de Stricker

Information Management Close to Home: A crucial component in "instructions for relatives" documents

Following the recent tragic and untimely passing of a colleague, a friend of his reached out to me for suggestions as to "what to do with his manuscripts". Having corresponded with my colleague for some years about those manuscripts (some of which but not all were available in various online publishing portals), I encouraged that somehow, they be harvested from multiple locations and made available in one place for the general enjoyment of interested readers in future. In addition, I mentioned the disposition of profiles on social media sites.

The friend embarked upon a project turning out to be far more extensive and time consuming than we could have anticipated.

It's a painful topic, but the simple implications with respect to what we need to leave behind are worth pondering:

1: Anyone can download or recreate what is available on public websites. What about the trove of materials in computers, mobile devices, sticks, and free cloud storage locations? For example, could it be that a massive report, book, or other significant item was close to completion, needing only a bit of work on the part of someone familiar with the project for it to be sent on to the intended recipient or be published? Without access to file locations and passwords, executors may be unable to retrieve anything at all.

2: Anticipate the need to remove "ghost" websites and blogs. Of course, any paid accounts automatically close when the bills go unpaid at the end of the subscription period, so a deceased's website(s) and blog(s) will eventually disappear; but it may be advisable to actively remove, upon harvesting any wanted content, the presences owned by the deceased. Provide executors with detailed contact information for domain registrars and web hosts and sign an authorization form for use in conjunction with proof of death.

3: Anticipate the need to delete profiles from social media sites. Equip executors and power-of-attorney holders with the instruments required to prove they are indeed authorized to request the disposition of the profiles in question. Document the procedure required by each company (Host A requires B documentation and social media site C requires a copy of D form with a death certificate) to save the executors many hours of research. In addition, it is helpful for executors to have guidance with respect to any desires regarding a "memorial" virtual presence.

To the "special file folder in a desk drawer" containing insurance and banking information, we ought to add all the information our executors will need to deal appropriately with our electronic legacy when we're gone, along with explicit instructions for the treatment of content.

I'm indebted to my colleague Connie Crosby for her reference to the "Death and Digital Legacy" blog at www.deathanddigitallegacy.com where much more detail can be found.

Info Pros: Star Performers

In the spirit of the holiday season, I trust my readers will indulge me in some allegorical thinking about our profession:

Treated by dear and incredibly generous friends to a Canadian Tenors concert in Toronto (www.canadiantenors.com), I had the opportunity to watch at close range the intricate workings of the orchestra supporting those four magnificent singers: The musicians worked the piano, strings, and percussion - what an amazing array of drums, cymbals, hanging xylophones, rainstick type instruments, and other sound producing objects I don't know how to name! - with obvious engagement and enjoyment to organize and sequence thousands of individual notes into a harmonious, powerful, and sometimes surprising result. The light manager provided a splendid visual complement to the music, and the copious amounts of water vapor released into the concert hall lent a touch of magic. Each song performed reached back through decades or centuries to revered composers and was given life in the moment by the latest technology - in a manner uniquely suited to the occasion and the audience.

Giving thought to the vast planning and coordination required to produce an experience so clearly enjoyed by the sold-out house, it struck me: Isn't that what info pros do, too? Don't we, well, "orchestrate" myriad individual preparatory and immediate actions in order to "produce" the experience our audiences receive? Don't we collaborate within our organizations and across the profession to gain the skills to, well, "play those instruments with such perfect timing"? Don't we rely on the work done in decades and centuries before us and on the latest technology to meet our clients' unique needs? Don't we plan and organize so that the "star performers" - our users - get to deliver outstanding results?

As for the tenors - they, too, seemed like info pros to me - bringing to bear their education and talent on producing value. We're talking world class operatic stars … who related to the audience with humility, warm humor, and personable ease. In just that way I so often see information professionals being utterly modest and unassuming about their work, no matter how outstanding it is: Don't they deliver spectacular performances in the way they hit just the right notes when they do research or produce strategic plans (etc etc)?

Indeed we info pros do not perform in misty, colored lights on a background of exquisite music to deliver value to our clients. But in my humble opinion, we are pretty close.

Thank you for indulging me. Peace and Good Will on Earth this Solstice.

Influence ... Why Don't We Have More?

In late October 2011, I had the great honor - along with my colleague Connie Crosby - of being named Instructor of the Year at the iSchool Institute of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information (http://institute.ischool.utoronto.ca/). It has been my pleasure to teach in the program for years, and I look forward to doing so in the years to come. Nothing is as rewarding as seeing course participants realize how they can apply the course content to their own jobs; I teach each course in the hope of encouraging my professional peers to "go out there and make something happen". In other words, I like to think I make a difference.

Then, I came across a statement in an article by K. Matthew Dames in the November 2011 issue of Information Today (Intellectual Property - Libraries Encounter the Piracy Paradigm - www.infotoday.com/it/nov11/index.shtml). In it, he said "the library community … does not have the political influence to fundamentally change the conversation. The result is the nation's major political, economic, and legal stakeholders virtually ignore the library community."

Matthew Dames' article focused on copyright, but his direct statement about influence hit home. In a time when public libraries are shut down and corporations and government departments look to do without libraries, what influence do we librarians actually have?

In a recent item written for Information Today Europe - http://www.infotoday.eu/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=78092
- I commented on the 'new you' we all need to become. In my question "haven't we been polite about it long enough?" I was referring to the fact that we cannot afford to stay silent about the consequences of inadequate information behaviors. But Matthew Dames' comment shows my questions about information husbandry extend to society in general:

What influence do we have on public policy and funding for education, social and health services? Are the librarians - so very familiar with social and educational challenges - consulted when it comes to designing social programs? How can our knowledge be brought to bear on political will?

In the spirit of "isn't it time we moved from service to influence", I urge reflection … "how can I, as an information professional, make a positive difference in the legislation and practices of my society?".

New Normal Needs a New You: Internet Librarian International 2011

Once again I recently had the privilege of contributing to one of my favorite conferences: Internet Librarian International held in London in late October 2011. Within the conference theme of "The New Normal", my colleagues Michael Stephens and Joanna Ptolomey and I had the honor of concluding the activities through our final panel entitled "The New Normal Needs A New You". We each summarized key takeaways from the conference and were very pleased with the obvious engagement from the audience - check out the #ili2011 tweets!

As usual, the ILI conference drew attendees from all over the world and offered them up to the minute insights into best practices in a wide range of professional domains. In advance, I had been asked for a brief statement for Information Today Europe - see http://bit.ly/qQ4M1z. I was encouraged to see how the conference sessions and conversations bore out my thoughts - and even more encouraged to find how much it seems information professionals are preparing for new realities. Here are some views I had the opportunity to articulate at ILI2011:

►As a profession, we must expand the definition of what we do. I had the chance to advance this opinion as a panelist at the preconference SLA Europe reception: "We must adjust our
vocabulary to reflect to employers that we are superbly suited in many non-library roles - say, as policy analysts and marketing specialists - due to our skills in data, information, and knowledge management". The desire to work in traditional libraries is indeed a respectable goal; it's just that the number of traditional library jobs is dwindling fast . There will not be jobs in libraries for many graduates of information schools.

►We live in an attention economy and in a self service culture. Bombarded by inputs all day long, our potential clients may never discover the value of what we can offer them; and - worse - what they can't imagine, they can't ask for. There is a perfect match between "what they need" and "what we can do" - but the perceptual gap is huge.

►Hence our current challenge is to describe our services in ways our clients find meaningful. Our words must resonate with employers or members of a community ("what's in it for us?"). To that end, we must know everything we can about their needs and pain points - so that we can speak to them directly and with relevance, in language they understand. Some say it's a learning curve to drop the professional jargon - I say it's a matter of keeping our work particulars to ourselves. No one cares that we do content management - but our clients do care about the outcomes: "Save time by … Find job opportunities quickly by … Get homework help for your children by … [etc etc]".

►We must fundamentally examine our activities and let go of ones no longer serving the priority needs of our target audiences. It does not matter how expertly we do X … if X is not high on the list of our clients' needs!

The conference ended on a shared note that our highest goal is "knowing and reaching the customers on their terms". Nothing new here … it's just that it's a harder goal to reach nowadays when our voices are but a few among the thousands our clients hear every day in their electronic din.

My co-panelists and I would be most pleased to hear from our readers on the topic of "the new normal".

Giving "Conference" a New Meaning - Library 2.011

With founding sponsorship from the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science, my esteemed colleagues Scott Brown and Kim Dority have spearheaded the world's first globally encompassing, entirely virtual, 48-hour FREE conference for information professionals - check out www.library20.com for all the details on the November 2-4 event. As of today, 160 sessions have been accepted - there's something for everyone!

I encourage my readers to browse the sessions and participate online … but there's more. The organizers are looking for our support; here are some ways you may offer it:

Volunteer to orchestrate one or more sessions:
http://www.library20.com/group/library2011conferencemoderatorvolunteers Why not take this opportunity to add a nugget to the resume that will prove your initiative and tech savvy (not to mention meeting colleagues all over the world)?

Bring your organization in as a partner: http://www.library20.com/page/conference-partners Show your support to the profession by having your library, school, association, or other entity be among the many partners already on board.

Spread the word: For their contribution to the library community, Scott and Kim deserve all the publicity they can possibly get for the conference. Make sure the people in your network know about this groundbreaking event - that's what our blogs and tweets are for. Here's a sample: "First ever global free online library conference Nov 2-4 at www.library20.com - be there!"

It was my honor to be invited to sit on international advisory board … join me in saluting Kim and Scott by helping them make Library 2.011 the fun, educational, relationship-building, and precedent-setting event it can be!