W(H)ITHER THE INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL?

INSULARITY

PLURALISM

CONVERGENCE

COLLABORATION

James G. Neal

Information Professions Accreditation Meeting

9 September 2008

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SOME BASIC QUESTIONS

• Are the information fields changing and coming together?

• Are they growing in importance and impact?

• How can potential workers learn about information careers?

• How can employers more effectively find workers?

• How can academic training programs grow in quality and thrive as they meet needs of students and society?

• How does accreditation fit into these issues?

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INFORMATION PROFESSIONALSIndexer

Bibliographer

Network Operations Director

Reference LibrarianDigital Images Coordinator

Curator

Usability Specialist

GIS Librarian

User Services Consultant

Government Information Specialist

Metadata Specialist

System Engineer

Disaster Recovery Specialist Business Intelligence Specialist

Risk Assessment Specialist Electronic Data Librarian

Digitization Project Manager

Educational TechnologistProgrammer

Graphic Designer

Computer Operations Director

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INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS

Electronic Text Librarian

Editor

Information Security Officer

Business Process Analyst

Document Delivery Specialist

Digital Video Specialist

Systems Developer

Database Administrator

Digital Repository CoordinatorPublisher Relations Specialist

Permissions Coordinator

Cataloger

Information Architect

Chief Technology Officer

Library Management System Director

Electronic Resources Librarian

Copyright Office Director

Conservator

Desktop Support Administrator

Web Designer

Course Management System Director

Identity and Access Specialist

Digital Archivist

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THE SHIFTING CONTEXT OF THE INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

• Customization

• Openness

• Self Service

• Mutability

• Productivity

• Usability

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THE SHIFTING CONTEXT OF THE INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

• Assessment

• Marketing

• Strategic Action

• Business Plan

• Competition

• Resource Development

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CORE SERVICES TO USERS

• Information Acquisition

• Information Synthesis

• Information Navigation

• Information Dissemination

• Information Discovery

• Information Interpretation

• Information Presentation

• Information Understanding

• Information Archiving

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CHANGING ROLES OF THE INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

• Consumers

• Intermediaries and Aggregators

• Publishers

• Educators

• R&D Organizations

• Entrepreneurs

• Policy Advocates

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THE SHIFTING VISION OF THE INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

• Legacy

• Infrastructure

• Repository

• Portal

• Enterprise

• Public Interest

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BUILD THE NETWORK

• CONNECTIVITY

• RELIABILITY

• CAPACITY

• PERFORMANCE

• SECURITY

• NEW APPLICATIONS

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• BUSINESS REENGINEERING

• PRODUCTIVITY MANDATE

• INTEGRATION OF FUNCTIONS

• DISTRIBUTION OF WORK AND SERVICES

• CUSTOMIZATION

• OPEN SOURCE

PARTICIPATE IN ENTERPRISE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

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MANAGE IDENTITY AND SECURITY

• INTENSITY OF THREAT

• NETWORK EFFICIENCY

• SYSTEM OPERATIONS

• DATA INTEGRITY AND PROTECTION

• IDENTITY THEFT

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ORGANIZE DISASTER PREPARATION

AND CONTINUITY

• BUSINESS CONTINUITY

• BUSINESS RECOVERY

• REDUNDANCY

• POLICY AND PROCESS

• RESPONSIBILITY

• RECORDS MANAGEMENT

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BUILD CONTENT MANAGEMENT PORTALS

• CONTENT TYPES

• CONTENT DELIVERY

• METADATA

• CONTENT WORKFLOW

• EXTENSIBILITY

• PORTAL AS INTEGRATOR

• PORTAL AS REAL-TIME PROCESSER

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BUILD THE DIGITAL LIBRARY

QUALITY = CONTENT + FUNCTIONALITY

• PUBLISHED/LICENSED CONTENT

• PRIMARY CONTENT

• OPEN WEB CONTENT

• INSTITUTIONAL CONTENT

• MULTIMEDIA CONTENT

• INTEGRATED SERVICES

• SOFTWARE TOOLS

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• Archive as Repository HOLD

• Archive as Persistence ACCESS

• Archive as Curation SECURE

• Archive as Steward CARE

• Analog

• Digital Conversion

• Born Digital

• Disaster Preparedness

PRESERVE AND ARCHIVE THE CONTENT

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ENABLE/INTEGRATE WEB 2.0 AND 3.0

• SOCIAL NETWORKING

• COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

• PERMANENT BETA

• AUTHORSHIP REVOLUTION

• SOFTWARE AS SERVICE/NOT PRODUCT

• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/EXPERT SYSTEMS

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INFORMATION ORGANIZATION 2.0 EMBRACES

• Rapid Technology Development/Deployment

• Professional Maturation/Tension

• Library Role Diversification

• Complex Relationships/Info Flows

• Perpetual Assessment

• Challenges to PTB

• Low Tolerance for MBC

• Boundary Erosion

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ENHANCE THE LEARNER EXPERIENCE

• TECHNOLOGY UBIQUITY

• WEB-BASED SERVICES

• TECHNOLOGY SANDBOX

• PRIVACY SPACE

• SUPPORT SERVICES

• INFORMATION FLUENCY

• POST-GRADUATE ACCESS

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ENHANCE THE RESEARCHER EXPERIENCE

• Personal Advancement/Recognition

• Contributions to Scholarly Literature

• High Quality Instructional Experiences

• Successful Students

• Work on Innovative Projects

• Collaboration with Interesting Colleagues

• Financial Compensation

• Remuneration for Own Work

• Excellent Laboratory, Library and Technology Support

• Opportunities to Experiment with Technology

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SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF BIG SCIENCE

• MASSIVE DATA

• UNSTRUCTURED DATA/CURATION

• EXTRACTION

• DISTRIBUTION

• COLLABORATION

• VISUALIZATION

• SIMULATION

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TRANSFORM SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION

• THE URGE TO PUBLISH

• CRISIS IN SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING

• ROOTS OF DYSFUNCTION

• ELECTRONIC STRATEGIES

• NEW ECONOMICS/COMPETITION

• QUALITY ASSURANCE

• PERMANENT ARCHIVING

• ASIA FACTOR

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ADVANCE THE OPEN REVOLUTION

• OPEN SOURCE

• OPEN STANDARDS

• OPEN ARCHIVES

• OPEN DESIGN

• OPEN LINKING

• OPEN COURSEWARE

• OPEN KNOWLEDGE

• OPEN ACCESS

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ADVANCE THE REPOSITORY MOVEMENT

• DISCIPLINE REPOSITORIES

• INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES

• DEPARTMENTAL/SCHOOL REPOSITORIES

• INDIVIDUAL REPOSITORIES

• GOVERNMENT REPOSITORIES

• NATIONAL REPOSITORIES

• PUBLISHER REPOSITORIES

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ADVOCATE THE INFORMATION POLICY AGENDA

• INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM

• PRIVACY

• CIVIL LIBERTIES

• EDUCATION PROGRAMS

• RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• INTERNET DEVELOPMENT

• TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

• APPROPRIATIONS

• WORKFORCE POLICY

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FIGHT THE COPYRIGHT WARS

• INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS

• NEW LAWS AND LEGISLATION

• COURT CASES

• TRADE AGREEMENTS

• LICENSING

• USE GUIDELINES

• DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT

• OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHT

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PARTICIPATE IN

ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

• LEVERAGING ASSETS

• NEW CUSTOMERS/MARKETS

• FINANCIAL MANDATE

• COMPETITIVE MANDATE

• PRESTIGE MANDATE

• DEVELOPMENT AND RISK CAPITAL

• BUSINESS PLANNING

• CULTURAL FIREWALLS

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BARRIERS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

• Bureaucratic Processes

• Low Levels of Cooperation

• Distrust of Innovation

• Lack of Control Over Own Work

• Poor Project Management

• Environment Focused on Criticism

• Insufficient Resources

• Emphasis on Status Quo

• Unhealthy Competition

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STIMULANTS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

• Freedom to Decide How to Accomplish a Task

• Good Project Management

• Sufficient Resources

• Environment Free of Threatening Evaluation

• Mechanism for Considering New Ideas

• Collaborative Environment

• Feedback and Recognition Systems

• Intriguing Problems

• Sense of Urgency

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RESPOND TO USER EXPECTATIONS

• CONTENT

• ACCESS

• CONVENIENCE

• NEW CAPABILITIES

• COST REDUCTION

• PARTICIPATION

• INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTIVITY

• INDIVIDUAL CONTROL

• ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

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PREPARE FOR

ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT

• INSTITUTIONAL EXPECTATIONS

• GOVERNMENT/FUNDER MANDATE

• MEASURES OF USER SATISFACTION

• MEASURES OF MARKET PENETRATION

• MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• MEASURES OF IMPACT

• MEASURES OF COST EFFECTIVENESS

• SYSTEM DESIGN FOR USABILITY

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ESTABLISH A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

• CREATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE

• LABORATORY FOR EXPERIMENTATION

• MAGNET FOR NEW SKILLS

• POTENTIAL FOR CAPITALIZATION/TECH TRANSFER

• SUPPORT FOR DECISION MAKING

• ORGNIZATIONAL RISK TAKING

• FEDERAL, FOUNDATION AND CORPORATE INVESTMENT

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RETHINK SPACE PLANNING AND IDENTITY

• TROMPE L’OEIL SPACE

• LIBRARY USE TRENDS

• TECHNOLOGY AS CATALYST

• LEARNING SPACE

• SOCIAL SPACE

• COLLABORATIVE SPACE

• FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY

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DEVELOP NEW RESOURCESSuccess ≠ Resource Allocation

Success = Resource Attraction

• FUNDRAISING• RESEARCH GRANTS• TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER• LEASE OF SPACE• SALE OF PRODUCTS• SALE OF SERVICES• RECOVERABLES/FEES• CO-INVESTMENT

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DEVELOP THE WORKFORCE

• RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES

• ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

• EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES

• DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

• RETENTION STRATEGIES

• LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT/SUCCESSION PLANNING

• FERAL PROFESSIONALS/SOCIALIZATION ISSUES

• MUTUALISM/INTER-PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

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FERAL PROFESSIONALSIN THE INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

• Professionals With Diverse Academic Credentials

• Wide Range of New Professional Assignments

• Professional Roles of Support Staff and Students

• Impact on Values, Outlooks, Styles, Expectations

• Impact on Community Understanding, Recognition, Respect

• Impact on Organizational Relevance and Impact

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BUILD NEW ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS

• Conventional Administrative Hierarchyand

Academic Governancy/Bureaucracy

• Centralized Planning and Resource Allocation Systemsand

Loosely Coupled Academic Structuresand

Maverick Units and Entrepreneurial Enterprises

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INFORMATION ORGANIZATION AND INNOVATION

• Redefining the Physical

Expertise

Intellectual Infrastructure

• Understanding the Geography

Psychology

Economics of Innovation

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INDIVIDUAL’S RELATIONSHIPTO THE MEDIUM

• Physicality

• Geography

• Psychology

• Sociology

• Cognition

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HILDRETH ON SYSTEM DESIGN

• Audience Suitability

• Metaphorical Consistency

• Display Legibility

• Simplicity of Design

• Ease of Navigation

• Searching Power

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ASCENDANCY OF INDIVIDUALAND TECHNOLOGY

• Deference to hierarchical authority in decline

• Heightened levels of mistrust and skepticism

• Increased focus on self-worth, personal gratification and personal choice

• Massively distributed collaboration

• Constant partial attention

THROUGH EXPANDING COLLABORATION

HOPE

POWER

ACTION

QUALITY

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SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS

KEY MECHANISMS

• Self-Analysis• Personal Chemistry• Compatibility• Benefits/Opportunities• Strategic Integration• Tactical Integration• Operational Integration• Interpersonal Integration• Cultural Integration

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SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS KEY CRITERIA

• Individual Excellence• Importance• Interdependence• Investment• Information Sharing• Integration• Institutionalization• Integrity

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EXPECTATIONS FOR THE INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL

• Commitment to Rigor

• Commitment to Research and Development

• Commitment to Assessment and Evaluation

• Communication and Marketing Skills

• Political Engagement

• Project Development and Management Skills

• Entrepreneurial Spirit

• Resource Development Skills

• Leadership/Inspirational Capacity

• Deep Subject or Technical Expertise

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QUALITIES FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL

• Clear Sense of Mission

• Self Vision

• Base of Knowledge

• Strategic Positioning

• Continuous Improvement

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HOW DO WE FEEL?• Anxious - an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear

• Disrupted - interruption of normal course or unity, thrown into disorder

• Chaotic - state of utter confusion, unpredictability in the behavior of complex systems

“Our age of anxiety is, in great part, the result of trying to do today’s jobs with yesterday’s tools.”

Marshall McCluhan

“One of the litmus tests is that a disruptive technology enables a larger population of less skilled people to do things that historically only an expert could.”

Clayton ChristensenThe Innovator’s Dilemma

“Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.”Education of Henry Adams

W(H)ITHER THE INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL?

INSULARITY

PLURALISM

CONVERGENCE

COLLABORATION