Archived Event

We can count 'em...but do they count? Challenges in assessing ROI from information services

Date : Nov 17, 2009
Start Time : 1 p.m. Eastern
Length : 01:00:00

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Attributed to Einstein and Drucker, variations on "not everything we measure is significant, and what is significant may be impossible to measure" apply to assessing the return on investment of funds and time - in the latter case both on the part of information center staff and knowledge workers using the information center. The pressure to demonstrate ROI and ROTI has produced a sizeable body of literature, yet it seems library and information centre managers still struggle to measure the "right" activity indicators and assess the contribution those activities and associated investments are making to the organization's strategic goals. Ulla de Stricker shares observations and caveats from her experience with strategic assessments and planning for knowledge centric entities and suggests basic guidelines for presenting ROI-type information to organization managers.

Ulla de Stricker —Consultant, de Stricker Associates

Ulla de Stricker, in consulting practice since 1992, helps clients deal with the full gamut of knowledge management challenges, bringing to bear decades of experience. Since the late 1970s, Ulla de Stricker held information industry positions with responsibility in the areas of strategy, design, and market client relations. She managed the Canadian operations for DIALOG in the 1980s and built the electronic publishing venture for a Canadian unit of Thomson in the early 1990s. She is well known for her bold vision of the future of the library profession and is a popular speaker at information conferences internationally. www.destricker.com