Quantum² : InfoStars : Yulia Aspinall

Yulia Aspinall

Cambridge Antibody Technology's Yulia Aspinall

In the fast moving biopharmaceutical industry, remaining competitive requires an extremely proactive approach to information services, and nobody knows it — or does it — better than Dialog InfoStar, Dr. Yulia Aspinall at Cambridge Antibody Technology. As the Information Services Manager for this UK-based company, Yulia recognizes the absolute need for timely information delivered to the right people, and has developed information services to do just that. Guided by Yulia's penchant for relationship building, established multimodal environmental scanning and continuous development practices, Cambridge Antibody Technology's Information Services team is flexible, innovative, and forward-looking.

Yulia brought the skills and experience necessary for a biopharmaceutical company when she joined Cambridge Antibody Technology several years ago. A PhD in biology, and seven years experience as a lecturer at a medical school in Novosibirsk provided subject expertise, teaching and people skills, and a strong grounding in the scientific research process. She spent another two years in Siberia working as a medical representative for a commercial enterprise, gaining an all-important business perspective. With that winning combination and her Russian roots, this InfoStar is truly unique!

In a company of just under three hundred employees, the Information Services team at Cambridge Antibody Technology consists of Yulia and an Information Services Administrator. Service levels are differentiated according to the customer group and information need, with targeted self-serve, value-added, consultative, and on-demand services falling into various user group niches ranging from scientists, business analysts, medical development group, project teams, and the executive group. Remaining flexible and responsive to all groups is important for the effective and efficient delivery of information services. Face to face communication is also important, as well as opportunities for individual training, so the Information Services Administrator is physically located in the Information Centre at Cambridge Antibody Technology. The open design of the Centre invites anyone to drop in for assistance in locating and accessing information, and other public use technologies, such as Windows machines (CAT operates in a Mac environment) or scanners, are also located in the Centre. The Centre even has a "quiet zone" — two designated offices to facilitate those who need to concentrate while working on reports or scientific papers. But the Centre's influence extends far beyond its physical walls — the most popular pages on the corporate Intranet are the Information Services pages. And, the Information Services team even makes "office" calls!

Yulia explains that because "access to the various information services resources is technology intensive, a two-way communication with IT is vital." Yulia holds regular meetings with the head of IT to discuss problems and plan further actions. Part of her work also includes close collaboration with the corporate webmaster in the ongoing development of the corporate Intranet, and she sees many future opportunities for delivering maximum value in the Intranet environment, such as centralized information resources made accessible and cross-searchable from individuals' desktops, and online environments that foster shared learning.

As part of her proactive approach to information services, Yulia has employed classical marketing and knowledge management techniques to promote Information Services at Cambridge Antibody Technology. A recent SWOT analysis helped assess the service provision, and the information team regularly uses feedback questionnaires to look for ways to deliver better services. Return on investment is constantly monitored. Internal branding is big — and embedded into all internal documents distributed by the Information Services team.

Information resources and services are advertised through the corporate Intranet and electronic Bulletin Board, and publicized training and "lab talks" help promote awareness and use of Information Services offerings. Holding "open days" for Information Services is another recent addition to Yulia's marketing strategy, and provides yet another forum to "wave the flag", as Yulia puts it.

Yulia seizes any opportunity to introduce techniques for effective information delivery and sharing, and in so doing walks the path of continuous learning, fashioned by the needs of this growing company. Key to all of this, of course, are the tools necessary to deliver valuable and timely information services with the utmost flexibility, and Yulia estimates she would "need an hour to describe how we benefit from Dialog".

Yulia has a few key projects planned for the future, and conducting an information audit is at the top of her list. She knows that a more detailed understanding of current information flows will help identify — and help clear — information blockages, and the audit will be part of her strategy to help people manage their personal information flows. Other planned projects include the creation of an operational plan for Information Services, the development of a unique Cambridge Antibody Technology Information Services electronic library management system, the continued development and enhancement of feedback channels, and the creation of a quick reference card collection for each of the resources currently provided to the corporate community of users.

For Yulia, successful information services require a proactive approach and a positive attitude, knowledge of the business and its needs, the promotion of existing resources, good relationships with individuals and buy-in from senior management, along with enthusiasm. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and here Yulia adds, "We've found the way to show to the company the value of Information Services. We've saved the company both time and money, and are contributing to the further development of Cambridge Antibody Technology..." Yulia believes that Information Services can continue to contribute to the development of Cambridge Antibody Technology as a world-class biotechnology company by focusing on all areas of the business, and sees the future of information services as something more than just information. She envisions a service that capitalizes and builds upon all of the company's internal and external resources. This idea bodes well for the future of Information Services at Cambridge Antibody Technology, and for future of our visionary, InfoStar Dr. Yulia Aspinall.