Resources
Here you can download a PDF of the complete list of resources and a PDF of selected resources. You can also read the selected list on this web page.
The resource lists were produced by the CILIP Information and Advice Team in September 2010 (updated May 2011) in collaboration with Peter Griffiths, Sandra Ward and the Special Library & Information Services Sector Panel.
Queries relating to this resource including requests for articles to be added should be sent to the Information and Advice Team at info@cilip.org.uk.
Selected Resources List
The articles and reports in this list have been chosen in order to provide an introduction to the literature on this subject. These articles can also be found in the complete list marked [S].
Contents
Surveys and reports
1. Accenture, 2007. Managers say the majority of information obtained for their work is useless, Accenture survey finds
Among the key findings:
• Managers spend up to two hours a day searching for information, and more than 50 percent of the information they obtain has no value to them.
• 59% of respondents said that, as a consequence of poor information distribution, they miss potentially valuable information almost every day because it exists somewhere else in the company and they cannot locate it.
• 42% of respondents said they accidentally use the wrong information at least once a week.
2. Capgemini, 2008. The information opportunity report. Woking: Capgemini
A survey confirming that the most successful private companies and public sector organisations are those that effectively exploit their business information.
80% of survey respondents viewed the exploitation of information as critical to successful business performance.
Results suggest that poor utilisation of information assets equates to an annual £46 billion missed opportunity for private sector profits, and £21 billion in administrative costs across the public sector.
3. Daniel, G., 2007. New report from Outsell confirms what librarians knew all along. Information world review, 30 August
The report Information Management Under Fire: measuring ROI for enterprise libraries by Roger Strouse, measured library end-user feedback from corporate, government and the health and education sectors and found that, on average, information end-users cut the amount of time they spent on tasks by nine hours for each session and also saved over $2,000 in costs ($3,107 in the corporate sector). It also showed that libraries in the corporate world generated an average of US$6570 in revenue.
4. Dow Jones & SLA, 2010. "Bad Info" survey results: the Impact of "Bad Info" on business decisions. New York: Dow Jones
Nearly 200 professional researchers, knowledge workers and journalists completed an online survey on the topic: "The Impact of Bad Info on Business Decisions". More than two-thirds of respondents reported that the prevalence of bad information on the free Web is a cause for concern for many businesses, and a serious problem for their own organisations.
Business people were highlighted as the most vulnerable group to fall prey to using unreliable information to make critical decisions.
5. Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007. Enterprise knowledge workers: understanding risks and opportunities
Global online survey in July and August 2007 of 565 executives from various industries.
Findings include:
• 58% of respondents can’t find relevant information when they need it.
• The consequences of inadequate access to pertinent information included lost productivity, flawed decision-making and loss of competitive responsiveness.
• Executives need easier access to information across disciplines and functional boundaries in order to derive full value from the information and efforts of their workers.
6. Foster, A., 2010. The boss just said 'do more with less!'. Business Information Review, 27 (1), pp. 8-26
The Business Information Survey 2010.
Full text unavailable via CILIP.
7. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, 2010. Unlocking the value of the information economy. Boston. Harvard Business Review
In a global survey of 1,375 Harvard Business review subscribers, 85% said the ability to generate real value from customer information is key to their organisations’ growth plans post-recession, yet only 36% felt their companies were well-positioned to use their information effectively.
Executives know information is a key strategic asset, that managing it well will provide real value and competitive advantage, but they are not sure how to go about it.
54% of CEOs strongly agree that information is a key asset.
8. WorldOne Research, 2008. LexisNexis workplace productivity study. New York: LexisNexis
Survey of white collar workers, including 250 legal professionals and 400 non-legal professionals.
Examples of findings:
• 62% of respondents agree time is wasted on finding information.
• 72% of respondents agree with the following statement: People like me are increasingly overloaded by the amount of information they have to deal with in their jobs.
• 69% of legal professionals want to spend less time organising information and more time using it.
9. LibValue Value, Outcomes and Return on Investment of Academic Libraries, 2011. ROI and Value Bibliography. [online] Available at: http://libvalue.cci.utk.edu/biblio [Accessed 26 May 2011]
The LibValue bibliographic database includes more than 800 individual items from library and information science literature and includes items related to special libraries.
Evaluating knowledge and information services (including return on investment)
1. Leifang, H. E., Chaudhuri, B., Juterbrock, D., 2009. Creating and measuring value in a corporate library. Information Outlook, 13 (2)
By taking a more active, entrepreneurial approach to providing business intelligence, the Novartis Knowledge Center was able to demonstrate that it is a value producer rather than a cost centre.
Hard copy unavailable via CILIP.
Available to subscribing members of the Special Libraries Association
2. Strouse, R., 2003. Demonstrating value and return on investment: The ongoing imperative. Information Outlook, 7 (3) pp. 14-20
This study includes benchmarks for corporate libraries. For the 21,661 users profiles for this study, the ROI data provide the following:
• Time saved: $35 per library user. 40% of all respondents report having saved time by using the library.
• Revenue generated: $777 per library use. 21% of respondents report generating revenue with the library’s support.
• Money saved: $42 per library user. 22% of respondents report cost savings that result from using the library.
Value and impact of knowledge and information management
1. Anon., 2002. Value of information management, the. Information Management Journal, Sep/Oct
Article suggests a contributing factor to the surge of corporate wrongdoings, investigations, and subsequent bankruptcies in the United States in recent years could be information overload.
The daily bombardment of information makes it difficult for employees to sort the important from the nonessential information.
It is not enough to simply value information; instead, it is important to know which and what kind of information to value and this task depends upon records and information managers.
2. Cheuk, B., 2008. Delivering business value through information literacy in the workplace, Libri, 58 (3), pp.137-143
This paper demonstrates how environmental consulting firm, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), recognises that information literacy is a critical component of its knowledge management program to create value for the company.
The author argues that the body of existing information literacy knowledge can be adapted to address information overload in the workplace context.
The findings indicate that information literacy has added critical business value to ERM as a result of introducing a culture of interacting with information to increase work productivity and to learn on the job.
Full text unavailable via CILIP.
3. Feldman, S., 2004. The high cost of not finding information. KMWorld, 13 (3)
Using previous studies as a basis the research aimed to quantify the impact that not finding information might have on a typical enterprise of a thousand knowledge workers earning an average salary plus benefits of $80,000 per annum.
One finding was that the time spent looking for and not finding information cost the organisation a total of $6 million per annum; reworking information because it hadn't been found cost a further $12 million a year (15% of time spent in duplicating existing information). Not locating and retrieving information had an opportunity cost of more than $15 million annually.
The article argues that the exchange of information, the information within the context of the people and the situation of the moment needs to be recorded and tracked to ensure the reasons why decisions are made remain when people disappear.
4. Fletcher, A. et al., 2009. Saving Special Libraries in a recession: business strategies for survival and success. Information Outlook, 13 (5), pp.37-43
Based on a literature review, survey and case studies, the authors found that it is universally essential for special librarians to know the particular needs of other members of their organisation, align library services with the organisational goals, and aggressively market services to their organisations (especially the management). The findings reinforce the idea that, in order for special libraries to weather the economic recession and thrive in the long run, they must be proactive.
Sector Specific: Government Libraries
1. Hart, N. & Schenk, M., 2010. Evaluating information and knowledge services using narrative techniques. Information Outlook, 14 (1), pp.47-50
A Knowledge & Information Service (K&IS) leadership team adopted a 'narrative technique' to encourage stakeholders to share their experiences of using the K&IS in a bid to convince the management at the Australian Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to continue investing in library, information and knowledge services at their existing levels.
The narrative process confirmed high levels of client satisfaction, good customer service, substantial time saving for clients, and confidence in the K&IS Section’s ability to deliver. It also identified some very practical actions that could be taken to further improve the quality of service.
2. Kadell, M. ed., 2010. Best practice for government libraries 2010: the new face of value. Lexis Nexis
Seventy articles focusing on value of library and information services within a US Government context.
Sector Specific: Health Libraries
1. Abram, S., 2005. The value of libraries: impact, normative data, & influencing funders, Sirsi OneSource
Discusses the “Rochester Study” (1991) that sought to discover the impact of the medical library on the decisions of doctors. Amongst the findings was that physicians said the services and information provided by the library contributed to their ability to avoid the following:
• Hospital Admission 12%
• Patient Mortality 19%
• Hospital-Acquired Infection 8%
• Surgery 21%
• Additional Tests or Procedures 49%
2. Holst, R. et al., 2009. Vital pathways for hospital librarians: present and future roles. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 97 (4), pp.285-92
Using the results from a previous research study where five organisational mission-critical goals important to hospital administrators were identified. The present study then searched the literature and solicited examples from hospital librarians to describe their role in helping achieve these goals.
The findings indicated that ‘librarians support quality clinical care, efficient and effective hospital operations, continuing education for staff, research and innovation, and patient, family, and community health information needs.
Many mission-critical roles in today's hospitals are fulfilled by librarians who ensure that timely information is provided to enhance hospital and medical staff effectiveness, optimise patient care, improve patient outcomes and increase patient and family satisfaction with the hospital and its services.
Sector Specific: Law Libraries
1. Forstenlechner, I., Lettice, F., Bourne, M., Webb, C., 2007. Turning knowledge into value in professional service firms. Performance Measurement and Metrics, 8 (3), p.146
This paper presents the findings of research into the value perception of knowledge management among lawyers and staff from the top ten global law firms.
The respondents showed strong support for the value of KM to law firm success through concepts such as improved efficiency, quality and other drivers for better performance.
The results indicate strong support from the internal customer side for the notion of KM adding value to the business of a law firm.
2. Forstenlechner, I., Lettice, F., Bourne, M., 2009. Knowledge pays: evidence from a law firm. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13 (1), pp. 56-68
This empirical study analysed the impact of knowledge management (KM) practices on financial performance following their introduction in a multinational law firm.
The most important predictors for financial performance were found to be "the value perception of KM, quality of counsel and legal opinions, ease of use of know-how systems, quality of service from the KM team, usage of news and current affairs, personal know-how exchange with peers, lawyer commitment and KM staffing."
Though the results may have limited generalisability to other organisations they provide empirical evidence for the positive impact of KM on fee income within a law firm.
Full text unavailable via CILIP
3. Mansfield, S., 2006. Live long and prosper: demonstrating the value of your information service. Legal Information Management, 6 (1), pp. 22-27
A number of techniques which can be used to demonstrate the value of an information centre are described in this article.
The article recommends information services should be organisationally aligned, client focused, market themselves (i.e. the staff and not just the library) and take steps to not be seen as simply the keeper of a collection.
The article recommends that to demonstrate value the information professional should most of all be active members of the organisation and listen to what the clients want.
SLA Alignment Project
1. Special Libraries Association, 2009. Alignment Project
Recently the Special Libraries Association (SLA) has embarked on a thorough examination to bring clarity and unity to the core identity and values of the profession and the Association.
The alignment project aims to help refine their positioning in the marketplace and provide a framework for discussing the inherent value in the profession and the Association.
2. Affelt, A., 2009. Aligning the Information Center to create the future. Information Outlook, 13 (4) pp. 32-37
Research department case studies illustrate the value-added information process in a concrete way so that stakeholders immediately recognise they can bring you a research problem and you will use a proven approach to produce a successful outcome.
The findings of the third research phase of the SLA Alignment Project have reinforced that 'We are critical assets who provide value added intelligence that facilitates good decision-making and creates competitive advantage for organisations'.