02/15/1999UT Austin: GSLIS LIS 387.81 Information Management LIS 387.8 2/15/99 Martha Richardson

02/15/1999 UT Austin: GSLIS LIS 387.8 1

Information Management

LIS 387.8

2/15/99

Martha Richardson


Information Staff

• Librarians

• Information technology staff

• Records managers

• Business analysts

• Management accountants

• Individual users


Information Staff

• Information technology staff

– Programmers– Systems analysts– Database administrators– Information resource managers– System and network administrators


Information Staff

• Management accountants

• Records managers

• Business, market, or financial analysts

• Individual managers and workers


Making information meaningful

• Accuracy

• Timeliness

• Accessibility

• Engagement

• Applicability

• Rarity


Engagement

• The analytical

• The driver

• The expressive

• The amiable


Information Quality10 Dimensions of Holmes Miller

• Relevance• Accuracy• Timeliness• Completeness• Coherence

• Format• Accessibility• Compatibility• Security• Validity


Information tasks

• Pruning

• Adding context

• Enhancing style

• Selecting “right” medium


Information tasks

• Enhancing style

– Variation– Interactivity– Staging– Dramatization


Television model

• Information innovators

• Content editors

• Content directors

• Information producers

• Chief content officer


Information management processes

• Determining information requirements

• Capturing information

• Distributing information

• Using information


Information Requirements

• Identify ways that workers comprehend their information environment– Asking what workers need doesn’t tell the

whole story– Observing behavior may capture “real” needs

better– Recognizing complexity is necessary to

establish a valid IM process model


Capturing Information

• Scanning

• Categorizing

• Formatting and packaging


Distributing Information

• Effective information architecture

• Federalistic political structure

• Investment in technology


Information technology

• Computer distribution of information best if– highly structured– updated frequently– sent to multiple sites simultaneously– sent to far-flung geographic locations– kept in repository for users to retrieve

• Problem rests in getting information into computer.



• Distribution strategy

– Push

– Pull

– Mixture of push and pull



• Most effective means is a combination of humans, documents, and computers

• Needs to get to right people at the right time

• Trade-off between richness and reach



• Reach– number of people exchanging information



• Richness - – Bandwidth

amount of information that can be moved from sender to receiver in a given time

– Customizationthe degree to which a message can be customized

– Interactivity


Using Information

• Final step in information management process

• No good unless used

• Improve process pragmatically


Using Information

• Measurement

• Symbolic actions

• Right institutional context

• Performance evaluation


Improving the IM Process

• Top-down reengineering approaches don’t work

• Hiring smart people and leaving them alone doesn’t work

• Establishing a participatory approach to information and knowledge work processes, focusing on outcomes, is most likely to deliver best results.


Information Architecture

• Is a set of aids that match information needs with information resources

• Links information behavior, processes,and staff to business processes and organizational structure



• Information is broadly dispersed– Arrives from different sources– Used in a variety of places– Stored in multiple media and formats

• Managers may spend up to 17% of their time looking for information



• Accessible information can be used and re-used

• Redundancy of information creation and purchase can be reduced

• Information costs can be reduced



• Failure to effect behavior because:

– changing behavior is not the primary objective

– the content is incomprehensible to most people

– the process of developing information architecture inhibits change


Information Engineering

• Generally include information easily computerized

• Useful in database design• Uses affinity matrix of data entities and

activities• Uses modeling of sources, uses, flows of

information• Reduces information to its smallest parts


Information Engineering

• Fails to work well for entire enterprise

• Should be developed in clusters

• Model should be brief

• Avoid technical jargon

• Behavioral objective should be clearly stated


Information Mapping

• Guide to present information environment

• Illustrates shortages and redundancies

• Determine adequacy of information for future needs

• Identifies key information attributes

• Can improve information behavior and culture


Ecological Architecture

• Design should be driven by information strategy

• Is essential for efficient information processes

• Created by information staff

• Should change behavior and culture

• Is not limited to technology investment

Documents

02/15/1999UT Austin: GSLIS LIS 387.81 Information Management LIS 387.8 2/15/99 Martha Richardson