Alicia Biggers, Ford Motor Company

The following is an electronic tour of Ford Motor Company, Inc. Our tour guide is Alicia Biggers. Ms. Biggers is a Global Market Analysis Information Specialist in Marketing Plans & Brand Development. Students who attended the Nielsen-Dana Senior Fellows Institute Seminar may recall Ms. Biggers' presentation, "The Ford Global Market Analysis System Case Study." This tour was conducted in the spring of 1999.

Questions

  1. Describe the organization/corporate culture and political climate.

    2. Very political. You are responsible for creating and moving your career. The culture is very competitive, very caste system. It is moving towards a more diverse, market and customer driven company, however, I believe the competitiveness and caste system will remain. Don't work here if you don't like pressure, challenge and constant change--if you like these traits, then this is an excellent place to work.

  2. Discuss the availability and use of information technology in general, with particular attention to internet/intranet applications.

    3. If Ford only knew what Ford knows--information, internal, abounds. External information abounds, too. The Intranet is highly evolved and often benchmarked for best in class by other organizations. Employees have access to an abundance of information with 18 libraries and 30+ Information Specialists to help guide them through it all.

  3. How do you align your information services with strategic planning or your organizations?

    4. Each library is aligned with its organization which in turn aligns its goals and objects with the corporate strategy/business plan. There is no one matrix which all the libraries report to--it is very DECENTRALIZED.

  4. Describe your responsibilities, with emphasis on those areas in which library school did not prepare you for.

    5. My responsibilities at Marketing Plans & Brand Development include management of the GMA (Global Market Analysis) Information Center, the development, maintenance and enhancements of the GMA Information Directory, the development, maintenance and enhancements to the GMA Facilitators (Wizards to do one's job)--these are all part of the GMA APPLICATION which I am a part of this system/business team. I act as a liaison --connecting people with resources and technology. As much as possible, I make sure that users are educated, not overwhelmed, and trained in using information and information technology. 80% of this GMA Information Center is virtual and 60% of my service(s) are virtual.

    The one thing MLIS school didn't prepare me for was METRICS--how to measure your effectiveness against the corporate goals. Not how many books circulated or how many users you have but how much did your service contribute to share holder value or company savings, etc.--this would ensure our significant contribution & survival.

  5. Are your or your organization affected by copyright and intellectual property rights issues? How so?

    6. We must comply with ALL copyright laws--i.e. we buy licenses, multiple copies, enterprise access, etc. We have document delivery services for articles and other copyright protections in place.

  6. How do you market yourself and the services of your unit to the organization? Describe successes and failures.

    7. Marketing the service: I attend departmental staff meetings as a presenter, I receive and read departmental bulletins, I organize demos between information providers and the users, I work one-to-one with people and offer brown bag lunches to users. My coverage is more than GMA --its how to gain, use, access information for marketing for decisions. I also do the basics such as newsletters, web pages, e-mails, magnets, open houses.

  7. How much resource sharing do you use? Describe ILL and other activities which help you to meet the information needs of your users when resources are not locally available.

    8. That's the major part of the library and services--we share everything. I DO NOT DUPLICATE ANOTHER LIBRARY'S COLLECTION, I will compliment it with key references but the collections are unique. If we cannot locate or purchase a source, then we will outsource it to someone who can provide it.

  8. Do you have experience with outsourcing? Please describe the details in depth.

    9. Yes, I outsource scanning and converting of documents, serials management, copyright photocopying, and others. Much success--treat the groups as partners (our success is each other's success) and I stay in constant contact with the groups providing the service.

  9. What changes or projects have you or are you implementing? How have you approached the management and users about these changes?

    10. Continuous training and re-enforcement with information technology. We have implemented a document management system--very successful. I have done more training and guiding than pulling resources/searches for others. For me to do a search means the user has exhausted known resources or is new.

  10. How did you get/keep your job? Any job hunting tips or advice?

    11. I interned at the company, than placed my resume with employment agencies which handle technology and information technology. I was offered this job through the agency (head hunter) and it was a good match. Tips: let EVERYONE know you are looking, and be sharp in your appearance (includes your virtual appearance). SCHMOOZE!

  11. What can be realistically expected from new graduates in terms of specific skills and orientation? How important is previous experience prior to the MLS degree? How important is subject specialization? How can deficiencies be compensated for? For example, do you look for students who have had practicums in relevant areas?

    12. Realistically--get experience (part-time, volunteer, ANYTHING) School prepares students in the basics, but experience will give you the political insights, current trends, and current language used--this helps in your resume and interviews (walk and talk like you are in charge) Subject specialty is important but have a general grounding--if special library is a goal--know what kind (i.e. business, law (desperate for law librarians in metro Detroit), medical, etc.--join associations and let people know what you can do--it is NOT a time to be shy. Offer skills beyond the normal skill set--offer training, development, integrate what you do to the company's goals.

  12. What is the one good thing you wished you had learned in library school, or learned before you got the job?

    13. NEGOTIATIONS (contracts & licenses & legal talk)

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