The essay below is one that I drafted as part of my application process for graduate school. I intent on attending Dominican University in River Forest, IL and earn my Master's in Library Science. The essay probably does not unearth anything new but I have included it in my blog as food for thought / grist for the mill.
The role of the information professional has changed radically over the past two decades. These changes came about not only with the advent of the internet, but with more recent developments such as the use of blogs. Content in general has also gone through a dramatic not only in terms amount but also in terms of quality. The information professional’s duties have also expanded to manage this wide range of content and will continue to evolve as the global economy expands and decision makers’ needs for relevant, timely and easy to access information that will enable them to create value for their organizations and remain nimble.
The skills that I have will complement the changes that are going on in the world of the information professional. I have over seven years experience as a systems development professional which will enable me to work with the various technologies that are (and will be in the future) available in an information center. In addition to that, I have managed projects and understand the need to balance scope, time and resources so that value is delivered to the client. In addition to these skills, my seven years as a consultant has given me the facilitation, negotiation and business acumen skills that will allow me to collaborate with clients (both internal and external) as they try to find ways to deliver value to their organizations. I will be able to link these skills with the research, management and technical skills that I will gain through this graduate program to truly help clients deliver value. Finally, I have spent considerable time on my own in studying and networking with others in the knowledge management (KM) area. This is one of the newer areas for the information professional and I know that it will become more important to organizations in the future as they try to integrate external content and sources with the experience and learning that is developed and takes place every day in an organization.
It is not only important to understand how the profession has changed and what skills I will bring to the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University and the profession in general, but it is also important to discuss what I intend to do within the profession once I complete the program and how I plan to add value to future organizations. In my opinion, the key to being a good information professional is to be client centered and have a strong service orientation. I am intent on working in all aspects of the profession, be that as a researcher, a technologist or in information center / library management. As part of my research before deciding to enter into the MLS program at Dominican University, I spoke to a number of people working in the profession. One theme that was common to all my conversations was the need to be flexible and open to doing different things, even if they might not appear on the surface to be related to the profession. As the profession changes and the demands placed on information professionals change, I plan to continue to look at my career in light of not only the current needs in the profession but what will be the needs in the future and take proactive steps to prepare myself to meet those needs. I intend to constantly keep myself abreast of the trends in the profession and industry needs through continuing education and constant networking with others in the profession. It is through this constant professional development and networking that I will be able to remain a vital and useful part of the profession.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Who needs to know
Who Needs to Know is an article written by Leandro Herrero of the Chalfont Project. I subscribe to his newsletter.
In the article he make a very good description of the evolution of KM as a discipline and how we are seeing a move from a strictly IT-centric view of KM to one that includes the social aspects of knowledge.
He also makes the point that many times, KM is "something added" to and existing application or process. It is used, in Leandro's words "to plug into the system.
Leandro tries to turn this thinking on it's head as he asks "who needs to know what, why, when and where they must know it and how will they find it out". These questions are asked at the onset and knowledge is the drivers.
What's good about this is that it looks at knowledge as a true corporate asset that can drive value and takes into account the social aspects of learning .
Leandro also says that "IT does not often create new behaviours, at least not sustanable ones". This is what many in the KM world have been saying. If we want KM to really deliver value, we must move it beyond simply a technology solution.
To be frank, I am not sure (from looking at journals like KM World) if all the software firms who consider themselves KM providers have figured this out yet.
In the article he make a very good description of the evolution of KM as a discipline and how we are seeing a move from a strictly IT-centric view of KM to one that includes the social aspects of knowledge.
He also makes the point that many times, KM is "something added" to and existing application or process. It is used, in Leandro's words "to plug into the system.
Leandro tries to turn this thinking on it's head as he asks "who needs to know what, why, when and where they must know it and how will they find it out". These questions are asked at the onset and knowledge is the drivers.
What's good about this is that it looks at knowledge as a true corporate asset that can drive value and takes into account the social aspects of learning .
Leandro also says that "IT does not often create new behaviours, at least not sustanable ones". This is what many in the KM world have been saying. If we want KM to really deliver value, we must move it beyond simply a technology solution.
To be frank, I am not sure (from looking at journals like KM World) if all the software firms who consider themselves KM providers have figured this out yet.
Demand for Librarians on the Rise
I read an article online that was in the online version of the Detroit News in the Careers section. It was written by Kathy Carlson of the Gannett News Service. The article appeared Friday, September 10, 2004. The basic gist of the article was that "librarians don't just live in the four walls of the library anymore".
This article, coupled with a meeting I had with Susan Chenoweth of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago led me to think that maybe those of us in the KM world need to look closer at librarianship as a way to move the profession forward. Susan told me that if you are willing to work in a number of different areas and be involved with various technologies, librarianship can be a rewarding career.
It seems to me that we have been letting technology lead the way in the KM world. Many of us in KM come from a technology background so naturally we tend to think of KM in those terms. What I have discovered is professional managers of information (librarians in particular) might be the innovators we have overlooked.
Just some food for thought and grist for the mill.
This article, coupled with a meeting I had with Susan Chenoweth of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago led me to think that maybe those of us in the KM world need to look closer at librarianship as a way to move the profession forward. Susan told me that if you are willing to work in a number of different areas and be involved with various technologies, librarianship can be a rewarding career.
It seems to me that we have been letting technology lead the way in the KM world. Many of us in KM come from a technology background so naturally we tend to think of KM in those terms. What I have discovered is professional managers of information (librarians in particular) might be the innovators we have overlooked.
Just some food for thought and grist for the mill.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
What is Knowledge Management
Since this blog will (hopefully) get people to start talking about and/or thinking about knowledge management (KM) as a discipline, I would like to submit my definition of KM for people to comment.
KM is the discipline whereby the experience and learning that goes on in an organization can be used as a corporate asset. To that end, two things must be present. First, there must be an organizational culture that places a premium on knowledge sharing and second, the processes and tools must be in place whereby experiences can be captured, the universal truth extracted from the experience, the universal truth is then published to the rest of the organization and finally, the universal truth is examined after some period of time in light of changes that have gone on in the internal and external environment.
In short, KM is not simply implementing some sort of tool. It must take into consideration people, process and culture.
All are welcome to comment.
KM is the discipline whereby the experience and learning that goes on in an organization can be used as a corporate asset. To that end, two things must be present. First, there must be an organizational culture that places a premium on knowledge sharing and second, the processes and tools must be in place whereby experiences can be captured, the universal truth extracted from the experience, the universal truth is then published to the rest of the organization and finally, the universal truth is examined after some period of time in light of changes that have gone on in the internal and external environment.
In short, KM is not simply implementing some sort of tool. It must take into consideration people, process and culture.
All are welcome to comment.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Welcome
Thanks for looking at my blog. I hope you find some thought provoking items here that you can use both personally and professionally
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