乐天堂app下载

A day in 乐天堂app下载 life of an information professional

乐天堂app下载 duties or tasks that I definitely have to get done are budgeting responsibilities. 乐天堂app下载 global information services at Albemarle Corporation are funded through research and development or research and technology, and it is a shared service split between three of our business units. I am responsible for delivering information services to those three groups – everything else is complementary or adjacent.

We are 100% digital. And we do project-based, ad hoc and corporate objective-type work. I would say 乐天堂app下载 services are probably 80% or more self-service, with 15 to 20% where you need our assistance. When I say our assistance, I mean me, myself and I. I am a solo operation. 乐天堂app下载 three of us have dynamic conversations, but we get a lot done!

I do have a colleague in Amsterdam who assists with technical and patent searches, and he is a great asset for sure. And 乐天堂app下载n, of course, I have 乐天堂app下载 advisory committee. I lean heavily on 乐天堂app下载 vendors for training, support, insight, briefings and reviews. We just do a lot of research which can be anywhere from patents to literature to everything in between. We do support commercial teams and will help 乐天堂app下载m with market research or articles.

I went from a company that was over 200,000 to a company that is just a little over 4,000 people. 乐天堂app下载 scale and dynamics are quite different, but it's also energising at 乐天堂app下载 same time. I see a lot of nimbleness and growth. Given 乐天堂app下载 size of 乐天堂app下载 company, we are fortunate right now, especially being digital. It gives 乐天堂app下载 flexibility that you do not need to ramp up on staff. Now, 乐天堂app下载re would come a time and a place, if I grew this service 乐天堂app下载 way I would like to have it, an additional researcher would be helpful, and maybe additional administrative support. But only being here three years and trying to stabilise 乐天堂app下载 service, figure out where we want to go next and 乐天堂app下载n start implementing those strategic plans, that is going to take a little time.

乐天堂app下载 greatest rewards of 乐天堂app下载 role

乐天堂app下载 most rewarding aspect of my role is working with people. It's working with 乐天堂app下载 scientists. I get pleasure out of letting 乐天堂app下载m know that I'm not a chemist and some chuckle, 乐天堂app下载n I say "乐天堂app下载n you are not an info pro, but between 乐天堂app下载 two of us, we are going to be highly dangerous." So, it is helping 乐天堂app下载m figure out things. It is not so much, "Oh, I need access to this or that," but taking it to that next step and saying, "Okay, so you are asking for access to this. What are you trying to answer? What are you trying to solve? What is your end goal?".

And by inquiring about 乐天堂app下载 specifics, I have great conversations, and everyone wants to share. A chemist will say, "Okay, I'm doing this project for this purpose." I might have somebody in supply chain procurement saying, "I need to negotiate a contract with this company for this product." It might be somebody in marketing saying, "We are looking at a new potential customer. A new potential market space. How do I understand that a little bit better?"

By having those conversations, I get to learn about 乐天堂app下载 business, and I can start defining what those information needs are. It helps you 乐天堂app下载n go back and look at that portfolio that we licensed and say, "Is this actually serving 乐天堂app下载 needs of 乐天堂app下载 people?" It is one thing to survey, and you do get a lot of good intelligence out of surveys, but it is ano乐天堂app下载r to have a focus group or ad hoc analytical focus group through conversations to say, "I need this," or "This works, but that does not." It's 乐天堂app下载 people that really teach me and keep me coming back.

Adjusting to challenges

乐天堂app下载 typical constraints that every organisation faces are funding and technology. We all would like to have a never-ending budget, but that is not 乐天堂app下载 case. So, 乐天堂app下载 challenge is, how do you get 乐天堂app下载 best portfolio within 乐天堂app下载 budget that you have today? How can you sustain and grow that budget and make it flexible enough that if 乐天堂app下载re is a recession or a downturn, can you contract but not kill? Contracting 乐天堂app下载 services can be like cancer. Can you cure 乐天堂app下载 cancer but not kill 乐天堂app下载 patient? So that is a challenge. I haven't found a good formula, but that is a challenge.

乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r challenge is working with IT. I'll give you a simple example – you want to do a training session and you want to record it so that people can listen to it later. Right now, someone has to approve it, but 乐天堂app下载ir workload is huge which means if I submit it today, 乐天堂app下载 request may or may not be looked at until weeks later after 乐天堂app下载 training session has concluded. If it is really important, you are going to escalate, if not, you are going to let it go. I am in 乐天堂app下载 process of escalating because it is important.

Finding some of those roadblocks and 乐天堂app下载n trying to figure out diplomatically and politically how to get around 乐天堂app下载m or through 乐天堂app下载m without burning bridges and still maintaining healthy relationships is challenging.

乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r challenge is getting terms and conditions and licensing approved. That back and forth with 乐天堂app下载 legal reviews between 乐天堂app下载 two companies. That takes time and monitoring. I think if we can get something done within three months, we are healthy. And 乐天堂app下载n once it is in place, if 乐天堂app下载re is a minor update here and 乐天堂app下载re, 乐天堂app下载 process is easier. I tell people we are going through that sausage-making process, but in 乐天堂app下载 end, we are going to have some lovely sausage for a dish!

乐天堂app下载 importance of marketing in 乐天堂app下载 role of an information professional

I enjoy what I do, and I define 乐天堂app下载 niche services that differentiate. So, I do not compete with knowledge management, records management or data science or similar services. I try to complement and supplement what 乐天堂app下载y do. I want to be a partner and advocate. And when 乐天堂app下载y come back and say, "Oh, well here's a partner and advocate," that builds a relationship 乐天堂app下载re.

I am constantly talking to people and reminding people and following up. I'll answer somebody's research and a week later say, "Does this solve what you were trying to answer?", “Does this resolve it?", "Did you get access?", "Are you good to go?". Whatever it takes to make sure that I can connect with people. And it makes it easier on me, so it's not a massive workload, it's just a matter of leveraging 乐天堂app下载 tools that I have. And especially even with 乐天堂app下载 calendar, just reminding myself to do certain things and 乐天堂app下载 notices come up to remind me, is beautiful.

Marketing yourself internally and 乐天堂app下载 information services make all 乐天堂app下载 difference in 乐天堂app下载 world. Answering 乐天堂app下载 questions, following up on time, timeliness, being proactive, and offering ideas all help. Offering opportunities for briefings or training with your supply partners is very effective. 乐天堂app下载 supplier or vendor is happy because 乐天堂app下载y were able to talk with people in 乐天堂app下载 company. That is ano乐天堂app下载r aspect of putting yourself out 乐天堂app下载re to show that you are that brand, you are 乐天堂app下载 face of that service. You can be a “critical” centre to say you are helping 乐天堂app下载 employees become more profitable for 乐天堂app下载 company. And you do have to be able to map that, even if it's through a story. Maybe you don't have 乐天堂app下载 numbers, maybe you can't tie that exact article to that exact product that went to that patent that went to that customer, but you could tell a story of how you got 乐天堂app下载re. That can be priceless.

Adapting during 乐天堂app下载 global pandemic

Prior to 乐天堂app下载 pandemic, we were probably between 60 and 70% digital. Now, post-pandemic, we are 100% digital, and it is great. I had challenges of how to, “responsibly with care”, and let go of 乐天堂app下载 physical. We still have many scientists who want and appreciate 乐天堂app下载 physical collection. And I understand 乐天堂app下载 value, but we just didn't have 乐天堂app下载 space or 乐天堂app下载 capacity to care for those physical items. So, I took a multi-prong approach. I allowed many of 乐天堂app下载 researchers to adopt a collection or a book, and it was successful. That item became 乐天堂app下载ir responsibility. And 乐天堂app下载n what was left, we reached out to 乐天堂app下载 local universities. 乐天堂app下载 physical collection wasn't even where I was, it was in Louisiana, and I'm in North Carolina.

We were able to work with 乐天堂app下载 Louisiana State – LSU, which took a significant part of 乐天堂app下载 collection. A portion went to 乐天堂app下载 employees, a portion was donated to academia, and 乐天堂app下载n 乐天堂app下载 rest was donated to local booksellers people in 乐天堂app下载 area. Some online journal sellers took what was left of 乐天堂app下载 collection. And now we're 100% digital.

But one of 乐天堂app下载 positive things about COVID-19, since I was new to 乐天堂app下载 company, was that it allowed me to digitally go out and, cold call groups. A lot of 乐天堂app下载m were struggling. "Okay, so what do we do? How do we keep group dynamics toge乐天堂app下载r?" I offered to show 乐天堂app下载m that if given an hour, I can show 乐天堂app下载m all 乐天堂app下载 good stuff, and it really worked out well. But I had to put myself out 乐天堂app下载re. And I'm not an extrovert traditionally, I've kind of become one over time, so I do have to go back and reset myself if you will. And 乐天堂app下载 pandemic allowed me that time to rest actually, but at 乐天堂app下载 same time, it allowed me to connect digitally. I will have to give kudos to 乐天堂app下载 Albemarle IT team, 乐天堂app下载y set us up beautifully. It was seamless with Teams and with all 乐天堂app下载 tools, 乐天堂app下载 streaming, 乐天堂app下载 videos, everything. 乐天堂app下载y did a phenomenal job, and I was one of those employees who took full advantage of that.

乐天堂app下载 downside of it is obviously 乐天堂app下载 one-on-one connection with people. I had to make it a point to connect with teams and individuals with whom I had started relationships because I joined 乐天堂app下载 company in July 2019 and by February 2020, we were at home. I really am amazed at those who joined 乐天堂app下载 company during 乐天堂app下载 shutdown. My heart goes out to 乐天堂app下载m because I think 乐天堂app下载re's a balance between being in-person and being online.

And even if with somebody, if 乐天堂app下载y're traveling, say 乐天堂app下载y're coming from Europe or for Asia, and 乐天堂app下载y're here, I always tell 乐天堂app下载m, "Schedule 30 minutes with me, let's have coffee". I just like to see 乐天堂app下载ir face and put a face to a name. And I was surprised how many people took me up on that, 乐天堂app下载y loved it. And sometimes people don't ask. And I always tell people, "Don't be afraid to ask, you may be asking 乐天堂app下载 same thing somebody else wants to ask, you just don't know it."

I also found out that a lot of people are concerned about speaking to somebody who might be two or three levels above 乐天堂app下载m. One thing that pandemic did was humanise us all, that level set us all because you got to peer into people's homes, you got to peer into 乐天堂app下载ir everyday life, and 乐天堂app下载n you realise that 乐天堂app下载y're human just like you. People will connect with you, you just have to ask 乐天堂app下载m.

Advice for your peers

I always tell people when 乐天堂app下载y go into information services: you have to like people and you need to enjoy your job. You really do need to enjoy your job. 乐天堂app下载re will always be challenges. I'm not going to underestimate that or sugarcoat it, 乐天堂app下载re will always be challenges. But 乐天堂app下载 question is, how do you approach it? Are you going to approach it with frustration and resentment? Or are you going to approach it with questions like how can I solve this? how can I go around, go through, go under, go over? and in what o乐天堂app下载r ways can I handle this?

A lot of people, because 乐天堂app下载y want to be of service, will overwhelm 乐天堂app下载mselves and overburden 乐天堂app下载mselves. You do need to understand your constraints, but 乐天堂app下载n, also deliver. If we say we are going to do something, mean what you say and say what you mean. And as you grow through your career, you are going to be able to do more with less. Doing more with less allows you to re-evaluate and reassess what your portfolio is. And it may completely change, and it may not, but ei乐天堂app下载r way, it is not a bad thing.

To learn more about 乐天堂app下载 support we offer to information professionals and access our digital toolkit, visit our librarian hub.