Librarians’ perceptions of knowledge management in developing countries: A case with Indian academic libraries

Nazim, Mohammad Librarians’ perceptions of knowledge management in developing countries: A case with Indian academic libraries. The International Information & Library Review, 2013, vol. 45, n. 1, pp. 63-76. [Journal article (Paginated)]

[thumbnail of IILR-D-13-00018R2 (3).pdf] Text
IILR-D-13-00018R2 (3).pdf
Download (677kB)

English abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine librarians’ perceptions of knowledge management, including its concept, potential applications, benefits and major challenges of its applications in Indian academic libraries. A structured questionnaire, containing both open and close-ended questions, was sent by postal mail to 30 librarians of academic libraries in India of which 15 questionnaires were returned. Respondents were asked to define knowledge management and answer questions on its potential applications, benefits and major challenges of implementation in academic libraries. Respondents were also allowed to specify their own views on the subject. The findings of the study show that the levels of understanding of KM concepts among librarians are varied and most of them view KM as the management of information resources, services and systems using technology or specific processes for the capture and use of explicit knowledge, rather sharing and using tacit knowledge. They have positive attitudes towards the applications of knowledge management into academic library practice, and not only because this can bring academic libraries closer to their parent organization, but also because it may help them to survive in an increasingly challenging environment. Although, librarians in the present study acknowledged that they are involved in the practices of knowledge management but these were perceived as basic information management activities. Lack of understanding of knowledge management concepts and its benefits, knowledge sharing culture, top management commitment, incentives and rewards, financial resources and information technology infrastructure are perceived as the major barriers for incorporating knowledge management into academic library practice.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Knowledge Management; Academic Libraries; India
Subjects: L. Information technology and library technology
L. Information technology and library technology > LZ. None of these, but in this section.
Depositing user: Dr. Mohammad Nazim
Date deposited: 29 Jun 2015 02:45
Last modified: 29 Jun 2015 02:45
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/25405

References

Abell, A., & Oxbrow, N. (2001). Competing with knowledge: the information professionals in the knowledge management age. London: Library Association Publishing.

Ajiferuke, I. (2003). Role of information professionals in knowledge management programs: empirical evidence from Canada. Informing Science Journal, 6, 247-57.

Amar, A. D. (2002). Managing knowledge workers. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

Anderson, P. (2007). All that glisters in not gold: Web 2.0 and the librarian. Journal of Librarianship & Information Science, 39(4), 195-198.

Aswath, L., & Gupta, S. (2009). Knowledge management tools and academic library services. In Proceedings of International Conference of Academic Libraries on Vision and Roles of future Academic Libraries, New Delhi, India. 5th to 8th October, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://crl.du.ac.in/ical09/papers/index_files/ical-51_250_732_3_RV.pdf.

Aurum, A., Daneshgar, F., & Ward, J. (2008). Investigating knowledge management practices in software development organizations: An Australian experience. Information and Software Technology, 50, 510-533.

Bejune, M. (2007). Wikis in libraries. Information Technology in Libraries, 26 (September 2007), 26–38.

Bennett, R., & Gabriel, H. (1999). Organizational factors and knowledge management within large marketing departments: An empirical study. Journal of Knowledge Management, 3(3), 212-225.

Bishop, K. (2001). Information service professionals in knowledge-based organizations in Australia: What will we manage? Sydney: University of Technology, 65.

Blair, D. C. (2002). Knowledge management: hype, hope, or help? Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 50(12), 1019-1028.

Branin, J. J. (2003). Knowledge management in academic libraries: building the knowledge bank at the Ohio State University. Journal of Library Administration, 39(4), 41-56.

Broadbent, M. (1998). The phenomenon of knowledge management: what does it mean to the information profession? Information Outlook, 2(5), 23-34.

Chatzkel, J. (2004). Establising a global KM initiative: the WIPRO story. Journal of Knowledge Management, 8(2), 6-18.

Chawla, D. & Joshi, H. (2010). Knowledge management initiatives in Indian public and private sector organizations. Journal of Knowledge Management, 14(6), 811-827.

Chu Kai-Wah, S. (2009). Using Wikis in Academic Libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35, 170–176.

Chua, A. Y. K. (2009). The dark side of knowledge management initiatives. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13(4), 32–40.

Clarke, R. (2004). KM in the main library of the University of West Indies, Trinidad. Information Development, 20(1), 30-35.

Corrall, S. (1998). Knowledge management: Are we in the knowledge management business? Adriad, 18. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue18/knowledge-mgt/.

Daneshgar, F., & Bosanquet, L. (2010). Organizing Customer Knowledge in Academic Libraries. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 8(1), 21 -32.

Daneshgar, F., & Parirokh, M. (2007). A knowledge schema for organizational learning in academic libraries. Knowledge Management Research and Practice, 5, 22-33.

Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. (2004). Blow up the corporate library. IFLA publications, 108, 11-20.

Du Plessis, M. (2006). The impact of organizational culture on knowledge management. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.

Farkas, M. (2007).Who moved my e-mail? American Libraries, 38(10), 30.

Ferguson, S. (2004). The knowledge management myth: will the real knowledge managers please step forward? Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2004/pdfs/ferguson.s.paper.pdf.

Foo, S., & Ng, J. (2008). Library 2.0: libraries and library school. Paper presented at the Library Association of Singapore Conference, 9 May, 2008, Singapore. Retrieved on January 17, 2012, from http://www.las.org.sg/pa_sfjn.pdf.

Gandhi, S. (2004), Knowledge management and reference services. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30(5), 368-381.

Gibbert, M., & Krause, H. (2002). Practice exchange in a best practice marketplace. In T. Davenport , & G. Probst (Eds.), Knowledge management casebook: Best practices (pp. 68–84). Berlin: Publicis MCD.

Goswami, C. (2004). Managing the technical, professional workforce: can knowledge management be the answer? In M. Mallikarjun & Pawan K. Chugan (Eds), Managing Trade, Technology and Environment (pp. 362-372). New Delhi, India: Excel Books.

Gulati, A., & Raina, R. L. (2000). Professional competencies among librarians and information professionals in the knowledge era. World Libraries, 10 (1), 11-18.

Hariharan, A. (2005). Critical success factors for knowledge management. Knowledge Management Review, 8(2), 16-19.

Hayes, H. (2004). The role of libraries in the knowledge economy. Serials, 17(3), 231-8.

Isaac, A.M. (2008). Transformation of India into a Knowledge Society. Preesnted at PICMET '08 Conference, July 27-31, 2008 Cape Town, South Africa. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/news/news314.pdf.

Jain, P. (2007). An empirical study of knowledge management in academic libraries in East and Southern Africa. Library Review, 56(5), 377-392.

Jain, P. (2012). An Empirical Study of Knowledge Management in University Libraries in SADC Countries. In Huei Tse Hou (Ed.), New Research on Knowledge Management Applications and Lesson Learned (pp. 137-154), Shanghai, China: InTech. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/new-research-on-knowledgemanagement-applications-and-lesson-learned/an-empirical-study-of-knowledge-management-inuniversitylibraries-in-sadc-countries

Jantz, R. (2001). Knowledge management in academic libraries: special tools and processes to support information professionals. Reference Services Review, 29(1), 33-39.

Kebede, G. (2010). Knowledge management: An information science perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 30, 416–424.

Khanna, A., Mitra, D. and Gupta, A. (2005). How shop-floor employees drive innovation at Tata Steel. Knowledge Management Review, 8 (3), 20-3.

Kidwell, J. J., Linde, K. M. V., & Johnson, S. L. (2000). Applying corporate knowledge management practices in higher education. Educause Quarterly, (4), 28-33.

Kim, Yong-Mi, & Abbas, J. (2010). Adoption of library 2.0 functionalities by academic libraries and users: A knowledge management perspective. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(3), 211–218.

Knowledge Management Research Report (2002). London: Atos KPMG Consulting. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from, http://www.kpmgconsulting.co.uk/research/othermedia/wf_8519kmrepo.pdf.

Lastres, S. A. (2011). Knowledge management in changing world. Retrieved March 14, 2012, from http://www.futureready365.sla.org/02/28/knowledge-management-in-a-changing-world/.

Lee, H. W. (2005). Knowledge management and the role of libraries. Chinese Librarianship: an International Electronic Journal, 19. Retrieved May 26, 2012, from http://www.white-clouds.com/iclc/cliej/cl19.htm.

Levinge, L. (2005). Information management in the library: are we minding our own business? In Huthwaite, A. (Ed.), Managing Information in the Digital Age: The Australian Technology Network Libraries Respond (pp. 68-81). Adelaide: University of South Australia Library for the Librarians of the Australian Technology Network.

Malhan, I. V. (2006). Strategic planning for developing Indian university libraries into knowledge resource and service centers. World Library and Information Congress: 72nd IFLA general conference and council, 20-24 August 2006, Seoul. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla72/index.htm.

Malhan, I. V., & Gulati, A. (2003). Knowledge management problems of developing countries with special reference to India. Information Development, 9(3), 209-213.

Malhotra, Y. (2000). Knowledge Management for e-business Performance: Advancing Information Strategy to 'internet Time. Information Strategy: The Executive's Journal, 16(4), 5-16.

Maponya, P. (2004). Knowledge management practices in academic libraries: a case study of the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg Libraries. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.ukzn.ac.za/department/data/leap_scecsalpaper.pdf.

Markgren, S., Ascher, M. T., Crow, S. J., & Lougee-Heimer, H. (2004). Asked and answered online: How two medical libraries are using OCLC’s Question Point to answer reference questions. Medical Reference Services, 23(1), 13-28.

Martin, B. (2008). Knowledge management. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 42(1), 369-424.

Mehta, N., Oswald, S. and Mehta, A. (2007). Infosys technologies: improving organizational knowledge flows. Journal of Information Technology, 22(4), 456-64.

Mohanty, S. K., & Chand, M. (2005). 5iKM3: Knowledge management maturity model, knowledge management practices. Mumbai: Tata Consultancy Services. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from www.tcs.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/WhitePapers/5iKM3KnowledgeManagementMaturi yModel.pdf.

Mphidi, H., & Snyman, R. (2004). The utilization of an intranet as a knowledge management tool in academic libraries. The Electronic Library, 22(5), 393-400.

National Knowledge Commission, Government of India (2007). Libraries: Gateways to Knowledge. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from http://knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/documents/NKC_Library.pdf.

Nazim, M., & Mukherjee, B. (2011). Implementing Knowledge Management In Indian Academic Libraries. Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, 12(3). Retrieved June 28, 2013, from http://www.tlainc.com/article1269.htm.

Nelson, E. (2008). Knowledge management for libraries. Library Administration & Management, 22(3), 135-137.

Nonaka (1991). The knowledge creating company. Harvard Business Review, 6(8), 96-104.

Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14-37.

Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovations. New York: Oxford University Press.

Owen, J. M. (1999). Knowledge management and the information professional. Information Services and Use, 19(1), 7-16.

Parirokh, M., Daneshgar F., & Fattahi R. (2008). Identifying knowledge sharing requirements in academic libraries. Library Review, 57(2), 107-122.

Porumbeanu, Octavia-Luciana (2010). Implementing knowledge management in Romanian academic libraries: Identifying the elements that characterize their organizational culture. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(6), 549-552.

Rah, J. A., Gul, S., & Wani, Z. A. (2010). University libraries: step towards a web based knowledge management system. The journal of information and knowledge management systems, 40(1), 24-38.

Raja, W., Ahmad, Z., & Sinha, A. K. (2009). Knowledge management and academic libraries in IT era: Problems and positions. Poster paper at International Conference on Academic Libraries at University of Delhi, 5th to 8th October, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2012, from http://crl.du.ac.in/ical09/papers/index_files/ical-124_198_418_2_RV.pdf.

Ralph, L. L. (2008). An Investigation of a knowledge management solution for reference services. Ph.D. Thesis, Nova Southeastern University.

Ralph, L. L., & Ellis, T. J. (2009). An investigation of a knowledge management solution for the improvement of reference services. Journal of Information, Information Technology, and Organizations, 4, 17-38.

Roknuzzaman, M., & Umemoto, K. (2009). How library professionals view knowledge management in libraries: a qualitative study. Library Management, 30(8/9), 643-656.

Roknuzzaman, M., Kanai, H., & Umemoto, K. (2009). Integration of knowledge management process into digital library system: a theoretical perspective. Library Review, 58(5), 372-86.

Rowley, J. (2007). The wisdom hierarchy: Representations of the DIKW hierarchy. Journal of Information Science, 33(2), 163–180.

Rus, I., & Lindvall, M. (2002). Knowledge management in software engineering. IEEE Software, 19 (3), 26–38.

Sanchez, R. (2001). Knowledge management and organizational competence. New York: Oxford University Press.

Santosus, M. & Surmacz, J. (2001). The ABCs of knowledge management. CIO Magazine.

Sarrafzadeh, M. (2005). The implications of knowledge management for the library and information professions. actKM Online Journal of Knowledge Management, 2(1), 92-102. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from www.actkm.org/actkm journal_vol2iss1.php.

Sarrafzadeh, M., Martin, B., & Hazeri, A. (2010). Knowledge management and its potential applicability for libraries. Library Management, 31(3), 198-212.

Schwarzwalder, R. (1999). Librarians as knowledge management agents. EContent, 22(4), 63-65.

Shanhong, T. (2000). Knowledge management in libraries in the twenty-first century. World Library and Information Congress: 66th IFLA Council and General Conference, August 13-18, 2000, Jerusalem.

Singh, J. (2009). Leadership competencies for change management in libraries: Challenges and opportunities. Keynotes address at International Conference on Academic Libraries at University of Delhi, 5th to 8th October, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from, http://crl.du.ac.in/ical09/papers/index_files/ical-51_250_732_3_RV.pdf.

Singh, S. P. (2007). What are we managing: knowledge or information? VINE: The Journal of Information & Knowledge Management Systems, 37(2), 169-179.

Sinotte, M. (2004). Exploration of the field of knowledge management for the library and information professional. Libri, 54(3).

Skyrme, D. J., & Amidon, D. (1997). The knowledge agenda. Journal of Knowledge Management, 1 (1), 27-37.

Stover, M. (2004). Making tacit knowledge explicit: the ready reference database as codified knowledge. Reference Services Review, 32(2), 164-173.

Subramanian, N. (2007). Knowledge and information management in libraries: A new challenge for the library and information professionals in the digital environment. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from http://library.igcar.gov.in/readit2007/conpro/s1/S1_5.pdf.

Suresh, J.K. and Mahesh, K. (2008). Managing the knowledge supply chain at Infosys. KM Review, 11(4), 14-19.

Teng, S., & Hawamdeh, S. (2002), Knowledge management in public libraries. Aslib Proceedings, 54(3), 188-97.

Thanuskodi, S. (2010). Knowledge management in academic libraries: an overview. Paper presented at 6th International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics & Eleventh COLLNET Meeting, October 19 – 22, 2010, University of Mysore.

Townley, C. T. (2001). Knowledge management and academic libraries. College and Research Libraries, 62(1), 44-55.

Tripathi, M., & Kumar, S. (2010). Use of Web 2.0 tools in academic libraries: A reconnaissance of the international landscape. The International Information & Library Review, 42, 195-207.

Tripathy, J. K., Patra, N. K., & Pani, M. R. (2007). Leveraging knowledge management: challenges for the information professional. DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, 27(6), 65-73.

Ugwu, C. I., & Ezema, I. J. (2010). Competencies for successful knowledge management applications in Nigerian academic libraries. International Journal of Library and Information Science, 2(9), 184-189.

Vijayakumar, J. K. and Vijayakumar, M. (2003). Brief Communication Knowledge, Connections and Communities: A Special Reference to Indian University Libraries. The International Information & Library Review, 35(2-4), 375-382.

Wagner-Dobler, R. (2004). Tacit Knowledge, Knowledge Management, Library Science- No Bridge Between. IFLA Publications, 108, 39-46.

Wen, S. (2005). Implementing knowledge management in academic libraries: a pragmatic approach. 3rd China-US Library Conference, Shanghai, March 22-25.

White, T. (2004), Knowledge management in an academic library: based on the case study KM within OULS. World Library and Information Congress: 70th IFLA General Conference and Council, August 22-27, Buenos Aires.

Wilson, T. D. (2002). The nonsense of knowledge management. Information Research, 8(1), paper no. 144. Retrieved August 10, 2012, from http://InformationR.net/ir/8- 1/paper144.html.

Yang, Z. and Bai, H. (2007). Building a Maturity Model for College Library. International Conference on Test and Measurement, 05 Dec - 06 Dec 2007, Hong Kong, 1-4,

Yi, Z. (2006). Knowledge management for library strategic planning: perceptions of applications and benefits. Library Management, 29(3), 229-240.


Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item
Contact us
Send email Sponsors
Sponsor: AIMS Sponsor: D&P Sponsor: UniNa CAB Get connected
Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Linkedin LinkedIn RSS RSS