A new era of information
by Emma Masters
In
a world-first, UniSA has partnered with State Records SA (a business
unit of the Department for Administrative and Information Services), the
State Library of South Australia and Fuji Xerox to establish a Chair of
Business Information Management.
The prestigious Chair, awarded to UniSA’s Professor Paula Swatman, has been established to provide much-needed education and research in records, archival, library, knowledge and information management.
“Due to the rapid evolution of information technology, education and training in information management has increasingly taken place on the job,” Prof Swatman said.
“The industry has been calling for more formal education and research and the University, government and business has responded.”
Under Prof Swatman and a team of experts from the Chair’s partner organisations, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that bring together a number of interrelated courses at UniSA will be developed. They will include a focus on marketing, project management, customer service and leadership skills.
Prof Swatman said the ground-breaking initiative will graduate highly skilled information managers and produce cutting-edge research.
“The input of all partners will deliver strong education and research in an area that needs more focused attention – and we intend to deliver,” Prof Swatman said.
“It’s a real honour to be made the Chair of Business Information Management, especially when there is such a strong collaboration with education, government and industry.”
The director of the State Library, Alan Smith, said the partnership between the institutions and business represents a strong commitment to the future of the information industry.
“The State Library has a legal responsibility to ensure the community has adequate research and information services,” Smith said.
“This cannot be maintained without this radical new approach to information training. Our partnership in the establishment of the Chair is our commitment to the future.”
And Managing Director of Fuji Xerox Australia, Phil Chambers, agrees.
“As we all deal with an ever-increasing flow of information, both in electronic and paper formats, we are proud to partner with UniSA and the SA government to launch the Chair of Business Information Management,” Chambers said.
“These programs will ensure our information managers of the future are well equipped to deal with the challenges of the digital world.”