A Handbook for Corporate Information Professionals

Citation

Dee Magnoni (2015), "A Handbook for Corporate Information Professionals", Library Management, Vol. 36 No. 6/7, pp. 541-543. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-06-2015-0038

Dr. Katharine Schopflin’s Handbook for Corporate Information Professionals takes a broad look at corporate information centers and their history, development, practices and trends. Meant to be a practical text for current practitioners, the book is made up of an introductory chapter and nine topic chapters, each written by an expert in their field. The strengths of this handbook include the thorough industry scan Schopflin did before beginning the project as well as the contributors selected to write each chapter. Topics are carefully chosen to reflect current trends and practices common across the industry.

The book is targeted to information professionals who work within organizations such as law firms, consultancies, commercial entities, professional trade bodies and non-governmental organizations. Schopflin defines the corporate information service as “a unit within a corporate body providing the information that staff need to carry out the work of the organization.” (p. 1) Contributors hail from the UK, Canada and Australia and across several information sectors, including law, government, media, consulting and knowledge management.

Schopflin and her contributors bring a clear writing style with a practical approach to the text. The book is organized with a table of contents, contributor biographies, the ten chapters and an index. Each topic is analyzed and provides practical advice. Most chapters include references and many also include resources for further reading. Strategic skill development is a theme throughout the book.

In the first chapter Schopflin provides a history of special libraries and information centers, the major events that shaped their evolution, and many of the professional organizations that were created to support information professionals as the industry evolved. She then examines current themes that occur across the chapters, including disintermediation; corporate alignment and marketing; information overload; embedded working; knowledge management; and evidence-based practice and data management. Looking across sectors and working environments, a common challenge for information professionals is proving the worth of an information center when the main function of the parent organization is most often not the delivery of information and learning. What value do specialized information skills bring to the organization?

Turning to chapters, the topics covered are: managing the corporate intranet; internal and external marketing by information professionals; the hybrid librarian-IT expert; building a corporate taxonomy; practical knowledge management: stories from the front line; successfully managing your team through change and transition; successful management of insight, intelligence and information functions in a global organization; working with suppliers and licensing for e-libraries; and training end-users in the workplace.

Chapter two, Managing the corporate intranet by James Mullan, provides a great roadmap and set of practitioner tools. Mullan addresses the corporate intranet and the role of the information professional. Sections on content management include content guidelines and tips for keeping authors engaged. His first table is Models of intranet content authorship, where Mullan evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of included models. A table of governance documents and why each is necessary provides a listing of both high level and practical documents. A section on key skills for the intranet manager outlines a potential development path for those considering this role.

One of the profession’s constants, change, is covered in chapter seven, Successfully managing your team through change and transition. Andrew Grave, the author, is a veteran of organizational changes, and adds the perspectives of several experienced change managers. Grave talks about why change happens and provides warning signals of approaching disruption. The importance of marketing, proving your value and calculating your return on investment is stressed. The stages of change, with their emotions and reactions, are outlined along with practical approaches for addressing each stage.

There are several book highlights, and I include some here. There is an important emphasis on community engagement and partnerships in chapter three, Internal and external marketing by Shaunna Mireau. Chapter four, The Hybrid librarian-IT expert, by Linda-Jean Schneider and Simon Barron outline the changing skill-set of the technical librarian, and skills range from evolving traditional skills to “crunch tech skills” to soft skills. Chapters five and six, Building a corporate taxonomy by Helen Lippell and Practical knowledge management by Danny Budzak, both walk readers through the practical background and steps necessary for their areas and both provide strong lists of references. The Quick win: 17 ingredients of a successful global knowledge organization is a highly strategic and valuable snapshot of chapter eight, Successful management of insight, intelligence and information functions in a global organization. After outlining how to work with suppliers in chapter nine, Working with suppliers and licensing for e-libraries by Tina Reynolds, Linda-Jean Schneider and Fiona Fogden, Fogden debunks eight supplier myths from the vendor’s point of view. Chapter ten, Training end-users in the workplace by Anneli Sarkanen and Katy Stoddard, provides an excellent annotated list of resources for online training as well as a strong list of references and further reading.

Whether looking for an analysis of a specific topic or a practical overview of current corporate information centers, I highly recommend Schopflin’s Handbook for Corporate Information Professionals.