READIT-2007 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

development (Balyan, R.K. 2007). This has provided boost for the importance of
library. It has also raised an important question like how to manage knowledge in the
libraries in the near future. Knowledge management in libraries should be focused on
effective research and development of knowledge, creation of knowledge bases,
exchange and sharing of knowledge between library staffs (including its users),
training of library staff, speeding up explicit processing of the implicit knowledge and
realizing of its sharing.
3. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN LIBRARIES
For many of us in the academic world, knowledge management is an old
concept, a function historically performed by librarians. However, in the digital
information age this term has taken on new meanings. Knowledge management is the
process of transforming information and intellectual assets into enduring value. It
connects people with the knowledge that they need to take action, when they need it.
The key to knowledge management is capturing the knowledge of process - how
organisations get their work done - and how various elements of information connect
to this.(Hawkins, Brian 2000) The literature defines two different types of information
necessary to accomplish this: explicit and tacit. Explicit information is packaged,
easily codified, transferable, and communicable. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand,
is personal, context-specific, difficult to formalize, and difficult to communicate and
transfer.
The core process of Knowledge Management in libraries includes the
following:
i) Knowledge Creation:
Measures and instruments that promote the creation of knowledge in libraries
are acquisition of external knowledge, setting up of interdisciplinary project teams for
specific tasks and their findings, etc.(Mertins, Kai et al, 2001) In this step,
management plans are formulated to coordinate all knowledge management related
activities. Secondly, it requires establishment of special leading groups of knowledge
flow for accomplishing all tasks relating to knowledge management activities.
Electronic resources committees are established composed of various types of
specialists to take charge of evaluating, procuring and creating the electronic
resources on the one hand, and coordinating activities of business departments and
spurring them on to close cooperation in such fields as procurement and organization
of the electronic information resources as well as providing services on the other
hand.
ii) Knowledge Storing:
The stored knowledge in manuals, databases, case studies and even processes
and rules of thumb makes up of for an important aspect of Knowledge management.
By capturing and storing the skills and knowledge of an employee, the deterrence to
the processes when he leaves the organization can be minimized because these
processes can be carried on by any other person.
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