Editorial

Dealing with the Information Flood

Steve Dale in his article on content curation exemplifies the problem of information overload in a world where everyone can publish, 24 hours a day, and many do. Google the phrase ‘everyone can publish’ and you will be overwhelmed with opportunities. LinkedIn opened the door to publishing on its platform earlier in the year (http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/linkedin-opens-its-publishing-platform-to-all-members/) – with over 3 million members, that’s a content creation whirlwind gathering momentum. Think of Twitter, Blogs, Facebook, Slideshare, and more; the growing competition among technology suppliers to deliver more attractive social platforms to organizations; the continued growth of the more formal publishing routes – academic journals and open access – well-researched research reports from established consultancies and thought leaders; and the continual growth of news and media content. This miscellany of content is further exploded as we adapt and share it. To paraphrase Dale, today anyone can share anything. As a consequence, at an organizational and personal level, the risks of not obtaining and not recognizing essential content grow apace.

So what’s the solution? Dale argues cogently for renewed attention to content creation in order to assist folk and organizations to distinguish the `signal from the noise'. In short, `content curation can provide a structure, a process, a system and a discipline to help us find (and use) more relevant information'. We all curate content as we work making links between apparently disconnected information to enhance our personal knowledge base and grow our insight. We share our expanded knowledge with our peers as trusted co-workers or gatekeepers. (The gatekeeper role has long been identified as an effective information filter in many fields, simplifying collective knowledge growth and contributing to increased team performance; Metoyer-Duran, 1993.) The skills needed for effective content curation closely match those of information professionals (using tools to find and filter content, organizing information, analysing and making sense of information and sharing it effectively etc). But understanding the context and subject matter is just as important and raises the bar for the information profession. We have long argued about the need for information professionals to be skilled in the areas they support. The rewards are obvious, for example, being labelled as a knowledge expert and a content curator is a route to opening up many more opportunities.

The value of knowing what you need to know

The Web age has signalled the view that knowing where to look for information means we don’t need to remember it – a high-risk strategy in our view. The importance of sustaining and growing personal knowledge was reinforced by Scott Matteson in his recent blog post (http://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ways-mobile-devices-are-changing-society/?tag=nl.e064&s_cid=e064&ttag=e064&ftag=TREe331754). In exploring how mobile computing is impacting – positively and negatively – human life, for example, universal availability, instant gratification and risk reduction, Matteson reflects whether we need to retain much of the information we use even day to day when looking it up again is so easy. His conclusion? Instant access to information `has the capacity to erode our own personal knowledge stores as well as critical thinking ability…information is more valuable when applied to the appropriate contexts by a brain actually engaged with what's happening'. Delegating our brain’s skills to an artificial brain is not a good idea. The benefits of learning and growing personal knowledge are more than adequately demonstrated by the articles authored by Martin Gresty, Maddy Marley, Margaret Rainey and Arthur Weiss in this issue. All deal with research resources and processes. All authors demonstrate in-depth experience and expertise in their fields. Gresty operates in a leading executive search agency and describes the essential role of market intelligence in providing informed advice for clients and in internal decision-making. Currency is essential, selectivity and judgement are key qualities for information specialists, and the principles of knowledge management are relevant, as both tacit and explicit knowledge are essential for headhunting research. The article is based on Gresty’s own experience and contacts with other researchers in the same field and demonstrates some of the principles of content curation put forward by Dale.

Rainey and Marley are experts in patent information searching, operating in GlaxoSmithKline. As is now common across the information sector, the opportunity to use free information sources in patents is growing. Rainey sets the scene by explaining why patents should not be ignored as an information source by non-patent experts. Patents are essential components of competitor intelligence, often covering information not published anywhere. The technical and scientific information they contain can assist in strategic planning, identifying opportunities for licensing, mergers, acquisitions and partnerships as well as providing evidence for business decisions, for instance whether to progress a new product to market. Eighty per cent of technical information is only found in patents. Rainey summarizes the principal free patent sources and then drills down into the features of two recommended services, namely, Espacenet and PatentScope. Her article provides tremendous insights into their advantages and disadvantages and their unique characteristics. Marley’s article takes us deeper into patent searching. She indicates the strengths of using established databases as their security (preventing others seeing what you’re looking for is essential in this area), their systems for search with complicated syntax and their swift access to comprehensive collections. Free databases, however, are improving rapidly in their content, speed and currency and are now a realistic alternative if the researcher does not need to establish prior art with absolute rigour. Marley considers three sources, adding Google Patents to Espacenet and PatentScope. In a tightly written exposition, she explains the content of a patent, provides guidance on searching full text versus abstracts, discusses patent classification codes as search aids and then demonstrates in detail how the three sources can be used to undertake a patentability search. She concludes with guidance on the key strengths of each source – a great stimulus to get started.

The article by Weiss provides a truly ‘tour de force’ knowledge resource and a well-structured guided tour through how to find information from and on foreign countries, regions and markets. Globalization has increased the requirement for business information specialists to be able to search globally. The power of the Internet provides connections to myriad sources but carries with it the risks of language, comparability across countries, likely inaccuracy, and incompleteness. Wisely the article suggests that the research should start with looking for sources rather than the information itself. Understanding what other countries require companies to publish will help with knowing what is and what is not likely to be available is a truly critical piece of the global business search armoury.

Marley, Rainey and Weiss provide sound evidence that just Googling is dangerous when organizational decisions are involved. Businesses face significant risks if they lack information research skills of the highest quality in certain areas of their ‘business’. The same risks will be faced by government (hence the evidence-based mantra) and the third sector. Many information functions reduced or disappeared during the recent recession. Unfortunately, no data appears to exists on the business impact of those downsizing decisions. In volume 31, issue 3, both the Editorial and Initiatives reported an International Data Corporation (IDC) survey, which scored organizations’ ability to unlink the hidden value of their unstructured content as their knowledge quotient. It shouldn’t be too difficult to develop a personal knowledge quotient for skilled business information professionals to use in discussions on value, should it?

Fostering corporate information skills

One of the characteristics of the information profession is its community spirit, that is, the willingness to share experience and best practices as openly as the interests of its employers permit. Bonnie Friesendahl’s article is another example of this generosity. We came across Friesendahl at the 2014 Special Library Association conference where she presented a poster on how Novo Nordisk’s Global Information & Analysis (GLIA) are transforming their training of end users around the world with live virtual training to ensure their efficient access to the information they need. Their follow-up of the impact of live virtual training to date demonstrates its effectiveness in increasing user skills long term. This is a credit to GLIA and reflects the careful consideration given their preparation with research into the topic, evidence-based development of online courses, thoughtful design of the virtual learning environment, their understanding of what makes good virtual etiquette and their attention to the quality of the trainers. In fact, virtual training sessions are scoring higher than classroom training in evaluations and this means that Novo Nordisk can offer training to over 40,000 employees yearly – an impossible target for face-to-face training. The insight that Friesendahl gives provides anyone considering a move to virtual training with a head start.

Reading outside the box

Discuss their challenges with business information professionals and it won’t be long before information technology (IT) and IT colleagues are mentioned as principal barriers to progress, irrespective of sector. Cooperative, synergistic and creative partnerships between IT and information science (IS) are rare – but of significant value to organizations where they have been established. Roger James reflects on his partnership with the IS at Glaxo and uses this experience to argue for the benefits of IT and IS working together now. In the present cascade of information, the combined disciplines of IS, information management and technology are more essential than ever! Together tackling the challenges of data quality, the need for good governance and provenance of information is much simpler. These are the critical issues that, if not dealt with properly, give rise to erroneous and therefore dangerous conclusions. Sadly achieving beneficial cooperation is a battle that in many situations still needs to be fought! Yet we have much in common and we were amused to note that many of the tips given by Mary Shacklett (http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-ways-to-forge-strong-end-user-relationships/?tag=nl.e042&s_cid=e042&ttag=e042&ftag=TREabb1cd6) are pretty good ideas for both business information specialists and their suppliers. How about creating internships and exchanges with heavy information users? How about treating end users as customers and adopting an account representative approach? This may help if your suppliers are doing the same with your users. Involving yourself in any training that will give you knowledge of your organization is obvious as is using planning English in communicating with the business. Whatever level you report into developing relationships with the ‘C’ or executive suite is just as relevant to IS as to IT and do make what you do visible!

In Perspectives, Martin White provides reminders on the benefit of reading widely outside the core IS/information management journals. A comprehensive bibliography on the impact of effective information management on business performance is signposted, and White rates this article by Svärd as one of the best he has read on this topic. Boundary spanning is not a new concept, but its role in building cross-organizational teams has been less studied. With the growth in collaboration between organizations; the models of behaviour studied by Harvey are of direct interest to any global initiatives. Other material presented includes factors to be measured in monitoring changes in communication culture and effectiveness during substantial operational change, differences in US-American and German team meeting behaviours and an identification of professional role types in an international law firm and their relationship with the firm’s internationalization strategy and staff’s career development.

Allan Foster's Initiatives returns us to the complexity of both today’s and tomorrow’s information worlds. The content combines both prescience with well-founded anticipation of the immediate future and analysis of the present. If you are involved in strategic planning for your services and even your organization itself, reading Initiatives is a must. Gartner’s top 10 technology trends include the increased emphasis on serving the needs of the mobile user in diverse contexts and environments, the centrality of analytics in information management and the development of systems that are alert to their surroundings and able to respond appropriately. Powerful directions for content providers and managers! Big data receives attention too. Just where organizations are in their adoption is only partly clear, but there is no doubt that this is an essential forward direction for the private and public sector. Extensive tangible business outcomes from big data are noted in finding new sources of revenue, innovative new product and service development, winning and keeping customers and enhancing the customer experience. There is also no doubt that an extensive skill set is required for development of analysable content – a knowledge of relevant IT tools and analytical skills but also business acumen, intellectual curiosity, communication skills and creativity. Big data also requires knowing the questions to ask of it. So, as editors, we are still convinced that big data can be one of the futures for business information professionals if we are prepared to gain the additional skills we need; business intelligence work is a valid starting point and the need to organize both structured and unstructured content for access and analysis is still a critical gap unrecognized in many organizations.