Why Hire LightSource?
Spend your time using information instead of looking for it.
The right action for you and your company is preceded by a good decision and those decisions are preceded by good information. The mere presence of information does not equate to having the right information. Accurate information may be overshadowed by what’s less important but more readily uncovered. LightSource provides you the right information, so that good decisions can result in the right actions for you and your company.
For example:
We’ve helped…
a coffee roasting company understand how the Internet of Things (IoT) will disrupt the coffee industry…
a northeast region craft beer startup obtain a comprehensive list of regional hop producers in its local area…
a physics PhD candidate compile a comprehensive literature review prior to his nanotechnology dissertation…
a solo entrepreneur track competitors in a specific industry segment in Big Sur Baja Mexico…
charter school and private school faculties grow in their searching expertise and professional development…
create WordPress websites for individual clients…
dermatologists find the most recent advances in surgical methods for cyst removal through document delivery of peer-reviewed, professional papers from the best medical publications and databases in the world…
editors and writers fact-check articles before publication…
film industry screen writers and costume designers find accurate information on how men, women and children dressed in 18th Century France…
institutes of higher education craft new in-house policy based on peer organizational policies…
and so many more with their information and knowledge needs!
Knowledge, Access & Experience
Smart decisions are based on having the right information at the right time. In order to remain competitive you need to stay informed. The plethora of information and easy access to free e-content does not necessarily enhance the discoverability of reliable resources on the web. We use both free and fee-based research databases, tools, directories and resources in order to obtain for you precise, top-quality, current and relevant information. We supplement results with quality analysis and executive summaries.
Our free initial consultation helps you avoid mistakes that others have made and saves you time and money. Our researchers have professional degrees in information science and other specialty fields. We serve as valuable members of your team by adding value added services for short- and long-term projects.
What is in an Information Professional’s Toolbox?
Copyright, Classification, Collection Development, Compliance & Collaboration Tools
Data… Analysis, Evaluation, Modeling & Visualization Tools
Knowledge… Management & Harvesting Tools
Metadata, Ontology, Records Management, Taxonomy & Thesaurus Tools
Information… Architecture, Audits, Literacy, Retrieval & Delivery Tools
Artificial Intelligence (AI)… Improvement in Search as context gathering and synthesis (not mere document retrieval), Prompt Engineering for LLM behavior, GenAI – what it can and cannot do, dealing with Data Entropy
Lessons Learned
[Image: https://clipartfest.com]
Business Research & Analysis
You need to know who your major competitors are and what developments they are working on…
LightSource can provide you with… Competitor, company, business reports; legal and ethical competitive intelligence; demographic and other projections; strategic planning and knowledge asset auditing
Industry Research & Analysis
Although pressed for time, you need to stay current with your trade publications and recent discoveries in your field…
LightSource can provide you with… Industry profiles; listing and clipping and alert services on competitors and industries; executive reports; collection, organization and presentation of data; technology scouting
Information Creation
You cannot access the data because it hasn’t been created, gathered or recorded yet…
LightSource can provide you with… Survey construction; interviewing, polling, oral histories, active field study and passive observation
Consulting, Training & Coaching
You and your team, faculty or staff, need to be to be more agile, tech-aware and information-savvy and better poised for future change…
LightSource can provide you with… Presentations or workshops on advanced research techniques; survey construction; tailored recommendations for your faculty, staff or researchers
Online Information Search & Retrieval, Information Architecture
You are working on a report, story, script, research paper or professional paper that requires the most recent and comprehensive information…
LightSource can provide you with… Advanced search strategies that include multilingual, country codes and top-level domains; news searching; custom search engine development; document delivery; literature searches, citation and “fake news” checking; limited website design (WordPress) and search engine optimization (seo)
Writing, Editing, Document & Presentation Creation
You want the latest tools and platforms by which to collaborate and communicate your ideas…
LightSource can provide you with… Reports, proposals, editing; blog composition; executive reports and summaries; fact checking; plagiarism checks; and publishing
Information & Knowledge Management
I would like to know what knowledge and information assets I have and how they can be put to advantageous use…
LightSource can assist you in… the Leveraging of your information and digital assets; taxonomy, controlled vocabulary and classification; wiki development; oral histories; information audits; customized collaboration tools and recommendations
What Our Clients Are Saying…
Workshop participants have captured the essence of our cybrarian’s customized workshops, training and coaching with these words and phrases: “useful… varied… increased my search efficiency… enabled me to conduct more exact search… fast-paced… helpful… time-saving… enjoyable… interesting… fun… door-opening… focused… presented in an effective manner… very exciting… discovery of reliable resources… excellent tools… incredibly informative.”
Based on post-workshop evaluations, the consistently top-ranked “most beneficial content” of our team’s presentations include: advanced search strategies, tools that automatically bring information to you (as opposed to one actively searching for it; aka “monitoring” and “aggregating”), and select resources (resources tailored and suggested for specific needs).
We Consistently Achieve Goldilocks Results
The vast majority of participants rate our presentation levels as “just right” while a very small minority rated them as “too challenging” or “too elementary.” We aim for, and consistently deliver, Goldilocks results. We adjust on-the-fly!
We work with large groups or small, individuals or corporations, for-profit and not-for-profits.
© Copyright 2013-2024 LightSource Information & Research Services Ltd. All rights reserved.
