FreePint Feedback - How to Approach Current Awareness?
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

Robin Neidorf on how FreePint consulting services can be applied to aiding firms with their approach to current awareness.

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Some consulting projects require a minimal amount of time to talk through internal challenges, get some perspective and learn about similar institutions. A recent consulting call initiated by a customer's question on how to address the internal need for current awareness is a perfect example of this kind of efficiency:

One-Hour Consultation Call on Current Awareness Approaches

A FreePint Subscriber contacted me to discuss the challenges her organisation is facing with regard to meeting the diverse needs of a large number of user groups with regard to current awareness.

The organisation currently uses a mix of newsletters generated via its main premium news provider, web-based alerts, an in-house developed "awareness" system, and has also been asked to look at commercially available technologies like Attensa to pull together a range of resources.

Naturally, the information centre would prefer to consolidate and standardise an approach, but the information staff are encountering cultural barriers to change.

I met by telephone with the head of information and her deputy for an hour, to discuss their progress, their organisational requirements, internal politics and timeline. I was able to validate their experience and compare it to experiences in similar organisations FreePint has worked with.

At the conclusion of the call, I sent the customer a summary of discussion points and suggested next steps. I also reached out to contacts at those similar organisations to make introductions. The customer now has the additional benefit of peer-to-peer dialogue around a common challenge.

Best of all, the customer has only used a single hour of the six allotted per year with their FreePint Subscription at the Consulting level.

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