Editorial
I'm back from Cycling for Libraries (final update here), and still reflecting on the lessons learned by cycling 730 kilometres through Scandinavia with information professionals and visiting libraries along the way.
The programme's primary focus was on public and academic libraries, but my reflections on the site visits, conversations and insights interpreted the experience for our world of corporate information centres and strategy.
One of the main subjects of reflection is the nature of innovation, and how to incorporate it into information practice.
Ours is a fast-moving industry. We can't afford to take baby-steps in the race to remain relevant. Innovation is necessary.
At the same time, it's incredibly difficult when day-to-day demands of providing valuable service keep you focused on transactions rather than the bigger picture.
FreePint's Topic Series approach to developing and delivering research-based insights and practical direction can help. Each Topic Series provides the inputs to help you think strategically and prompt innovation in your organisation when you don't have the time or resources to start from scratch.
Every calendar quarter, we take up another big issue in information strategy, conduct original research, commission articles, foster dialogue and work with customers to generate a wide range of ideas and options you can adapt to address major issues in your organisation:
- Our current Topic Series, "All About Usage", supports fresh thinking and action on authentication, text mining requirements, content usage policies and more.
- The next Topic Series, "News, and Other Commodities", takes on the broad challenge of content selection, management and dissemination of content that feeds organisational current awareness - a critical yet challenging area of information strategy.
We're already planning the following Topic Series, on developing alignment between information services and IT -- a common barrier facing information experts in their efforts to innovate and meet the needs of today's users.
At the conclusion of a Topic Series, we publish an index to all content, such as this one from the last Topic Series: Best Practices in Information Skills Development. We also offer webinars summarising what we learned, and how to act on it in your organisation. (Read more and register for "What We Learned about Usage" here)
Day-to-day information work is all about the details - answering questions, finding sources, completing projects. Clearing in the inbox or the request queue, and then starting over again the next day.
Strategy and innovation are about the bigger picture - stepping back from the details to think and work across disciplines, departments and technologies. That's where relevance in our fast-moving industry happens.
Register for the current and coming Topic Series to let us help you go there.
Robin Neidorf
Director of Research, FreePint
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