A corporate information policy is a necessity for business people who believe information is a strategic asset. Ideally, an information policy will provide an integrated picture of all information resources, both internal and external, available to support strategic objectives of the organization. Developing the corporate information policy provides an opportunity to review current information handling practices in the light of business objectives.
This unit of the InfoPro Resource Center provides some tools to help in this effort. Here you will find:
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Information Policy-External Content Selection, Acquisition and Distribution Guidelines (Word document) Copyright and Redistribution Policies (Word document) Corporate Information Policy-Sample Format (Word document) Guidelines for Internet Use (Word document) Additional Reading (Word document) |
This discussion of corporate information policies is framed in the context of Professional Competency 1.11 of the SLA Competencies for Special Librarians for the 21st Century report which states that the Special Librarian "is an effective member of the senior management team and a consultant to the organization on information issues.'' Developing information policies for the organization is cited as a practical example for that competency.
Given the amount of information generated within an organization and the volume of external information being acquired by an organization, an information professional must work others responsible for areas such as corporate records, competitive intelligence, intranet development, knowledge management, and IT architecture must also be involved in this effort. Input is required from user groups (for example, R&D, Marketing, Human Resources, and Legal departments) and content publishers. Business managers who can impose alignment of information policies with business objectives must be involved as well. This collaborative effort should ensure that the resulting policy reflects the needs and capabilities of the entire organization rather than the interests of particular groups.
The Guidelines for Internet Use poses some questions about Internet Use in your organization. Take a few minutes to send your responses to the questions posed there to infopro@factiva.com to share experiences and help benefit others working on these issues. If you have questions or would be willing to share your experiences related to developing a corporate information policy, please contact us at infopro@factiva.com.
