Part I: Environmental Analysis. Due: Feb. 14.
Part II: Services, Collections and Intranet Planning Due: Mar. 7.
Part III: Demonstrating Value Due: Mar. 28.
Part IV: Projecting Resource Needs Due: Apr. 18.
Presentation: Poster Session. Due: Apr. 25.
Opportunity to Revise Project (Optional) Final Due Date: May 2Overview.This handout describes one of three options for the term project assignment (The other two are Writing a Business Plan and Writing a Competitive Inteligence Analysis) This option involves a series of creative exercises based on an existing corporate or government setting of your choice, which you will use as a your starting point. The purpose of the assignment is to plan an information support service (hereafter called a 'library', although understand this to mean the broadest possible interpretation of what a library can be).
Each of the four parts is to be turned in separately and will be treated as a draft with an interim grade assigned to it. An final option described below provides an opportunity for you to revise the whole project at the end of the class. This analysis may be done individually or, preferably, in a team of two (possibly three) people. If the latter, unless there is overwhelming evidence to do otherwise, both individuals will receive the same grade.
Assume for the purposes of this assignment that you have been asked by the CEO (or equivalent) of the organization you have selected to present a proposal for a library. A useful format for each section is to provide an executive summary first followed by supporting material with more complete detail and reasons. Each part of the project will probably result in a report of about 3-5 pages of text or bulleted points.
Selection of Setting. Some settings require extensive subject knowledge; other are more needful of general business knowledge. Pick your site to complement your background. (But don't be deterred by lack of subject knowledge; the lack of subject knowledge may be compensated for in other staff and/or can be acquired over time). It is best to select a real organization rather than trying to make up all the details of a fictional one. It is also most useful to select an organization that is not closeby (although you are not precluded from choosing a familiar organization if this is your heart's desire).
To assist in selecting a site, you may want to examine current issues of Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, or the Wall Street Journal. The Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers with its New Special Libraries serial companion provide brief descriptions of many different kinds of special libraries including corporate libraries.
Once you have identified one or two likely prospects, locate the most current annual report for the company of your choice that you can find and use this information (plus other information from the business press) to gain background on the company.
Note: If you select a government agency or private company, you may not be able to find an annual report but you may be able to substitute the website of the organization. In any event, the first section will ask you to provide background on your selected organization. Be prepared to be a good detective and dig for background material.
If the company that you choose is diversified with many separate individual companies, indicate whether you are selecting a particular subsidiary as your target company or whether your focus will be on corporate headquarters. Do the same if your company has many branches in many different geographical areas. I will ask you to turn in your choice of setting and team member(s) before beginning on the project.
Part I: Environmental Analysis.
For Part I, write a short description of the organization describing key aspects: what industry(ies) is represented, what products or services the company offers, a brief history of the company, its current size, its chief competitor(s) and market share of principal products, mission statement (or vision), strategic plans (as described in chairman's letter in front of annual report), etc. This section is intended to demonstrate your understanding of the organization and should not be long.Consider who the potential customers for an information support service might be -- the primary internal groups by department or job function for information services within the company may be and describe in a general way what their information needs might be. (If you can identify needs by client segments, it would be a refinement over a more global needs statement).
Part II: Services, Collections and Intranet Planning.
The CEO (or equivalent) has asked you to include the design and management of an Intranet for the library as part of your proposal. Sketch out the design and navigational plan for the library's Intranet site.
Propoe an overall mission or function for the library and outline the major products and services the library would provide. It is not necessary to provide a lot of detail about each of the service offerings but do provide enough information to define in layman's terms what you mean. Please also describe information resources (print, real objects, electronic materials) that you might wish to provide as one of your services and draw up a collection development policy. Indicate any special handling and methods of organizing that would be needed for special types of material.Part III: Demonstrating Value.
Identify and investigate the major internal competitors for providing information services (internally and externally). Consider the characteristics of the prospective internal client group(s) and relate how you would market the information center, its products and services. Include public relations activities as well as promotion plans.For each of the products and services you plan to offer, devise one or more performance measures and show how you will collect this information and report it to management. Discuss methods for an overall evaluation of the contribution the information center and its staff is making in line with the company's mission and goals.
Part IV: Projecting Resource Needs.
Given your planned offering of products and services, draw up a plan for an optimum staffing arrangement for your library with a description of what the major responsibilities of each person would be. Sketch an organization chart to show their relationships.Sketch a facility plan to show how you would design the facility. Include a list of the primary equipment you would need, its cost and technical requirements.
Prepare a initial set-up budget to include cost of furniture, equipment, and initial collection, and then a projected annual budget for first two years showing what you anticipate your monetary resource needs will be and your expected expense categories
Poster Session.
As a way of showing the rest of the class how you have developed your information center plan, create a poster with information about your project. This can be a simple affair on a piece of poster board with pockets for sections of your report or as elaborate as you wish as long as it conveys the flavor of your project.Bring your poster to class on Apr. 25 and be prepared to stand beside it to provide an overview and to explain one or more particular features that you think are noteworthy to other members of the class.
Final Revision.
You have the opportunity of revising one or more sections of your plan before turning it in for a final grade. Whether you make any revisions or not is entirely your choice. You will only improve your grade by doing so.
Revised 1/02/01.
If you have questions, please email Evelyn Daniel.
