Libraries Alive was founded by library consultants Ian McCallum and Sherrey Quinn in 1997. Since then the company has worked successfully with many customers, adding value to the provision of library and information services in government and in business. We claim historical perspective, breadth of vision and depth of experience unmatched in our field.
Our services include information management, library reviews, strategic and tactical planning, value assessment, performance improvement and staff development. We are also highly regarded for our editing and indexing capabilities.
Our approach to consulting is considered, frank and open, and our ‘no surprises’ methodology ensures that our advice is framed within and continually tested against customer requirements. We are experienced, informed and effective – and enthusiastic about the projects we take on.
We offer the following consulting specialities:
Library service development
General reviews
Strategic plans, resource allocation
New library specification
Operational audits, reviews and benchmarking
Staff establishment reviews
Community consultation
Customer needs analysis
Value analysis
Marketing & business development
Library standards & guidelines
Information organisation & management
Information gathering, synthesis & presentation
Expert searching & resource discovery
Information audits
Editing and proofreading
Book & periodical indexing
Database indexing
Metadata & website indexing
Thesaurus construction, maintenance & review
Taxonomy design & development
Library & information technology
Purchasing & acquisition strategies
Software evaluation and reviews
Software acceptance, usability testing & documentation
Post-implementation audits
Contract negotiation & management
Problem-solving
Staff training & development
Rewarding Reading readers’ adviser training & train-the-trainer courses
Rewarding Reference refresher and customer service re-orientation
Performance measurement and bench-marking workshops
Custom training programs for specific requirements
Project direction & management
Library projects
Library IT projects
Indexing projects
Conference & meeting facilitation
Workshops and focus groups
Meeting reports & documentation
