We can do it!
April 22nd, 2008To help clients keep current, I read alot. Whether it be e-mail alerts, RSS feeds, or text messages, I read everything I can get my hands on that could possibly have an effect on the work of the attorneys I work for. It’s a passion of mine and always has been, believing that if I care for the client’s work, my client will, in turn, care about me and my work, and in turn again, give me more work. It’s how I’ve done legal research for almost 10 years now. And it works.
So, I was thrilled to read this piece in AdAge today Take a look:
“How I wish I had an Insight & Information Department — a smart person (or a few) responsible for keeping me ahead of the curve. A person with access to research tools such as MRI, Simmons, Iconoculture, etc. At worst, it would save me the 15-20 hours a month I currently spend reading and synthesizing information. At best, it would give me ready access to research that will make the work we do more compelling and effective.”
Wait a minute. Librarians can do that! Here’s more:
“More importantly though, and in keeping with the spirit of this blog, smaller agencies need to have access to smart people and smart research. Whether it’s just the basics of someone actively scanning current marketing writings, magazines, books and blogs and making sense of it all for us, or a more robust option that includes the aforementioned research resources. Our world demands that we have access to and utilize compelling insights to keep our work and our clients’ brands relevant.”
Yes. Yes! Yes!! Pick me. Pick me!
Ladies and gents, this is why we need to get out of the “librarian circle” and read from other professions. Because they want and need us to fulfill something that they don’t have. In the corporate world, people want answers quick, and 2 different answers can mean the difference between getting a million dollar client and seeing your competitor get them.
Corporate librarians have the power, knowledge, foresight, and wholehearted ability to do this stuff. Go get ‘em! Market, Market, Market!
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
[...] journals and newspapers. In fact, reading this mornings’ round of blog updates, I came across this post from Steven Cohen on Library Stuff about how he too reads a lot. The value this provides to our [...]
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Some of the most broadly relevant articles I read, on a regular basis, come from THE NEW YORKER (hilarious piece on ESL in China, in current issue), HARPERS, THE ATLANTIC, etc.
I was pretty sure, for example, that ipods were important when they were featured in the cover illustration of the NEW YORKER several years ago. That represented a jump, in my mind, from early adopters to main stream acceptance.
To be honest, I tend to rely on WilsonWeb’s LIBRARY LIT when I’m looking for direct coverage of a library topic, especially in academic-land, where I’m investing a lot of time lately. It’s there at the moment that I need it. That works better, for me, than trying to read the literature as it happens to be shoved into my in-box. One’s in-box, you know, can be defined as “everyone else’s agenda for YOU.”
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Are they hiring? I’ll be happy to go put their research summaries, etc. together for them.
Best, and keep on blogging.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
School librarians can (and do) provide this service for their clients as well…be they students, teachers, administrators, parents & community!
Hence my following what you’ve (and others outside of the school world) been writing about the last several years!
April 25th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
And, the poor man’s (well, figuratively speaking) version is t he public library!
And, we’d better market ourselves, too.