Program Meeting Notes
May 17, 2001
Survivin' and Thrivin' as a Special Librarian
Mary Ellen Bates
Prospect House, Princeton University

The meeting began with the Annual Chapter Business Meeting. The Nominating Committee presented the following slate for the 2001/2002 Princeton-Trenton

Chapter Executive Board:
Ruth Weitzenfeld, President-Elect/Program Chair
Marilyn Apelian, Secretary
Jennifer Meyer, Director

The ballot was cast for these unopposed candidates who will be joined by Ann Frihart, continuing at Treasurer, Mary Steiner acceding to Past President, and Susan Moss acceding to President.

Mary Ellen Bates, Principal of Bates Information Services, was our speaker for the evening. About 70 attendees enjoyed the food, views of Prospect Gardens and Mary Ellen's thought-provoking presentation.

Impact of the Web on Our Profession
Our patrons see us as one information booth in the bazaar. They have many options for getting information since information has become a commodity. Our customers believe that branding/sourcing does not matter. How does our booth reflect the value we give? How can we differentiate our services? How do we de-commoditize information by adding value?

We need to market ourselves rather than marketing our library. We bring our ability to analyze and synthesize information. Our value is the ability to distill great information from the vast data dump. We bring an understanding of our patrons, their usage and of the internal organization. We can add intelligence to research. Find out why and when customers go to sources other than the librarian. They no longer view us as the information experts. Everyone thinks they are expert at finding information.

Presentation Trumps Content
What is the presentation impact of what you deliver? Packaging is important. Patrons are accustomed to flashy visuals; are we still delivering ASCII text? The value of the information will be judged by its form as much, if not more than, as by its content. Without post-processing, the "raw" article has no perceived value to the customer. Learn what your patrons like to see. What format do they like? What do they value? Ask them how they like to see information presented.

Our Blind Spots
We hold many unspoken assumptions. In assessing our blind spots, we should ask the following questions.

• Who are my competitors? What other information sources is my customer using?
• What do my patrons want? What would be the ideal/perfect answer? What would solve their information need?
• What are the information center's core strengths? What do we provide that no one else can?
• Do we define ourselves by what we do or by what we know? What sets us apart?
• What taboos do we have about what we can/can't do? What are customer's unmet needs? If customers don't realize what you can do, they won't ask. They will only ask you to do what they think you can do and they won't ask you to do something they don't think you can do.
• What is my patron's expertise?

Redefining Ourselves & Our Profession
We are not the exclusive source of information. We have become one among many. We need to remind our customers of what they cannot do own their own and what we provide that they cannot get anywhere else. Remind them of the value we add. We need to push ourselves past our comfort point to be cutting edge. Reinvent ourselves and what we do.

Thriving on Uncertainty

• Determine what sources are most appropriate today. Re-evaluate sources and methods.
• Develop a new service or product every six months. Drop what is no longer relevant. Don't be afraid to start/stop services. Try new services as beta tests.
• Having a large budget does not guarantee stability. Is the budget spent on things of obvious, unique value that only the library can provide? Is the service provided in a way that is integrated into customer's work or is the value of the services not recognized? Find out how patrons use the information. What do they do before and after they call? What is their information-seeking behavior? Create user addiction, so that the patron cannot imagine their job without the service you provide.
• Focus on services and brand, not facilities. Customers need to see what sets you apart. They don't need to know about or understand the fulfillment/processing infrastructure of the library.
• Build a visible track record of success stories. Collect anecdotes of how the information you provided helped the customers and the organization. Solicit complaints and resolve the issues.
• Learn to talk "IT." How does the technology organization word their value proposition? How do they present their budget and get new funding?
• Conduct a better reference interview and package the information for a better presentation. Provide answers to questions, not just information.