Member Biographies
Dialog InfoStar 2002 Chris Brune
Dialog InfoStarS 2001 Laura DeGraff & Betsy Hoza
Dialog InfoStarS 2002 Chris Brune
Bates Worldwide's Chris BruneWhen Bates Worldwide, a leading global advertising and marketing communications network, decided to develop a Knowledge Management Practice, they hired Chris Brune, who is now VP Knowledge Manager. Although this is uncommon in advertising, Bates is one of about 12 advertising agencies that have adopted knowledge management initiatives in an effort to become stronger. Chris believes, "Knowledge management will be the glue that makes this network into a true network." Because there are so many new acquisitions in the advertising industry, knowledge management will knit many services together.
Since he has been at Bates, Chris has worked with Dialog to develop an intranet site called BIG BRAIN. The site offers a marketing plan, a business plan, appealing graphics, and contains various links to chat rooms, electronic requests to the library and internal client lists. He believes that BIG BRAIN can be a significant part of the company, the one place people come for information, to communicate and share ideas. BIG BRAIN was rolled out in December 2001, and one of the greatest challenges that Chris faces is introducing people to BIG BRAIN and getting them to use it frequently. "I figure it will take 2 to 3 years to change the way they think and change the way they work."
Introducing approximately 10,000 employees at Bates Worldwide to BIG BRAIN is no easy task, but Chris has a plan: teleconference training sessions. During the sessions Chris and his staff walk the users through the services that are offered on BIG BRAIN. He says, "They [the users] have to be seated at their own computer doing it on their own…I don't even want them in a conference room." He and his staff conduct three training sessions a week, with six users at a time. At this rate, they hope to have 720 users trained by the end of the year, and Chris hopes to reach one major office on each continent. "I love this challenge. Whenever you have to change people's minds, it is a challenge. That's what knowledge management is."
As a knowledge manager, Chris says that his job is "coming through for people." Chris claims, "My success comes when our people look like a million dollars in front of their clients…I like the tasks of librarianship and cataloging, and when I apply those things on behalf of people, it gives me a greater joy." Chris relies heavily upon Dialog and claims, "Dialog has been tremendous." Web designers are currently working to make the website look more dynamic. "At an ad agency, people are visual, it [the website] has to look beautiful." Chris believes "The Dialog Toolkit is going to be a traffic builder to Big Brain" because of the content it will contain.
Chris explains what motivates him in his pursuit of information dissemination. "Who can say what ideas, insights, connections, or inspirations will emerge when the right person is exposed to the right information, whether it comes from a written document or a conversation with a colleague? But we know they do emerge because we have seen it with our own eyes. Making this happen is the challenge and the fun of this profession."
InfoStar Profile:
Chris BruneFavorite free-time activity:
"Playing and singing music. I play folk music on guitar and banjo and my friend and I have just recently started playing coffee houses again after a 25 year layoff. And classical music on clarinet: I recently got a chance to play the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with one of our community orchestras."Education:
MA Music (clarinet performance) Trenton State College, 1977.
MLS Rutgers University, 1979.Last book I read:
"Grant by Jean Edward Smith. Ulysses Grant is one of my boyhood heroes. Excellent telling of a great story".The person I would most like to meet:
"James Thurber"I became an info-pro because:
"I have always loved libraries — just being in them, even if I didn't get to read. But they always mystified me. I wanted to understand how they work and how to get the most out of them."Most interesting place traveled:
"I have not done much travel. One place where I spend many wonderful hours is Pacem in Terris, a museum and sculpture garden in Warwick, New York, created by the eminent artist, Frederick Franck. Check his entry in Who's Who, Dialog file 234. Pacem in Terris is and oasis of calm in a turbulent world."Most interesting colleague:
"Hands down, my first boss, Ed Duensing. Ed can find anything in the entire universe and lives in a state of constant wonder. He has used these traits to write several wonderful books. He is currently head of research at JJ Studley, the commercial real estate powerhouse."
InfoStars: DDB's Dynamic Duo
DDB Worldwide's Betsy Hoza and Laura DeGraffHow do Laura DeGraff and Betsy Hoza get the attention of the employees at DDB Worldwide? They throw a 1970s-themed "Info Inferno" in the Information Center every year, dressing up in 70s era clothes and serving such classics as Cheez Whiz, Rice Krispies Treats and Boone's Farm wine. It may not be the textbook method for marketing an information center, but it's a great way to get the attention of the advertising professionals, and every year it's a popular event.
Laura, the Director of Information Services, and Betsy, Information Specialist, attribute their success within DDB to their willingness to get out and meet with their users. "Part of the joy of working in a field of public service is the interaction with our patrons," Betsy commented. "You can't be antisocial; you have to make sure that the patrons see you and know who you are." Laura compares information services to a consultation with a doctor. "You have to talk with people, you have to know them and work with them. It's all a matter of figuring out what information they really need."
The Information Center is relatively small - just four employees in all - but they provide a full range of research services to DDB staff, both in the Chicago office and in other offices that don't have on-site libraries. In addition to online research and an extensive print collection, the Information Center maintains an indexed collection of images - a key resource for the creative teams. Laura and Betsy are also seen as an added value to DDB's clients; "we say to prospective clients, work with DDB and you get us as well." Work that the Information Center does directly for clients is billed out at the regular firm rate, although they don't pass through any online expenses.
Laura's biggest challenge is creating awareness of the Information Center among a constantly changing staff. "We're always working to maintain our position in the front of our patrons' minds, to make sure they think of us when they need information." In addition to the face-to-face marketing that Laura and Betsy do every day, they distribute a brochure prepared by the American Association of Advertising Agencies that describes how and why to use the Information Center, titled What Every Account Executive Should Know about Information Service.
To supplement the research services provided by the info pros, the Information Center uses Dialog's Intranet Toolkit to enable users to do searches from their desktops. This service is featured during new-hire orientations and Information Center open houses, and has been very well-received within DDB. Interestingly, it hasn't significantly affected the workload of the Information Center. "Some people are doing some searching for themselves," Laura said, "and maybe we've seen a slight decrease in the simple, generic questions. But they still come to us for the difficult research. What's interesting is that it has changed our users' perception of what libraries are. They have the idea that when we get information for them, it's all stuff that we just pull off the top of our heads - that it's almost innate knowledge that we have. Now that they can do some of their own searching, they realize that we don't know everything, but that we know how to find everything."
InfoStar Profile:
Laura DeGraffFavorite free-time activity:
Aikido - I'm testing for my black beltLast book read:
The Red Tent by Anita DiamantGraduate degree from:
University of Illinois, UrbanaMost inspirational colleague:
My sister, who is a special collections archivist at DePaul University. She got me my first job after college, at the circulation desk, and I liked it so much that I decided to go to library school.I became an info pro because:
I really enjoy the process of searching for information.Person I would most like to meet:
O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido
InfoStar Profile:
Betsy HozaFavorite free-time activity:
I run the LIVE! Foundation (www.livefoundation.org), which raises money for cancer research.Last book read:
The Blind Assassin by Margaret AtwoodGraduate degree from:
University of MichiganI became an info pro because:
I enjoyed doing research in college and decided to go to library school so I could work with information. And I love getting trivia questions and finding the answers.Person I would most like to meet:
Nancy Brinker, who founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I would love to know how she was able to grow her organization into what it is today.
