View from the Hill

Having a Voice

Breakfast on Thursday 8 March started with discourse on a diverse selection of good (and not so good) issues currently affecting the working lives of those present. The depth of the discussion which was wide ranging doubtless reflected the excellent mix of new and familiar faces.

Once the last morsels had been cleared from our plates we moved to how communication within the work place can affect not just our own job, but also the general way in which those same organisations are represented to the outside world.

One of our number had worked on an extended contract within a major government department where the research and writing output went directly to a Portfolio Minister and thus garnered an intense perception of personal job satisfaction and value. A solo researcher within a smaller organisation felt that being the focus for all queries created an exceptionally interesting job. These positive views were countered by some who felt that reporting to a far flung city in another country distanced the value of work done as well as the effectiveness. This mirrored another who felt that reporting into a manager in the office next door was no better, as that individual didn't understand information nor want to manage and this had a similar effect.

Lots of positive suggestions came to the fore: attaching yourself to high fliers, forging positive relationships in all areas of the business, demonstrating value, maintaining high visibility and engaging people to let them know your value and skill mix. 

We went off pondering two final questions. Why does breakfast taste better when the sun shines? And is hierarchy based on ego?

Sue H with able assistance of Donald Lickley.

Breakfast cures industry hangover

Decisions and development (or lack thereof) were the order of the day at today's SHR breakfast at Roast. Having collectively decided not to allow the "Murdoch Pause" for fear of running out of time, we discussed how the workforce will adopt differing ways of completing work.

Senior management came up several times - from keeping them engaged and ensuring their buy-in to the difficulty of knowing that their focus is always financial so you have very little chance of getting anything on the agenda. Is it true that finances are driving information/records/knowledge programmes rather than strategy? There's a sense that people are meeting the immediate need rather than addressing the long-term strategy meaning the the level of effectiveness is never improved.

Cuts, change and, subsequently, some resistance have fuelled a sense of frustration and low morale and one term that reflected the whole situation is that they have a 'hangover' - in many cases self inflicted, painful but with the knowledge that it will, ultimately, get better. The realisation that this has happened before means that there is awareness of the cyclical nature of events. Cutbacks also mean different ways of working, for example using social media. This, in turn, has massive reputational risk - can we see this as a challenge to our profession to raise its game? We discussed examples of other departments who make the most of their confidence by promoting their services internally and externally. Conversely, we talked about examples of people who don't want to be seen to make a decision, even though approval has been given, as they are afraid any deviation from the original plan will be looked upon negatively. We should use our expertise and be decisive whether others aren't. Sue Edgar quoted a former colleague who said "it is easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission".

I'll conclude on the subject of responsibility. It was quite apparent at yesterday's Select Committee hearing that no-one, specifically the Murdochs, wants to take responsibility for something that has clearly gone wrong. We discussed at length how we must understand personally and professionally what it means to take responsibility and to act upon it rather than sit back, deflect blame and give one word answers.

- Suzanne

Economy and change - I'll say it again "Economy and Change - and did I hear outsourcing?"

Breakfast at Roast Restaurant this week ended with a vox pop of the eleven replete breakfasters.  The question asked was: "In one word, what has had the biggest effect on your daily work in the last five years?"   We all thought, wrote down our word and then said it out loud:  economy, change, economy, enterprise2, change, outsourcing, change, outsourcing, transparency, market research, change!  So four for change, two each for outsourcing and economy (surely related in some bizarre spider web way) and one for the rest.  There was consensus that the speed of change was the highlight.  It will be interesting to see who has what to say on that topic next week.

 

Earlier, while delectable kippers, old-fashioned boiled eggs with marmite soldiers, lush eggs Benedict and copious quantities of coffee were consumed the conversation focussed on the many things that occupy our working (and sometimes waking) hours.  Change of course had featured then as well.  A recruitment freeze was seen as both positive and negative in that it encouraged managers to think smarter as teams got smaller.  That tied in with showing demonstrable ROI when new systems or ways of working were introduced.  Decision making surfaced both as a positive (where prompt and effective decisions were made) and as a negative where failure to make decisions is like a weight around our necks impacts on progress.  Decisions lead to change - keep change positive - give colleagues credit to understand why change is needed, keep communication lines open and include them.  There was more of course - at times intense and at times we roared with laughter.   

 

Want to know more?  Come to a Sue Hill Recruitment Networking Breakfast.  You won’t be scrambled or boiled - just the eggs will be. 

 

- Sue (Hill)

 

 

Chemically reactive library

In the historic surroundings of the Royal Society of Chemistry's (RSC) Library last night, I found out that chemistry is, actually, pretty cool.

Entitled "A Little Light Relief", it was a public lecture on the use of light in medicine, presented by the President of the RSC, Professor David Phillips OBE. He explained to the assembled audience - comprising RSC members, students and people like me - that this is the International Year of Chemistry, describing some of his advocacy work with young people and the increase in applications to study chemistry at Imperial College, where he is Professor Emeritus. A seasoned presenter, Prof. Phillips started off with a big bang (in a library?!), moving to surprisingly fluorescent tonic water (still thus when gin is added) finishing with a remarkable demonstration of the treatment of jaundice with photodynamic therapy (PDT). I'm always more engaged when listening to a speaker who is so passionate about their subject, so last night I was gripped by Prof. Phillips, even though a few of the technicalities were a little too, well, technical for me.

Thanks to the delightful Professor Brian Cox, we all know that physics is cool. I'm now feeling that way about chemistry. We surely need more media coverage about the discoveries, achievements and applications of chemistry and how science makes life possible.

Oh, yes, the RSC library... first bookshelf acquired in 1842 and it became central to the growth of the Society. If you are able to visit Burlington House, do - the library is beautiful and just looks like it is full of fascinating discoveries!

I'm off to buy the latest edition of the New Scientist...

- Suzanne

What would you change? - a breakfast question

Asking (near the close of a lively breakfast) a group of information professionals with a strategic remit one thing they would change in their working lives garnered a level and depth of conversation that could have gone on until after lunch. (Did I see one delegate looking longingly at the lunch menu having just finished breakfast - or did I imagine that?) The question did follow one on what had been the biggest single change factor in our working lives in the last five years.

 

So what is it that this illustrious group might change? The first person was adamant that it would be the Chief Knowledge Officer within their organisation. It was their view that the CKO was a stumbling block to effective knowledge strategy or management and had no real input into board level. Ouch! (Would you mention that in an appraisal I ask myself?) It did reflect much of the earlier conversation where it is clear that unless information strategy is endorsed at board level it won't percolate down through the chain of command. I suspect that the next person who thought scrapping organograms was making the point that if we are put in too rigid a framework we stop thinking outside of the box. Lines of communication within organisations and departments followed as something that could be changed and most people at the table agreed that this could be bettered in their places of work.

A request for acceptance of social media was aimed clearly at management and IT departments; both still fear fast change or fail to see the need to move with the times. New cohorts of students and freshly employed graduates live by smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and the many other facets of communication that bypass traditional methods. If asked, they would give up their computer before their phone. To engage students and new employees is difficult enough and more so where access or use of such tools is limited or even prohibited.

Two votes for information literacy showed that outside of information and library studies education there is still little done in tertiary education to include information literacy as part of the curriculum. Google has changed the way many access information but in the work and study environment it needs to be made clear that there are other ways of gathering information and danger in taking easily found data at face value. A suggestion that perhaps information literacy should be imbued with primary school education was made and accepted with due seriousness.

A vote to remove a whole layer of internal administrators was seen as a good way to free up precious resources that could be better used achieving the aims of business.

 

I'd report on more of the preceding discussion but this was done with exquisite excellence by Lyn Robinson, senior lecturer in library and information science at City University, London on her excellent and informative blog.

 

 

Lyn is one of those rare academics who regularly puts her head above the parapet, is always ahead of the game and who shamelessly uses our breakfasts as a harvesting ground for guest lecturers for her students. She sees the value in networking outside of ones usual comfort zone and ensures that this belief is passed to her students.

 

 

If you would like an invitation to one of SHR's regular breakfast discussions please contact any of the team at SHR.

- Sue Hill

Sunshine, sausages and surviving

Today saw another SHR Breakfast at Roast in Borough Market and I found it remarkably easy to spring out of bed - what a difference a bit of sunshine makes in the morning! The conversation flowed quicker than the coffee and we sped through several topics. Sue Hill started the discussions by asking us to give 3 key words about things affecting us. Here are a few of them: Rationalisation & budget challenges; outsourcing and offshoring; holding your breath; too-much-work, not-enough-people. Ok, the last one was cheating but you get the picture.

Outsourcing is a topic currently being debated across the land at conferences and networking meetings, including ours. Do the current models work? How do we solve issues around confidentiality? Does the ease with which companies outsource information indicate that they don’t know the value of what we do? What about risk assessment and culpability of outsourcer and firm? One only has to look at BP, Transocean and Halliburton for a cautionary tale of “the trouble with outsourcing”. Lastly, does it actually save money or just create more work?

Conversation moved on to recognising the continuous cycles of recruitment in terms of budget cuts and restructuring. Those at the table who have “been around long enough” (their words!) noted the effect these cycles have had on, for example, thinking in knowledge management. Will these harsh economic times bring further thoughts and discoveries? And so we sped on to strategic plans – 3 year plan? “Surviving-the-next-6-month” plan is more likely, whilst always keeping your 1 year plan in your back pocket, next to your elevator pitch for the CEO. 

I love the organic flow of topics around the breakfast table – from strategy to lack of training opportunities for new grads (companies are like the Premiership football clubs - buying talent, but not building it) to lack of positive branding for our industry; then on to the importance of Chartership to reporting lines and the ever-present “doing more with less” discussion about resources. I thoroughly enjoyed this morning’s discussions and could quite easily have stayed for lunch as well.

Time is ticking so I’ll leave you with my 3 key words… Nervous England Fan.

Happy weekends!

- Suzanne Wheatley

UKSG and the Gay Gordons

In Scotland in April at the UKSG conference.  Amazingly the sun has shone since Sunday when I arrived, ready for three days of high level discussion about electronic information with a strong emphasis on e-books, digitisation and open access.

 

The second question I asked myself was why, why oh why, do conference centres nearly always have the exhibition hall - where much socialising is done - down in the basement?  No sun down there and because of a minor technical hitch no mobile signal either.  Oh well.  The EICC however scores 10 out of 10 on every other aspect.  Fantastic food, great service and good signposting and guides too.  A nice surprise.

 

But the first question I posed - again to myself - was how on earth could I have been lucky enough to decide to share an apartment with an eclectic mix of publishers and librarians that on the day we arrived was voted in the Top Ten Apartments in Europe by the Observer.  The place is amazing and was the perfect venue for a get together with other delegates and exhibitors that we had planned.  The discussion ranged far and wide, and it was good to hear cautious optimism from most of those present as to the economic climate.

 

Those who are selling products and services to the public sector are sure there is another hard year or two ahead, but can also see that with judicious husbanding of resources and sensible targets there is still a future there for information in its many guises and in particular for those who serve it in our differing ways.

It was good to see deals being brokered as I walked around and chatted to people. I enjoyed the different papers and sessions that I attended.  The technology evangelist from Talis is always good value even if he forecasts the end of cataloguing as we know it; I now know about the aims and objectives of Europeana; I was interested to hear the attitudes of Librarians to digital preservation  (as found in an OUP study) and was impressed by the way Surrey University is working to make e-books easy. 

Off now to another reception, the conference dinner and inevitable Ceilidh. After all it is Scotland. Gay Gordons here I come!

- Sue Hill

What's your favourite flavour of ice cream? Mine's Gooey Decimal System.

The Guardian newspaper has reported that there is a facebook petition going around asking Ben & Jerry's to make a library themed series of ice creams.  Flavours suggested so far include Sh-sh-sh-sherbet and Li-Berry Pie.  What would your library themed ice cream be and what flavours would you have in it?

- Katharine Liu

First breakfast discussion of 2009

Despite arriving rather late (why are trains always delayed when you catch an earlier-than-normal one to get somewhere for a particular time?), it was well worth the effort this morning as the conversation around the table was interesting and stimulating.

From the starting point of "Whatever happened to Librarians?" the discussion ranged around job titles, industry groups, trainees entering the profession, and marketing 'library' services to various audiences from lawyers to government officials.

The point was made that as technology developed and IT became ubiquitous in the workplace, many tasks formerly the bastion of librarians were 'highjacked' by IT, and that the information professionals of the time (early to mid '90's) weren't expecting this and were unprepared in terms of the promotion and marketing skills, general commercial awareness or 'seat at the table' needed to be able to nip this in the bud.  This phenomena was then exacerbated by the advent of knowledge management, which again often went to IT due to the perceived primacy of the tools used (intranets) rather than the underlying principals (of sharing knowledge).

The role of library schools was mentioned, particularly the fact that in the past, new students could get lecture notes from previous years' graduates and find them little changed!  While the cycle of review of academic courses may have sped up from 10 years to 5 years to 3 years, it has never quite caught up with the pace of change in the world of work, perhaps contributing to the lack of preparedness of information professionals to the initial IT boom and then to the spread of KM, and maybe even now to the web2.0 phenomena?

This then flowed into conversation about the job titles that describe information jobs - which all used to be similar and quite predictive of the detailed content of the job description ('Library Assistant' - 'Assistant Librarian' - 'Librarian' = working with a book collection; 'Information Officer/Scientist' - 'Information Manager' = working with databases and classifying information).  Coming up to the present day, however, there are a plethora of job titles, both many different ones being used to label similar jobs and similar titles being used to label completely different jobs!  The tendency of people to only read headlines, and skim over or ignore detailed content, was also bemoaned - perhaps influenced by people's increasing reliance on internet skimming?  Is this tendency one of the drivers for ever more job titles, as people try and encapsulate their particular job into those few words?

Moving on to discussion of industry groups, the question was asked "what is it that CILIP does for its members?" Although about half of attendees were members, several of those were questioning whether to renew this.  Other more niche special interest groups were mentioned as offering more relevant training, newsletters, or other services - often organised and delivered by dedicated volunteers working without office support.  Another attendee made the point that concerns over relevance and membership services were raised 8-10 years ago, but they felt this had fallen on deaf ears.

So what has happened to librarians?  The consensus view seemed to be that they had morphed into a multitude of different roles, to keep pace with the needs of their organisations, but that the educators and associations had in some cases not managed to keep up with these rapid changes. 

Library offers hints for Credit Crunch Christmas Lunch

I varied my usual Google news search on the word "library" by adding in "Christmas", just to be topical!

Having been wowed by Delia and her £28 Christmas lunch for 4 I was intrigued to see a much earlier version of the Credit Crunch lunch offered up by Cambridge University Library's Darwin Correspondence Project. "Mrs Charles Darwins' Recipe Book" is a new publication of a very old book, housed in Scientific Manuscripts at Cambridge, and it tells us how to broil mushrooms and make turnip cresselly (any suggestions?!) but also teaches us to be frugal and make our own snacks like cheese straws and ginger biscuits. Good skills for all. The original book is used by researchers and proceeds from the new publication will be going towards funding more research into Charles Darwin's letters.

What other credit-crunch-beating tips or Christmas hints can be found in your libraries?