Byline: By Suzanne Arist

Karen is the Director of Knowledge Management for Arc Worldwide. She is responsible for all secondary source data and harvesting internal knowledge and insights. Arc Worldwide is a global marketing services company. It is part of the Paris-based Publicis Groupe network. Headquartered in Chicago, Arc Worldwide is comprised of 1,300 employees in 42 offices and 36 countries. The company offers expertise in four disciplines: direct/database, interactive, promotional, and shopper marketing.

Karen does not have a physical library. However, she has an intranet page through which she serves over 1,300 people in 42 offices around the world. It is through the company intranet that users access data sources and request assistance from Karen. She has a Master of Science in Information degree from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in history from Loyola University in Chicago. While on the job, Karen acquired many of the needed skills but she also attends conferences including: SMRB Future of Information Summit, Trendwatching.com Annual Road Show, Yankelovich State of the Consumer, Forrester Consumer Forum, and others.

One aspect of her current position which she enjoys is serving on a global team which writes presentations on global marketing trends. The presentations are given globally to the heads of each account.

Currently Karen is the secretary of the Illinois Chapter of SLA. While serving as Secretary, she sits on the Executive Committee for the Chapter. Her responsibilities include overseeing several committees dealing with internal communication, including: the Informant, website, discussion list, and knowledge management. Prior to being elected Secretary, she served on the Program committee; there she was teamed with Maureen Malinowski to plan two meetings. This experience was a great way for her to gain exposure in the Chapter and learn about the inner workings.

When she is not at work, Karen serves on the Associate Board of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, she is a Master Gardener, and she mentors teen-age mothers who are wards of the state of Illinois. Karen enjoys hiking, being an Aunt, reading, and watching the Green Bay Packers.

The advice Karen would give to librarians who would like to work in a non-traditional position in marketing is to: "Constantly be aware of the marketing around you – both traditional and non-traditional." "Break the mold." "Be passionate about your work." She advises that "Confidence in your work is critical to success."