The Way I See It

I heard some shocking news about the West Librarian Relations team.  Mark Schwartz's position as Director of the team was eliminated and it is my understanding that Mark has been given his walking papers.  With Mark goes the heart and soul of West Librarian Relations.  Following on the heels of that was news that four West Librarian Relations Managers were also given their walking papers.  That leaves five Librarian Relations Managers plus Anne Ellis (Senior Director) and Lori Hedstrom (Marketing Manager).

I have known Mark Schwartz for many years.  He is a consummate professional who succeeded in making the customer experience better.  I could always count on Mark's assistance when I had a Westlaw problem.  Nothing was not within the purview of his job and I know from others that when I called upon him for help he would often go from office to office in Eagan looking for and finding someone to solve the problem.  I know Mark is held in very high regard by his Librarian Relations Managers and imagine they are devastated to lose Mark's invaluable guidance.  I know I am.  Mark, your presence at TR will be sorely missed by me and I suspect many others.

I am concerned about the fate of Librarian Relations at the big vendors.  Last year TR cut one third of its team and LexisNexis also made huge cuts.  The biggest ambassadors for TR and LexisNexis are its Librarian Relations team.  They showcase products to librarians (who play a huge role in deciding whether these products should be purchased).  They train librarians on the products, who then train the lawyers.  They take feedback from the librarians on these products, which oftentimes results in improvements to the products.  They act as troubleshooters when the librarians have a problem, often easily solving a problem that the librarian might have otherwise had to spend hours just finding the right person to go to.

So why is Librarian Relations being cut?  I think it is economics.  I think it's the fact that Librarian Relations team members don't directly make sales to the customers.  But the truth of the matter is that they are making sales to the customers.  You may not be able to directly point to a sale, but believe me, its Librarian Relations who makes me interested in a product and comfortable with a product.  And it's the personal touch that does that.  The visit, the phone call, the librarian showcases where we get to see the product and hear about it from Librarian Relations, ask questions, and network with other librarians about the product.  I am a big believer in technology and the web ex but it is no replacement for the personal touch.  So the way I see it is that TR and LexisNexis should invest in expanding Librarian Relations, not contracting it.

Caren Biberman