Be proactive: communicate your worth to management!

Information Outlook,  Jan, 1999  by Lucy Lettis

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* demonstrated knowledge of measurement and evaluation skills, i.e., the procedures associated with selecting and purchasing books and electronic resources

* basic knowledge of the historical roots of modern information mediation; ability to apply information theory to the requirements of professional practice; basic familiarity with policy aspects of information access across borders

II. Competencies expected to have been acquired during one to two years in corporate or legal information center

* ability to identify information needs in the context of the constituency served through the application of principles of organization, selection, and evaluation of information resources

* demonstrated comprehension of the varied missions and organizational patterns in information agencies, libraries, and their interrelationships

* ability to apply appropriate methods of research, evaluation, and measurement for selection and organization of print and electronic media

* proven ability to formulate complex search strategies on a product-specific basis

* ability to provide basic level bibliographic instruction to end-users

* extensive and proven expertise in a minimum of eight popular databases, including ability to articulate features, benefits, and caveats of each; ability to articulate comparative pricing of each; and demonstrated ability to apply product knowledge on a customized query-specific basis

* proven proficiency in a minimum of three of the following Internet search and metasearch engines: AltaVista, Dogpile, Excite, Hotbot, Infoseek, Lycos, Northern Light, WebCrawler, Yahoo!; demonstrated ability to articulate features, benefits, and caveats of each and to select engines on a customized query-specific basis

* proven understanding of interlibrary loan networks, fee-based document retrieval services, fee-based information brokerage services, and independent information contractors; proven ability to leverage these resources as appropriate on a query-specific basis

* familiarity with public sector information agencies and how to use them effectively

* demonstrated ability to respond to high-end inquiries on wide variety of general, corporate, securities, intellectual property (familiarity with patent databases such as Derwent and/or Micropatent, trademark databases, et al.), international, and current awareness topics

* demonstrated ability to effectively coach and mentor end-users, helping them to select appropriate tools and to conduct basic research independently

* familiarity with trade and industry publications, special ratings/rankings issues, and fundamental knowledge of print and electronic research tools in a minimum of three of the following subject areas or industries: medicine, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, tax, insurance, securities and investments, federal law, state law, retail industries, consumer goods, high technology, telecommunications, entertainment, and industrial/manufacturing sectors

* demonstrated interest in appropriate professional organizations (e.g., SLA, AALL, ASIS, SCIP, et al.), preferably starting with student membership and continuing with attendance at meetings and the beginnings of a professional network for information exchange