At the end of 2020, Copyright Clearance Center hosted a panel discussion among information professionals. Led by information expert Mary Ellen Bates, the panel discussed the challenges 2020 presented, and strategies to move us into 2021.
The following is an excerpt from that conversation. You can listen to the full recording of the event here.
What’s one skill info pros will need to succeed in the new landscape of 2021?
Flexibility
“I think what will help us be successful is to be flexible and embrace the change that’s coming. For example, we partnered with our security office to repurpose one of the telepresence robots to provide on-site services remotely, and we worked with our IT department to prototype a chatbot using COVID-19 data. Just being flexible and looking for opportunities as they come along will be helpful in our success in 2021.”
Creativity
“We’ll continue to need to find new ways of doing things, new solutions to problems and new approaches to meeting our customers’ needs, as they change how they work. We have to meet the customers where they are. In fact, we have to be creative and think about how we can ensure the future of our library within the organization—by building those partnerships, helping other departments get work done, and helping our customers identify what we are making available to them.”
Listening
“Our listening skills are going to be very important. Different people handle the current situation in different ways, and I have made an effort to take a step back and just listen to what people were saying and how they were feeling in that moment about their needs.”
Building Relationships
“We instituted a really robust training program this year—we did 40% more trainings than we have done in the past—and I really think that’s going to be key for 2021. Don’t just sit back and hope people find your website; think about how you can get out there and bring the value to the users. You have to build those relationships so that you have good business partners.”
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