Driving the Future of Information
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, shares insights from FreePint research projects and consultancy which have identified critical gaps in organisational strategy.

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At our special in-person Communities of Practice session at the SLA annual conference in Boston earlier this month I shared with participants some of the key findings from our ongoing research.

We carry out research projects across the year, quarterly to coincide with our Topic Series, plus supplemental research on key themes and developments. This, combined with our consultancy, has allowed us to identify some critical gaps in organisational strategy.

Identifying Critical Gaps in the Future of Information

At the senior level organisations seem unaware of these critical gaps which are putting entities at risk:

• Minimal risk management -- or even awareness -- around upheaval in the world of sources

• Limited collaboration or partnership between IT and IS departments

• Lack of planning around information skills development, for information professionals and other knowledge workers.

So what must organisations do to overcome or mitigate these key risks? At the Community of Practice session I shared three key findings:

1. The time has come to break down the walls between IS and IT
   
   
2. The majority of information practice now takes place on the desks of knowledge workers, not in the information centre
   
   
3. Consumption of information is tipping to automated systems - by 2017, information usage will look dramatically different than it does today.

The overarching and key message from the day is that these are risks that threaten the entire business, not the information centre.

Further Investigation of Risks 

These risks are so important that they form our research agenda for the foreseeable future. Through our planned and future Topic Series, we will dig further into how these risks show up and create barriers to progress. At the same time, we are looking for examples of organisations that resolve these challenges, and then pulling out best practices and principles for success that can be adapted to other environments.

We're also working with customers to turn these insights into tools they can use, within the information centre and with other stakeholders in their organisations, to define the role information expertise in this emerging world. 

Developing Solutions

If these three findings resonate for you, then FreePint is the platform on which to develop solutions. Content for research-based and expert opinion; Community for team-based dialogue and problem solving; Consulting for one-on-one in-depth work and coaching on solutions. The FreePint Subscription delivers.

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