Technology sets the pace of change in content delivery and management

TECHNOLOGY has a way of creeping up on us – we are aware of things long before we actually use them or see the value in them. The World Wide Web was very much a niche technology for decades before it bloomed to such an extent that it now touches more than half the world’s population in one way or another. Now we are in a place where Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are the ideas that are set to launch the next big thing. New conference, ConTech, which takes place in December and is in its second year aims to capitalise on the buzz about data and AI for anyone working with content – whether providers, creators or managers. The sheer amount of content that is being created annually means that traditional content management solutions will need to be updated sooner rather than later. AI will be a key tool in ensuring that content remains accessible and discoverable – ConTech MD Clive Snell says that is why library and information mangers should be looking at the possibilities now. Clive was involved with organising the Online Information conference in the 1990s, just when the internet was starting to take hold, and today’s technologies have the power to be just as transformative.

Content delivery pioneers
ConTech.2019 brings together content delivery and technology, looking at how areas such as AI, machine learning and data science are coming together in the content world. Clive says that these new technologies have the same potential as the world wide web when that was launched. While the new technologies will certainly be transformative and even disruptive, they should be embraced rather than feared according to Clive. He said: “We want people to come to learn, share and take away really practical things that they can immediately apply in their workplace. The core message is that we wanted to create an event that will enable attendees to create their personal blueprint to help them navigate the changing landscape. “These changes will impact how organisations do things and inevitably this will affect job roles and functions. It’s ultimately about enhancing and augmenting jobs and skills.” By engaging with the technology, especially at an early stage in its development and implementation practitioners are able to understand how that technology can work for them. In essence they become pioneers and help to shape the landscape. Clive believes that ConTech is the perfect vehicle for those working in the information profession to become leaders in the field. He says: “There are very definitely people who are beginning to understand the issues – and they can be content and information people or they can be tech people working with content. That mix makes it all the more interesting because everyone will have a slightly different perspective , but there is an appetite to really find out what’s going on and what’s new. “There are going to be people who have an awareness of what can be done with data and AI, but who are not the professional leaders, not the ones who are ahead of the curve. We are absolutely aiming this at people who want to find out as much as possible about it.” Clive says that as organisations realise the potential of the technologies, then uptake will build – echoing the impact of the world wide web. “It has taken a while for big organisations to change the way they do things, but that is starting to change and it’s always good to have ­advocates within an organisation. “What we are trying to do with ConTech is give people the knowledge and skills to become innovators and advocates, whatever their profession or job role. The change is starting to happen and we are very early in that change, but it is amazing how quickly things begin to change.”

Structural Change
He adds: “There’s a recognition that if you are a digital native company like Facebook or Google, then data is intrinsic. The company is built on data and that’s the way it works. “If you are an organisation that has been built on a more traditional framework then you have got to change a lot of things – and it’s going to take structural and organisational change.” Clive points to the e-learning arena as an example of how quickly things can take off once the benefits become apparent. A general level of awareness existed for a long time before organisations: “figured out how it could work, that there was money in it – then over about three or four years it became really hot with people entering the market.” One thing to note about AI in particular is that it is already becoming embedded in our lives. Smartphones are now genuinely smart – utilising AI in new and innovative ways. Amazon, Apple and Google (amongst others) have created personal assistants powered by AI that are in increasing numbers of homes – so the technology is become ever more familiar. ConTech is placed to look at how those technologies will develop in the information sphere. It features a range of speakers and focuses on real life cases, allowing an insight into how projects and ideas have been developed and implemented. A total of 30 speakers will be taking part, including Max Gabriel, Chief Data Officer at Taylor & Francis; Felisia Loukou, Government Digital Service Data Scientist; Phil Gooch, CEO of Scholarcy; and Harriet Bell, Marketing Director at Emerald Publishing.

Relating change to users
Dion Lindsay, MD of Real Knowledge management, says there are many advantages for information and knowledge managers who attend ConTech. He said: “For Library and Information Professionals in their early or mid-careers the ways in which content is delivered will change dramatically over the next decades. “AI and data science will help define new ways of delivering and analysing content, and the results will require library and information professionals to find appropriate ways to relate this to their users. This series of conferences (this is the fifth, if you count the last two London Info International conferences in 2016 and 2017) helps us keep abreast of the designs, experiments and products that are being generated, as is shown by the attendance of design companies, publishers and the larger organisations who are likely to be among the early adopters. “Among the speakers there will be a plethora of independents including Scholarchy (text mining and natural language processing) and Molecular Health (biomedical data), as well as big hitters like Government Digital Service and Elsevier, already familiar to Library and Information Professionals.” This year’s ConTech Conference features a number of incentives to help information professionals attend, including an exclusive discount for all CILIP members. A special half-price rate for academic and not-for-profit org librarians is also in place, thanks to EBSCO Information Services, which is also offering four free places and two student bursaries to attend the conference. Full details can be found on the ConTech website. To access the CILIP member discount of 10 per cent off a delegate place, use the code CILIP-10 when booking. IP www.ConTechlive.com