Incorporating KM education into LIS curriculum: perspectives from LIS academics

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how and to what extent knowledge management (KM) has been incorporated into the library and information science (LIS) curriculum.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conducted using an e‐mail questionnaire survey of LIS academics world‐wide who adopted KM education in their schools. Based on a preliminary survey of 600 LIS schools' homepages, a structured questionnaire is sent out to 106 LIS academics via e‐mail. In total, 58 filled‐in questionnaires are received, of which 57 are valid for analysis. The analysis follows a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches of research with a primary focus on qualitative analysis.FindingsLIS has assimilated the core content of KM based on the combination of varying proportions of major perspectives and skill‐sets of KM with an emphasis on information management and information technology‐oriented courses. The study also finds that LIS has incorporated KM following a partial adoption process through mutual borrowing of knowledge between LIS and KM.Research limitations/implicationsMany LIS schools, especially from non‐English speaking countries, do not come under investigation due to their lack of web accessibility.Practical implicationsThis paper reinforces the curriculum renovation of LIS with the incorporation of KM. It suggests a strong interdisciplinary collaboration with other disciplines having KM interests, and the adoption of a balanced approach to KM that would consider wider audiences and market demand.Originality/valueThe study presents the practical experiences of LIS academics who adopted KM education. The study also explores the concept of “mutual borrowing of knowledge” between LIS and KM.