Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Frank Lowy Library

The Frank Lowy Library is a dedicated library for business faculty and postgraduate students. Its mission, of supporting the AGSM MBA and AGSM Executive Programs, is as relevant in today’s Australian School of Business as it was when the original AGSM was established over 30 years ago.

The Frank Lowy Library has access to a large number of premium business research tools, and the staff are familiar with the research and teaching needs of the business school faculty. Our staff have experience with research in the private sector, and we are familiar with tight deadlines and exacting levels of service.

What you can expect if you use the Frank Lowy Library

  • Friendly and personalized service. We take pride in satisfying your particular research or teaching preferences.

  • Multi-skilled staff. You will get to know staff in the library with particular areas of expertise.

  • Prompt service. Most of our research staff are familiar with the tight deadlines of conducting research in the private sector.

  • Pleasant physical space. Big enough to contain an up-to-date and relevant collection of business books and journals.

  • Flexible attitude. We appreciate that different people have different working styles and we can work in the way which best suits you.

Examples of requests

  • Where can I find the last 3 months financial press on XYZ Telco, and a report by the J group on the role of organic growth in companies?

  • Can you do a literature search on women re-entering the workforce after a break issues. I’m looking for the barriers they might face?

  • How can I find Total return analysis and historical share information for ABC Mining Company?

  • Can you find two articles published in the Australian Press last month on K Company and development of Centrepoint with a quote mentioning “an ever watchful little brother?”

A Few Frequently Asked Questions about the Frank Lowy Library

I used to work in the AGSM building but now I’m in the Australian School of Business building, can I still use the Frank Lowy Library?
Yes, you certainly can!

Before the merger, I was in the Faculty of Commerce and Economics, can I use the Frank Lowy Library?
Yes you can. You'll need to register, please bring a form of ID and we can join you up on the spot. More details here.

Is there any way of borrowing or returning items that doesn’t involve making the trip to AGSM building?
The Frank Lowy Library is happy to send books to you via the internal mail. It is also possible to request that a book be set aside for a short time so that you can arrange for a representative to pick it up for you. Please contact us for further details.


Where is the Frank Lowy Library located?
On the first floor of the AGSM Building.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Meet the Frank Lowy Library Staff

Raj Saxena
Frank Lowy Librarian
9931 9397
As the person in charge of the Frank Lowy Library, he is happy to have a high-level discussion with faculty and administrators about library services. He can also answer copyright questions from faculty and assist with using EndNote.

Natalie McDonald
Manager, Client Services.
9931 9395
She is committed to giving all clients the best service possible and is interested in exploring new ways to offer services to a range of library clients. With her background in corporate libraries she understands the value of good information in the decision making process. After completing her MBA a number of years ago she understands the balancing act that is managing study and life 'outside' an MBA.

Dianna Hand

Research Librarian.
9931 9395
With a background in the resources sector, she is extremely experienced in company research, whether it be company background or financial analysis. Dianna supports faculty by helping find cases and other readings for courses. She is accustomed to performing literature searches and citation counts for faculty. Dianna can also make presentations to your postgraduate students on available information resources.

Françoise Rodriguez

Serials and Research Librarian
9931 9556
With over 8 years experience in a variety of information/knowledge roles, Françoise has in-depth knowledge of the wide variety of on-line and web-based information sources, including the latest resources in business, management, accounting, company and industry information, law and arts & humanities. In addition to her research work, Françoise is responsible for managing the serials unit.

Karl Lehtonen
Serials Technician

9931 9390
Serials and Inter-Library Loan
Karl has a background in IT and has worked at the UTS Library where he honed his serial management skills. Karl assists in the day-to-day operations of the serials unit.

Tamara Sushkova
Collection Management Librarian
tamara@agsm.edu.au

Cathy Sayer
Technical Services Technician
9931 9575
Tamara and Cathy make up the Collection Management team. Their work ensures the library collection is balanced, with enough current and relevant material in each section of the Library. Tamara oversees the growing DVD collection in the Library. Tamara works closely with academic staff to ensure there are updated resources, including textbooks, to support teaching activities.

Morgan Wilson

Electronic & Research Services Librarian.
9931 9415
Morgan has a background in legal research and competitive intelligence. He is particularly interested in how libraries can use new technology and electronic media such as blogs and wikis to provide better library services for all library users, whether they are located on or off campus. In addition to his research work, Morgan is responsible for maintaining the various library websites and making sure that the software which organizes the Library runs smoothly.

Specialist services provided & who to contact

Managers:
Raj Saxena, Frank Lowy Librarian
Natalie McDonald, Client Services Manager


Ask a Librarian
Natalie McDonald
9931 9390 library@agsm.edu.au

Borrower Registration
Library Desk
9931 9390 library@agsm.edu.au

Case Ordering
Dianna Hand
9931 9394 caseorders@agsm.edu.au

Copyright
Raj Saxena
9931 9397 rajs@agsm.edu.au
Natalie McDonald
9931 9395 nataliem@agsm.edu.au

Class presentations on resources and research tools
Dianna Hand
9931 9394 diannah@agsm.edu.au

EndNote
Raj Saxena
9931 9397 rajs@agsm.edu.au
Morgan Wilson
9931 9415 morganw@agsm.edu.au

e-journals, journal collection queries
Françoise Rodriguez
9931 9556 f.rodriguez@agsm.edu.au

Literature searches
Natalie McDonald
9931 9395 nataliem@agsm.edu.au

Records and Archives
Cathy Sayer
9931 9575 cathys@agsm.edu.au

Research Consultations
Natalie McDonald
9931 9395 nataliem@agsm.edu.au

Textbook and book ordering
Tamara Sushkova
9931 9396 tamara@agsm.edu.au

Further information about the duties and background of Frank Lowy Library staff.

The Frank Lowy Library and Executive Programs

The Frank Lowy Library has been piloting some innovative services to support AGSM Executive Programs. The goal is two-fold. Improve the learning experience of participants before and during program by working closely with course co-ordinators to provide readings which are relevant and accessible. In addition to the usual journal articles, the Library also provides self-updating pre-made searches. Recognizing that participants in ASGM Executive Programs are usually time poor, the Library also highlights the best of the web on the given topics.


The other goal is to ensure participants get value from their Executive Program even after the course has finished. The Library is assisting the establishment of these virtual communities by providing current and relevant content.

Bloomberg at the Frank Lowy Library

Bloomberg is one of the world’s premier financial databases. Bloomberg collects data for 3.7 million securities across all markets worldwide. Use Bloomberg to find nearly any type of financial and historical data.

The markets covered include: government and corporate bonds, mortgage, money-market, stock market indices, currency (spots, futures, options on over 100 currencies), commodities and equities.

Current students, faculty and staff may use Bloomberg at The Frank Lowy Library.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Blog round up, the slightly bigger edition

Because it's been a little while since my last blog round up, this will be a little longer. I've also found some good posts from the project management blogs I've recently added to my reader.

Marc Andreessen, The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 1: Opportunity, blog.pmarca.com
"Career planning = career limiting. ... The second rule of career planning: Instead of planning your career, focus on developing skills and pursuing opportunities." See also part 2 and part 3.

Penelope Trunk, Business schools shift to accommodate the biological clock, Brazen Careerist
"People have been talking in hushed voices of creating faster ways to get through school in order to attract women. And people have been talking off the record about how top schools accept women at an earlier age than they accept men. But Harvard has made it official. In order to attract women into business school they are allowing women in after just two years of work."

Alexander Kjerulf, How NOT to lead geeks, Chief Happiness Officer
"Geeks hate management-speak and see it as superficial and dishonest. Managers shouldn't learn to speak tech, but they should drop the biz-buzzwords. A manager can say "We need to proactively impact our time-to-market" or simply use english and stick to "We gotta be on time with this project"."

Fast Company Now, Madonna's Moves Herald the Future of Music Distribution
"The bottom line: having to abandon DRM will force record labels to think more innovatively, and more comprehensively, about how to market their music. LiveNation's deal with Madonna is a prime case in point."

Steven D. Levitt, Paul Krugman Hits the Blogosphere Running, Freakonomics
"While economists are well aware of the patterns in inequality, there is less agreement concerning the reasons for its ups and downs. Krugman believes that the primary factor driving inequality is politics. I suspect that most economists would disagree."

Martha Lagace, Management Education's Unanswered Questions Q&A with: Rakesh Khurana, HBS Working Knowledge
"Given the rapidity by which our business context is changing, the graduates of business schools should be able to access continuing education. If we really do believe that knowledge is important for effective practice, then it would seem that having some mechanism for connecting graduates to what is relevant would be very important."

Garry Emmons, Encouraging Dissent in Decision-Making, HBS Working Knowledge
"Edmondson says this reluctance to speak up stems variously from fears that superiors will not like the idea or that it may appear to criticize the status quo, which most people find reassuringly familiar or dangerous to challenge."

Mike Griffiths, Right-Brain Project Management, Leading Answers
"This conscious search for sense before making plans accepts the vagueness in early projects and embraces the futility of detailed plans made too soon. Rather than moving to planning too early, a focus on motivation and meaning is a great use for early project time."

Lisa Haneberg, When We're Wrong - Recovering from Bad Decisions, Management Craft
"Great managers make more bad decisions than do mediocre managers. Why? Because great managers approach and get active in more situations. Mediocre managers are more likely to sit back and let others make decisions or let situations linger."

Johanna Rothman, "But It’s Just a Small Change", Managing Product Development
"Murphy is one of your team members. Finish this project. Hold a retrospective. Work differently on the next one. But don’t make that one small change."

Gavin Heaton, The Future Isn't What You Think, Servant of Chaos
"This is why we use the term "disruptive" technology for those innovations that change the status quo. It is also why it is essential for us, as marketers, to continue to investigate and play with the technologies that become available"

Seth Godin, Radiohead and the mediocre middle, Seth's Blog
"Most industries innovate from both ends:
* The outsiders go first because they have nothing to lose.
* The winners go next because they can afford to and they want to stay winners.
* It's the mediocre middle that sits and waits and watches."

Friday, October 05, 2007

The Frank Lowy Library welcomes EY Cohort D1

It was a pleasure meeting you all on Wednesday night. I trust you are enjoying your stay on Campus.

Anna Gunnthorsdottir recommended a number of books on strategy and game theory that night and as promised I have put together a couple of booklists get you thinking about your next assignment. All of these are available in the Library and if you are out of town we can post them to you.

Don't forget the Library is here to support your research and study so please contact us if you need assistance.

Strategy

Blue ocean strategy : how to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant
Kim, W. Chan.
658.802/85
The competitive advantage of nations
Porter, Michael E 
382.1042/7
Harvard business essentials : strategy : create and implement the best strategy for your business
658.4012/353

Harvard business review : corporate strategy 
658.4012/48 

Harvard business review on advances in strategy
658.4012/262

On competition
Porter, Michael E
382.1042/11

Sun Tzu and the art of business : six strategic principles for managers
McNeilly, Mark. 
658.4012/186

Game Theory and decision making

Decision making using game theory : an introduction for managers
Kelly, Anthony
658.40353/17 

Decision traps : ten barriers to brilliant decision-making and how to overcome them
Russo, J. Edward.
  658.403/50 

Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds
Fridson, Martin S.
332.645/20 

Game theory and business applications
Chatterjee, Kalyan.
658.40353/13 

Game theory at work : how to use game theory to outthink and outmaneuver your competition
Miller, James D. 
658.40353/15

Games for business and economics 
Gardner, Roy 

658.40353/14