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As corporate librarians responsible for delivering competitive intelligence (CI) news across multiple businesses, assorted functions and diverse industries, we at DuPont often feel like blackjack dealers in a casino. The [...]

Geopolitical strategic intelligence is no longer the domain solely of governments, transnational corporations, and well-moneyed nongovernmental organizations. Nor do you need to work for the CIA, the MI6, or any [...]

Who would think that a wide cross section of employees at Consumers Union--even the folks who test refrigerators--would be interested in car talk? The wide appeal of the daily Auto […]

The corporate library's main function is to manage information from the external world. At Tetra Pak, the corporate library takes an active role in planning and managing technology intelligence process. The library, called Technology Intelligence Library, is involved not only in taking care of the needs for external technical information, but also in combining internal and external information. It trains intranet users regarding systematic monitoring of external information.

You've seen the headlines: 'Foreign Competition Steals Market Share,' and 'U.S. Firms Fall Behind in Maintaining Technology Edge,' and 'Today's Business Problems are Increasingly Multidisciplinary.' knowledge and time are the [...]

"And knowing is half the battle!" This slogan from the old G.I. Joe cartoon comes to mind when describing the current marketing challenge at our Information Research Center (IRC). Employees […]

Search Every month the InfoPosse -- Inc's team of crack corporate librarians -- reports in on what's good, bad, and ugly in the world of information. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO [...]

The challenge of providing the information needs of the scientists at the Shell Research and Technology Center of Thornton, England, has become more complex as manager Andy Cooke has decided that the center is to be a self-funded, standalone business. Shell scientists are no longer required to use the center, but Cooke can also market services to the outside world. Timely information access, data capture, secure care of information, and appropriate media communication are the major parts of the center's services according to Cooke., Thomas Pack (thomaspack@aol.com) is a freelance writer based in Peewee Valley, KY. Jeff Pemberton (jeffp@onlineinc.com) is Publisher of ONLINE magazine. Camments? Email letters to the Editor at editar@onlineinc.com. If you [...]

Secondary research is the systematic collection, examination, and communication of published data. It is an important way for marketers to obtain information at a lesser cost than primary research. Contrary to misconceptions about secondary research, it is possible to obtain new and up-to-date data through electronic data processing. Because many of the 6,000 corporate libraries in America specialize in secondary research, people tend to look at secondary information as being too public to be of any special use to companies. Researchers who favor secondary research claim that how information is collected is less important than how it is organized and interpreted. This kind of research may seem easy, but getting the most out of it requires special training and dedication.

When electronic media emerged in the late 1970s, so-called "special librarians" began to provide specific services to commercial enterprises with growing information management needs. Such librarians developed categories for research […]

In a corporate library a few years back, a member of our legal staff poked his head in at lunchtime and mentioned we shouldn't worry about our budget this year […]