LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION ©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000, Internet Librarian International, London Knowledge Management What is it? Who does it? How is

LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION

©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000, Internet Librarian International, London

Knowledge Management

What is it?

Who does it?

How is it done?



“. . . knowledge management involves connecting people with

people, as well as people with information. It is a management

philosophy, which combines good practice in purposeful

Information management with a culture of organisational

Learning, in order to improve business performance.”

Sheila Corrall. “Knowledge Mangement: Are We in the Knowledge Management Business?” Knowledge Management, #18.



“Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values,

contextual framework, and expert insight that provides a

framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences

and information. It originates and is applied in the minds

of the knowers.”

Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What they Know. Harvard

Business Press, 1998.



“It may be concluded then, that information and knowledge

are not synonymous, though they may be so used in everyday

conversation. Knowledge is essentially personal, and

understanding and relation to values are inherent parts. It is

formed and increased by thought, by acquiring information

and by applying judgment to assess the quality, use and

consequences of that new information in the light of one’s

existing knowledge.”

Michael W. Hill. The Impact of Information on Society, Bowker Saur, 1999. P29.



Knowledge relies on thinking

Knowledge is synthesis of new information the result of acquisition, evaluation and and integration of that information with knowledge existing in our heads.

Knowledge is dynamic.

It is constantly being changed, enhanced and refined by new information and experience.



“We can’t manage anyone’s ability or willingness to know. And

until we come up with a technology that will extract, analyze

and synthesize information and then recommend to a business

manager what to do, we’re not quite managing knowledge –

we’re still trying to manage information, hoping that it will

enhance someone’s knowledge and ability to make the right

decisions at the right time.”

Helen Pukszta. Forget Knowledge management: Back to Information, Computerworld, 33,May 3, 1999, p. 32



Can knowledge be managed? Probably, not.

Stephen Abram observed, “The plain fact is that knowledge,

Per se, cannot be managed. In fact capturing knowledge in

Any form other than into a human being’s brain, reduces it

To mere information, or worse, data. Only the knowledge

Environment can be managed.”

Can knowledge be shared? YES

Stephen Abram. “Post information age positioning for Special Libraries: Is Knowledge Management the Answer?”

Knowledge and Special Libraries. Edited by James Matarazzo and Susan D. Connellly, 1999 Butterworth-Heinemann.



“. . . The history, the myths, the shared values, and the

Unreflective presupposition that define a strong corporate

Culture can blind business leaders to events that do not fit

Into their collective mental framework.”

Ideal – value for customers provided with efficiency and

profit

Philip Evans and Thomas S. Wurster. Blown to Bits: How

The New Economics of Information Transforms Strategy,

Boston, Harvard Business School Press, 2000. P. 4.



KEY FACTORS

Competencies

Comprehension

Change

Culture

Communication

Content

Context

Collaboration



Competencies - IT

Trained to solve technical problems or to find technical

solutions to problems.

Creation, support, maintenance and enhancement of technical

Infrastructure (computing, network, etc.

Success is measured in technological terms.



Competencies – IT

Logistics and infrastracture

Computers

Networks

Security

Transmission, receipt, storage

Software provision

System Design

Tight labor market – go to the competition



Competencies – Librarians

Find, retrieve, analyze and communicate information

Knowledge of sources

Knowledge of user context

Detectives

Trainers

Expert searchers

Assessment of information



Competencies – Librarians

Management of information, bringing to the desk top

User interfaces

Serving customers and adding value

Measure success in terms of value creation and contribution

to organizational goals and objectives.



Comprehension

Understand and appreciate the contribution of each group to the

solution of problems and the creation of value.

Understand how each group contributes

Understand how each group operates.



Change

Roles are changing

Uncertainty

Many variables

Knowns – demographics, technology, range of likely futures

Publishing – electronic, STM and Business

Surprises



Corporate culture

CIO role is changing

More collaboration and more teams

Young people breaking down hierarchy

Young people breaking the rules

Transitions

Transformation



Communication

Talk, Talk, Talk

Share knowledge and information

Share know how

Create teams

Work together to solve common problems



Content and Context

Delivery of content – anywhere, any time

Context of groups and individuals

Mass Customization

“Just for you”

IT provides the technology to enable information and

Knowledge sharing



Collaboration

Learning together

Sharing goals

Sharing risks

Mutual needs

Create new value

Challenge – old organizational models encourage information

Hoarding

Knowledge and information needed for business decisions

And planning



Collaboration

Focus on shared goals and successful outcomes

BE flexible, agile and innovative

Focus on results, not activities

Focus on value for clients and customers.

Documents

LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION ©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000, Internet Librarian International, London Knowledge Management What is it? Who does it? How is