I may soon be tasked with developing an information library, probably a database identifying the policies and views of the organisation, both outward facing and internal for staff benefit, eg HR and office policies. It should work as an intranet and be as user friendly but comprehensive as possible. Staff would use it as a first port of call to establish whether the orgaisation has a view on a particular matter. This woudl save reinventing a policy which exists or wasting time tracking something down. It would be a communication and training tool. Does anyone have any experience of setting up such a library? Any tips as to format and identifying relevant initial information, as well as procedures for ongoing updating would be welcome.
helene cox
2 Responses
simple libuary usage
Hi, I have not set this type of system up in a large organisation – but in my small business with an electronic data libuary of over 500MB of material I have found the search tools from google desktop to be very powerful & much better than some of the traditional intranet search systems I have used.
The key for me is easy storage and easy access. Many of the current systems use difficult ‘data entry’ and as a consequance the systems are not used widely.
Mike
Information management
Helene,depending on where your work base is, I would suggest seeking the advice of your local public library and information service.They will have an information systems specialist, well-versed in setting up access-friendly databases, either standalone or networked (mostly the latter these days).
There will always be pitfalls for the untrained and such advice could save time and other resources in the long term.
Also, because a LIS has to cater for public access,such a specialist will have expertise in catering for all potential users,whether expert or novice.