Target Audience: Law librarians in all organizations who are asked to provide strategic information for their own or parent organization
Learning Outcomes:
1) Law librarians in all organizations will be able to immediately use the information presented to enhance the strategic knowledge-base of their own or parent organization, and thereby, make a measurable contribution to the future.
2) Participants will be introduced to the basics of two, strategically focused skills – environmental scanning and trend analysis – to augment their own professional skill set.
Environmental scanning and trend analysis are two techniques that are used regularly in any number of settings to help organizations plan for and position themselves for the future. Law firms might use these techniques to anticipate client demand for their services. Law schools may need to prepare for curricula changes. Governmental bodies may be faced with regulatory or reporting requirements. All libraries are constantly challenged to anticipate changes in collections, services, staffing, and technology. By providing actual examples and demonstrating the use of proven techniques, this program will show how law firms, law schools, and government libraries can leverage environmental scanning and trend analysis to position their parent organizations, and themselves, for long-term viability. Drawing upon their own expertise and experience, the panelists will individually describe their own findings and methodologies, and then engage the audience in a discussion of best practices and information-gathering techniques that are common to the kinds of organizations represented and have contributed to organizations’ strategic decision-making.