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How LIS Professionals Can Use Alerting Services

Ina Fourie, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Chandos Information Professional Series

 - explores environmental changes affecting LIS professionals and the challenges they face
 - explores the need for LIS professionals to offer a benchmark for others in the use of alerting services
 - explores the variety of potentially useful alerting services (with special reference to WWW services)
 - offers pragmatic advice on optimising information gained from alerting services in order to make a difference
 - draws on insights from relevant LIS research as well as other disciplines to advise on how alerting services should be used to support knowledge generation and creativity

This book examines how Library and Information Service (LIS) professionals can use alerting services (also called current awareness services or CAS) to survive: to grasp new opportunities to enhance information services, their professional development, professional image and job satisfaction. It focuses on services available through the web, the importance of environmental scanning and the importance of LIS professionals using their awareness of new information to make a difference. Being alert and keeping track of the latest developments are not enough. Information should be used to generate new knowledge, to inspire, to make progress and to survive. LIS professionals need to be confident that they can prepare for new challenges, deal with information anxiety and information overload and claim new professional roles. Well-informed, confident and creative LIS professionals should be an inspiration to other professions: their use of alerting services should serve as a benchmark for others. The book draws on research on information behaviour, information usage, and information communication and also on alerting services, environmental scanning, and knowledge generation.

Readership: Anybody in the LIS field who wishes to use alerting services to advance LIS services, develop their career, grasp new job opportunities and ensure their general survival: LIS professionals, managers, mentors, educators, and students. The principles discussed should also apply to anybody in the wider IT field.

£42.50 / US$70.00 / €50.00

£62.50 / US$105.00 / €75.00

An e-book version of this title is available to purchase as part of a Collection or Pick n Mix. Visit Chandos Publishing Online

About the author

Dr Ina Fourie is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She joined the Department in 2001, after 13 years teaching experience at the University of South Africa.

Contents

Introduction

‘Current awareness’ or ‘alerting’ services: where do we come from and where are we heading?
 - Introduction
 - Why are we offering alerting services?
 - Redefining alerting services and our reasons for using them
 - Conclusion

A dynamic LIS environment and the need to be a benchmark
 - Introduction
 - What is important to us?
 - What are others doing?
 - Different sectors of the environment
 - A specialised field: indexing
 - General alertness
 - A benchmark for LIS professionals
 - Conclusion

Available alerting services
 - Introduction
 - Exploring as widely as possible
 - Types of services available
 - Deciding on services
 - Conclusion

Learning from studies on information seeking behaviour
 - Introduction
 - Studies on information seeking behaviour
 - Importance of knowledge
 - Barriers to successful information seeking
 - Putting information to use
 - Time for information seeking studies on LIS professionals
 - What can we do for the moment?
 - Conclusion

Surviving the negative side of alerting services
 - Introduction
 - Dealing with information overload
 - Not enough time
 - Inadequate opportunities in the work environment
 - Conclusion

Time to reflect on creative use of information – seizing opportunities and surviving
 - Introduction
 - Accepting the need to deal with uncertainties
 - Understanding yourself and finding happiness in what you do
 - Exploring creativity
 - Learning from highly successful people
 - Recording ideas and inspirational thoughts
 - Sharing information and collaboration
 - Conclusion