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January 2008 |
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 As always, your suggestions for workshop topics are welcomed. Also, if you know a friend or colleague who would benefit from Quantum2, please encourage them to sign up today.
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Dear Quantum2 Member... —New InfoStar— For the first time, Thomson Scientific is honoring an InfoStar at ALA Midwinter. The ceremony will be held on:
Thomson Scientific Booth #1204 Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia PA We will be announcing the winner's name in next month's newsletter, but if you are at the conference, please stop by to congratulate your colleague. —New Quantum2 Podcast— Thanks for the great feedback on our Quantum2 marketing podcast on packaging information services. Another tool you can use to market your information services is the elevator speech. Our newest podcast discusses how to create such a speech and when you can use it to your best advantage. scientific.thomson.com/quantum2/q2_resources/podcasts/. Enjoy these Quantum2 conversations at your desk or take them with you on your MP3 player! Quantum2 Topic of the Month While the ability to plan strategically is an essential skill for business people, it is rarely taught to information professionals. There are several aspects to strategic planning, such as the strategic process, the tools for strategy, and the ability to take information and data from different places and put it together to form a conclusion, establish a position or make a decision. It takes time and focus, so why should you make the effort, other than the intellectual exercise this type of planning offers? Primarily, we most often make a strategic plan to help improve efficiency. When organizations follow established guidelines and share similar work ethics, attitudes and goals, and policies and procedures, they become more efficient and objectives are achieved with fewer resources. This helps to enhance the work environment because there is a clear, focused plan with a consistent and efficient decision-making process, as well as a better understanding of what needs completing and how and who will complete it. Finally, sharing the mission, vision, goals, objectives and strategies improves communication, so that the entire organization is unified in supporting the plan to realize their vision. However, strategic management may not be used in the information center for several reasons. First, its importance can be misunderstood, especially based on a belief that the functioning unit is too small to create a strategic plan. Sometimes management feels there are adequate policies and procedures in place already or there isn’t enough time to implement such a disciplined approach. Finally, it’s quite possible that no one actually knows how to create a strategic plan. Given the benefits we’ve mentioned, you might find that it could be very important to develop the necessary capabilities and knowledge to create a strategic plan. In that way, you can help to better promote the value your information center can bring to the organization. PLEASE CHANGE YOUR BOOKMARKS FOR OUR NEW WEBSITE URL: http://scientific.thomson.com/quantum2/ |
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Quantum2 Highlights