPGNBUFSJBMT condition in the agreement? parties. Is the agreement 'PSGVSUIFSJOGPSNBUJPOTFFXXXSTDPSHNBUFSJBMT Will the other party immedi- assignable to other parties or ately terminate the agree- organizations? ment, or will there be time Another important clause RSCAD to cure the breach? How is the “complete agreement” will you define what is con- one. When negotiating your sidered a breach of the agreement, you may have agreement? Upon termina- several telephone calls, e- tion, are there any monies mails, etc. It is best for your owed? How quickly must agreement to state that the the link(s) be removed? only agreement is your writ- What sort of mutual war- ten linking agreement and Your Intelligence Partner all other discussions and the ranties and representations Novintel is a leading international provider of Competitive should be included in the like do NOT form part of this Intelligence products and services. We help our customers agreement? Generally, both agreement. build and operate their CI functions, including implementation Date the agreement and of leading edge CI technology tools to support both your parties will want to warrant strategic and operational needs. that all content on its site is have authorized people sign it. Please contact Novintel to find out more about our real-life legal and does not infringe Before entering into any customer cases: any intellectual property or linking agreement, consider • The CI Savvy Sales Force - Increase the impact on other laws, and that they may whether this is appropriate day-to-day sales efforts, with The Sales Intelligence Desk The Strategic Intelligence Program legally enter into this agree- for you in your particular • - Support long term circumstances. If appropri- planning with The Strategic Intelligence Desk ment. How will each party be • Maintain The Competitive Advantage - Complement indemnified if there is a ate, determine the nature of your existing capabilities and stay ahead of the breach of a warranty? This your “linking relationship” competition with Global Primary Research Support should be clearly addressed in and how best to put this in a • Elicitation Techniques - Unlock your greatest CI written agreement. resource, train your sales force to collect competitor your agreement in order to Intelligence put some “meat” into the • CI Consulting - Build and launch an effective CI function agreement. fast and effectively. Neither party will want to warrant that its Web site will have continuous, uninterrupt- www.novintel.com [email protected] ed or error-free access. Each party may want to limit its lia- In North America: In Europe: Novintel Inc Novintel OY bility to specific damages or Toronto, Canada Helsinki, Finland specific dollar amounts. 1 416 231 0828 358 0 424 956 200

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 39 Blogging: Who Are You Reading?

By Stephen Abram those to be learning you just click on this link in which you can play online at moments in my day. It works your Favorites/Bookmarks www.cs.virginia.edu/ora- I just finished watching for me. I can read densely menu and you are magically cle/star_links.html, the Oscars telecast. While I without using up valuable taken to the Bloglines pages www.wired.com/news/cul- prefer the red carpet pre- blocks of time. And since my where you can check the ture/0,1284,49343,00.html, show for all of its tongue-in- job involves tracking trends version you would like to and www.geocities.com cheek glam and awe, the and interpreting their impact subscribe to (as long as the /theeac/bacon.html). I find main show is just such a on users, libraries, and blog is modern enough to that people know like- silly contest that it never librarians, I read mostly arti- offer subscriptions). Once minded people and this is ceases to engage me in the cles and news snippets—and you’ve bookmarked your nowhere more evident than world community love fest the occasional dissertation— “My Blogs” page at Bloglines in the community of librari- of jointly experienced pop and not academic tomes. you have simple and easy ans who love libraries and culture. Who can ever forget For years I maintained a access to updates to your technology and users. Many “You like me, you really like long list of bookmarks that I favorite blogs. Advanced fea- eyes and many minds make me,” “Finally,” “I’d like to checked when I had online tures allow you to create a for great learning bites. I thank my parents and God,” or wireless access at the air- blog, maintain clippings, have been lucky enough to and every other cliché? And port or in a hotel or even, and incorporate your meet most of my favorite you just have to love the late sometimes, when I had some blogrolls subscriptions into bloggers—but that’s certain- Ruth Gordon, who said, “I quiet time in the evening at your blog or share your blog ly not necessary to enjoy and can’t tell you how encourag- home. It wasn’t very effi- subscriptions publicly. Cool. learn from their postings. ing a thing like this is,” cient. I often found myself So here’s a current list of Here’s what I’m reading— when, at the age of 72, she checking a page several bloggers that I scan—even the bloggers that I think are received an award for times only to find no read. Occasionally I find the D2, Dior, Yves St. “Rosemary’s Baby.” changes. I felt like I was new ones or referrals to Laurent, and Prada of the My favorite modern ques- panning for gold and finding great posts through this net- library world: tion is the grammatically only sand. Then I discovered work of bloggers. You proba- The Blog Driver’s Waltz suspect, “Who are you wear- Bloglines, www.bloglines. bly are familiar with the the- 1. ing?” This somewhat shal- com, which allowed me to ory of six degrees of separa- (BDW), by Geoff Harder: low question permeates our aggregate all my blogs at one tion (no one is more than six www.blogdriverswaltz.com simple service point. persons away from any other culture and you hear it at 2. blogwithoutalibrary.net, Bloglines highlights only earthling). This theory every award show and on by Amanda: www.blogwith- those blogs that have added evolved into the game “Six nearly every talk and enter- outalibrary.net tainment show. And it seems new content—saving me Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” so totally irrelevant—unless many click-throughs. What I Stephen Abram, MLS, is vice president, innovation, for you’re in the market for find most exciting is that it Sirsi Corp. He is the past president of the Ontario Library expensive clothes and Harry offers a really simple (actu- Association and the current president of Winston jewelry... ally scarily easy) way to the Canadian Library Association. In So this is the context in install “bookmarklets.” A June 2003 he was awarded SLA's John which I hear the question, bookmarklet looks just like Cotton Dana Award. This column con- “What do you read and how a regular browser bookmark tains his personal perspectives and does do you read so much?” In except that it contains a not necessarily represent the opinions or previous columns I have list- small program that carries positions of Sirsi Corp. Products are not ed various e-mail newslet- over needed information and endorsed or recommended for your per- ters that I read. I print these saves you time. sonal situation and are shown here as out (yes, I kill trees) to fill The Bloglines book- useful ideas or places to investigate or those boring moments on marklet is called “Sub with explore. He would love to hear from you the Toronto subway and in Bloglines.” When you are at [email protected]. airport lounges, since I find reading a blog that you would like to subscribe to,

40 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 3. Catalogablog, by David 15. It’s all good, from Bigwood: http://catalo- OCLC’s George Needham, gablog.blogspot.com Alane Wilson, and Alice: http://scanblog.blogspot.com 4. Cites and Insights: Crawford at Large, by Walt 16. Kentongood.com, by Crawford: http://cites.bois- Kenton Good: www. estate.edu kentongood.com 5. Confessions of a Mad 17. The Kept-Up Academic Librarian: http://edwards. Librarian, by Steven Bell: orcas.net/~misseli/blog http://findory.com/source?s ource=The%20Kept- Dave’s blog, by David 6. Up%20Academic%20Librar King: http://daweed. y&ib=1 blogspot.com 18. Lessig Blog, by The Days & Nights of the 7. Lawrence Lessig: Lipstick Librarian, by Linda www.lessig.org/blog Absher: www.lipsticklibrari- Librarian.net: A Library an.com/blog 19. Weblog, by Jessamyn West: 8. The Digital Librarian, by http://librarian.net Jeremy F.: http://digitalli- LibrarianInBlack, by brarian.org 20. Sarah Houghton: 9. Digital Reference, by http://librarianinblack. Stephen: www. typepad.com teachinglibrarian.org/weblog Library Journal/Reed /blogger.html 21. Business Information: 10. Free Range Librarian, by www.libraryjournal.com Karen Schneider: http:// Library Stuff, by Steven freerangelibrarian.com 22. M. Cohen: 11. InfoBuzzz, by Jane www.librarystuff.net Dysart: http:// LISNews.com, by Blake dysartjones.com 23. Carver: www.lisnews.com 12. Information Literacy Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog, by Stuart Boon and 24. Sheila Webber: http:// Weblog (OCLC): ciquest.shef.ac.uk/infolit http://orweblog.oclc.org

13. Information Today Inc. 25. Neat New Stuff on the Blog, by Dick Kaser and Net - Weekly Reviews of Marydee Ojala: www. New Sites, by Marylaine infotodayblog.com Block: http://marylaine.com/ 14. Internet News, by neatnew.html Gwen Harris: www. ONLINE Insider, by websearchguide.ca/netblog 26.

vol. 9, no. 4 | April 2005| information outlook | 41 Marydee Ojala: Question, by Randy 32. ResearchBuzz, by Tara 43. Wigblog – Things www.onlineinsider.net Reichardt: http://stlq.info Calashain: www. Internet and Otherwise, by 27. Outsell Now: 30. Pop Goes the Library, researchbuzz.com Richard Wiggins: http://wigblog.blogspot.com http://now.outsellinc.com/ by Sophie Brookover: 33. ResourceShelf, by Gary now www.nexgenlibrarian.net/p Price, Shirl Kennedy, Steven opculture Also, here’s a bibliogra- 28. Peter Scott’s Library Cohen, and Dan phy of blogs and blogging Quædam Cuiusdam, by Blog: http://blog.xrefer.com 31. Giancaterino: that you might find useful: Peter Binkley: www. www.resourceshelf.com Blogbib, http://blog-bib. 29. The SciTech Library wallandbinkley.com/quaedam 34. The Sci-Tech Library blogspot.com Question, by Randy And here’s a simple Reichardt: http://stlq.info primer on blogging lingo: Understanding and Reading 35. Search Engine Watch a Blog (for newcomers), by Blog, by Chris Sherman and John C. Dvorak, www. Danny Sullivan: dvorak.org/blog/primer/ http://blog.searchenginewat blogprimer1.htm ch.com/blog Are you unaware of blogs in your subject area, field, or 36. The Shifted Librarian, industry? Then use one of by Jenny Levine: the blog discovery tools www.theshiftedlibrarian.com (remembering that six 37. Shore News degrees of separation works, Commentary, by John follow the bloggers’ links) Blossom: http://shore.com/ such as: commentary/weblogs · www.blogstreet.com 38. Tame the Web: · www.daypop.com Libraries and Technology, · www.blogines.com by Michael Stephens: · www.technorati.com www.tametheweb.com/ · www.feedster.com ttwblog 39. TechnoBiblio, by Chris See Peter Scott’s excellent Weblogs Compendium Jowaisas, Kris Bell, Donna (www.lights.com/weblogs) Feddern, and Stephanie for links as well. Wright: www.technobiblio.com As usual, I hope this column is fun and helps you 40. Technogeekery for out in your career. If you’ve Librarians, by Carol Cooke, got a favorite blog that I Mark Rabnett, and Allan don’t know about, please let Chan: http://technogeekery. me know. blogspot.com I am excited to be wel- 41. Unshelved, by Bill coming you all to my home- Barnes (just for fun!): town of Toronto for the SLA www.overduemedia.com Conference in June. See you next month in Information 42. Walking Paper, by Outlook. Aaron Schmidt: www. walkingpaper.org

42 | information outlook | April 2005 | vol. 9, no. 4 informationmanagement

Competitive, Not Just Competent

By John R. Latham ly deserve. Do you know many successful helps whenever possible, and can go a managers who are not competitive? long way to gaining recognition. Writing columns does not come Being competitive can conjure up I remember that when I gained my naturally to me. Stand up and give a some ghastly pictures of badly behaved first promotion at Ernst & Young 18 presentation, no problem; prepare an sports celebrities, but competitiveness months before the normal time for such article or column, not my cup of tea. does not have to be “in your face.” a promotion, one of the partners For those who don’t know, the author is There are times when you have to be up expressed surprise at my meteoric rise a Brit, and so “not being my cup of tea” front and brutal, and others when quiet after the rather indifferent audit I had is a serious statement. Tea drinking, or and deadly is more effective. In my just done for him. I just smiled and rather its preparation, is serious stuff. experience being “up front” works pointed out that I did a great job on So what do I do? I generally start by when delivering your product or servic- Bowaters for Mr. B, who just happened checking if there is a theme for the es, but quiet and deadly works for per- to be the partner, who, although not the issue in hopes that will inspire me. If sonal advancement. senior partner, was clearly the power that does not work, I look at the SLA The dictionary definition of “com- behind the throne. It’s a cut-throat competencies document, which is full pete” is “to seek or strive for something world out there, and the meek do not of examples of how information profes- in opposition to others: to contend for a inherit the earth without a little push- sionals use, or should be using, their prize.” Although in an ideal world coming. The art is to know when Carly management skills, and therefore is a petency should ensure advancement Fiorina is no longer the one to whom to goldmine for inspiration for a column within one’s organization, in practice hitch your wagon before she falls. on information management. This one is actually in opposition with oth- Getting back to competitive intelli- month’s issue highlights competitive ers for the higher spots on the ladder of gence I refer you to a couple of SLA intelligence, so bearing in mind the recognition. resources on the subject, which you Brit’s second obsession after tea, alliter- On a personal note, do you think may find useful. SLA’s Competitive ation, it was a small jump to “compe- that I became managing partner of the Intelligence Division Web site tent competitiveness” or “competitive largest firm of accountants in East (www.sla.org/division/dci/cihome.htm) competencies.” Anglia by being a great accountant? I has some great resources, as does the The competencies document was a competent accountant, but it was information portal on competitive intel- (Competencies for Information a combination of management skills ligence (www.sla.org/infoportals.cfm), Professionals of the 21st Century, June and competitiveness that took me to the a bibliography of CI resources, articles, 2003, www.sla.org/competencies) often top of the tree. Web sites, etc. refers to competitive intelligence and It is interesting to look back and see competitive advantage or edge, but not how my nascent information profes- to being competitive. There is little sional skills came into play. doubt that the high quality competitive Competitiveness on its own is not the intelligence work we are capable of answer to success. It has to be com- doing can give our organizations a com- bined with competence and observa- petitive advantage or edge, but what tion. Keep your ears and eyes open and about our being competitive? I may be work out who are the movers and shak- wrong, but “competitive” is not one of ers in your organization, and take every the adjectives that jumps to mind when opportunity to make them notice you. The Information defining information professionals’, or Give any of their requests a higher pri- Center is sponsored by Factiva, a Dow Jones librarians’, attributes. ority and make sure they know it was and Reuters company. In presentations I give, I constantly you that pre- stress how we have to look and behave pared the reports like business professionals if we want to or found the be taken seriously within our organiza- information. tions and earn the rewards that we so just- Personal delivery

John R. Latham is the director of the SLA Information Center. He can be reached at [email protected].

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