In the second part of Scott Brown's real life case studies on using, reusing, and repurposing information we move into the real Bermuda Triangle. Where exactly does the information go that we, as professionals, provide for our clients/users? What 'use' do they make of it? We all need to show value in the services we provide with tangibility and outcomes being important. Scott also points out that we need to think more about how 'savvy' our users may already be and get ready to partner with them more as it could lead to better outcomes all around.
Joanna Ptolomey
Part 2: How Do THEY Use Information? Investigating the user information process
Sometimes our customers, clients and users seem mysterious. They come to us for research, they use our resources but then, what do they DO with the research or the information? Many times, we complete the research request, our users search our databases, and we never have any visibility on how the information was used, or even if it was useful. It goes into a black hole.
I ventured into the void and talked to two different corporate library users to ask the questions: what DO you do with the information; how does it fit into your overall information process; what value do you get from using the library services? Here's what I found out.
Senior Market Research Manager The first user, who I'll call Donna, is a senior manager responsible for market research in a customer service organisation, and is already savvy with market research and information. So why does she turn to the library?
In one example she shared, Donna's group was going through an organisational transformation. There were a lot of questions around what to do and how to navigate the structural and functional reorganisation. People asked her to find out how other organisations had navigated this change and how they structured their business? So she requested research from the library to help address these questions.
But the library was only one part of her information process. Donna also went to conferences, interviewed colleagues in other companies, and connected with benchmarking firms because often this information doesn't exist as each business is unique, so sharing information with similar companies provides insights. She also talked to university professors to see what they were doing. At one point, she was able to pull up a presentation - openly available- that a competitor had given to the US Senate, to find out information on how that competitor was operating globally.
After Donna's initial information gathering, she organised the data, looking for key trends, best practices, and key mistakes that other companies made and put it into presentation format for executive staff, thus initiating a conversation around the lessons learnt. Ultimately, she was able to create a timeline of a competitor's operations, based upon the evolution of their organisation. Donna says that ‘work ended up creating a drive to consolidate our own operations. Basically, I used the information to get people to look at what they are doing in the company in a non-threatening manner. If you can provide outside examples, like the information I can get from the library, they are more likely to adopt it. It's a really good change tool.'
In a second example, she published a monthly newsletter, using resources and services available from the library. 'It was my way of keeping the executives attuned to what was going on outside. It kept me up-to-date, and left me free to do the analysis for our folks,' she says. But this proactive information serves a much more important business purpose as well. 'What happens in companies is that they become so internally-focused, they don't know what's going on out there,' says Donna. 'Especially today, people aren't going to conferences as often. In many cases, they're making decisions based on obsolete information. People who say that we can't afford the type of information libraries provide are crazy. If you make a mistake in operations, we're talking millions of dollars.'
What else could the library provide to its users? Donna advises that 'anything that librarians can do to help organise the content is going to be helpful. It's not just a matter of getting people information, it's helping people how to figure out how to use information. What are the key questions I should be asking myself as I'm gathering and analysing my information? How do I know I have the right sources? What am I missing? Is the information current? Is it old?'
HR Business Partner Our second corporate information user is a Human Resources (HR) business partner - we'll call him Michael - at a global organisation. HR departments are often very different users from science/technical/engineering and marketing/sales users. He was part of a large global company's location strategy team (GLS) which had two corporate objectives. One was keeping executives aware of talent, workforce and business trends worldwide. The second was more consultative, helping business units select global locations, typically for shared services. The GLS team looked not only at salaries, but also at factors such as education levels, language, skillsets, universities, taxes, real estate and IT costs for any given location.
Location decisions for a global organisation require an extraordinary amount of information. Michael's team subscribed exclusively to several data services to keep track of global trends and provide baseline economic and comparison information. From these sources, the team built and maintained 'dashboards - graphical representations of key metrics - on various countries and locations. When company executives were looking for new places to expand, they turned to the GLS team dashboards to narrow down location choices.
Once a set of locations was identified, the GLS team then did some initial online searching using resources such as local economic development agencies, to hone their thinking about the target locations and to find more specifics on the sites.
At this point GLS turned to the library and information services team. Typically, they would ask for information on several sites, including information on competitive activity in those locations. This information was used to narrow down targets further for on-site visits and for looking who to contact and interview.
Michael turned to the library for a couple of reasons. One was speed of execution as the library team were faster than the GLS team. The second was because the researchers always knew more sources. For example, Michael recalls ‘their ability to find translated Chinese press releases, that was something where we said, 'Wow!''
What was the benefit to the organisation? How was the information ultimately used? Michael says. 'With all of this information, GLS could provide a holistic view of talent worldwide, and facilitate coordination across business units. Secondly, we were able to be another trusted advisor to projects and business units in the company. Often, a business unit would only be looking at salary costs in another country. We were looking at all kinds of other issues'. GLS also used the library and research services to evaluate locations after they had been selected. This information allowed them to evaluate whether the company's experience at the location was standard or unusual.
Lessons learnt What can we learn about our users, their information process, and what they do with information?
They are already savvy information users. Think of your savvy users as information colleagues. Partner with them in being intrigued with information.
Take the time to find out which information sources are already part of their process.
If they prefer finding information themselves, think about what you can add to their information universe. This will both enhance their information gathering process, and take some workload off you.
Have the courage to ask them, 'What do we provide that isn't helpful to you?' Don't take the answer personally; use it as a learning opportunity.
Know how they fit into the company and how they affect the business. What is their mission? How can you help with that mission? Library and information functions often have a 'neutral', and therefore unique, perspective on each user's business. Simply knowing what they're trying to accomplish can help you provide valuable information to them that they may not have considered. Having this perspective can help you create champions.
Help them get to the next level. They have customers and clients, too, just like you. Ask them what they need that they're not getting. Ask them about their challenges and pain points. What are their goals, and how can you help them reach those goals? Be prepared to receive constructive feedback, and be prepared to consider seriously changing how you work with your users.
Scott Brown is owner of Social Information Group (http://www.socialinformationgroup.com), an independent consulting and information practice focused on the effective use of social networking tools for sharing and finding information. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government and non-profit organisations, and individuals to help them understand and effectively use these tools. As Senior Information Specialist with Digital Libraries & Research, the library and information organisation at Sun Microsystems, he provided in-depth secondary research and competitive intelligence, conducted stakeholder work, and used Six Sigma tools to determine customer needs and wants. He is a frequent speaker on the use of social networking tools, including virtual worlds such as Second Life, in various types of organisations. He received his library degree from San Jose State University in California in 1999.
The FreePint Family is a family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success.
'FreePint... provides most of my professional development because it won't come through work and [other resources] just don't cut it.'
FUMSI Forum: Do you have a research question? Post it to the FUMSI Forum, where professionals share Q&A and useful tips on how to Find, Use, Manage and Share Information. It's free.
![[Reuse options]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.png){kind=small}
Sometimes our customers, clients and users seem mysterious. They come to us for research, they use our resources but then, what do they DO with the research or the information? Many times, we complete the research request, our users search our databases, and we never have any visibility on how the information was used, or even if it was useful. It goes into a black hole.
FreePint Shop:
VIP LiveWire:
