Gillian Oliver

Organisational culture for information managers

The significance of organisational culture National culture The structural environment Occupational culture Corporate culture Assessing information culture Scenarios.

Experiential learning and international collaboration opportunities: virtual internships

Purpose – Experiential learning incorporated into library and information science education in the form of a practical placement has long been accepted as important. However, it is not always possible for students to undertake a traditional internship because of constraints associated with the physical location of internship sites. The purpose of this paper is to explore virtual alternatives, in the context of digital curation.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys exploring the internship experience were conducted of students and supervisors, leading to the development of a pilot study. In addition, discussions were held with possible supervisors in a country with a small population, faced with the challenge of building capability in digital curation.Findings – The concept of a virtual internship is entirely appropriate given the focus on digital tools, information and systems in digital curation. A new dimension to the traditional internship experience is the potential for sharing expertise international...

Cultural dimensions of information management.

Organisational culture plays a significant role when considering the management of information. The culture of individual organisations is influenced by national culture, and this paper considers the literature relating to the various cultural models. Particular attention is paid to Hofstedes dimensions and the implications of them for information management are suggested.

Culture and Competencies: A Multi-Country Examination of Reference Service Competencies

Abstract Reference librarians have the opportunity to interact with patrons and colleagues of many different backgrounds, languages, and cultures as a result of our increasingly interconnected and peripatetic world. In order to provide the best possible service to these varied communities, reference librarians should understand some of the culture differences that exist across countries, and in particular, the differences in the way that reference services are conceived and delivered in different countries. This study explores some of these differences in reference services by surveying current practitioners in thirteen countries to find out which competencies they believe are most important for academic reference librarians right now, and in the near future. The results of this study highlight some important commonalities and differences, and could help reference librarians to manage and meet the expectations of their international patrons, and perhaps help them to prepare for an international job experience of their own. Academic reference librarians may be interested to see the extent to which their counterparts in other countries face similar challenges and expectations with regard to delivering reference services. Teaching faculty in library science programs will be interested to understand reference competencies and expectations in other countries, especially as they teach greater numbers of international students or consider collaborating with international colleagues. In addition, an international understanding is important in developing students who can compete in a global job market.

A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians: Current and future skills and competencies

A survey of New Zealand academic subject/reference librarians was conducted in mid-2011 to identify the most highly valued knowledge, skills and competencies of reference librarians working in libraries in the tertiary sector. The project was part of an international collaborative project involving 13 countries. The results from New Zealand show that serving academic library customers requires not only traditional ‘reference’ skills, but also skills in customer service, technology support, and training. Good communication skills were also rated highly by respondents, and the high value placed on adaptability/flexibility shows that most respondents expect their roles to continue to change in the next decade. Software troubleshooting skills were also considered important. The results also suggest that traditional paper-based reference sources are expected to become much less important than online ones. There is also a shift towards using social media to interact with customers, and a focus on building susta...

Recordkeeping informatics: re‐figuring a discipline in crisis with a single minded approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the widespread crisis facing the archives and records management professions, and to propose recordkeeping informatics, a single minded disciplinary approach, as a way forward.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reflects an Australasian perspective on the nature of the crisis besetting archives and records management professions as people struggle to adjust to digitally converged information ecologies. It suggests recordkeeping informatics as an approach for refiguring thinking, systems, processes and practices as people confront ever increasing information convergence, chaos and complexity. It discusses continuum thinking and recordkeeping metadata as two key building blocks of the approach, along with three facets of recordkeeping analysis involving the understanding of organisational culture, business process analysis and archival access.Findings – Discussion of information and communication technologies as a “wild frontier” highlights the breaki...

Leading knowledge management strategies in Australia and New Zealand: a comparative study of public and private sector organisations

This paper draws on preliminary empirical quantitative research into an understanding of the status of knowledge management in the Australian and New Zealand environments. The relevant literature is surveyed on the role of leadership in knowledge management strategies and techniques. This is set against research findings on the roles allocated to lead the knowledge management task. In particular findings within the government sector and the non-government sectors are compared. The paper concludes by presenting a preliminary evaluation of the role of knowledge management leadership within the organisation and suggests that the external influences also play a role

Stakeholders' attitudes towards the management and preservation of digital cultural heritage resources in Ghana

This paper presents an overview of one component of the preliminary findings from a research project that seeks to understand the various contextual factors influencing the management and preservation of digital cultural heritage resources (DPCH) in Ghana. Four main clusters of factors, i.e., attitudinal, resources, policy, and management factors, were identified as impacting on DPCH in Ghana. This paper focuses on attitudinal factors because increasing understanding of underlying attitudes and behaviours has the potential to inform meaningful and culturally appropriate strategies. The paper identifies attitudinal enablers and hindrances and concludes that the lack of interest by funders and policy makers in formal information management, and also in DPCH currently counters the enablers. Accordingly, information professionals and professional associations need to be proactive in their promotional efforts to bring about attitudinal changes to promote DPCH.

Insight from social media use by memory institutions in New Zealand: Participatory vs curatorial culture

Purpose The relatively under-documented “dark side” of participatory activities facilitated by memory institutions through social media is examined in this study. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the risks and perception of risks resulting from using social media for public engagement and participation. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen representatives from the New Zealand information and cultural heritage sector who at the time of the study were holding the main responsibilities of overseeing the social media and participatory activities of the institutions they represented. Findings It is not evident that the growth of social web has significantly changed the way the heritage sector seeks participation. Only a small minority of the sample institutions appear to be using social web tools to build community and to enhance their heritage collections. For the majority, institutional use of social media is for creating a “chattering space”. The main concerns identified by interviewees were reputation management and the risk management process followed by most institutions appeared to be reactive, responding to problems as and when they occurred, rather than proactive about risk identification and avoidance. Research limitations/implications Findings are not generalisable as the sample size of thirteen institutions is relatively small and is limited to one national context. Originality/value Findings provide insight into largely unexplored issues relating to the development of participatory cultures by memory institutions. The paper highlights a key area where further research is needed, namely to explore whether participatory heritage should primarily be about curated viewpoints or whether it should encompass capturing living dialogues, even when conversations are potentially offensive.

International records management standards: the challenges of achieving consensus

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore the tensions inherent in the development of international standards for records management, focusing on the revision of ISO15489. The paper aims to raise awareness of the need for much more research into the uptake and implementation of records management standards. Design/methodology/approach – The experiences of the ISO committee responsible for drafting ISO15489 provides the context in which to review the literature relating to standards development in information technology. Findings – The development of mutual trust or social capital between ISO committee members responsible for the initial drafting of ISO15489 may have been instrumental in achieving a successful outcome which masked on-going fundamental differences. Environmental factors are quite different for the revision of ISO15489 suggesting that positive social capital may not be generated. The objective of ISO15489 to be an anticipatory or reactive standard needs to be resolved. O...