Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide a bibliometric perspective of Knowledge Management (KM) literature in libraries for the past 21 years (1998-2019), based on Web of Science core collection bibliographical database. The objectives of the paper are to examine a bibliometric profile of publications in the field of KM in libraries and analyze the emerging research trends in KM research in libraries and information centers through Keyword co-occurrence. This study used bibliometric and citation analysis methods to explore the profile and research trends in knowledge management research in libraries. A total of 83 sources were retrieved via Web of Science’s core collection database using the terms “Knowledge Management, Libraries, Information centers, librarians, information professionals”. Data was analyzed through Web of Science’s Clarivate Analytics, then exported to Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer for production of images and graphs. Findings revealed that the most research outputs were produced in year 2018 mostly in article forms and the University of South Africa led in contribution to knowledge management research in libraries. Findings also determined top 10 prolific authors and publishing sources; most research were produced by United States, followed by South Africa. As most KM research is carried out on perceptions, predictions and benefits of KM in libraries and information centers not on KM practice in libraries and its impact on the quality of library services. This has implication on KM practice in libraries and information centers. Practicing librarians are unable to apply KM emulating success stories and best practices of libraries and information centers. Bibliometric studies on KM are too general, and to the best knowledge of the researcher, none of them so far gives a clear view of research trends of KM in libraries. Hence, this might be the first study to fill this gap, which only analyzed a sample of documents which are more relevant to the scope of the study.
Highlights
According to Mašić et al, (2017: 127), “Knowledge management (KM) is not new but rather newly structured concept”
This research output is similar to other studies, which revealed that journal articles and conference proceedings are the top main types of publications for Knowledge Management (KM) research (Ali, Malik and Raza, 2018; Kokol et al, 2015)
From the foregoing, it could be concluded that a bibliometric analysis of KM literature is important in gaining insight of the existing literature, trending in research publications, to determine the impact factor, find out the roles and contributions of institutions, countries, authors and research publishers in the field of KM in libraries and information centers
Summary
According to Mašić et al, (2017: 127), “Knowledge management (KM) is not new but rather newly structured concept”. According to O'dell, Grayson and Essaides (1998:6), KM is a “conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organizational performance”. These days, “successful and thriving organizations are those which create or gain new knowledge and convert it into applicable methods for improving their activities and performance” (Akhavan, Ramezan and Moghaddam, 2013:129). The paper analyzed the KM research to get insight into how libraries and information centers are practicing KM being information providers in the field of libraries and other information centers
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