Abstract
Knowledge Management (KM) has become a fundamental process for all types of institutions in society. Academic libraries are also an integral part of the knowledge system, these institutions being one of the forms that contribute to knowledge development. This study aims to find out the challenges and opportunities associated with KM practices in Dhaka University Library (DUL). The specific objectives were to ascertain the understanding of KM concepts among library professionals of DUL, to explore an overview of KM and its role, and to identify the rationale behind not practicing KM properly at DUL. Appropriate methods were employed. The findings indicate that limited expertise and lack of clear guidelines are the major challenges for the implementation of KM in DUL.
Highlights
Academic libraries have transformed significantly from Machine Readable Catalogue (MARC) and circulation desks to metadata, from interlibrary loans to online databases, from bibliographic instruction to information literacy, from information management to Knowledge Management (KM), and so on
The results indicate that the largest group of library professionals, i.e. 36.4%, replied that improving library services and managing information explosion are the reasons for practicing KM in the library, while 22.7% indicated to improve library productivity, and the rest (4.5%) reported that managing rapid knowledge decay is the reason for practicing KM in an academic library
The results indicate that most of the respondents, i.e. 59.09%, have working experience at an academic library and they share their knowledge with their colleagues, with both formal and informal shares
Summary
Academic libraries have transformed significantly from Machine Readable Catalogue (MARC) and circulation desks to metadata, from interlibrary loans to online databases, from bibliographic instruction to information literacy, from information management to Knowledge Management (KM), and so on. KM is a viable means by which academic libraries can improve their services in the knowledge economy. This can be achieved through creating an organizational culture of sharing knowledge and expertise within the library. TFPL (1999) argued that “for organizations to compete effectively in the knowledge economy they need to change their values and establish a new focus on creating and using intellectual assets.”. Academic libraries as constituents of the parent university should rethink and explore ways to improve their services and become learning organizations in which to discover how to capture and share tacit and explicit knowledge within the library. The changing role of academic librarians as knowledge managers emphasizes the need to constantly update or acquire new skills and knowledge to remain relevant with today’s library environment. Academic libraries may need to restructure their functions, expanding their roles and responsibilities to effectively contribute and meet the needs of a large and diverse university community
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