Karen Blakeman, RBA Information Services
Coronavirus - please note that all face to face training sessions and workshops have been suspended
I provide training and consultancy on how to use the web and social media as research tools, how to identify and assess the quality of resources, and am a regular speaker at seminars and conferences. I am also available as a freelance researcher and contractor.
The services I offer include:
- training on advanced search techniques, searching the deep and dark web
- workshops on sources of business information
- consultancy and training on social networks and collaborative tools
- tracking down information on companies, industries and markets
- articles on search strategies
Past and present clients include public and corporate libraries, information providers, investment and financial services companies, organisations in the food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical companies, research and professional associations and UK government departments.
I have a degree in biological sciences from the University of Birmingham in the UK, and worked as a microbiologist before joining Wellcome as an information scientist. I then spent ten years in the pharmaceutical and health care industry before moving to the international management consultancy group Strategic Planning Associates. I set up RBA (Rhodes Blakeman Associates) Information Services in 1989.
My information and search blog is at http://www.rba.co.uk/wordpress/. My personal garden and permaculture blog/diary - A Caversham Garden - is at http://cavershamgarden.blogspot.co.uk/
In 2002 I received the Information World Review Information Professional of the Year award.
Qualifications
BSc - Bachelor of Science, University of Birmingham, UK. 1976.
DipInfSc - Diploma in Information Science, City University, London. 1982.
Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) 2015
Memberships
Hon FCLIP - Honorary Fellow of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)
Member of the Permaculture Association
