The secret power of information resources: Information mapping and ROI webinar – Elsevier
Description of Activity – The secret power of information resources: Information mapping and ROI
Content: Information mapping, information resources, and return of investment for libraries
Type: Webinar
Length: Webinar: 60 minutes. Note taking and reflection: 70 minutes. Total: 2 hours.
Level: Librarian
Organisers: Elsevier
Presenters: Teresa Silveira
Format: 1hr webinar
This webinar, recommended by my supervisor, encourages the use of information mapping as a tangible, demonstrable method of sharing the utility of knowledge managers with others stakeholders, including upper management, in order to demonstrate the return on investment to be obtained by working collaboratively with librarians, and thus encourage a cooperative knowledge culture. I’m interested in this topic because it is often difficult to cultivate and maintain productive relationship with other departments, many of which don’t really understand what librarians/knowledge managers do, or how we can help them; they don’t understand us, and therefore undervalue us, and therefore don’t make use of us to maximise our value to the organisation. One of my roles is as Liaison Librarian to our Bioscience Department. There are many ways that I could assist the department, and I’m constantly suggesting that they make use of me, but many are set in their ways and not open to assistance. Finding methods to demonstrate how useful we can be is important.
Much of it was over my head and I would like more information to put Infomaps into practice, but there were some excellent suggestions for how to build collaborative relationships, which I intend to employ as liaison librarian. Namely: be curious. Take an interest in the content the academics are teaching, actively search for ways to assist, or value-add, and start dialogues that way.
Notes – The secret power of information resources: Information mapping and ROI (without screenshots).
ROI: Return on Investment
Objective of the webinar: “How to draw value from a department that is considered a dusty, “must have” department by legacy”.
: goal is to show CEOs and CFOs that library departments don’t just cost money, they can save money.
Suggestions for accessing information: Adopt a user-centric approach. Instead of sampling providing a list, or catalogue, of search tools, assess the role or mission of the users, and suggest specific tools they should use that are ideal for that search.
This sort of efficiency is the ideal way to preserve the intellectual capital of the company.
Information matting will help make the connection between the people and the information resources, and allow librarians to position their budgets to higher management.
Questions Posed:
Do you recognise this situation? Yes
Do you struggle with value demonstration to higher management? Yes. Moreso in the past. It’s very difficult to prove the impact libraries have on student success, or student retention. Survey’s have indicated that students appreciate the library department, but it’s difficult to prove the relationship between libraries and whether students continue to enrol and pay fees.
How ready is your company to change? Not particularly
Infomaps:
Key concept: Implementation of knowledge culture.
Understanding of barriers:
Basic point: When evaluating success, particularly the contribution of information departments, that output, the achievement is often evaluated with the consideration of how it was achieved.