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Search services and roles of searchers

Changes from traditional to new services

Tefko Saracevic

tefkos@rutgers.edu; http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~tefko/

• Change is constant. Change is inevitable. – no place is this more evident than in the world of

searching and searchers

• The world of professional searchers has changed & is changing profoundly

• New services and activities are emerging– requiring additional competencies

Central ideas

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1. Changes, concerns2. Management of information resources & services3. Information literacy & help4. Competitive intelligence5. Real example: competitive intelligence (CI) activities

in a medical device company by Rengin Konuk6. Conclusions

ToC

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1. Changes, concernsFrom traditional to evolving new services

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• Professional searchers did searching as intermediaries – mediated searching

• For this they needed to have competencies & master a number of processes– from user modeling, to selection & effective searching of a

variety of databases, to presentation of results, to guiding of users

– they also needed to keep up with relentless changes in information resources

Traditional

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• End user searching is rising explosively– everybody is a searcher

• Mediated searching in academic & public libraries is falling of to the point of disappearing

• Not so in the corporate word, but the role of searchers is changing

• Reference inquires are dropping constantly

But significant changes are happening

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• All kinds of libraries are providing an increasing number of digital resources – databases, reference sources – geared toward end user searching

• Plus the Web is an endless source for searching by anybody for anything

• End user searching of digital library resources is growing significantly

• All providing dilemmas: – What are searchers to do?– What services to provide?

End users & information resources

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Traditional mastering

interfacesdatabasestechnology

searching for usersdiagnosis

as in reference

counselingpackaging

delivery of results

Changing & shifting roles of searchers

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Evolving (due to rise in end-users)mastering

networking

managing inf. resourcesselection etc.

instruction; information literacy

assisting; guiding; enablingsystem administration

Myoung Wilson in an email response on search services:RUL dropped intermediary search services several years ago --all I can find on the RUL Web is two

retired(!) RUL policy statements regarding online search services for Rutgers and Non-Rutgers folks in the past. So we no longer offer this service.

What used to be traditional intermediary search services (typically with fee structure) basically morphed into more instruction and reference service formats since users have the same access to all the available databases that we offer-- Librarians still do searches for students (more as instruction and research assistance) and faculty ( very rarely in my case--since SCILS faculty seem to be very able or I may assume too much)--the venues of online search assistance also changed--many individual librarians do research consultations in their offices which involves initial identification of which databases are appropriate for the topic and searching different databases with very different scope and different interfaces. We also attempt to do this at the reference desk (diminishing number of hours of desk service at this point) and during our chat reference sessions but with difficulty because of the nature of the chat reference and its accompanying software. We play more of cyberintermediary role as some call this --since many of us search non-library supported websites as well in order to get where we want to go.

Illustration of changes from RUL librarians

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Martin (Marty) Kesselman in an email response on search services:I know that we have not done any searching on commercial vendors like Dialog in years – maybe as

long as 10 years. It seems that all the important databases that focus on scholarly resources are now owned by the Libraries The areas where we might fall short are in some of the databases that might be needed in corporate libraries, such as Pharmaceutical News Index. This is where services like Dialog and others are probably being used or companies are outsourcing this function to other companies and brokers that provide both searching and document delivery services.

Although we are not searching remote services, we are still providing search support to RU students, faculty, and staff with the myriad of databases we own. And for those that are interested, we provide in-depth research consultations. we also do quite a bit of teaching that focuses on the important databases to search for a particular class, comparing the scope of each database, effective search strategies, evaluating results, and finding the documents you need. Also, there are some major resources that are freely available such as Google Scholar, Medline, Agricola as just a new. A fairly large list is available on the library's alumni page:

http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/alumni/databases.shtmlI am pretty certain that our experience at Rutgers is quite similar to academic libraries in general and

probably for most public libraries as well except for those that may provide fee-based services on behalf of businesses.

Illustration .. another RUL librarian

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• Not at all!• But they are providing an array of new services

– for which they also need an array of new competencies

Searchers did not go out of business

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2. Management of information resources & services

Designing, selecting, running

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• Selected, acquired, organized, controlled, handled …• But they are accessed and searched significantly

different than traditional resources• They also have a different economic base

– e.g. licensed (often cooperatively) rather than bought

• Thus, their management differs as well– in many cases searchers are involved in their management,

particularly in respect to databases and reference sources

As all resources, digital resources need to be managed

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Selection, evaluation

• To be selected, kept & licensed databases & reference sources need to be evaluated along a number of criteria– a continuous process– with a hard look at $$$

• Web resources need to be carefully evaluated as well– often annotated

• Searchers are main participants & decision makers in these processes

• Searchers also became evaluators

• A value added service not only for the library but for users

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Reporting, statistics• All libraries create

reports of various kinds– many elaborate

• needed for justification, among others

• Libraries always created statistics (e.g. circulation)

• Now statistics include digital resources, use of databases …– searchers generate

many of those

• RUL maintains an elaborate system of reports & statistics– very illuminating

• E.g statistics on:– Attendance at Information

Literacy/Library Research Sessions – Database Use– Website Requests Received– Reference Services– Current Subscriptions – print &

electronic

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Example of RUL statistics on database use

(no. of searches – where a search is each text entered)

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Example of RUL statistics on reference services

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Software for libraries in the 21st century:searchers participation critical

• Many limitations of current commercial Integrated Library Systems (ILS)

• libraries license them – built on model of library

functions now 15-20 years old• developed with focus on

print publications• inadequate for integrating

digital resources & services

• Customization, integration – hard, costly work

• Alternatives sought– a library consortium is

developing new & open source ILS to best serve libraries’ needs called Open Library Environment (OLE) project (RUL participates)

• workshops: what to integrate in OLE?

• working on an Open Library Management System design document – Summer 2009

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Changes in scholarship

“Scholarly practices across an astoundingly wide range of disciplines have become profoundly and irrevocably changed by the application of advanced information technology.”

Clifford Lynch (2008) in The Institutional Challengesof Cyberinfrastructure and E-Research

• Academic & research institutions are adjusting & creating own infrastructure• includes databases, web

sources, and searching • in various ways searchers

play a role in that infrastructure – still evolving

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Everywhere library

• Key aspect of digital libraries & their resources is networked access – from anywhere– includes searching of

databases & reference sources and document delivery

• Access is provided through library portals – including various search

tools (e.g. federated searching)

• Searchers play a role in participating in design of effective portals & tools– particularly in search

access– team effort

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3. Information literacy & helpProduct & service development

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• Knowledge how to find, evaluate and process information

“The ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.”

University of Idaho, Information Literacy Portal

UI Core Curriculum

Information literacy

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• Information literacy is becoming a more important part of K-12 education

• It is also a vital part of university-level education – in our information-centric world, students must develop

skills early on so they are prepared for opportunities, whether in the workplace or in pursuit of higher education

• Broadly: information literacy is a set of competencies that an informed citizen of an information society ought to possess to participate intelligently and actively in that society (Shapiro & Hughes, 1996)

ImportanceWikipedia

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The big 6 of information literacyMike Eisenberg & Bob Berkowitz

1. Task Definition1.1 Define the information problem1.2 Identify information needed

2. Information Seeking Strategies2.1 Determine all possible sources2.2 Select the best sources

3. Location and Access3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)3.2 Find information within sources

4. Use of Information4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)4.2 Extract relevant information

5. Synthesis5.1 Organize from multiple sources5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

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Role of searchers

• Putting their search knowledge & competencies to work in creating tools to enhance information literacy– covering the “big 6”

• But that requires also additional competencies for creating & evaluating those tools

• Examples of information literacy tools developed by searchers :– tutorials for a field– or for specific courses– information guides for

given fields, areas– conduct if inf. literacy

courses or modules• including in distance

education

– orientation for students

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Example of a tutorial for a field created by RUL

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Example of a tutorial for a course created by RUL

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Example of a research guide for a subject created by RUL

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Example of a course guide in a subject created by Ying Zhang

(SCILS graduate) at U of California, Irvine

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Various other services

• Job searches by users– assistance with relevant

sources– creation of databases,

link portals– particularly in public

libraries

• Computer use– great many libraries

have banks of computers for users

• some categorized for use by age or other aspects

– searchers provide assistance in their use

– & maintain them as to content & access

– increasingly popular library service

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4. Competitive intelligence

Gathering, analyzing & using information in organizations, particularly companies

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• Systematic program for gathering and analyzing information about– competitors and their activities– environment - local, national, global– general trends in domains of interest

to further organizational goals• Essential for DECISION MAKING• More on Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals • Particularly applied in corporate environments

– many special libraries are doing this as one of their critical service– some special libraries have been restructured just for that service

What is competitive intelligence? (CI)

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• Collect information– effectively, systematically, economically

• Analyze it– appropriately for given contexts, purposes

• Disseminate it– to defined users & through effective presentations &

channels

• Use it– to make informed DECISIONS

Objectives of CI

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• Increase in complexity– following environment, interconnection

• Rapid speed, pace – requirements for faster accomplishments

• Information overload– need for analyzing, filtering, focusing

• Global competition– rise of global economies and organizations

Why is it important?

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• Competition more aggressive– capitalizing on conditions, weaknesses

• Effects of political changes– national, international laws, conditions, regulations - wide,

forceful

• Technological changes– rapid; many breakthroughs

Why is it important? (cont.)

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Process cycle

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Planning, direction:USERS

Collection

Analysis

Dissemination

• Identification of users– their characteristics; information needs

• What information needed, required?• Monitoring changes in need• Evaluation of direction• Continuous improvement provisions• Economics: costs, effort involved

Planning, direction: USER based

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• Gathering, acquiring information from all kind of sources, including from databases & way beyond them: – Primary sources– Secondary sources– Public domain information sources

• government documents; & other highly diversified sources

Collecting information

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• Primary sources– experts, customers, suppliers, key staff members & specialists,

consultants …– annual reports; speeches; TV & radio interviews; financial

reports; personal observations; scholarly publications; original technical reports ...

• Secondary sources– databases; directories analyst reports; industry analyses;

patents; publications generated by competitors - print & electronic …

– newspapers; magazines; press releases; trade show materials; projections; forecasts ...

Examples of sources

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• Assessment of quality, reliability, accuracy• Identification of key, relevant elements• Macro & micro analysis

– search for & modeling of patterns, – hypotheses formulation and testing, e.g. if-then

• SWOT analyses:– Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunities. Threats.

• Identification of need for further information

Analysis of information

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• Determining effective presentation and/or development of internal portals

• Packaging; focusing; timeliness• Choice of channels• Understanding preferences of decision makers• Adjustment to the requirements & culture of

organization, and individuals or groups• Follow-up; evaluation• Feedback to other processes

Dissemination/communication

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• What goes on in practice of collecting information?– legal & illegal practices are well defined– but if it is legal is it also ethical?– increase in competition - incentive to cut corners

• Need to formulate & adhere to code of ethics or ethical principles – several are formulated as reviewed in lecture on ethics

Ethical concerns

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5. Real example:competitive intelligence (CI) activities in a medical device company

Slides by Rengin Konuk (MLIS graduate)

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• Made by Rengin Konuk at Ethicon, a medical device company in New Jersey – Rengin also teaches Principles of Searching at LIS as PTL

• Illustrate what an information professional – searcher – does in a corporate environment– search for relevant items of information in multiple

sources– organize & index selected items– incorporate them in a corporate database, she helped to

create, called MosaIQ– provide this as a service to users

Following 10 slides:

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“Searching” for Competitive Intelligence

Rengin Konuk, Ph.D., MLIS

Associate Director, Competitive Intelligence

Building Infrastructure for Competitive Intelligence

• Management team of a Medical Device Company facing increased fierce competition from established companies and new comers identify the need to create a Competitive Intelligence Team

• Team is formed by 2 professionals. Company does not have a Library or Librarians since the last one has left the company

• Team is tasked to create a CI program from scratch with very little support or budget

How ?

Plan and Actions

• Collecting Competitive Intelligence on Medical device Companies “Product Pipeline” is difficult because there is NO vendor that sells such a database (Pharmaceutical sector has several databases one can use for Drug Pipeline)

• CI team decided to identify “Milestones” in a device development lifecycle where information can be found from publicly available sources and construct our own pipeline using these milestones such as:

• Patent application and patent grants

• Regulatory approvals from FDA Databases

• Clinical Trials initiation and finalization from “ClinicalTrials.gov”

• Company news and press releases about the status of the product launch

• Collecting information from disparate sources and putting them together for a large number of companies can only be sustaind by using Information Technology for “Automation”

Information Management – MosaIQ

Vendor Selection,content licensing (News Council & Procurement)

Software updates & scripting (IT)

Search Strategy and Query dev’t (CI Team)

Continuous updates & modifications to search strategy (CI Team)

MosaIQ platform enhancements (Bioinformatics)

Extended Team Members:

CI Team: 2FTE (Oversight and QC)

Contracting Consultant: 0.5 FTE (Daily Updates)

BioInformatics: As needed

IT: As needed

Raw data comes from LN to InfoDesk

Raw data goes

through pre-set filters Editorial analysis and selection

Indexing, image selection & publishing

MosaIQ Screen Shots – Home Page

MosaIQ Screen Shots – Competitors’ Products Page

Field Searching within MosaIQ

MosaIQ – Putting Pieces Together – Creating a Story Line

MosaIQ’s Strengths & Advantages

• Fully Customized to include only the most relevant information– Competencies required: Subject knowledge, Knowledge of

News Vendors’ Products & Search Syntax; Advanced Search Skills

• Value-added– Information is tagged with controlled vocabulary index

headings (subject categories, event categories)• Cost savings

– A record is created once and displayed under different views several times

• Value Creation– In story line, when pieces put together, market insight

emerges (predictive analysis)

ETHICON Business Information Worldwide

Thank you!

Searching is fun ….

6. Conclusions

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Trends & responses

Trends

• End user searching increased dramatically

• Professional searching in many institutions declined, even disappeared

• Reference transactions declined dramatically

• Digital resources for searching are a major component & expenditure in libraries

Responses

• Searchers participate in development & running of new services

• Also in management of digital resources & in their access

• Becoming important participants in development of new cyberinfrastructure

• All requiring additional competencies

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Giuseppe Arcimboldo(1527-1593):

The Librariancirca 1570

see his other pictures athttp://nanimots.canalblog.com/

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