Constructing strategies for locating information

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Constructing strategies for locating information

• The Third Pillar
• Roger Mills

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This module

• Searching strategies covered in next session
• This is about institutional policies
• How is information acquired, stored, disseminated
• How are different information types integrated

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• STRATEGIES

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Typically in the old days

• Printed, published information would be acquired
  by the library, by purchase or donation
• Library would maintain journal subscriptions
• And possibly abstracting/indexing services
• Researchers would go to the library

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• Sometimes information scientists would be
  employed to review literature and write reports
• These reports might be confidential to the
  individual/group for whom they were prepared, and
  stored by them
• Institutions intellectual output not stored in
  library unless published

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• Large organisations might maintain central
  registry
• Small organisations might depend on efficiency of
  one secretary info lost when they move
• Correspondence done by typing pool centrally filed

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When PCs came along

• Typing pools disappeared and so did central
  filing
• Researchers handled own correspondence and own
  reports, often on own hard disk
• Central backups provided but no indexing
• Backups not archived lost when researcher leaves

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Software

• Some provided institution-wide (Windows, Office)
• Specialist software provided for or developed by
  individual researchers, commonly for image
  manipulation/GIS
• Files stay on individual hard disks and can be
  read by few in institution. Central registry
  lost.

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Importance of institutional memory

• Now quite widely recognised, but often not much
  action to preserve it
• First essential institutional audit who does
  what, who has what, who knows what
• Then (re)define institutional mission what
  activities/documentation/knowledge is essential
  for survival

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• Then devise strategies to preserve them
• Activities clear management structure,
  transparent roles, understanding of human
  resource requirements
• Documentation detailed IT policies to make it
  possible, clear responsibilities
  (documentalist/librarian/information
  officer/knowledge manager) to make it happen

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• Knowledge involves using the information now
  preserved. Essentially education knowing what
  is available in the organisation and how best to
  exploit it to achieve the aims of the institution
• Requires someone in institution to have
  responsibility for this type of
  education/induction/training

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• For which they will need resources physical,
  human and financial
• Information is not free even within/about your
  own organization gt must be budgeted for
• Failure to resource this area may/will lead to
  failure to achieve organization's mission

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• MECHANISMS

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• Centralized or decentralized
• IT to serve, not control
• Effective communication essential between IT
  users and IT managers
• Rarely achieved, but improving as we talk each
  others language and general IT literacy improves
  with ability to distinguish practical from
  unfeasible, visionary from daft

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• Financial constraints usually mean adapting
  systems not ideal for purpose
• Beware home-made solutions that only a few
  understand
• Beware complex customization
• Simplest and cheapest is often longest-lived

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• If you have a library system (say CDS/ISIS) can
  you use it for non-library records too?
• If you use bibliographic software to record
  references (say EndNote) can you use it to index
  and link files across institution?
• If you work with other organizations what systems
  do they use? Using common software can enhance
  information interoperability and range of people
  who understand the system

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• XML as a common file format eases exchange (MS
  Office will use in place of proprietary formats
  from next version)
• No need to understand how it works to benefit
  from it
• Standard referencing systems for
  documents/objects simplifies retrieval within and
  beyond organisation (dois)

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Exercise

• How is information managed in your own
  institution? Sketch out the structure who is
  responsible for what, what kind of electronic or
  manual systems are in use, how are links with
  other parts of the organization managed? How
  could things be improved, fom your point of view?
  What can YOU do about it?

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3

• Construction and generation of databases

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• See iMark Management of electronic documents
  Lesson 5