tfpl blog

New Knowledge Management Know How To Guide – Know How To Understand, Support and Improve Knowledge Flows

Author: Claire Valentine, Training Manager

A new Knowledge Management Know How To guide has been added to TFPL’s web site.   The guide, which explains how to understand, support and improve knowledge flows in organisations, is available as a pdf download and can found via the following link http://www.tfpl.com/consultancy/knowledgetools.cfm.

This new Know How To guide further adds to TFPL’s body of guides – each designed to help knowledge management professionals address day to day organisational challenges.

The guide has been written by two of our Associates and Trainers: Sandra Ward and Ian Wooler.   For them, knowledge is the lifeblood of an organisation, and in this Know How To guide they share their consultancy knowledge and experience to help you keep knowledge flowing in your organisation.   Their approach is centred on 9 simple steps.   These steps are based on the flow of knowledge through the cycle of Creation; Sharing; Transfer; and Retention.   Also included in this new pdf are 5 Top Tips based on Sandra and Ian’s experience.

We will be adding further new Know How To guides to our web site over the coming months…so watch this space.

 

DREaM with the LIS Research Coalition and TFPL

I am pleased to announce our support of the Library and Information Science Research Coalition’s project – Developing Research Excellence and Methods (DREaM).  Last year the LIS Research Coalition was awarded a grant from the AHRC to support the DREaM project.  The project will comprise a number of events where researchers from LIS and other subject domains will review methods and provide overviews of their strengths and weaknesses.  A wide range of techniques are to be evaluated beyond the standard qualitative and quantitative techniques commonly used in LIS research.

The full list of DREaM project events is as follows:

1. Tuesday 19th July 2011 – project launch conference “Out of the comfort zone” at British Library Conference Centre, London (places for 100 participants) – please register here
2. Tuesday 25th October 2011 – workshop 1 (of 3) at Craighouse campus, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh (places for 30 participants)
3. Monday 30th January 2012 – workshop 2 (of 3) at the British Library Conference Centre, London (places for 30 participants)
4. Wednesday 25th April 2012 – workshop 3 (of 3) at Craighouse campus, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh (places for 30 participants)
5. Monday 9th July 2012 – concluding event at the British Library Conference Centre, London (places for 40 participants)

As part of our support we have sponsored two places for research students at the event at the British Library Conference Centre on 19th July.  This is an important project for all and something that LIS will be able to benefit from for the future.

 

Darron Chapman, Managing Director

TFPL Connect – Harnessing the power of networks

Author: Claire Valentine, Training Manager
TFPL Intelligent Resources

We enjoyed an interesting event last night on how best to develop networks both in the traditional sense and also utilising the latest social media tools. Our event was presided over by Iain Simpson who introduced our speakers and provided the continuing thread throughout the evening.

Julia Hordle stood in for the billed speaker Andrew Beurschgens who was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances.  Julia has worked closely with Andrew and the UK chapter of the Competitive Intelligence forum (UKCIF) for many years and gave some really good pointers on what it takes to develop a traditional network using the methods they had employed to develop UKCIF. 

The key points that I took away from this were that action is all important, particularly the willingness to give and share information along with an enthusiasm and energy to keep the interaction going.  UKCIF started out with an 8 person group who were not afraid to go out to the rest of the community, through their own individual contacts and try something out.  With very little funding they were able to set up a website and utilising different communication channels, including social media tools.

Following on from this was Jemima Gibbons, a social media strategist.  Jemima introduced the group to several new ways to get the most from the popular social media tools such as twitter and LinkedIn.  She also suggested a 5 point plan on how to develop your own social media communication strategy and develop your own online network.  The most important point for me here I think was to develop your own story and not just use it as a corporate broadcasting tool.  Interact with others, replying to, commenting on others comments and questions.

The aspect that I think brings both of these presentations together is the motivation to act and a key aspect of encouraging others to interact and to share their own thought and information is to start sharing information yourself.  Full details of both presentations will be available in the member's area of the TFPL Connect site very shortly.

The Cloud - An information management dream or nightmare?

Author: Claire Valentine, Training Manager
TFPL Intelligent Resources

We have seen a great deal of hype recently about ‘the cloud’ but what is it exactly?  What does it mean for business and what are the implications for KIM professionals?  These were our thoughts when putting together the programme for our October event.

From my research and the people  I have spoken to so far,  it seems that whilst there are clear advantages in terms of cost savings and efficiencies there are also clear concerns on information security, information management and storage and management of compliance and risk.

Despite these concerns which are the same across sectors, business continues to push forward with the outsourcing and sharing of IT services.  Gartner itself predicts that over $100 billion will be spent by business on cloud services in the next 6 years and indeed I have heard case studies of both local and central government use of the cloud growing.  It is true that there are clear advantages also for collaboration and Gartner again predicts that projects will become smaller and shorter as ‘cloud culture’ takes a hold on organisations.

So it seems that the advantages will outweigh the risks in the end and that this trend will continue to move forward.   All we can do is be ready and ensure that the correct policies are applied when needed.

BIALL Conference: Gateshead

Anne Ashdown, Consultant, TFPL

What do you get when you cross a group of legal information officers with a long weekend in Newcastle?  Well, thankfully not the latest showing of Geordie Shores but in fact BIALL’s 42nd Annual Study Conference & Exhibition. Conference this year was both informative and a great networking opportunity; chance to catch up with professional colleagues and the opportunity to meet new faces.

It was held in the very modern environment of the SAGE at Gateshead. This is a spectacular venue in a wonderful setting, overlooking the Tyne and the Millenium Bridge. 

This year’s conference was on the topic of “Sharing Experience; building value in legal information”. We learned about the importance of measuring the effectiveness of your service, retaining a focus on customer insight and satisfaction and making sure you understand your clients’ specific needs. Once you have the right mechanisms in place you can ensure your service focuses on meeting business objectives and improving performance of your function. There were many more sessions that I was unable to attend but the general “buzz” of comments all indicated a very worthwhile conference agenda.

We're on the move...

by Luisa Jefford, Director, TFPL

This Friday is a momentous day in the world of TFPL.  We move from the offices which have been our home for the last 5 and a half years.  Reflecting back, I think Blackfriars has been good to us. It has been a great location for us to visit our clients in both the City and Westminster. For those who enjoy a lunchtime stroll we are a stone’s throw away from the Southbank and the Tate Modern and we have all enjoyed sampling a beverage in what I think are some of London's finest bars and pubs.  Walking by St Paul's in the sunshine always reminds me of why I love London.

I am sure I am not alone in thinking the more birthdays you have, the quicker the time goes. In 2005 TFPL was newly acquired by the IDOX Group, with 120 staff over 3 locations.  Today, after numerous complementary acquisitions to the group we are co-located over several regions across the UK and Europe with over 350 staff. Like most of us I sit in an organisation that has evolved in this time and the way we operate with our clients has also changed.  5 years ago I certainly wasn’t using Twitter or Facebook and my LinkedIn profile was in its infancy - these tools have been instrumental in telling people that we are on the move.

From Monday our address will be 2nd Floor, Chancery Exchange, 10 Furnival Street, LONDON, EC4A 1AB.  If you find yourselves in the area give us a call and pop in for a coffee so you can see our new space.

What does Digital Continuity look like in your organisation?

Author: Frieda Midgley, Associate Consultant and Trainer

TFPL Intelligent Resources

The BBC has recently launched Domesday Reloaded http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday, the online archive version of the 1986 BBC Domesday project.  The story of the Domesday Project http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/story is a fantastic illustration of the problem of technological obsolescence  - what was 'state of the art' technology at the time quickly became outdated, and the information gathered became largely inaccessible.  This may be an interesting case study in digital preservation, but perhaps more interesting are the broader dynamics of the situation.  Extraordinary changes have occurred over the intervening 25 years, not just in terms of technological possibilities for delivering the information collected in 1986, but also in terms of our expectations of how we might access and interact with it.  It will also be interesting to observe how we respond to that information now that it is available again, and what value we perceive it to have.

So the problem of digital obsolescence may be a familiar one, but although superficially it may appear to be largely a technical problem, the solutions to managing it are far from purely technical.  Consider the dynamics that threaten the accessibility and usability of your organisation's digital information over time.  It is not just technological change that puts that information at risk, but the changing interactions between corporate priorities, the technical environment, and the information itself.  You need actively to manage these interactions to ensure that the right information continues to be available, in the right form, at the right time.  An innovative project at The National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/projects-and-work/digital-continuity.htm coined the term 'Digital Continuity' to describe this process, and has developed groundbreaking approaches to managing Digital Continuity in the government sector.

This is a time of accelerated change for many organisations, and it is precisely at times like this that the threat to the continuing accessibility and usability of digital information is elevated.  Equally, it is precisely at times like this that the opportunities for adopting new approaches and achieving greater efficiencies present themselves.   Digital continuity is part of good information design, and as such, it can save you time and money.  It is about treating information as a corporate asset and managing it in a way that ensures you protect the value in the information you create, but do not unnecessarily retain information or functionality that you do not require. Managing Digital Continuity requires cooperation across the organisation, including Senior Management, IT and Information Security, Information and Knowledge Management, and the line of business managers who create and use information.  Structures and processes tailored to your organisation need to be developed and embedded. Now, more than ever, the financial pressures across all sectors make it imperative that information is managed efficiently, but also that where change is occurring, we are making the most of the opportunities this presents to improve structures, systems and processes.