Benefitting Business – Applying the Librarian’s Skillset in a Digital World

Sarah Lyons – Digital Librarian

Introduction

A Librarian in a Pharmaceutical Company

• HQ in Basel, Switzerland• Produces prescription

medicines, generic and bio-similar medicines, eye care products (contact lens, solutions) surgical equipment.

• 133,413 FTE operate in over 140 countries

The Company

The Job

• Part of the Digital Marketing Team

• Offer Library services internally within the company globally

• Primary content is marketing materials for those 140 countries.

The OLD Library

The OLD Library

The NEW Library

The NEW Library

The NEW Library

The Digital Librarian’s Skillset

• The most important of all librarian skills– Know your audience– Speak their language– Know the communication challenges– Use the correct tools and the correct time (and be

a competent user of them)

Communication Skills

Communication Tools

‘Soft’ Technical Skills– Understand the technical aspects of your platform.– Be able to present a roadmap of requirements to your IT

Department

Leadership Skills – Being a ‘Best Practice’ Leader/Advocate– Influencing decisions & being confident in your expertise

Troubleshooting Skills– Know your collection, it’s metadata & platform intimately!

Be Detail Focused– Be a careful cataloguer– Audit your work– Learn from mistakes

Business Benefits

Business Benefits

CUSTOMER

COMPLIANCE

Compliant Information in terms of approvals and life

cycle

RELIABILITY

Provides a searchable repository that customers can rely on to create and

innovate

SAFETY

Automatic creation of disaster recovery (backup)

media

ACCURACY

Uploaded and tagged to provide accurate and meaningful resources

UTILISATION

Measures information performance - identifies

improvements for utilisation

FLEXIBILITY

Deliver information through centralization and

accessibility

COST

Provides storage of rich media in a cost-effective

manner

Librarians in business can deliver benefits across a number of key areas...

Information Skills for the Future

Skills of the Past

Communication Skills , Cataloguing Skills

Skills of the Past

Leadership Skills, Troubleshooting Skills

Skills of the Past

Technical, Practical Skills

Methods may change but the core skills are constant…

BUT- CPD is Crucial for Librarians• Enables us to apply our skills in a way that is relevant

and current

• Allows us to communicate in the language of our stakeholders and patrons

• Allows us to consider the broader influences on libraries & librarianship

So you want to be a Digital Librarian?

Tips

• Know how your skills are relevant in the Digital Environment!

• Try to get some experience in Digital Library platforms – project work, work shadowing, volunteering.

• Take some digital based classes – but no need to be a networking or programming expert!

Thank you for listening