Assignment -2 Introduction This assignment involves you researching and producing an evidence-based Briefing Paper (target word length 1,450 words) on a topic selected from the list provided below, prefaced by an Informative Abstract (Executive Summary, of approximately 100 words.) Scenario For the purposes of this assignment, you should assume that you are working as an information professional in an academic, research or other specialist library, information or knowledge service/department. A new service Director (i.e. the head of the library, information or knowledge service) has recently taken up post and has identified areas where the service appears to be “behind the pace” in relation to recent developments in the sector. The Director has therefore asked selected staff to research these areas, to identify examples of best practice (from published research, professional periodicals, library websites, etc) and to consider options for achieving a “step change” in the way that the service operates and is perceived by its users. The Director has asked you to produce an evidencebased briefing paper to help the senior managers of the service understand the situation and decide how to move forward. The paper (including the Executive Summary) should be written as though you are working within that particular organisation and writing for the Director and their senior team. Topics Choose one of the following topics: • Innovative approaches to collection management (e.g. PDA and/or consorital collection development etc) • Outsourcing for library, information or knowledge services • Digital asset management • Digital preservation services • Research data management • Bibliometrics support services • Embedding library and information professionals in the organisation • Clinical librarian roles • Moving from a subject to function-oriented organisational structure • Learning commons environments • Social media for library, information or knowledge services You must also clearly identify one topic (from the above) for one particular sector (e.g. further education, higher education/university, health care, law firm, government, business/finance, not-forprofit) as the focus for your investigation, although you can draw on literature from other sectors in your paper if you consider it appropriate to do so, in order to provide examples of good practice in the field. You should also identify the (type of) organisation covered and the country in which your organisation is based. You must then write the document as though you are in that organisation. For example, therefore, you could choose to set your work in an academic library in a UK research-led university wanting to improve its research data management services. Alternatively, you could discuss outsourcing in the context of a library and information services department the banking industry in the USA. Whilst you can choose any of the above, you should ensure in choosing your topic you do not substantially overlap with material you have covered in other assignments. Before the paper itself, provide a clear explanation in your submission of the topic, sector, organisation and country chosen, and anything else about the context you have assumed, at the beginning of your submission. This explanation should be placed before the Executive Summary/abstract and is not part of the assignment report itself. The rest of the assignment from the Executive Summary/abstract onwards should then form a coherent whole as a briefing paper within the chosen context. The text of the explanation will not be counted as part of the assignment word count. Paper Contents The following are indicative of the different components your Briefing Paper should contain: • Explanation of context: specifying the assumed context (sector, organisation, situation etc) – before the Executive Summary and not part of the specified assignment word count • Executive Summary: outlining the background and scope of your paper, in addition to summarising the main points from your findings and conclusions (approximately 100 words, not included in the assignment word count) – not part of the specified assignment word count • Introduction: characterising and defining the concept being investigated and including a clear statement of the topic covered (i.e. a description of what the paper is about) • Background: briefly explaining the context, to include relevant developments in the environment (e.g. political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental) • Proposal/Discussion: covering current thinking and exemplary practice in the area, including an analysis of the issues and implications (e.g. financial, staffing) that would need to be considered by a service wanting to position itself closer to the leaders in the field • Options/Conclusions and Recommendations: stating actions to be taken within the defined context, including assessment of priorities, resources etc and including indicative timescales • References: citing publications and other sources of evidence referred to in the paper – not part of the specified assignment word count • Bibliography: including additional sources of information (publications, websites etc.) that you consulted in researching the topic, but which are not cited in the paper – these could be offered as suggestions for further reading. NB in a professional context, many briefing papers may not have extensive reference lists but for the purposes of this assignment it is expected that you produce a bibliography list corresponding to a normal essay in order to demonstrate your use of the evidence base – not part of the specified assignment word count In addition, you might also include (optional): • Appendix/Appendices: providing additional detail not appropriate to include in the paper, but judged useful as further evidence (e.g. a table of statistics, a listing of examples) – not part of the specified assignment word count Briefing papers are normally intended to inform decision-making in organisations and are aimed at senior managers (normally the director and senior management team). Your paper should, therefore, be written in a style that is business like and formatted in such a way to make them easy to digest, including headings and subheadings, bullet points etc. Include charts and diagrams that might help get your message across but not just for decoration. They should make specific recommendations about future actions.