STRAIT to the future

8th Asia-Pacific Specials, Health and Law Librarians Conference

From challenges to accolades:

how a quality state-wide library service has been achieved using appropriate technology

Cathy Campbell, Manager, Library Services and
David Meikle, Library Information Specialist (Systems)
Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI)

Keywords: Information technology; marketing library services; fund raising

Abstract

This paper outlines successful examples of how DPI Library Services has embraced the Departmental mission statement, has thought 'outside the square', has been proactive and has successfully undertaken activities which have benefited the Department, its clients and the library service. Fourteen road rules to assist along the journey from challenges to accolades are included.

Introduction

The information and knowledge management revolution is rapidly increasing in velocity. At long last skills which librarians possess in knowledge and information management, technology and retrieval are becoming indispensable to their parent organisations. Many organisations are unaware of the skills and abilities their library professionals practice. Sadly, many librarians are not doing enough to change this situation.

Unless the librarian's special skills, knowledge and abilities are applied to areas which directly and visibly support and enhance the goals of the organisation the traditionally reactive, print focussed, introverted special librarian is unlikely to survive beyond the first five years of the next millennium.

Traditional excellent personalised service is no longer enough. The achievements of the library need to be effectively and continuously marketed to senior management to achieve appropriate recognition and funding.

DPI library services

DPI Library Services is in a fortunate position because DPI recognises that providing information to clients is its core business. The Departmental mission statement is "DPI is an economic development agency". So the library already has a running start. DPI is a well-managed, supportive organisation that encourages its professionals to be innovative.

DPI has approximately 4000 staff scattered throughout Queensland providing specialised research, extension and marketing services in the primary industries sectors, including fisheries and forestry. DPI Library Services is a centralised operation with services provided from six locations. Four are located in the Brisbane metropolitan area; regional libraries are located in Toowoomba and Mareeba.

There are 22 library staff who manage subscriptions to over 1000 serials titles, a collection in excess of 100 000 monographs and sophisticated document delivery services. The library annual budget is approximately $1.5million. By special library standards, it is quite a large operation.

Skills, abilities and opportunities

Now that information and knowledge management have become fashionable, librarians have a unprecedented window of opportunity to demonstrate their value to their organisation. They can finally break the dusty, tweed skirt or jacketed, quiet and studious, back-room image which has haunted the profession for hundreds of years.

Librarians know a lot about what really matters. They know the value of accurate and relevant information to an organisation and its clients. They understand information technology and telecommunications applications for information storage, organisation, retrieval and delivery. They understand and practice excellent client service. They value disciplined information management. They have developed extensive support networks and world-scale cooperative ventures. Their professional techniques are largely unrestricted by discipline, commercial, geographical or political boundaries. An incredibly powerful set of skills and abilities! In most cases organisational senior managers have no understanding of the power residing in this wealth of knowledge and skills.

Because librarians have an intense interest in the information needs of individual clients they are usually more aware than most other Departmental officers of the overall scope of organisational activities. They are also aware of the information gaps and deficiencies within the organisation. As skilled information gatherers and coordinators they understand the principles of intellectual property. These skills can be applied most effectively in any number of areas within an organisation. The key to the gateway between challenges and accolades is in targeting the areas where the library can make the most impact on organisational core business and in marketing these achievements effectively.

Challenges

On the road to success libraries word-wide are facing the same set of challenges:

• How to become recognised as an integral and essential component of the organisation's core business
• How to achieve this status with a constantly reducing budget
• How to manage the daily business whilst identifying and undertaking new activities
• How to counteract the perception that libraries are becoming defunct with all information being available "free" on the Internet

Rule 1: Be aware of the challenges, but avoid paranoia! Challenges are only amber lights, not Stop signs.

DPI library's response to the challenges

1. Becoming integral and essential to the organisation's core business
To reach this goal a library service must sometimes look a little into the future to identify and exploit key opportunities in the present.

In 1995/6 most Queensland rural communities had no Internet access and therefore were largely unaware of the potential of the World Wide Web as a tool for competitive advantage in domestic and overseas marketing. Library staff understood that inevitable improvements in telecommunications infrastructures would one day allow isolated communities access to the world. More intuitively than strategically, Library staff undertook a number of important projects which directly contributed to Departmental core business. Two particularly important ones were:

• The delivery of Internet awareness training programs in rural and remote communities
• The initiation of a Departmental Web Services Project

Community internet awareness programs
Although only 2% of Queensland's farmers had access to the Internet in 1995, Library staff realised that the Internet had the capacity to significantly reduce rural isolation, improve communication and provide access to Departmental and other useful information sources. The potential to assist with business development was tremendous. Using a combination of library and local DPI office computer equipment, library staff conducted a series of Community Internet Awareness seminars in the far-flung corners of Queensland.

The program was extremely successful with up to 200 people, in some cases whole families travelling hundreds of kilometres, attending sessions. Over a period of two years approximately 2000 rural Queenslanders were introduced to the Internet by DPI Library Services staff. To gain double benefit from library travelling costs, these sessions were always offered at the same time as library staff were training local DPI officers in accessing library resources.

DPI Library Services did not do this job quietly! Training sessions were always accompanied by a press release, sometimes local radio announcements and always a photograph in the Departmental newsletter.

Rule 2: Erect some big billboards! If you do something for the general good of the organisation and do it well, let the world know about it!

Web services project
The Community Internet Awareness programs confirmed the convictions of library staff that rural clients were enthusiastic, if yet potential, Internet users. With the ability to double-guess the information future, library staff predicted that DPI's rural clients would want easy access to full text information sources as soon as the technology became available to them.

With approximately two year's lead time to prepare for this demand, Library Services lobbied DPI senior management and played a key role in applying for funding under the annual Queensland Government Treasury initiatives. The result was $3 million in funding over three years to establish a Web Services Project to provide clients with online access to Departmental information. This project had four major components:

• Web content development
• Web author training
• Marketing and client training and education
• Development of web information and technical infrastructures

Since this initiative commenced, the Department has realised that an irreversible quantum change in information creation, storage, organisation and delivery mechanisms has taken place at the global level. In July 1999, the DPI Web Services project will become a basic and permanent Departmental function.

Rule 3: Capitalise on past successes! The fast lane likes winners.

It is going to take many years to capture all Departmental information in electronic format but professional and technical extension staff who create the content see the advantages and are becoming more attuned to publishing their material in electronic format. By 2000 it is estimated that 50% of Queensland's farmers will have access to the Internet, a 48% increase over 4 years. The DPI web site is currently one of the most accessed sites by rural Queenslanders. It has received a four star rating in the Farmer's Guide to the Internet for providing an integrated Internet strategy because of its information content, farmer training program, bulletin boards and discussion groups. (James, Henry, (1996) Farmer's Guide to the Internet. 2nd ed. Lexington, Ky.: TVA Rural Studies.)

This initiative is now highly effective in directly supporting the DPI priority theme of improved information services to clients and the Priorities Towards 2000 theme of accessible, timely and innovative information delivery.

In 1992, as part of its extension strategy DPI began to establish print-based information centres in regional areas all over the state. By 1996 there were approximately 50 of these centres. With no dedicated staff and minimal funding, it was impossible to keep control of the recording, accuracy and relevance, storage and filing of those materials. There are now only 25 centres many of which consist primarily of a computer with access to DPI electronic materials and a telephone link to the DPI Call Centre which was established at the same time as the Web Services project. Looking back, together the Web Services and Call Centre initiatives have saved DPI hundreds of thousand of dollars while increasing the quantity, quality, storage, management and accessibility of Departmental information sources.

Other initiatives
DPI Library Services makes considerable effort to directly benefit rural communities by:

• Demonstrating DPI and other Internet-delivered information at field days, conferences and anywhere we are invited (or invite ourselves!)
• Distributing Prime Notes on CD-ROM to over 120 isolated rural public library services and Government agent offices. The Prime Notes CD-ROM contains over 2500 full text technical notes on a wide variety of farm related subjects and are also available on the DPI web site
• Providing a fee-based information research service called INFOSEARCH to provide access to services and collections which had previously been available only to Departmental officers. Members include producer associations, agribusiness, and consultants

Rule 4: Never let a limousine go by! Present your services to anyone you can, the more influential the better!

2. Addressing the core business of the Department with a constantly reducing budget
The traditional role of DPI Library Services staff is providing support for the core research activities of the Department. This has been the case for over a century. By working in close association with the DPI scientific community, library staff have an advantage: they acquire extensive knowledge of projects in progress and the various services provided by the Department. As is the case in many if not most large organisations, many DPI officers are unaware of what services other areas of the Department have to offer clients. However, to perform their jobs effectively it is important that they are kept up to date on services and sources of information available not just within DPI but also related services offered by other government and non-government organisations.

To promote these services to both clients and DPI officers, in 1998 and 1999 DPI Library Services organised two highly successful 2 day conferences called "Information Supermarkets". These conferences and accompanying trade displays showcased Departmental information and other services and also relevant services from other government departments and commercial organisations. The 1999 conference was successfully videoconferenced interactively to four regional areas with presenters from Perth, Rockhampton and Longreach. Apart from staging a successful event which addressed Departmental core business, the library also made a small profit which helped balance the budget.

Not only did this initiative raise funds for library operations; it also helped meet the library staff training and development needs as library staff were able to attend whichever sessions they chose without charge. Most importantly the conferences directly addressed the core business of the Department in a highly visible way. A bigger and better Information Supermarket 2000 is already in the planning stages.

Rule 5: Perpetuate success! If the motor's running well, why press the brake?

The funds from the conferences were re-invested in purchasing further online information services such as ISI Current Contents. To offset the shortfall required for this high quality but expensive product, licences were sold to individual researchers. Scientists were very happy to pay a small fee for this service. The cost to Library Services was further reduced by:

• Sharing the subscription with another Queensland Government Department
• Locating sponsors in the more financially endowed business areas within the Department. This is often possible at the end of the financial year and you can "befriend" someone who has some superfluous funds. These sponsors are attracted by the obvious and well advertised successes and realise they are "backing a winner"
• Conducting training programs for Departmental officers. Courses currently available are Introduction to the Internet, Accessing electronic information in DPI and Managing personal bibliographic information. In the latter case we buy the bibliographic management software licences in bulk and sell them to staff as part of the training program. DPI staff cannot obtain the licences cheaper anywhere else

We also provide free personal development opportunities for Library Services staff whilst simultaneously raising funds. This is done by brokering courses which is conducted by well known local trainers. One successful course was "Success without Stress" delivered by Bert Weir, a well known and respected radio and television personality in Brisbane. These courses were attended by staff from DPI and other government Departments. Is this a traditional library activity? The answer lies in the revenue raised!

Free demonstrations of library products and services are held at lunchtime forums at different locations around the state. Collectively called "Information at your Fingertips", these give an overview of what is available and encourage individuals to undertake the more in-depth fee-based courses.

The real value of this "wheeling and dealing" is that Library Services is now viewed by senior management as proactive and entrepreneurial.

Rule 6: Don't postpone buying a Rolls Royce because it seems too expensive! Create ways of finding the money!

To provide access to an increasing range of electronic information products for DPI staff, such as ABI/Inform and MCB Press publications, Library Services formed a consortium of other Queensland Government libraries to obtain reduced prices from the publishers. In both cases the access to information sources was improved a hundred fold with no significant extra expenditure. Further cooperative agreements are planned.

Rule 7: You are not the only driver on the road! Actively seek mutually beneficial partnerships with other library groups.

Every time a new product is introduced, the Minister or a senior executive is asked to launch the service. The launch always includes a demonstration of the product and a free morning and/or afternoon tea. A speech prepared by Library Services ensures full recognition is given to the sponsors. The sponsor is happy to appear up to date with the latest information technology and public recognition makes them more willing to contribute again.

Photographs are always taken at each launch and internal newsletter stories are often written before the event to further publicise the new service. It is a performance indicator that there is at least one article on the library's achievements in each newsletter. All library activities are highly publicised by putting notices on the daily start up screen on everyone's computer about new library services and achievements or inviting them to take part in a launch, conference, personal development course, training courses, or demonstrations. Rules 1 to 5 are again put to good use.

3. Managing the daily business whilst undertaking new activities
DPI Library Services is a relatively large special library, with the advantage of having more staff than many other special libraries. This makes it possible to undertake a wide range of activities. While these tasks do involve a lot of extra work, this is shared to a large degree. Everyone does what they are best at doing:

• The person with a flair for writing does the newsletter stories
• Those who are best at performing in public do the training and presentations
• Some staff are good at the administrative work and organising events
• Others make sure the information desk is staffed and reference inquiries are answered
• Some choose the marketing and entrepreneurial work

Every so often everyone might meet in the tea room to pack conference bags or to "stuff" publicity materials in envelopes.

Library staff morale and self esteem has grown along with the stream of successful activities. Individuals have discovered hidden talents and have developed skills in areas such as event coordination, database development, negotiation and improved interpersonal and presentation skills. Staff are also more open minded and willing to take on new activities. Innovation has become normality.

Rule 8: Discover and develop the "hidden talent" of library staff. The next Fangio could be lurking among the stacks!

In a smaller library, the manager would need to balance the relative importance of daily tasks with the level of involvement in other organisational projects. Sometimes that commitment may need to overflow into personal time in order to meet multiple deadlines. It may be that the library initiates a project but another area takes ownership of the implementation. This was the case with the DPI Web Services, initially a library sponsored project and now a separate section within the Client Information Services unit alongside Library Services, Publishing Services, Public Affairs and the Call Centre.

Rule 9: The road from challenges to accolades isn't easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is.

4. Counteracting the perception that libraries are defunct with all information being available "free" on the Internet
Radio and newspapers did not disappear when television was invented, video stores did not replace cinemas and there is no reason why libraries should disappear because of the Internet. Quite the reverse, the Internet and web technologies provide us with a glamorous front end to make what were boring old library services look exciting, interesting and leading edge.

There are very few libraries nowadays which do not have access to electronic information services either on CD-ROM or via the Internet. Because we have been using the technology for so long, we tend to take electronic information sources for granted. The reality is that in general, senior management who are primarily responsible for fund allocation within any organisation, cannot be expected to know how librarians do business. However when shown how to access full text articles on the very subject they are interested at their own desktop via the library intranet, they think it is pure magic and develop a new respect for the librarian.

Other magic library tricks include:

• Providing electronic order forms for document delivery requests
• Facilitating the ability for Department officers to manage their information needs by creating personal research profiles and e-mailing their search results to themselves or others
• Providing regular notices of relevant new publications via e-mail, including the latest contents pages of their favourite journals as soon as or before they are published.

It may be that the information you show them has been cleverly and attractively packaged by a database vendor eg. some services such as Cambridge Scientific Abstracts will simultaneously search the Internet on the same topic. However, the accolades will fall on the library for providing the service. Database vendors are generally very keen to help libraries to reap the glory; we are their biggest customers and our triumphs contribute to their profits.

Rule 10: Keep the pedal down! A little showmanship is good not only for the soul but also for the budget.

A library service can make a commitment to online information services only if the supporting infrastructure is in place. DPI is extremely fortunate in having an extensive, highly efficient and constantly maintained wide area network. The vast majority of DPI officers have reliable and acceptably fast access to online services including the ubiquitous WWW. In combination WANs and the Web are the best tools libraries have ever had at their disposal. With our clients wired into the network, we can provide simultaneous information access to all our clients regardless of their location. We can showcase our services as never before via our ever growing Library Services intranet.

Our intranet demystifies the underlying technology by providing an attractive, easily navigated vehicle which aggregates in a single location many of the information sources provided by the library. Wherever possible user names and passwords are avoided by using "smart" hypertext links. Online user guides are provided. As well as links to citation and full text databases (commercial and free), there are links to useful information such as sources of funding and grants, electronic journals, and carefully selected web sites. Our intranet also serves as the basis of training activities across the state. The intranet is entirely authored and maintained by library staff who are rapidly acquiring the new skills needed to operate in the online arena.

Rule 11: Before accelerating into cyberspace, make sure the seatbelts are fastened!

Libraries must be able to justify their migration to new modes of information delivery. This is especially true if hard copy is sacrificed. The trick here is to make our senior managers understand that access to high quality research and business information is not free, in fact very expensive, but that it provides a high return on investment. This can be done in a number of simple ways.

By way of example the Current Contents database could be purchased by individual researchers for a fee of US$3000 each. If 250 researchers purchased this service individually the cost would be US$750 000 or A$1.24m. Compare that with the price the library paid and that is the dollar value of that service to the organisation, without taking into account the unquantified value that access to about 3000 international journals provides to the research staff. This point can be emphasised by providing a one page briefing note to the CEO on the library's initiative. This information can be replicated in newsletter articles, e-mail advertisements, networked computer screen messages, monthly reports and so on. This is the WORM (Write Once, Read Many) concept applied at the basic level! Marketing does require some work but the effort can pay dividends.

Similarly, occasional statistics on high use databases can be provided to show value for investment. The money saved and the value gained from consortia arrangements which the library is either involved or better still has initiated can also be publicised this way. Departmental staff soon start to get the message that quality information costs money and that the library is doing a sterling job in making sure the organisation gets access to the information it needs and also gets excellent value for its investment.

Rule 12: Performance figures do impress the doubters! Collect and publicise these on a regular basis.

Accolades

DPI Library Services was recognised for its many achievements in November 1998 when it received a Departmental client service award for outstanding innovation across business areas. Along with the award came a $6000 reward which was most welcome.

Also in November 1998, the Director-General initiated a "Positioning DPI for the Future" project. The project asked for volunteers and the library put up its hand. The project leader asked for a small resource room to be set up to include a few books and photocopied articles for the project team. Instead the library built a special intranet site which provided the team and all Departmental staff with a Virtual Resource Centre which includes:

• Links to selected full-text articles from ABI/Inform using the new Proquest Site Builder software
• Contents pages of relevant selected journals such as The Learning Organisation
• Relevant "futuring" web sites
• Lists of relevant books and training videotapes held in the library
• Links to electronic order forms for searches, loans and interlibrary loans

When demonstrated to the project steering committee which includes several senior management team members, the library received a standing ovation for its initiative. The project team now uses the web site as its principle method of communication and information management with all its newsletters, PowerPoint presentations and project material posted to the site.

As this was a project sponsored by the Director-General, the library yet again gained a high level of credibility from this exercise cementing the view by senior management that the DPI Library Services is at the forefront of information technology use within the organisation and is the prime manager of Departmental information and knowledge.

Our very loud and very positive approach to raising funds shows that the library refuses to compromise on client services due to declining budgets. In addition we increased Departmental understanding of the work we do, our areas of expertise and the very real contribution the library makes to the achievement of Departmental goals.

We gained greater credibility and respect within the organisation for the library and its staff. As another bonus the Manager of DPI Library Services was awarded the honour of ALIA Queensland Special Librarian of the Year in 1999. This provided yet another opportunity for the library to show the Department that the library is also recognised in external professional circles for its outstanding work.

DPI Library raised $100 000 last financial year to help fund its operations. A choice was made not to enter into the downward spiral of service cuts and declining client support. As a result, various strategies to re-establish a sensible budget base such as the "Positioning DPI for 2005" project are now much more likely to gain support. To date this project looks like it may achieve an increase in base budget funding in return for a restructured library service which turns its library staff into "account managers" for Departmental projects and programs.

The extensive marketing exercises conducted by DPI Library Services over the last few years, have provided senior management with the understanding of how the service can be repositioned to provide even greater benefit to the Department and its clients. Instead of telling the Department what services would be lost because of reduced funding, the library demonstrated the value of the new services they could have access to if more funds were found. Important new value-added services were created for powerful client groups. One such niche product is our Global News Alert service catering to the needs of senior management. This fee-based service provides them with world news headlines in their specific interest areas on a daily basis, with full text articles on request.

Fund raising and marketing campaigns were implemented, stopping just short of the cake stall in the foyer; bingo among the bookshelves is still an option! The Department was made to sit up and take notice. Phrases like "knowledge managers", "pro-active", "entrepreneurial" and "leading edge" are now on the lips of our senior managers.

Rule 13: Put the hood down and cruise a bit! Display the trophies, but remember to refill the petrol tank and keep the wheels rolling to get to your destination.

Conclusion

Rule 14: Adapt, adopt and adhere to Rules 1-13. Challenges will become merely lane markers on the road to accolades.

Authors

Cathy Campbell, currently Manager, DPI Library Services is a graduate of the College of Librarianship, Wales, Aberystwyth and has a M.Sc (Science, Technology and Society) from Griffith University, Queensland. Since 1970 she has worked in a client services and managerial roles in a variety of academic and special libraries and has received four Australian national awards for library promotion.

David Meikle, DPI Library Information Specialist (Systems) has worked as a manager and as a systems librarian in school and TAFE libraries since 1975. David has also worked as a telecommunications project manager and lectured in librarianship. Currently David selects, develops and delivers training in desktop delivered information services for remote library users, manages networked citation databases, the library's intranet site and provides comprehensive support and training services across Queensland.