An Empirical Study of Knowledge Management in University Libraries in SADC Countries

Abstract

Academic libraries have transformed drastically from MARC and circulation desk to metadata and web information, print collection and inter library loans to online databases and e-resources, quiet areas to learning and knowledge commons, bibliographic instruction to information literacy and life-long learning, information management to knowledge management and so on. Accordingly, the roles of academic librarians have changed radically at both library practitioners and library school educators’ levels. They are no more traditional information protectors and managers. Open access, knowledge management, digital scholarship, institutional repositories are all often owned by the libraries and the librarians. “KM as a fad is dead. But KM as a means for organizations to grow stronger and more productive in a climate of uncertainty is gaining ground” (Knowledge Management Research Centre, 2010). The above phrase caught eye and it is self-explanatory. Indeed KM is no more a fad, but a reality to be productive and a means to gain and sustain a competitive edge over rivals in all areas of life. In this global economy which is knowledge based, economic activities have shifted from people working with their hands to people working with their heads, from tangible resources like steel to intangible resources like knowledge (Davenport 2002 in Boom, & Pimentel, 2009). Academic libraries are no exception to this change. As “Academic libraries are information centers established in support of the mission of their parent institutions to generate knowledge, and people equipped with knowledge in order to serve the society and advance the wellbeing of mankind” (Raja, Ahmad, Sinha, 2009:701). The main functions of academic libraries are to support the mission and vision of their parent institutions. To fulfill this function academic libraries have to evolve as their parent institutions’ mission, vision and information needs change. Thus, Knowledge management has been recognized as vital by all 21st century information professionals, who have evolved from traditional cataloguer and reference librarians to value adding service providers, teacher librarians and, most recently, knowledge managers. This study was initiated in the above background, with a main purpose to investigate the KM practices in university libraries in SADC countries. Since university libraries are academic libraries, the words university and academic are used interchangeably, but the study is limited to university libraries.