The Age of Empowered End Users: Experts offer insight

ProQuest assembled a powerful panel of four information industry practitioners at the 2012 SLA conference to discuss their top challenges as librarians and information professionals. Panelists drew from their work experience and industry knowledge to offer wisdom and strategies for thriving in the age of empowered users. You may nod your heads at some of their responses, but others may surprise you.

Moderator Libby Trudell posed a question highly relevant to all information professionals today: How can information professionals redefine their service offering and their value proposition? Panelists weighed in with  the following suggestions:

• Make information more insightful to users than Google and their social network.
  See panelist Mary Ellen Bates’ ideas for adding value:
  
  
• Establish ourselves as the information experts in our organizations and make it convenient for users to contact us when they need help.
  View remarks from panelist Roger Summit:
  
  
• Be proactive in meeting users’ needs.
  View remarks from panelist Betty Edwards.
  
  

Panelists Roger Summit, Betty Edwards, and Blanca Chou specifically pointed to the value of communication when redefining information services. Blanca noted the importance of sharing success stories, and Betty cited the example in which research performed by her company’s information center led to a contract worth $50,000, with an additional $1.5 million anticipated.

Stay tuned for next month, when we offer more questions and answers along with videos on this important topic.

SEPTEMBER 2012

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