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Rivers of knowledge9th Specials, Health and Law Libraries ConferenceContracting and consulting in the information arena
Alison Fields AbstractA study has been conducted in contract and consultancy work in the fields of Librarianship, Records Management, Information Management and Archives in New Zealand. From the findings of this study, there will be some important questions answered about this type of work; why people have entered this field, what they do once they get there, and most importantly, why they want to stay. It also looks at the necessary skills and attributes of these consultants and contractors, and how these are essential to surviving and thriving in the field. 'No office politics, no meetings, and you still get invited to Christmas parties...' IntroductionNew Zealand has a small but growing sector of the information arena working as contractors or consultants. Little is known about this group, and so a study was conducted to identify the size, nature and purpose of contract and consultancy work in the information arena in New Zealand today. This study focuses on the contracting and consulting side of information services dealing with the identification, provision and management of information. It covers several closely allied fields; Librarianship, Records Management, Archives, Information Management, and Knowledge Management. Three main outcomes for the study were specifically targeted:
Information collected for this study came from two main sources. Firstly, a review of the literature was conducted; to identify what studies have already been done, what the common threads of thought and discussion are within this sector, what practices are in use, and what else is being written about by practitioners, employers and academics. Secondly, interviews were conducted with New Zealand contractors and consultants operating within the information arena; to identify what kind of work they are involved in, how they operate, and why they choose to work in this sector. The information gathered in the interviews has provided some useful statistical and empirical data, and some comparisons are able to be drawn between this and other studies. The review of the literature is summarised below, and a selection of the findings of the survey are given in this paper.
A review of the literature located some very useful information about this sector, giving overviews of the contract and consultancy market, and also giving specific details, practices and advice for interested parties. There is something for everyone interested in this area, whether they are observing it, considering working in it, or already actively involved. The literature fell into several distinct groups, being studies of the group as a whole, the industry, tools, skills, services, directories of the profession and personal perspectives. Studies of contract or consultancy workSeveral studies have been conducted in the past focussing on establishing a profile of information consulting or contracting businesses in various countries. The most notable of these are Frey's Survey of Information Consultants and Brokers in Australia, conducted in 1985[1] and Warr's Paying for Business Information, a survey of United Kingdom consultants and brokers conducted in 1991.[2] Frey's study looked specifically at broking and consulting businesses in terms of: 'resources used, the client base, capitalisation, number of staff - their qualifications ... means of receiving requests for work, use of subcontractors ... and finally, views on attributes required for success in the area, and consultant/broker views on the future of the area in Australia.'[3] Frey states that there is no 'umbrella term which can be used to describe this group of brokers, consultants and contractors'[4], but it is clear by the services provided by this group that it encompasses librarianship, research, records management and information management.[5] Warr's study in 1991 focused on UK information brokers who provide services to the business community. The main aim of this study was to: 'provide an overview of UK information broking services ... identifying traits among information brokers ... [and to see] whether there are any gaps in business information provision by information brokers'[6] Warr's study also determined that 'Definitions of who or what information brokers actually are, remain varied as does the terminology to describe them eg. Information consultant, free-lance librarian, fee-based service, etc.'[7] As both of these studies have a number of features in common with the current study, including being based on surveys of people operating in these sectors, several comparisons can be made on the resulting data. Previous studies in this field are plentiful, but are either older, or focus on different aspects of contracting and consulting in the information management field. Examples include Debons[8] who looked at numbers and types of information professionals employed in the US in the early 1980s, Maranjian and Boss[9] who surveyed fee-based services, and Broadbent and Kelson[10] who looked at Information Brokers in Victoria in the early 1980s. Little seems to have been conducted more recently. The industrySome general industry overviews of contracting and consulting work have been published, most of which look at a specific geographical area or a specific service. Examples include Lowther's 1999 article Information Consultants and Contractors[11] in New Zealand which gives a broad overview of this sector within the fields of Librarianship and Records Management, and discusses what these consultants and contractors offer, how to find them and what to expect in the way of results. Another is Paul's article Establishing an Information Consultancy in Australia[12] which looks at the equivalent Australian sector, and discusses why people enter it and how they operate. Tools, skills and servicesA range of working tools, skills and services for contractors and consultants also feature in the literature, including tools such as the Code of Practice for Information Brokers[13] which offers guidelines for operating within this sector. Examples of skills and services include Morrow's Keeping Your Ear to the Ground[14] which looks at the range of essential skills needed by today's information professionals. There is also a wide range of articles that deal with particular services being offered by contractors and consultants in the information arena. Directories of the professionSeveral directories of information consultants have appeared in recent years, which provide an invaluable resource for this sector. Many of these relate to particular countries, and are either commercial listings or are issued by professional bodies. Of the current listings available around the world, the most widely ones used include the Burwell World Directory of Information Brokers[15] which began as a US listing and is now an international directory, the IIA's (Information Industry Association) annual membership directory called Information Sources,[16] the Directory of Information Brokers and Consultants[17] based in the UK, and the Australian Information Management and Consulting Association's Information Consultants, Freelancers and Brokers Directory.[18] There is currently no single New Zealand listing, although some of the consultants and contractors can be found at the LIANZA[19] and ARMA Wellington Chapter websites.[20] Personal perspectivesThe literature also has a high number of articles and other items featuring personal perspectives of working in this sector. Examples include Hopkins' Working as an Independent Contractor,[21] giving practical and sensible advice on how to work successfully in this area, and Dobbie's Working From Home is Like a Chocolate...[22] which looks at the pluses and minuses of working from home. SummaryAlthough there is a wide range of items available in the literature, little of it comes from New Zealand. In many cases, ideas, experiences and comparisons need to be made with overseas sources. It is hoped that over time there may be a growth of literature coming from New Zealand in this area.
New Zealand's size and geographical location may have a bearing on the size and nature of its contracting and consulting sector in the information arena. The following figures give an idea of the size of this sector within New Zealand and give comparisons with Australia. New Zealand's population is currently around 3.8 million. This is relatively small compared to Australia's 19.2 million, but close in comparison with Melbourne's population of around 3.2 million and almost equivalent to Sydney's population. New Zealand's population is, however, spread along the length of the country and is not all concentrated into one area. This may have some bearing on the shape, nature and extent of contract and consultancy services within New Zealand. New Zealand has several professional associations covering the areas of librarianship, records management and archives, and these are mirrored to a large extent with similar associations in Australia. New Zealand has LIANZA (Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) and Australia has ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association), the NZLLG (New Zealand Law Librarians' Group) is mirrored with the ALLG (Australian Law Librarians Group), both countries have ARMA chapters (Association of Records Managers and Administrators), New Zealand has ARANZ (Archives and Records Association of New Zealand) while Australia has the RMAA (Records Management Association of Australia), and the New Zealand Society of Archivists is mirrored with the Australian Society of Archivists. Even though the range of professional associations is very similar, there are still differences in size. For example, LIANZA currently has around 1430 members, counting both personal and institutional members. ALIA currently has around 7000 members, with just under 6000 personal members and around 1000 institutional members. This accounts for a sizeable difference in the scale of operations in between New Zealand and Australia. The number of consultants currently working in these fields is a little more difficult to determine. In this study, conducted in New Zealand in 2001, 36 possible candidates were identified for participating in the study, and 26 of these were interviewed. In Frey's study along similar lines in Australia in 1985, 62 candidates were identified, and 38 of these replied to the survey. In 1984, Broadbent and Kelson identified 36 individuals and 7 businesses operating in Victoria alone.[23] This puts New Zealand's contracting and consulting sector at a similar size to Victoria's in the mid-1980s. Although there are differences in the relative size of our populations and information industries, the structure is quite similar. This allows for some effective comparisons to be made between the two, despite the size difference.
The survey of contractors and consultants was the main source of information for this study. It consisted of one-to-one interviews with practitioners, conducted in person where possible, and by phone when necessary. There was also one e-mail interview, as neither a meeting nor phone call were viable in that case. Conducting the interviews in person or by phone meant that questions could be discussed if necessary, and impressions could be gained that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. It also ensured a high response rate, which may not have been so easily gained from a postal survey. Each interview took about an hour to complete, and gave each contractor or consultant the chance to give their views, ideas and experiences on a wide range of topics. Most of the questions were deliberately open ended so there was a great deal of material gathered during these interviews. This paper will focus on selected areas covered by the survey. These areas are:
Others areas covered by the interviews will be discussed in later papers and articles, and further consultation will be made with the contractors and consultants participating in this study before addressing some of the issues that were identified.
Potential interviewees were identified from a number of sources. They all had to be contractors or consultants currently working in one of the five fields encompassed by this study. Given the absence of a national directory or listing of the people involved in this line of work, identification was not a straightforward matter. The sources used for identifying contractors and consultants working in these fields were varied, and included:
These sources identified 43 possible candidates. On checking, seven of these were found to be beyond the scope of this study (mainly no longer working as contractors or consultants). Of the thirty-six remaining people, twenty-six people were interviewed, three were not interviewed as they were too busy to participate in the study or there was no time that suited, and seven did not respond to e-mails or phone calls. This gave a response rate of 72.2 per cent for the survey.
The interviews collected some very useful and interesting data. A summary of the main findings of selected areas follows. i. The peopleOf the 26 people interviewed, 84.6 per cent were female and 15.4 per cent were male, perpetuating the pattern of higher numbers of women than men being in these professions. With regard to the location of these people within New Zealand, there was found to be a high concentration of contractors and consultants in Wellington, with sixteen of the interviewees working there. Six interviewees were based in Auckland, and a further five interviewees were based in smaller centres around the country. ii. QualificationsThe formal qualifications of contractors and consultants ranged considerably, although almost all (96 per cent) have tertiary qualifications in their particular discipline and many had other areas of expertise as well. Although not everyone gave specific details for this question, twenty-one of the tewnty-six people interviewed indicated they have at least a Bachelors degree, and there were a further twenty-two higher degrees or postgraduate diplomas listed amongst this group collectively. The higher degrees, including a doctorate, were in the fields of librarianship, archives and records management, business administration, public management, New Zealand history and teaching. Other qualifications tended to be specifically focussed on the area being worked in: the most common being library studies certificates and diplomas and certified records manager qualifications. iii. ExperienceInterviewees were asked to briefly outline their work experience. The replies received for this showed that all contractors and consultants interviewed have a strong background in their particular field or a related discipline, with substantial work experience in librarianship, archives or records management. The total length of time each interviewee had been working in their field, counting both contract/consultancy work and salaried work, was found to be between ten and forty years. This minimum of 10 years experience, ranging up to forty years in the information arena, shows that the people currently working within this sector have a great deal of experience to bring to their professional work. iv. Length of time as a contractor or consultantInterviewees were asked 'What length of time have you been working as a consultant/contractor?' The replies to this showed a scattered coverage of length of service. The average length of time worked as a consultant or contractor is 7.3 years. The most common length of time was in the three to five year range, with the next most common lengths of time being one to two years and eleven to fifteen years.
The average length of time of 7.3 years shows not only stability for people in this sector, but also shows that for those who are successful or like the lifestyle options it provides, contract or consultancy work in this area can be a viable long-term career. There is a steady progression of people entering this sector, and many of those who enter appear to stay. When compared with the data in Frey's 1985 Survey of Consultants and Brokers in Australia, a difference in patterns emerges.
Although people within New Zealand's contracting and consulting sector appear more likely to stay in this sector once they have entered it, far more movement is shown in the Australian market. Here the most common length of service in the two- to five-year range, and it tapers off considerably after this. A number of factors could be responsible for this trend, including the amount of work available in each market, differences in the structure of the markets over time, or different reasons for wanting to be in the sector, to name just a few. It could also be that the Australian sector was just establishing itself in the 1980s, and so its people did not have the same length of service in contracting and consulting as they may have now. Further data, such as a more recent Australian study, would need to be collected before the reasons for this could be fully determined. v. Distinctions between contract and consultancy workInterviewees were asked 'Would you distinguish between contract and consultancy work, and if so, how?' The majority of responses did indicate a difference, this being that in its pure form, contract work is usually a specific piece of work or tasks done at client's premises, often locum work, whilst consultancy is based around giving advice and assessments, or providing a professional opinion. Tasks were often seen as more wide-ranging for consultants that for contractors. Several interviewees also indicated that another feature distinguishing these types of work is the pay rate. Consultants were generally thought to be able to charge more for services than contractors. It is interesting to note that this comment was made by interviewees across the board, whether involved in contract or consultancy work or both. Although most responses indicated a clear difference between the two, a few commented that in practice there is a 'definite blurring of the lines' between contract and consultancy work. Several noted that it is often difficult to distinguish between the two, and when doing a variety of work, some will fall clearly into one category while others cannot be so easily categorised. vi. Kind of work currently involved inInterviewees were asked 'What kind of work/tasks are you usually involved in?' The overall responses to this question showed a great deal of variety. About half of the interviewees said they stayed relatively within their own area of interest, such as cataloguing, indexing, records management consulting, KM strategies, locum work, training or research. Those that stay within their own field tend to be contractors or freelancers with specific interests or skills in those areas. Some of the contractors, and more particularly consultants, have found their work has branched out beyond the traditional scope of their specific field. Skills such as project management, mentoring, fund securing and some types of research extend well beyond the boundaries of traditional librarianship, records management and information management. One consultant observed that for her, the work is 'varied as it is demand driven'. Tasks that some of the consultants are currently involved in include judging business awards, conducting organisational climate surveys, teaching through the Internet, creating databases, and co-ordinating consumer health information. The range of tasks available to these people seems to be constantly expanding. vii. Full-time or part-time workRespondents were asked 'Is contract/consultancy work a full-time occupation for you?' The majority of interviewees responded that they work full-time. Of the twenty-six respondents, twenty said that they work full-time, and four others work part-time because they choose to do so and do not engage in any other form of work. One respondent combines consultancy work with salaried work, and one combines contract or consultancy work with studying for a higher degree.
This gives a very strong indication that contract or consultancy work is done as an exclusive form of work, with twenty-four respondents (92.3 per cent of those surveyed) indicating this is the sole form of work they are currently involved in. Although this question was expected to draw only 'yes' or 'no' answers, several replied with details on the extent of their working hours. The most common comment was that contract or consultancy work is 'more than full-time', while a few noted that although this type of work is full-time, they are still able to choose 'when you work and when you take breaks'. For this latter group, the flexibility to be able to choose full-time or less than full-time work is one of the advantages of being a contractor or consultant. It is difficult to compare this with Frey's survey results, as Frey had asked individuals and businesses differently worded questions on this subject. Frey found that only thirty-six per cent of individuals considered themselves full-time while sixty-four per cent were part-time. She also found that seventy-one per cent of individuals had a supplementary income in terms of other employment.[24] Although this pattern is quite different to the 92.3 per cent of interviewees indicating they work full-time as contractors or consultants in New Zealand, it is unclear what external factors caused this difference. More data would be required, perhaps in the form of a more recent survey of Australian consultants and brokers, before this could be determined. viii. Which 'specialty'?Respondents were asked 'If you had to align yourself with a single 'specialty', would it be: librarianship, records management, archives, information management or knowledge management?' Several respondents selected more than one specialty, and several had different interpretations on what some of these fields encompassed. Of the responses received seven were for librarianship (twenty-one per cent), three for records management (nine per cent), one for archives (three per cent), fifteen for information management (forty-five per cent), and five for knowledge management (fifteen per cent). There were also two other 'specialties' chosen which were not on the original list: one for research and one for project management.
An interesting point of these results is that when compared to the description of the type of work respondents are currently involved in, and the type of tasks they usually do, the correlation is not very high. Although some kept firmly to their traditional area of expertise, many said their 'specialty' is 'information management' and went on to clarify their understanding of the term. For most interviewees, where more than one type of work is being done, a broader term such as 'information management' is applied. Several interviewees indicated that for them 'information management' in this context involves a grouping of records management, archives and information management, and for others it is a grouping of librarianship and information management. One interviewee said that the term she identified most closely with was dependent on which client she was currently working with, and that the 'specialty' can change over time. ix. Why they chose contract or consultancy workInterviewees were asked 'Why did you choose to do contract/consultancy work?' There were a wide variety of answers given to this question, and usually more than one answer per person. Replies generally fell into three categories: reasons for becoming a contractor or consultant, reasons for stopping whatever they were doing beforehand, and reasons for the conditions and lifestyle of this type of work. Looking firstly at reasons for wanting to become a contractor or consultant, the findings here were mostly positive. Five interviewees indicated that you could 'be in charge of your own work', have variety, freedom, independence, be 'able to make your own decisions' and have 'more control over your work environment'. A further three said they particularly wanted to do project work, and three wanted the range of challenges and opportunities that this type of work offers. Looking secondly at reasons for stopping whatever they were doing beforehand, several common themes appeared, mostly negative in aspect. The most common given in these cases included no longer wishing to be involved in the politics of an organisation (five responses), wanting a change from salaried work (four responses), and having been made redundant (four responses). The last of these was particularly interesting in how redundancy was viewed: two chose contract or consultancy work as they did not wish to be made redundant again, one felt 'forced into it' after being made redundant, and one viewed redundancy as providing the 'opportunity to do this kind of work'. On the other side of this equation, there were five interviewees who said they were simply 'offered this type of work and gladly accepted it'. Looking lastly at the conditions and lifestyle of being a contractor or consultant, several themes again became apparent. Three took this option as a lifestyle choice because of the flexibility in hours worked and the potential for time off between contracts. One interviewee said part-time work was difficult to find at her level, so does consultancy work as a viable alternative. Another said contract and consultancy work is good in that it allows her to 'use her entire skillset', while others mentioned the variety of work available, working for a range of institutions, being able 'to make a difference in a number of different places', and 'having the opportunity to travel'. x. Skills and attributesInterviewees were asked 'What skills do you think are essential for doing your work?' and 'What attributes or personal qualities do you think are necessary to do your work well?' They were not given a predetermined list of skills and attributes to select from, but instead named their own. Replies which had the same content or intent were then grouped together. There was an extent of overlap in the replies received for these two questions, as some skills and attributes fall across both areas. Because of this, these areas are being looked at together. Interviewees identified a total of thirty-six distinct skill areas which they deemed to be essential for doing their work. Ten of these skills were listed by four or more people. Interviewees also identified thirty-three attributes or personal qualities they thought were necessary for doing their work well, with six of these listed by four or more people. When combining these results, we get the following list of skills and attributes, ranked in order with the most commonly given skills and attributes first:
It is important to note that technical expertise in your own field ranked as only the second most commonly desired skill or quality to have. This was surpassed by communication skills, deemed to be the most common skill needed to be successful in these fields. This may be an area where contractors and consultants differ from their counterparts in the information arena who are in more fixed employment. Again, further data would need to be collected before this could be determined. The figure of 65.4 per cent of interviewees listing technical expertise as an essential skill measures well against Frey's result of 68 per cent for professional expertise. Frey's results did not list communication skills as highly as in this study, but did have managerial and entrepreneurial skills at 50 per cent and a range of other skills and attributes at a lesser rate. In this current study, of the other skills identified by interviewees, quite a variety is given, showing perhaps the diverse nature of work being done by people in this sector. Apart from technical expertise in their particular fields, replies to these questions seem to be based around three different areas: Firstly, many of the skills and attributes revolve around professional qualities: objectivity, efficiency, tolerance, diplomacy, tact, charisma, and common sense. Secondly, there was a centering of skills and attributes on personal qualities such as: enthusiasm, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, being able to think on your feet, having a sense of humour, having a thick skin, being a self-starter, being prepared to tackle anything, being able to handle isolation, an ability to cope with flux and change, resilience, persistence, curiosity, a fascination for the politics of the organisation, being able to say 'No' when needed, creative thinking, and entrepreneurial skills. Lastly, other skills focussed on areas related directly to the type of work being done: understanding the client relationship, understanding business processes and strategies, understanding the managers' stance, and understanding business methodologies in the electronic environment. These skills and attributes show us much about not only this group of people, but also the type of work they are doing. While it is very rare for any person to possess all of these skills, it could be expected that those who possess a large selection of these skills and attributes are more likely to thrive in this sector than those who have a lesser selection. xi. The best things about being a contractor or consultantInterviewees were asked 'What is the best thing about doing contract or consultancy work?' A wide range of replies was given, and these are as individual as the people who work in this sector. They are as much a commentary on the nature of the people doing this type of work as on the work itself. It is difficult to quantify these particular replies, but useful to recognise that these comments can serve as an inspiration to those working in the sector and those considering entering it. They can almost be described as 'Chicken soup for the contractors' and consultants' soul'. The following are some of the thoughts of the contractors and consultants who were interviewed. The best thing about doing contract or consultancy work is:
Contract and consultancy work in New Zealand within the disciplines of Librarianship, Records Management, Archives, Information Management and Knowledge Management is currently a small sector. It has some interesting parameters, and equally interesting people working within it. There is a tendency for contractors and consultants to cross the traditional boundaries of their first 'specialty' and move into other areas. There also seems to be an increasingly diverse range of work being done by people in this sector. The findings of this study not only provides data about the current shape and operation of this sector, but also provides information for those who are wanting to enter this sector, or who are currently operating within it. General characteristics of this sector identified by this study show strong correlations with the findings of Frey's 1985 Survey of Information Consultants and Brokers in Australia. New Zealand's contracting and consulting sector in the information arena may also have similarities with equivalent sectors in other countries or with contractors and consultants within other fields and disciplines. For more detailed comparisons of this sector with others, it may be useful to conduct follow-up surveys to obtain more data. The three most obvious options are:
BibliographyBroadbent, M. and Kelson, D. 'Information brokers in Victoria: Doing what, for whom, and how.' Australian Library Journal 33 no4 (November 1984): 13-21. Burwell, Helen P., ed. The Burwell world directory of information brokers. 13th ed. Houston, TX: Burwell Enterprises, 1998. Code of practice for information brokers. [Luxembourg]: European Association of Information Sciences, EIIA, European Information Researchers Network, with the support of the Commission of the European Communities, 1993. Debons, A. et al. The information professional: survey of an emerging field. New York: Dekker, 1981. Dobbie, Hazel. 'Working from home is like a chocolate...' Library Life 246 (June 2000); 13. Frey, Christine. Information consultants and brokers in Australia: Report of a national survey conducted in November 1985. [Hobart]: University of Tasmania, 1986. Hopkins, Rowena. 'Working as an independent contractor'. Library Life 246 (June 2000): 11-12. Information Management and Consulting Association. Information consultants, freelancers and brokers directory. Sydney: IMCA, 1991- Kelson, D. A study of information brokers in Victoria. Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor of Social Science (Librarianship). RMIT, 1983. Lowther, Diane and Spanhake, Carol. 'Information consultants and contractors.' Library Life 237 (August 1999): 14-16. Maranjian, L. and Boss, R. Fee-based information services. New York: Bowker, 1980. Morrow, V. 'Keeping your ear to the ground.' Information World Review 139 (Sept 1998): 24-5. Paul, M. 'Establishing an information consultancy in Australia.' IMCA Newsletter 3 no.1 (May 1987): 7-15. Warr, Karen M. Paying for business information: the role of UK information brokers and consultants as providers of business information. Humberston, Grimsby: Effective Technology Marketing Ltd, 1992. Footnotes1 Frey. 2 Warr. 3 Frey, 1. 4 Ibid, 15. 5 Ibid, 7-9. 6 Warr, 1. 7 Ibid. 8 Debons. 9 Maranjian. 10 Broadbent and Kelson; Kelson. 11 Lowther. 12 Paul. 13 Code of practice for information brokers. 14 Morrow. 15 Burwell. 16 IIA. 17 Directory of Information Brokers and Consultants, 1986. 18 Information Management and Consulting Association. 19 See http://lianza.org..nz/consultants.htm 20 See http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/arma.wgtn/Consultants.htm 21 Hopkins. 22 Dobbie. 23 Broadbent and Kelson, quoted in Frey, 16. 24 Frey, 6.
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