Information Consultant

Doing things differently

The general trend is that an increasing number of independent information consultants do not have a librarian background but they are educated in other related fields. Librarians are ‘native’ in the large and heterogeneous population of professionals who can be hardly classified as information professionals – associated with different occupational groups and affiliated with many different kinds of organisations. The information professions have many potential domains in common for their activities. At the same time, the range of skills they exercise and the functions they perform are different. Their activities move through and stretch across many academic disciplines and fields of professional practice.

Professions, like ecological niches, are dynamic. In this view, they are capable of supporting a number of related species without leading to the state of competitive overlap. This is a useful way to understand the term ‘information professional’. The idea of competitive evolution also influences librarians. Their previous status and somewhat monopolistic role in providing information is shrinking today as new IT fundamentally changes the conditions of access and use of information. In this new heterogeneous information marketplace, librarians – like many other professionals – must be flexible in meeting the demands and challenges of the environment.

For many years, Davenport and Prusak have expressed their admiration for librarians and have been heartened by the role they have begun to play in knowledge management. In their book Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know (1998) they emphasise that the awareness and application of knowledge have always been at the centre of the librarians’ work; therefore, it is important that companies exploit the skills of people within librarianship with competence in organising and retrieving information and published information backgrounds. But they also say that librarians ‘… need to change some things about how they do their work’.

They argue that librarians – those whose responsibility is information service – often operate under the wrong conceptual model of what an information service should be, suited to today’s corporate needs and constraints. They call this outmoded concept the ‘warehouse’ model in which they offer a wide range of information. The suggested alternative concepts are the ‘expertise centre’ and the ‘network’. One of the critical issues of a changed concept is the integration or even the cooperation between other information-oriented groups and experts in the organisation, e.g. information system developers, market researchers, executive assistants and finance.

This contribution aims at pointing to some of the key issues implemented in the above statement, and the nature of the ‘leap’ from being a librarian to becoming an information consultant.

The motivation to use an information consultant

Prospective clients often do not know that there are experts who may offer services for their specific problem. This underlines the importance of visibility and marketing activities on the part of information consultants – as was discussed in Chapter 7.

There are a great number of various reasons why managers search for the assistance of information consultants. It is obvious that in many situations the managers’ expectations of an information consultant are much wider than only to get access to information. Therefore, it should be emphasised (again) that besides expertise and technical skill, there are many other qualities which make a successful consulting engagement.

Intellectual property and copyright

Copyright is a clearly defined legal area which has a direct impact on the activities of an information consultant. The issues at stake must be clearly recognised by all staff at all times. It is not an area that can be fudged and ignorance of the law is no defence. The codes of ethical practice often include paragraphs referring to copyright issues. The Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) has a separate one: Statement of Policy Concerning Intellectual Property Rights.¹ It is a requirement that all staff should be aware of the law and respect the effect it will have on their work.

The information consultant has the duty to accept the regulations of copyright and is also responsible for informing their client to do so. It is a responsibility to inform clients about potentially applicable provisions of international copyright laws regarding the reproduction and photocopying of protected materials.

Staff should realise that today’s copyright laws extend beyond the printed word. There is special legislation covering electronic copying from databases and other media. The limitations expressed in the legislation may be overcome by a special contract between the suppliers and the users which may allow for a definition of rights and duties in a way that is not possible through a special legislation.

Creative commons (CC) is a special marking of documents. It provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use these documents as it is marked under the CC sign: copyright terms from ‘All Rights Reserved’ to ‘Some Rights Reserved.’

Employers own the tangible expressions of the work you were paid to do. Hence files, lists and documentation produced while you were employed are not yours to take. You may, however, keep copies of ‘public’ information available broadly to those outside the employer organisation, such as a presentation given at a conference or an article written for publication.

Web 2.0 tools for eportfolios

As we have seen, LinkedIn provides an ideal Web 2.0 platform for developing a profile and marketing yourself.

But you can go further than this and start to build an eportfolio, which would include documentary evidence of your work and achievements. A link to your eportfolio could then be included on LinkedIn as a way to enhance and strengthen your overall web presence. An eportfolio is an online space that you develop over time, providing a spot where potential employers can see your achievements. Eportfolios include a range of career-supporting materials and I list them further below.

Professional portfolios have been used in higher education for reflective learning and for showcasing and assessing students’ work (Lorenzo and Ittelson, 2005; Hallam and McAllister, 2008). They are also valuable tools for recording career achievements. Librarians have found eportfolios useful for keeping track of professional development and for marketing themselves (Hills et al., 2010). In the UK, portfolios form part of the chartership (accreditation) process for LIS professionals, managed through the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

In some higher education institutions students develop study-related eportfolios, using comprehensive, purpose-built software such as PebblePad (http://www.pebblepad.co.uk/) and Mahara (http://mahara.org/). However, you can develop an eportfolio using free Web 2.0 tools, as we will see. Such portfolios could range from the rudimentary to the more expansive.

These examples show a variety of approaches and softwares and are useful to guide you in developing an eportfolio of your own.

Susanne Markgren (2010) suggests using free software such as PBWorks, WordPress or Google Sites. PBWorks (http://pbworks.com/) is actually a collaborative wiki tool, but it can also be used for eportfolios. It has some advantages: (1) it offers a simple to use interface for beginners; (2) it allows you to incorporate Word documents, PDFs and other media; (3) it is free for the basic PBWorks service.

While these Web 2.0 tools mentioned above do not offer the same functionality as purpose-built portfolio software such as PebblePad or Mahara, they are perfectly adequate for getting started.

Professional competencies

The professional competencies identified by the SLA are divided into the following categories: ‘Managing information organisations’; ‘Managing information resources’; ‘Managing information services’; and ‘Applying information tools and technologies’ (Abels et al. 2003).

Managing information organisations is essentially the management of the information function, library, knowledge centre or similar service within an organisation or business. In order for special librarians to succeed in this role it is imperative that they understand the wider business in which they are operating. They cannot operate in isolation. The goals, objectives and very reason for the information service existing must relate to the wider purpose and goals of the organisation. A health library, for example, is not in the business of libraries, but in the business of provision of health services, just as the libraries discussed in the two preceding chapters are in the business of teaching and learning.

While it is not necessary to have formal qualifications in the subject area of the special library, it does help, and special librarians do need a commitment to keep up to date with the developments in the industry in which they are operating. Their professional reading should include industry as well as library and information profession publications.

In order to prevent the library service from being marginalised, special librarians need to use every opportunity they can to overcome the traditional or old-fashioned perception of libraries. They need to ‘talk the talk’ of senior management, where possible displaying their business nous, and identify opportunities outside the traditional role of a library. It is crucial in today’s environment that they can develop business plans, project plans or business cases; demonstrate return on investment; demonstrate sound financial skills; conduct benchmarking studies; demonstrate reporting skills; and market and communicate the value of their services and resources to clients and key stakeholders.

The ‘Managing information resources’ competencies are carried out by all librarians across all sectors and include the identifying, acquisition, cataloguing, provision and evaluation of relevant information resources. Special librarians need to use the information they have obtained about the industry in which they work to ensure that the collection and resources meet the changing needs of their organisation.

‘Managing information services’ for special librarians involves an acute awareness of the library’s business and the needs of their users. Bender (1998a, p. 198) explains that constant assessment of clients’ needs is vital in order to ensure that the special library or information resource centre is user driven. He goes on to say that the packaging or re-packaging of information based upon a client’s needs or product analysis and evaluation were once seen as ‘value-added services’. There is, however, an expectation that this analysis and evaluation is now a core part of a special library’s service. This has meant that special librarians now have to be even more resourceful and innovative in identifying new opportunities and demonstrating their value or return on investment.

In an environment in which ‘information overload’ is a common complaint, the ability to analyse and synthesise information is a key skill for special librarians. In an ideal special library setting, the information professional would be enlisted as a consultant or adviser, rather than just being seen as a service expense.

The final professional competency listed by the SLA, ‘Applying information tools and technologies’, essentially refers to the need for special librarians to stay abreast of emerging technologies, and to look for opportunities to harness and use them to benefit their own organisations. Once again there is an emphasis on forming partnerships, but this time with vendors and the IT (information technology) department. These close relationships are vital for all information professionals, but particularly in special libraries where in the past technology has been seen as a way in which the library resources and staff can be reduced. Fortunately senior managers are now starting to realise that introducing the latest technology will not resolve the information needs of their organisations on its own.

Special librarians need to be champions for new technology, not see it as a threat. They need to be able to communicate its value to senior management, in particular the value add-ons it may allow the library service to provide to clients. They need to be part of the project teams for roll-outs in their organisations and if possible become leaders of technology initiatives.

Contracts

The paperwork documenting that the client has agreed to pay a certain amount, for certain deliverables, need not involve lengthy documents or ones filled with ‘legalese’, but it should be quite explicit as to what is and is not included. A loosely written agreement open to varying interpretation can carry the risk of complications as a project unfolds.

Some consultants write their proposals in such a way that only a client signature is needed to transform it into a contract; others prefer a more open-ended proposal which – upon verbal acceptance – turns into a proper agreement document for signature. Conversely, some clients (government departments, for instance) have standard contracts.

Consider whether you want to include an ‘in case of difficulty’ section. Some consultants have relationships with their clients built on years of trust and feel no need for it – in fact they might feel uncomfortable with even suggesting there could be trouble ahead. It could be wiser to include a ‘best effort’ statement that your services do not guarantee any specific outcomes. Check with other consultants in your field to find commonly used clauses suitable for your contract documents.