flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

Why Every Large Corporation Should Have a Librarian on Staff

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Kanban Board: Workforce Planning (Excel workbook). A Kanban Board is a Lean & Agile Project Management tool used to implement Kanban to manage work at a personal or organizational level. Kanban Boards visually depict work at various stages of a process using cards to represent work items and columns to represent each stage of the process. [read more]

Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Human Resource Management (HRM), take a look at Flevy's Human Resource Management (HRM) Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

* * * *

1024px-Librarian_accessing_pdqAs the director of a large corporation, what is your reaction when you are advised that you should have a librarian on staff? Most of us still conjure up the image of a spinsterly older woman with granny glasses halfway down her nose, and the ever-ready admonishment to “Hush, people are reading.”

Actually, today’s librarian is as hi tech as they come, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable in regards to data banks and digital inventories. Anyone with a library science masters degree is also well-versed in IT. The typical library science degree is called a Master of Management in Library and Information Science, MMLIS, and much of their knowledge is in the digital realm.

Librarians Are Not Just for Libraries!

While a large number of graduates with an online MMLIS degree from cutting edge universities, such as the University of Southern California, do hold jobs as head librarian in some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious libraries, many library science graduates hold key positions in the private sector. Librarians are often employed as a:

  • Senior Business Intelligence or Technical Analyst
  • Digital Services Manager
  • Data Officer
  • Digital Manuscripts Manager
  • Document Control Manager
  • Database Programmer or Administrator

And, the list goes on and on and on. Sadly, too many company administrators have an archaic and highly stereotypical image of what a librarian is and does, and so they aren’t taking advantage of the knowledge and skills that a graduate of an online library science program brings to the table.

So Why Do You Need a Librarian?

If you are still wondering why anyone would suggest hiring someone with an MMLIS degree, take a moment to think about just how important organization is to your business. Nothing wastes time as much as not having the ability to locate a document or resource when you need it, and this is where a ‘librarian’ would play an important role. By digitally cataloguing everything your company has, including intellectual property, a librarian can lay hands on a document quicker than you can even ask for it! Time is money and so there isn’t a company out there that can afford to waste either time or money.

What an MMLIS Graduate Can Do

When it boils down to it, there’s little that an MMLIS graduate can’t do. Since they are masters in information and resource, if they don’t know it, they know how to find it and where to learn it. But in reality, today’s librarian is best suited in the digital world because that is the direction catalogues and data stores are moving. Few files are kept in hard copy anymore, so who better than a librarian to design and implement a system for cataloguing and ‘filing’ your digital records?

Looking to have data analyzed quickly and efficiently? Ask your on-staff librarian to sort it for you. This is one degree that can be utilized in literally every industry and as long as there is digital data, there will be library science masters keeping it tucked safely away where it belongs – in a digital file.

77-slide PowerPoint presentation
This is Module 7 of 8 of my popular Fundamentals of Change Management Course. Module 7 contains 77 slides with the following 3 sessions: - Session 1 "Training Management" - Describes all the necessary key activities needed to ensure people are adequately trained + a case study. - [read more]

Want to Achieve Excellence in Human Resource Management (HRM)?

Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Human Resource Management (HRM). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.

The purpose of Human Resources (HR) is to ensure our organization achieves success through our people. Without the right people in place—at all levels of the organization—we will never be able to execute our Strategy effectively.

This begs the question: Does your organization view HR as a support function or a strategic one? Research shows leading organizations leverage HR as a strategic function, one that both supports and drives the organization's Strategy. In fact, having strong HRM capabilities is a source of Competitive Advantage.

This has never been more true than right now in the Digital Age, as organizations must compete for specialized talent to drive forward their Digital Transformation Strategies. Beyond just hiring and selection, HR also plays the critical role in retaining talent—by keeping people engaged, motivated, and happy.

Learn about our Human Resource Management (HRM) Best Practice Frameworks here.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


24-slide PowerPoint presentation
The concept of Return on Investment (ROI) originated in the Manufacturing sector, where it's simple to measure time and output. Next to adopt the concept was the Banking industry, where it is used consistently. ROI calculation is now a common feature in every type, industry, and function [read more]


 
131-slide PowerPoint presentation
 
 
72-slide PowerPoint presentation

About Shane Avron

Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.




Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  


The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.


Connect with Flevy:

     
  


About Flevy.com   /   Terms   /   Privacy Policy
© . Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.