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Tools and skills of today’s and tomorrow’s

information manager

Paul Nieuwenhuysen

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Information and Library Science, University of Antwerp

Belgium

Keynote lecture presented at the Wrap-up Workshop of

The Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme for South Eastern Europe (RERep),

in Sofia, Bulgaria, 20 June 2003

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The slides used in this presentation are available from

http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/presentations/

(note: BIBLIO and not biblio)

and from the WWW site of the organizers, REC.

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The term “information manager” in this presentation can stand for

• librarian• knowledge manager• professional working with

»an information center»a reference center»an information system»a data center»…

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Contents -

summary

of this lecture

Part 1

• WHY? The framework: Evolution and trends in information centers

• WHAT?Core activities in today’s information management

• WHERE?From physical, local information centers to more virtual information centers

• WHEN?When should information centers adapt to the changing information landscape?

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Contents -

summary

of this lecture

Part 2

• HOW?Tools and methods for today’s and tomorrow’s information manager

• WHO?Desirable skills of today’s information managers

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WHY?

The framework: Evolution and future trends

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Information centres: evolution of their roles

• Collection development (hard copy documents)

• Cataloguing + classification (hard copy documents)

• User services: reference, user education…

• Providing a physical, local meeting place

• Conservation / preservation (hard copy documents)

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The digital/electronic/virtual library: scheme

Structures, practices, and methods of physical libraries and archives

Computing power that is decreasing in price

Communication capabilities

of electronic networking

Digital / electronic / virtuallibrary

Digital / electronic / virtuallibrary

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Libraries and information centres: evolution of their roles (Part 2)

• Collection development (hard copy documents)

• Cataloguing + classification (hard copy documents)

• User services: reference, user education…

• Providing a physical, local meeting place

• Conservation / preservation (hard copy documents)

+ Acquiring access to digital information

+ Organizing access to digital information

+ Offering services in a networked environment

+ Presence on the WWW or on the intranet, accessible from everywhere

+ Conservation of digital documentsor ensuring continuous access to digital documents

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Libraries and information centres: future trends

Hard-copy (NOT online)

Expensive, fee-based

Digital, online

Expensive, fee-based

Hard-copy (NOT online) Free of charge

Digital, online

Free of charge

If it is not on the Internet, available free of charge, then it does “not exist”.

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Libraries and information centres: future trends

• More information delivery directly from producer to end-user, without involvement of an information centre as intermediary.

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Libraries and information centres: future trend = becoming invisible

• Conservation of hard copy documents becomes a smaller task in comparison with other activities in libraries.

• Services offered by libraries become more virtual, less clearly visible.Is the ideal library invisible?Who wants to pay for an invisible library?Who wants to pay for invisible librarians?

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Picture of the future libraryand information center?

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WHAT?

Activities; management…

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“Collection development” in information centres: hard + digital

User / Reader

Collection development

Information centre

Electronic, digital

resources

Hard copy

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“Collection development” in information centres: hard + digital

User / Reader

Searching

Electronic,

digital resources

Hard copy

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Organizing access to information in information centres: hybrid libraries

User / Reader

Searching + using

Hard copy + electronic, digital resources in an integrated, hybrid library

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Organizing access to information in information centres: the problem

• Users should be guided in finding their way through the maze, through the labyrinth that is formed by all available information systems and services.

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Integrating access to all types of information in information centres

Web site created, offered, and maintained

by an information centre

1 or several catalogues / databases created, offered, and maintained

by an information centre

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Current awareness services provided by information centres

• The incoming flow of new available information is huge.

• The potential user/reader has limited time.

• So information centres can provide a current awareness service (alerting service):based on the interests of the user, the information centre sends the user

»descriptions of new information sources (plus an explanation of how to obtain the full version)

»OR directly the full version

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Organizing access to information in information centres: user studies

• A few web site users should be selected from various categories of the user community and the way they work with your web site should be studied. The observation of their behaviour and the comments by those users can be useful and interesting to improve your web site.

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Organizing access to information: the value of information?

• What is the value of information sources?Which price is reasonable and acceptable for access to information sources?

• These are simple questions but the answers are difficult.Debates on these questions by all stakeholders are going on almost continuously.

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Organizing access to information: the value of structured information?

• A related but different question is:What is the value of a good guide to information?Which price is reasonable and acceptable for ORGANISING / STRUCTURING information sources?

• How do decision makers see this?

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WHERE?

From local, physical libraries to virtual, invisible information centers

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From local, physical libraries to invisible information centers

• Besides local, physical libraries, an important role is played by more regional, international, virtual, digital, invisible libraries and information services.

• From physical, human librarians to invisible information managers?

?

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WHEN?

When should information centers adapt to the changing information landscape?

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When to adapt to the changing information landscape?

• Yesterday

• Today

• Now

• Tomorrow

• Always

• Permanently

• Continuously

because “Change is the only constant”

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HOW?

Tools and methods for today’s information manager

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Tools and methods for today’s information manager (1)

• Integrated library or document management system, including databases related to

»users

»documents

»other data

• More specialised database systems like GIS.

• Internet + WWW + the intranet of the organisation!!

• Electronic mail!!

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Tools and methods for today’s information manager (2)

• Secured computers for access by the public to Internet-based information resources

• Portal software to integrate access to distributed databases in one search action

• OpenURL resolving software to guide users to the most suitable sources

• …

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WHO?

Desirable skills of information managers

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Classical character of librarians: “no computers please”

The classical, typical character of librarians and information managers:

• interest and background in human sciences; less interested in computers and technology

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Skills of today’s information manager: “more computers please”

Desirable skills of librarians and information managers include more and more:

• computer usage skills; information and communication technology skills

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Classical character of librarians: document-oriented

The classical, typical character of librarians and information managers:

• focused on static documents, cataloguing, conservation; less on relations and communication with users

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Skills of today’s information manager: people-oriented

Desirable skills of librarians and information managers include more and more:

• communication skills: to communicate with users/clients and with higher management

• teaching skills: to guide users/clients to today’s information sources and services

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Classical character of librarians: static

The classical, typical character of librarians and information managers:

• attracted by a static, constant, conservative, “valuable” working environment; less interested in more dynamic, “fashionable” systems with a short life

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Skills of today’s information manager: dynamic

Desirable skills of librarians and information managers include more and more:

• ability to adapt to continuous change;willingness to work in a dynamic environment and to learn continuously;

• working methods that are always “under construction”

• from collecting information “just in case” to offering appropriate information “just in time”

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Classical character of librarians: passive

The classical, typical character of librarians and information managers:

• focusing on static documents leads to static, passive views and behaviour;collecting information just in case someone may need it

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Skills of today’s information manager: pro-active and flexible

Desirable skills of librarians and information managers include more and more:

• focusing on users means acting in a pro-active way: anticipating needs and developing appropriate services well in time; acting flexible

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Conclusions

• WHY? More ICT! Change is the only constant!

• WHAT? More digital information on the web

• WHERE? Information centers also on the WWW!

• WHEN? Yesterday! (or at least ASAP)

• HOW? More tools based on ICT

• WHO? ICT-minded, adaptive, user-oriented!

• Providing access to information remains crucial for our better future: Let us go for it!

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Do you have any Do you have any questions?questions?

Suggestions for a Suggestions for a discussion?discussion?

These slides are available through the WWW fromhttp://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/presentations/(note: BIBLIO and not biblio)