The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/43128
Building a Bridge Between IT and Library Services developing a collection that served its community. The process of creating books progressed, the ability to catalog inventories improved, the number of books published continued to grow, but the way we consumed information hadn't really changed for centuries. Even when significant changes in technology began to change the way information was delivered, librarians initially took on the role of maintaining that information. However, it didn't take long for the technology to no longer fit the traditional organizational methods with which librarians were familiar. About 30 years ago the consumption of information started to change due to the rapid advancement of technology and a new breed of animal started walking the earth — the technologist. Technologists are very different from librarians. Technologists love change. They crave change. They need change. Change attracts them. As technology continued to impact the way businesses functioned, technologists naturally garnered more attention. At first, we perhaps thought of them as a necessary evil. But now they are seen as business partners. And although technologists and librarians have different perspectives on how information is collected, maintained and delivered, it turns out that they actually have much more in common. Two Sides of the Same Coin work is efficient or effective. The challenge that IT and the library face is getting this new style of users to actually learn better ways to use the resources each department provides, without discouraging the creativity that this group brings. One of the biggest similarities when comparing IT and library services is the constant need to stay relevant and bring value to the organization. Whether it is an issue of downsizing, reorganization, outsourcing, off-shoring, or near-shoring, there is constant pressure to cut expenses and find cheaper ways of conducting their business. Both areas have large budgets that include both subscriptions and personnel, and they need to be able to explain to the partners why they need that money instead of it going into the partners' pockets. "It didn't take long for the technology to no longer fit the traditional IT and library services have things in common, and each has developed processes and procedures from which the other would benefit. Just think of some of the basic practices that each group engages in, and you'll realize that both manage large datasets, both physical and electronic. Each group manages subscriptions and has to negotiate those subscriptions, many times with the same vendors. Both groups have to manage large budgets, obtain purchasing approvals and are constantly having to defend and justify those budgets and purchases. The parallels continue. Both have similar challenges when it comes to marketing their services. Quite frankly, the days of waiting for the customers to come and tell you what they need are over. Nowadays, IT and the library need to be quasi-marketers for their services and step up to educate their consumers on those services. As the next generation of consumers comes along, IT and library services have the added challenge of consumers that are comfortable with doing things for themselves rather than asking for help. Although the new generation may be willing to jump in and try things, it doesn't mean that the way they conduct their organization methods with which librarians were familiar." Perception Is Not Always Reality The perception of the law firm library is that it has not changed with the times. They continue to work, think and act as they did 30 years ago, despite how quickly the business is changing. Many say that librarians are not comfortable doing the things that are necessary to adapt to this new world. They are not comfortable getting out of their space. Librarians are not alone in wanting to stay in their comfort zone. The same is true for many technologists, and we agree that even though the two areas work in very different ways and attract very different personalities, in the end, each will benefit greatly from working together with the other. You see, IT and library services are complementary departments, IT being more interested in system design/maintenance and the library being more interested in information research, consumption and analytics. Without good system design, it is difficult to get the information you need; and without an understanding of the information needed, it is difficult to design efficient systems. What we see here is that IT is very much interested in the management of information and library services is very much interested in its consumption and repurposing (knowledge management, business intelligence, competitive intelligence, etc.) Without a conscious effort, it is easy to overlook the benefits that each group brings to the table. For example, looking at your firm's intranet, IT plays a big role in determining the software used, how it is configured and deployed, but IT doesn't typically spend a lot of time thinking about what content belongs on the intranet. This is a place where library services brings a great deal of knowledge and potential. Librarians are keenly focused on the value of information and Peer to Peer the quarterly magazine of ILTA 65