de Stricker

Liberating Buried Information: Access is Not Enough, and Indexing is Expensive

Many years ago, brilliant innovators at Statistics Canada, Carleton University, and the Social Science Federation of Canada conceived the notion of "liberating" otherwise locked-up data files to deliver them to universities across Canada for the use of researchers.  Project DLI, Data Liberation Initiative (www.statcan.gc.ca/dli-ild/dli-idd-eng.htm), ranks in my view as among the most successful schemes to put information collected for one purpose to work in support of other purposes. 

 

Letting the files out was step one, but the challenge was finding exactly where data on specific topics resided.  Searching was just like looking for a needle in a haystack until a standard - called Data Documentation Initiative or DDI - permitted indexing at the variable level and used XML structures combined with powerful search functionality to find buried data treasures and display them in context - see http://search1.odesi.ca/ as an example.  The investment in the indexing was required before the full value of the access could be realized.

 

DLI and DDI came to mind recently during a discussion about the challenges associated with finding buried text information - information contained for example in printed or imaged reports but not detectable by a search engine or catalog search function because the catalog records or metadata for the reports aren't sufficiently detailed.  The question was raised, "could we go back and include in the catalog record the table of contents of a report and abstracts of chapters?"  In other words, could we "liberate" the details held in the body of each report?  The answer:  Certainly we could - if we could afford it.  In-depth indexing of information objects to provide intellectually value-added precision and granularity in searching is very expensive because it requires time consuming work by professionals familiar with the subject matters at hand. 

 

Digitization of print materials provides a major boost to information discoverability, but we are all familiar with the avalanche syndrome - what's the use of retrieving a huge list of documents containing a search term any old place in the text?  The one paragraph we need right now to solve a particular problem is in there … but it is beyond our practical reach.  It's ironic that without indexing, printed and electronic objects present similar retrieval challenges when it comes to unearthing the nugget buried on page 78.

 

The case for investing in indexing to assure future retrievability is obvious in concept.  Funding the activity is another story.  The takeaway for today's information object creators is simple:  Whenever we consign an object to a repository no matter how informal, let's be mindful not just of attaching metadata where possible but also of incorporating in prominent places such vocabulary as might assist future searchers when they are attempting to dig it up.

 

An IKM Awareness Checklist: Part 8 of 10

The Intranet:  How well does it support employees?

Having evolved into key tools generally taken for granted, intranets could be regarded as indicators of the priority and attention given to IKM.  Here are some typical comments heard when employees talk about the corporate "information shop", reflecting the organization's overall approach:

8a.  The diligence and quality devoted to the public website is reflected in the intranet - it is a welll designed tool that saves me lots of effort and time.  My colleagues and I are motivated to supply suggestions and content to the intranet team.

8b.  I was amazed once I finally discovered what was hidden in the intranet underneath some of the menu options - I wonder if others had the same experience of being confused by what was on the screen.  Now I have bookmarked the good parts so I can get to them easily.

8c.  With rapid growth in the company, the intranet hasn't quite kept pace - it seems the unit responsible for it is preoccupied with other priorities.  Frequently, I don't find what I need and end up asking colleagues for help.

8d.  I don't use the intranet much - it's focused on administrative functions.

And here are some typical comments made by information professionals, again reflecting various approaches to IKM:

8e.  Our active role in the ongoing development and enhancement of the intranet ensures that what we learn from employees about how they experience the intranet is translated into improvements.

8f.  One of our high-value activities is populating the daily news portion of the intranet with key developments employees need to know about - in logical clusters so individuals can zero in on items relevant for them.

8g.  Even though our licensed content is featured on the intranet, we are finding that orientation and "guided tours" are critical in helping employees become aware of the nature of the content.  We do a lot of outreach and offer personal support to ensure the organization gets value out of its investment in content.

8h.  IT policy precludes a button for the information centre on the top page of the intranet - it's not uncommon to hear an employee say he or she never knew the information centre piece existed.