Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Information Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

An Information Assistant is a frontline information professional who supports organizational knowledge needs by managing records and digital content, responding to internal and external inquiries, performing targeted research, maintaining data integrity in information systems, and contributing to the development of searchable knowledge assets. The role blends customer service, information retrieval, metadata and records management, and basic analytics to ensure timely and accurate access to organizational intelligence and public-facing information.

Key SEO / LLM keywords: Information Assistant, records management, metadata, information retrieval, knowledge management, data entry, content management system, customer support, research assistance, information governance, FOIA, archival processing.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Library Technician, Records Clerk, or Administrative Assistant with information-handling duties.
Customer Service Representative or Front Desk Associate in a public-facing information environment.
Data Entry Specialist or Junior Research Assistant supporting data and content maintenance.

Advancement To:

Information Specialist / Knowledge Management Analyst
Records Manager / Records Analyst
Digital Content Coordinator or Information Governance Specialist
Senior Research Assistant or Librarian (with further qualifications)

Lateral Moves:

Data Coordinator
Content Management Specialist
Compliance or Privacy Support Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Receive, triage, and respond to information requests from internal stakeholders and external customers, providing accurate, well-researched responses within established service-level agreements and escalating complex requests to subject matter experts when necessary.
Maintain and update electronic and physical records in accordance with the organization's records retention schedule and information governance policies to ensure legal compliance, audit readiness, and efficient retrieval.
Index, catalog, and apply standardized metadata to documents, files, and digital assets using established taxonomy and metadata standards (e.g., Dublin Core, custom corporate taxonomies) to improve discoverability and search relevance.
Operate and maintain content management systems (CMS), document management systems (DMS), and shared drives by uploading, tagging, versioning, and archiving content while ensuring consistency and integrity of metadata fields.
Conduct targeted research and information retrieval using internal databases, public records, proprietary research tools, and web resources to compile briefing notes, executive summaries, and background materials for business units and leadership.
Perform high-volume, accurate data entry and batch processing of documents, ensuring data validation, cleanup, and reconciliation across multiple information systems and reporting platforms.
Assist with digital transformation tasks such as document scanning, OCR correction, file conversion, and metadata enrichment to support migration projects and digital archives initiatives.
Support Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and public records requests by searching, redacting, organizing responsive records, and preparing formal release packages in compliance with legal and policy requirements.
Manage incoming communications channels (email, phone, helpdesk tickets) related to information inquiries, log requests in ticketing systems, track progress, and provide timely status updates to requestors.
Produce routine and ad-hoc reports on information access metrics, request volumes, system usage, and records disposition activities to inform continuous improvement and capacity planning.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to identify and resolve data quality issues, broken links, duplicate content, and search relevance problems affecting the knowledge base or document repositories.
Create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), user guides, and training materials for staff on how to search systems, submit information requests, and apply metadata standards to promote consistent practices.
Conduct quality assurance reviews of digitized files, catalog entries, and metadata assignments to ensure compliance with style guides and reduce retrieval errors for stakeholders and end users.
Assist in implementing and testing search enhancements, taxonomy updates, and content tagging strategies to improve search accuracy, relevance ranking, faceted navigation, and overall user experience.
Coordinate with legal, compliance, and privacy teams to ensure handling of sensitive information aligns with internal policies and external regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or industry-specific privacy requirements.
Facilitate interdepartmental knowledge-sharing initiatives by organizing and curating content for intranet pages, knowledge bases, FAQs, and training repositories to reduce duplicate inquiries and speed access to institutional knowledge.
Monitor and maintain public-facing information (web pages, directories, staff listings) to ensure contact information, policies, and resources are current, properly formatted, and SEO-friendly where applicable.
Support archival accessioning, physical records management, and disposition activities by preparing boxes, labeling, tracking chain-of-custody, and coordinating secure destruction or transfer to archival repositories.
Participate in continuous process improvement projects to streamline intake workflows, reduce turnaround times, and improve user satisfaction using data-driven recommendations and stakeholder feedback.
Provide basic analytical support by extracting, transforming, and summarizing datasets for trend analysis, performance dashboards, and management briefings while ensuring data accuracy and source traceability.
Engage in vendor coordination for outsourced scanning, digitization, and document processing projects, acting as the primary contact to define deliverables, QA acceptance criteria, and timeline management.
Ensure accessibility and usability standards are met in information outputs by applying plain-language editing, alternative text for images, and accessible document formatting to support diverse audiences.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide frontline training and onboarding for new staff on information systems, ticketing workflows, and search best practices.
Assist with monitoring compliance audits and preparing supporting documentation for regulatory and internal reviews.
Contribute to content lifecycle planning by tagging items for review, retention, or archival according to policy and project schedules.
Serve as a backup for reception or front-office duties during peak periods, providing courteous customer service and first-contact triage.
Help evaluate and pilot new information tools, search technologies, and automation scripts to improve intake and retrieval efficiency.
Support multi-language or translation coordination for documents requiring localization, ensuring accuracy of translated metadata and records.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Records and document management: experience with records retention schedules, disposition workflows, and archival accessioning.
Information retrieval and research: proficient at searching databases, public records, proprietary research tools, and internet resources to compile accurate information.
Content management systems (CMS) and document management systems (DMS): practical use of systems such as SharePoint, Alfresco, OpenText, Documentum, or similar platforms.
Metadata and taxonomy application: knowledge of metadata standards (Dublin Core, MARC, or organizational taxonomies) and hands-on tagging/cataloging experience.
Data entry and data quality: high-volume accurate data entry skills, validation techniques, and basic data-cleaning tools.
Search optimization and query building: experience improving search relevancy, creating Boolean queries, and using search analytics to tune taxonomies.
Ticketing and helpdesk tools: experience with Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk, or similar request-tracking systems.
Digital scanning and OCR workflows: familiarity with scanning best practices, OCR correction, file formats (PDF/A), and batch processing tools.
Microsoft Office and Google Workspace: advanced use of Excel for data manipulation (filters, pivot tables), Word for document prep, and collaborative tools.
Basic SQL and reporting: ability to run simple queries, extract data for reporting, and summarize results for stakeholders.
Privacy and compliance awareness: understanding of data protection principles, redaction best practices, and regulatory considerations (GDPR, HIPAA where applicable).
Familiarity with version control and file naming conventions to maintain content integrity and audit trails.
Familiarity with scripting or automation tools (Power Automate, Python, or R) is a plus for handling repetitive processing tasks.
CRM or knowledge-base platforms: experience maintaining FAQs, KB articles, and internal help documentation.

Soft Skills

Customer-focused communication: clear, courteous, and professional written and verbal communication tailored to diverse audiences.
Attention to detail: meticulous approach to metadata accuracy, redaction, and quality assurance to prevent information leakage or retrieval errors.
Problem-solving and initiative: ability to diagnose information gaps, propose solutions, and implement small-scale process improvements.
Organizational and time management: skillful prioritization of multiple concurrent requests and ability to meet deadlines in high-volume environments.
Collaboration and stakeholder management: works effectively with cross-functional teams including IT, legal, compliance, and business units.
Discretion and integrity: handles sensitive information ethically and maintains confidentiality at all times.
Adaptability and learning agility: comfortable with changing systems, new taxonomies, and evolving information governance requirements.
Analytical mindset: able to synthesize data usage trends and make practical recommendations to improve services.
Training and coaching: capable of guiding colleagues on search best practices and metadata entry standards.
Resilience and stress tolerance: maintains performance under pressure and during peak request periods.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; some college coursework in information science, library science, records management, or a related field is commonly required.

Preferred Education:

Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in Library & Information Science, Information Management, Archives Studies, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
Professional certifications such as ICRM (Institute of Certified Records Managers), ARMA, or relevant library/archives certifications are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Library & Information Science
Records and Archives Management
Information Technology / Information Systems
Business Administration
Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of progressively responsible experience in records management, information services, library operations, content management, or a related role.

Preferred:

2+ years in an information services position supporting research, records, or digital content in a corporate, government, academic, or non-profit environment.
Demonstrated experience with content management systems (SharePoint or equivalent), metadata application, and handling of confidentiality-sensitive materials.
Prior exposure to FOIA/public records response, audit support, or digital preservation projects is a strong plus.