I have had an interesting and productive summer, which included a short but happy holiday.

Firstly, having enjoyed SLA meetings and the SLA conference, I was pleased to accept an invitation to increase my involvement in the SLA by joining the Board of SLA Europe as Chair of the Events Committee. Having attended my first meeting last month I can confirm that the Board members work hard to provide members with value for their membership fee.

Secondly, I spent much of the last few months in discussion with colleagues at Intelligent Resources about their coming together with TFPL Recruitment which we were very pleased to announce in August - Press Release. During our discussions it quickly became clear that the two organisations had complementary strengths in the market place plus a real synergy in their ambition and goals. Both companies were keen to:

· develop innovative services for people in a wide range of organisational functions
· improve responsiveness and quality for current clients
· help move knowledge and information management nearer to the centre of organisations
· keep their clients at the centre of the business
· build on relationships and expertise available through consultancy, training and research activities

TFPL has long championed the blurring of the boundaries between information, library, and knowledge and records management. We have argued that Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) embraces these and other disciplines - IT, learning and development, business analysis and strategic planning for example.

One of our research projects explored the diverse roles in information management in the digital age (Who’s managing information? http://www.tfpl.com/resources/reports.cfm); our CKO and SharePoint Summits have attracted participants from a wide range of backgrounds; and our recruitment business supplies permanent and contract staff from a variety of information related disciplines.

Intelligent Resources established a well deserved reputation as a niche supplier of specialist staff across the electronic media marketplace and as a supplier of analysts, corporate finance professionals, research specialists and knowledge managers. They become synonymous with permanent recruitment in the publishing, information content and business intelligence sectors, recognising from their formation the range of disciplines and experience required to contribute to a rich information resource.

Crucially, TFPL Recruitment and Intelligent Resources both had an appetite for change and the energy to create it. TFPL Intelligent Resources builds on that energy and our combined strengths. It is ambitious and forward looking. It is exciting. Directors Julia Hordle, Luisa Jefford, and David Thew provide more detail in the TFPL Intelligent Resources section.

I am also delighted with two TFPL Connect developments planned for the last quarter of this year – TFPL Connect International and TFPL Connect Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Health Sector. Whilst I am sorry that restrictions on international travel for many of our clients have resulted in our decision not to run ebic in Budapest next year we are looking forward to developing a new, innovative UK based event. More information about this will be available in the near future.

I look forward to meeting you at one or more of these events – or at one of the many other professional networking events available in our gregarious industry.

Darron Chapman
Managing Director

TFPL Intelligent Resources

Learning across sectors

TFPL Intelligent Resources brings together a wealth of experience of working with clients in a wide range of sectors. Intelligence Resources are well known in the corporate sector, and by the content provider and publishing community; but have also worked in the public sector. TFPL Recruitment had a 50/50 split between the corporate and public sectors. The combination of these market strengths will enable us to increase our visibility and also to spot cross over opportunities, new roles for candidates and to access a wider pool of skills and experience.

While the business will be managed through three business lines the TFPL commitment to integration and complementary services will be maintained. Chinese Walls will exist where necessary but the expertise and knowledge of the combined recruitment business will provide our candidates and clients with a seamless and consistent service. The three business lines will be led by:

Julia Hordle - Director of Corporate Intelligence
Luisa Jefford - Director of Public Sector Recruitment
David Thew - Director of Publisher & Content Provider Recruitment

Julia Hordle	Luisa Jefford	David Thew

Message from Luisa, Julia and David

Our goal is to improve the fulfillment times for assignments and to extend the coverage of our combined marketplace. The TFPL Intelligent Resources capability will enable us to give all our customers – clients and candidates - a better experience, improved effectiveness and attention to detail.

We have plans for current and new services, ideas for improving operations and, most of all, a target to meet and communicate with as many clients as possible. We will link into TFPL events and work with TFPL Consultancy and Training, but the immediate challenge is to ensure that our ambitions do not adversely affect any client engagement.

We intend that our service should be seamless – the same quality for all clients. We will be working hard to bring the two teams (and two systems) together but realise that there may be a few hiccups as we align ourselves in practical ways – if so we ask for your tolerance.

Disciplines and functions

We have complementary experience and expertise in permanent, contract and search recruitment techniques.

TFPL Intelligent Resources will also work with a uniquely wide range of roles. Our services encompass information management in its widest context including content management, IT tools, information and enterprise architecture; together with knowledge management with its emphasis on people, communities and behaviours, and analysis, research and intelligence.

Both organisations have in-depth experience of the information provider’s world, and Intelligent Resources add to this strong exposure to the scholarly, academic and reference publishing markets, together with a particular focus on assignments in middle and senior management. This joint capability will enable TFPL to continue to lead the market in product and professional development.

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TFPL Training

Over the summer months we have been busy developing the course programme for Autumn 2009 and 2010.

We have introduced two new courses to the Autumn programme, Information Literacy and an Introduction to Digital Preservation. TFPL is pleased to welcome on board our new trainers Elizabeth Goodman and David Bowen, their knowledge and experience in these areas will add great value to the training programme. To see further details on their courses please go to TFPL Training.

During 2010 we will be releasing our new Social Computing training programme, this modular course is designed to offer participants both a basic and an advanced understanding of the core tools available, and to help them to understand how these tools can be used effectively for knowledge sharing and collaboration.

All of our Autumn and 2010 course dates will be published during early October.

In late spring we introduced the Learning Credits scheme, which has been very well received in the market. For many of our clients, block booking courses at a reduced rate is an effective way of maximising the value of their learning and development budget. For further information on learning credits please visit the TFPL website.

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TFPL Consultancy

We have had a varied and fascinating quarter with projects spanning all aspects of records, information and knowledge management. For example:

We have worked with the Countryside Council for Wales [CCW], a complex multi-site organisation, to develop a suite of records management tools and frameworks and the implementation of an electronic document and records management system (EDRMS), as part of a three-year framework agreement. The CCW team, continuing with a very successful roll out of their EDRM, are now looking at implementing scanning, customised web interfaces, and integration with other business systems, as well as to introduce advanced features such as workflow. Having established a sound foundation for managing information, attention is now focused on improving aspects of their knowledge management processes.

Government Agency – KM Strategy implementation: tools and techniques. A year long knowledge management tools and techniques implementation project which has seen steady progress towards the training and equipping of an internal KM consulting team at a government agency – we have recently been awarded a further stream of work under the KM umbrella. Our role in this capacity draws on our additional competence in information architecture and web content management in reviewing the organisation’s publishing lifecycle.

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TFPL Connect

TFPL Connect - Fit for Purpose - July 2009

'Fit for Purpose?' Connect event

We had the pleasure of hosting another highly successful and enjoyable TFPL Connect networking event on the 14 July 2009. Our delegates and panel of speakers represented a broad range of organisations from the private, public and third sectors with a shared interest in knowledge management and its evolution in the current political and economic climate.

We received great feedback in conversation with the delegates on the format and quality of presenters. The delegates clearly shared a great passion for KM; the Q&A session, time for reflection at the end and the fact that the speakers stayed on for drinks and networking really added value for them. The content created a real buzz for conversation with prolific exchange of ideas and business cards.

Read more on the TFPL Blog

TFPL Connect - Who's in charge? - October 2009

The theme for the upcoming TFPL Connect event is Who's in charge? Aligning KIM to business drivers, with speakers Juliet Humphries, Head of Knowledge & Learning, Bird & Bird, Stuart Jackson, Global Knowledge & Information Manager, Actis, and Karen McFarlane, Deputy Director for Corporate Knowledge & Information, GCHQ.
Ian Wooler is once again the Chair and Facilitator.

The event is already fully booked, but please have a look at the programme, TFPL Connect - Who's in charge? and put your name on the waiting list if you would like to know if a place becomes available.

TFPL Connect International - 30 November 2009

On the night before ‘Online’ (which sounds like the beginning of a ghost story), TFPL has brought together an international panel of KIM experts across a range of sectors to discuss the key challenges and opportunities for Knowledge and Information Management in the current global climate.

TFPL will be inviting participants to submit questions to the panel prior to the event and our cafe style format will provide stimulating interactive discussions. The event has been kindly sponsored by Alacra and full information and booking details will be released early shortly.

For more information please visit TFPL Connect International

TFPL Connect Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Health Sector

As many Connect members will know, TFPL Connect will facilitate SIGs for particular sectors or common interest groups. These are managed and led by the members, covering issues that they identify and run in formats that suit them. The first of these was a law SIG.

TFPL have identified a potential interest in a Health SIG to provide a forum for KIM specialists from all parts of the Health and Social Care sector to meet and exchange experience and ideas. A launch meeting will be held at the BMA on 4th November to explore the potential and likely uptake of this SIG.

An overview of the sector and the pros and cons of a Health SIG will be provided by a speaker and panel – followed by a discussion with participants.

Further details will be available shortly so do keep an eye on TFPL Connect Special Interest Groups

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SharePoint Summit

Following three sell out events in 2008 the next SharePoint Summit will be held on 15 October at the Crowne Plaza, London, EC4. As with the previous events the day will consist of a mix of case studies, interactive discussions and a keynote paper.

The six new case studies from across the public, private and third sectors showcase specific features such as Mysites and workflow, and include examples of high impact results from small budgets.

The fourth Summit also builds on the three earlier events by considering the evolution of SharePoint and focusing on business benefits.

Full event details are available on TFPL SharePoint Summit

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TFPL out and about

Martin Sanderson, TFPL Senior Consultant, presented a paper at a conference organised by International Society for Knowledge Organisation (ISKO) on 16 September 2009 - Records and Information Management in Transition. Martin introduced his thoughts about the future of records management at a time when technology allows anyone to create information and share it with everyone in the electronic world, and where organisational boundaries and controls are quickly disappearing. For more information please visit http://www.iskouk.org/rm_sep2009.htm.

Founded in 1989, the International Society for Knowledge Organisation (ISKO) is the leading international society for the organisation of knowledge. The Society has a broad and interdisciplinary scope. Its mission is to advance conceptual work on knowledge organisation in all kinds of forms, and for all kinds of purposes such as databases, libraries, dictionaries and the Internet.

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