TIAA-CREF “Cybrarian” Uses Push Technology, Custom Interfaces to Reach 7,000 Information Customers
The odds don’t look great: 7,000 to one.
But at TIAA-CREF, Robin Sanders takes those odds—and makes them work for the organization. As TIAA’s Director, Information Research, Sanders manages a virtual library capable of assisting any TIAA-CREF employee from their intranet.
“I’m tasked with providing information to all of TIAA-CREF’s more than 7,000 employees. I think that makes us unique. We provide LexisNexis® (services) to everyone.”
—Robin Sanders
TIAA-CREF
Director, Information Research
At TIAA-CREF they call it the “Cybrary.”
“I’m a shop of one. I’m tasked with providing information to all of TIAA-CREF’s more than 7,000 employees. I think that makes us unique. We provide LexisNexis® (services) to everyone,” Sanders says. “When we developed our current structure, we were very clear: We wanted to empower everyone to be able to perform their basic research.”
And that means a virtual platform, purely electronic with no print collection to update … no physical library or overhead to maintain. However, with so many users at so many experience levels, Sanders has to make it friendly as well as powerful and inclusive.
She turns to LexisNexis for customized user interfaces and publishing tools as well as information. “We consider LexisNexis a partner, not just a vendor.”
For example, every morning—or whenever they need it— employees can go right to a customized Cybrary “newsstand” powered by nexis.com. They can select the latest edition of a must-have business publication, browse headlines and choose vital full text.
If employees need more in-depth or targeted research, the Cybrary offers more options, like moving to the nexis.com search form. The simple, fill-in-the-blank form is also front and center on the main Cybrary screen. Or click the Cybrary’s Research Request tab to send a special research request for Sanders to explore. Users can also find topical news updates by clicking the Cybrary News Track tab.
Much intelligence gets pushed out to TIAA-CREF infoseekers through LexisNexis Publisher, which gives Sanders the ability to gather relevant articles and to publish or distribute them to TIAA-CREF business leaders via daily newsletters, e-mail or intranet updates. (Even incorporate RSS feeds, video and pictures.)
For example, Sanders says, one of her major publications is a daily Competitive & Market Intelligence Alert newsletter, which includes news about TIAA-CREF competitors and developments within the financial services industry. Sanders also sets up and manages alerts on several TIAA-CREF competitors.
Competitive Intelligence is also compiled on a special TIAACREF portal. “All of our professionals can go there and get updated on the competition immediately.”
Sanders also oversees a variety of other LexisNexis Publisher distributions covering Corporate Governance, Education Savings, the Wealth-Management industry—and up to 40 other vital topics for TIAA-CREF business units. Another alert tells the corporate communications team what the financial media is saying about TIAA-CREF. Sanders is also in the process of working with the TIAA-CREF legal department to create their own update newsletter.
The business units play an active role beyond requesting topics for LexisNexis Publisher. Unit volunteers act as “editors,” reviewing the articles Publisher retrieves and selecting those they deem most important. Sanders develops and continually fine tunes the alert searches and shows the editors the simple Publisher procedure for vetting relevant stories.
“That’s how I can do this solo. Plus, I have a strong LexisNexis customer team to assist me.”
Sanders meets regularly with LexisNexis Information Professional Consultant Nancy Gallenson. For more day-today service, Sanders works with LexisNexis National Account Manager Brian Doyle and Corporate Solutions Specialist/ trainer Jodi Kreshover. With guidance from Sanders, Kreshover schedules and conducts nexis.com and research-area training sessions for TIAA-CREF employees. Have a question? Doyle and Kreshover even list their contact information on the Cybrary Contacts tab, along with Sanders and LexisNexis 24/7 Customer Support information.
Still, with more than 7,000 potential Cybrary patrons, one “cybrarian” with a dedicated team might have trouble staying on top of the organization’s rapidly evolving information needs.
“I am in a unique position.” Sanders admits. “But I have more than 25 years’ experience. This work is almost second nature to me. I try to get out there and talk to [colleagues]. ‘What are you working on? What trends are emerging?’”
“I reach out to every new senior business leader [at TIAA-CREF]. I send them a TIAA-CREF Cybrary welcome package. I speak to them directly about their interests, and I encourage them to talk to their employees about the Cybrary. I may not be able to get to every employee, but it translates down through senior management.”
Sanders also relies on input from her own business unit, the Market & Competitive Intelligence team, which is part of the TIAA-CREF Client Experience unit. They talk regularly in meetings about future Publisher topics.
“The Cybrary is pretty well known now [at TIAA-CREF]: If you want to know something, contact the Cybrary.”
Info Pro Sanders chooses LexisNexis Publisher to…
Create Newsletters
Robin Sanders synthesizes several months of competitive intelligence to produce a professional-looking quarterly newsletter, without waiting for Publisher training. “It’s very straightforward. The first time I did it myself with the [users’] guide. But it looked like there were 10 different librarians working on it.”
Attach Files to Newsletter Documents
Sanders not only selects and customizes articles for the various TIAA-CREF newsletters created with LexisNexis Publisher, she attaches the back-up research
readers will need for further investigation. “I’m definitely running with this one.”
Report on the Most-Read Articles
Sanders generates usage reports by topic, by day—or even by document headline. It’s easy with the LexisNexis Publisher usage report features. Since the reports show percentage values and actual reader counts, the reports become de facto “most popular articles” lists she can share with readers. “Our readers like to know that. If everyone is reading something, they want to make sure they check it out as well.”
