Implementing knowledge management in university libraries of Punjab, Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamshad Ahmed ◽  
Arslan Sheikh ◽  
Muhammad Akram
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
Resources Sharing

Purpose Knowledge management (KM) is an emerging method of management. This study aims to explore the various aspects of implementing KM in university libraries of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire, and data were collected from 75 chief librarians and reference librarians of 48 university libraries of Pakistan. A total of 60 valid responses received and analyzed using SPSS version-21. Findings The results disclose that a majority of respondents are familiar with KM, and literature reading is the major source of their awareness. The Pakistani academic librarians believe that KM can be applied, in the reference services, resources sharing, networking and information literacy programs of libraries. While, need for professional training and KM education are also reported. KM can be implemented in libraries through, use of ICT, developing knowledge sharing culture and developing mentorship in organizations. A lack of staff training, lack of expertise in KM, lack of knowledge gaining and sharing culture, lack of understanding of KM concept and its benefits and a lack of IT infrastructure are the major challenges faced by library and information science (LIS) professionals. Communication skills, information management skills, IT skills, leadership skills, human resource management skills are identified as key skills for the implementation of KM. Practical implications This study provides a base to develop a KM strategy and implementation plan for academic libraries in Pakistan. It will facilitate to constitute an important step toward the management of intangible assets in Pakistani libraries. Originality/value The results of the study will unveil the perceptions of academic librarians toward KM. It will help to understand the relationship between KM and LIS. The study will also identify the challenges faced by librarians and skills required for the implementation of KM in libraries.

Competencies Sought by Information and Knowledge Employers: An Analysis of Job Advertisements

2003 ◽  
Vol 02 (03) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
Shaheen Majid ◽  
Wong Waa Bee
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Interpersonal Skills ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Online Searching ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Job Advertisements ◽  
Facilitation Skills ◽  
Development And Management

The aim of this study was to determine the type of information professionals sought by the employment market. Job advertisements provide an effective source for identifying core qualifications, competencies and experience required by employers. These also help to discover any gaps that may exist between education and training provision and employers' expectations. A total of 150 job advertisements were collected and analysed from different newspapers, periodicals and job websites. For the knowledge management professionals, qualification in business was the most frequently sought requirement. In addition to management skills and knowledge of the business sector, experience in information and knowledge management and research know-how were also perceived as important. Online searching abilities, communication and interpersonal skills, presentation and facilitation skills were also high on the employers' list of preferences. For library professionals, library and information science qualification was a prerequisite for employment, with emphasis on information handling skills, management and leadership skills, communication and interpersonal skills. Experience in collection development and management, reference services and cataloguing were also frequently sought requirements.

scholarly journals How Canadian librarians practice and assess individualized research consultations in academic libraries

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Fournier ◽  
Lindsey Sikora
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evaluation And Assessment

Purpose Though we live in a digital era, libraries offer significant hours of in-person reference services, in combination with online reference services. Nevertheless, an increase in requests for in-person, individualized research consultations (IRCs) over the last few years has been observed. IRCs between librarians and students are common practice in academic institutions. While these sessions can be deemed useful for patrons, as they are tailored to their specific needs, however, they can also be time consuming for the librarians. Therefore, it is important to evaluate this service, and assess its impact in order to ensure that the users are getting the most out of their sessions. The purpose of this paper is to gather information on the evaluation and assessment tools that Canadian institutions are using to obtain feedback, measure their impact and improve their consultation services. Design/methodology/approach A bilingual (French and English) web-based questionnaire was issued, with a generic definition of IRCs provided. The questionnaire included general demographics and background information on IRC practices among Canadian academic librarians, followed by reflective questions on the assessment process of such practices. The questionnaire was sent to Canadian academic librarians via e-mail, using professional librarian associations’ listservs, and Twitter was used for dissemination as well. Findings Major findings of the survey concluded that the disciplines of health sciences and medicine, as well as the arts and humanities are the heaviest users of the IRC service model. On average, these sessions are one hour in length, provided by librarians who often require advanced preparation time to adequately help the user, with infrequent follow-up appointments. It was not surprising that a lack of assessment methods for IRCs was identified among Canadian academic libraries. Most libraries have either no assessment in place for IRCs, or they rely heavily on informal feedback from users, comments from faculty members and so on. A small portion of libraries use usage statistics to assess their IRCs service, but other means of assessment are practically non-existent. Research limitations/implications The survey conducted was only distributed to Canadian academic libraries. Institutions across the USA and other countries that also perform IRCs may have methods for evaluating and assessing these sessions which the authors did not gather; therefore, the evidence is biased. As well, each discipline approaches IRCs very differently; therefore, it is challenging to compare the evaluation and assessment methods between each discipline. Furthermore, the study’s population is unknown, as the authors did not know the exact number of librarians or library staff providing IRCs by appointment in academic Canadian institution. While the response rate was reasonably good, it is impossible to know if the sample is representative of the population. Also, it needs to be acknowledged that the study is exploratory in nature as this is the first study solely dedicated at examining academic librarians’ IRC practices. Further research is needed. As future research is needed to evaluate and assess IRCs with an evidence-based approach, the authors will be conducting a pre-test and post-test to assess the impact of IRC on students’ search techniques. Originality/value Evidence-based practice for IRCs is limited. Very few studies have been conducted examining the evaluation and assessment methods of these sessions; therefore, it was believed that a “lay of the land,” so to speak, was needed. The study is exploratory in nature, as this is the first study solely dedicated at examining the evaluation and assessment methods of academic librarians’ IRC practices.

What is the impact of library and information science on knowledge management research?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Anwarul Islam ◽  
Naresh Kumar Agarwal
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Authorship Pattern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Codified Knowledge ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Access To Knowledge ◽  
Low Coverage ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the place of library and information Science (LIS) research within leading knowledge management (KM) journals and conferences. Design/methodology/approach Authors examined articles published from 2000-2018 in top-20 KM publications identified by Google Scholar to look for relationship with LIS. Authors analyzed the identified LIS-related articles to determine the publication trends based on LIS terms used, populations, authorship pattern, country, information setting type and top-cited articles. Findings Authors found that the coverage of LIS-related articles within leading KM publications was very low. From the more than 10,000 KM research articles, less than 1 per cent were LIS-related. Research limitations/implications This study would help LIS researchers measure the space they have created for their field within leading KM research. By showing the relatively low coverage of LIS within KM research, the study demonstrates that LIS researchers/practitioners need to do more for LIS to be recognized as an important area within KM. KM publications can also enable greater synergies with LIS for mutual benefit. Originality/value LIS researchers have increasingly called for KM implementation within libraries. The KM field has a long history in library practice in the context of managing and organizing codified knowledge. Both KM and LIS share the common goals of providing access to knowledge for sharing, transfer and use. However, hardly any studies have looked at the amount of synergy or overlap between these two different but related areas, and whether LIS matters to KM, even though LIS practitioners have been highlighting that KM matters to LIS.

Training needs analysis based on mismatch between the acquired and required levels of collection management skills of academic librarians

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asad Khan ◽  
Mohamad Noorman Masrek
Keyword(s):  
Training Programs ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Collection Management ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Paired Sample ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Questionnaire Method

Purpose Training improves workers’ competencies by eliminating or reducing mismatch between the levels of acquired and required skills. However, the question of who needs the training can be pertinently managed by training needs analysis (TNA). Thus, the purpose of this paper was to explore the training needs of Pakistani university librarians on collection management skills. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted on a randomly selected sample of Pakistani university librarians. Using survey questionnaire method, a five-point Likert scale was utilized to measure the acquired and required levels of collection management skills (CMS). A paired sample t-test was used to ascertain the significance of difference between the acquired and required skills. Further, descriptive statistics were used to perform TNA. Findings Results of the paired sample t-test showed a significant difference among all indicators of CMS. Further, findings of TNA specified more than 50 per cent of deficit (over-utilization), less than 50 per cent of surplus (under-utilization) and 20 per cent of job best-fit in terms of CMS. Based on these results, training and top-down allocation of tasks are suggested to the higher authorities to manage over and under-utilization of CMS and to produce more job best-fits. Originality/value These findings are significant to design training programs on CMS, to revise courses on collection management, to evaluate performance of collection managers and understand the causes of under and over utilization of CMS. Moreover, findings inform librarians to eliminate mismatch in the levels of acquired and required CMS through training programs that may further enhance job best-fits.

Peer reference assistants in a small liberal arts college: case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasia Gonnerman ◽  
Ken Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Student Assistants

Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to create and sustain a successful mentoring program for reference student assistants in the liberal arts environment. The study delineates student training, program assessment and the impact on reference practice in a way that can be used at other institutions considering implementing a similar initiative. Design/methodology/approach This case study is written by professionals who have been deeply engaged in initiating, running and assessing the program. It presents the value of the program in an unbiased and objective manner by including the voices of the student mentees themselves reflecting on the experience. Findings The mentorship program has proven to be worthwhile and rewarding in equal measures to both the mentees and reference librarians working with our future successors. It serves an important role in inspiring and encouraging library student workers to become interested in academic librarianship as a career choice and it prepares them to be successful students in library and information science graduate programs. Originality/value Although the discussion of training reference student assistants per se is not rare in the library literature, this particular program is unique in several ways: its main intent is to mentor students who are interested in pursuing librarianship as a career goal; it occurs in the context of a liberal arts college rather than in a larger university setting, especially those offering degrees in information and library science; and it empowers students to provide in-depth independent reference services for their peers and faculty.

Your place or mine? Face‐to‐face reference services across campus

2007 ◽  
Vol 108 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 247-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darcy Del Bosque ◽  
Kimberly Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Outreach Services ◽  
Library Users ◽  
The University

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a case study which describes reference and instruction outreach programs promoted by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Library. Direct‐2‐U Reference, Crash Courses, and Drop‐In Tours reached out to students in innovative ways to encourage non‐library users to see what they were missing and to give current library users even more choices. Direct‐2‐U Reference provided opportunities for students to get research help on their own turf. Librarians offered assistance at several locations across campus, combining the benefits of face‐to‐face reference with the convenience of getting help without going to the physical library. Library Crash Courses promoted subject‐specific assistance without the formality of in‐class instruction. Drop‐In Tours allowed curious students to figure out the layout of the library and get answers to their questions.Design/methodology/approachThis case study describes researching alternative services, and includes practical information on how services were implemented. Information is presented about ongoing evaluation of the outreach programs that improved the direction, marketing, and overall success of the programs.FindingsThe outreach programs promoted by the library reached additional users, provided more options for patrons, and improved the visibility of the library campus‐wide.Originality/valueThis case study will be of interest to other academic librarians wanting to provide library services outside the library. It builds on the existing literature regarding library outreach services.

Professionalism in library and information science

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinwe Nwogo Ezeani ◽  
Helen Nneka Eke ◽  
Felicia Ugwu
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Questions

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the current trends, needs and opportunities of professionalism in librarianship in Nigeria. The broad purpose of the paper was to investigate the level of professionalism in librarianship and to ascertain the current status, trends and opportunities within the profession among academic librarians in Nigeria. Five specific research questions were formulated which are: to examine how librarians value librarianship as a profession, to elicit the efforts made by librarians with regards to professional development, to ascertain methods of acquiring current competencies within the profession, to investigate the role of professional bodies in promoting professionalism and excellence within the library and information science (LIS) profession and to proffer strategies to enhance professionalism and excellence among librarians in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study across both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The area of the study was the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Anambra State. Population of the study comprised a total of 63 librarians in the two universities. All librarians were sampled because of the small sample size. The instrument for data collection was oral interview and questionnaire which contained 53 items derived from the research questions and built on a four-point scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree, (A) Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The criterion mean was 2.50. Therefore, any calculated mean below 2.50 was adjudged a negative score, while any mean from 2.50 and above was regarded as a positive score. Findings – The study revealed the challenges facing professionalism and excellence within the LIS field as lack of funding for professional development, lack of sponsorship to workshops and conferences, lack of uninterruptible internet facility and a dearth of professional mentors in the South East zone. Other problems gathered from a scheduled interview with some senior professionals in the institutions revealed that most librarians are still facing the challenge of imbibing and utilizing emerging skills in the LIS professions such as digital archiving and data mining skills for their day-to-day activities. Originality/value – Recommendations arising from the study were proffered such as the creation of staff development programmes by management; collaboration and partnership by libraries within the zone; acquisition of training through workshops and conferences irrespective of sponsorship by the institutions; and teaming of academic librarians to enhance their visibility and publication output. International staff exchanges and opportunities for sabbatical leave, which hitherto was not common in the South East Zone, were recommended. Among other recommendations also were building of consortia with libraries in the country; LIS professional bodies helping to create visibility and prestige of the LIS profession; and, finally, to scale up the image of the profession the marketing of library products through profiling of patrons and furnishing them with required information has not only become necessary but critical.

Publication productivity and scholarly impact of academic librarians in Tanzania

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 527-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Said Sife ◽  
Edda Tandi Lwoga
Keyword(s):  
Research Productivity ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Publish Or Perish ◽  
Scholarly Impact ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Scientometric Study

Purpose – The purpose of this scientometric study was to conduct an analysis of the research productivity and scholarly impact of academic librarians in Tanzania for a period of 30 years from 1984 to 2013. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained using the Publish or Perish software which uses Google Scholar to retrieve scholars’ publications, citations and related metrics. For each librarian, the retrieved metrics were the number of papers, papers per author, citation counts, average citations per paper, average papers per author, average citations per year, average citations per author and four indices, namely, the h-index, g-index, Hc-index and the HI-norm. Findings – The study findings indicate that 434 publications were recorded for all librarians, giving an average of 14.5 publications per year. The year 2008 had the most (9.9 per cent) publications followed by 2010 (7.8 per cent), while the years 1985 and 1987 had the lowest (0.2 per cent) number of publications. About 43 per cent of the publications were single-authored and the degree of collaboration was 0.57. The top-ten ranked librarians contributed more than half (53.2 per cent) of all publications, although they showed considerable variation among different metrics. Only three journal articles had 25 or more citations. Originality/value – Previous studies on the topic are scarce, and, therefore, this paper provides useful recommendations to library and information science (LIS) schools, libraries and universities to improve research productivity of their academic librarians in Tanzania and other countries with a similar setting.

The Perspective of Library and Information Science (LIS) Professionals Toward Knowledge Management in University Libraries

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. 1750015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khurshid Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Library Services ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The University

This study explores the general perspectives of library and information science (LIS) professionals on knowledge management in the university libraries of Pakistan. The study specifically examines the perceptions, understandings, role and responsibilities of Pakistani LIS professionals toward knowledge management. A questionnaire was used as an instrument to evaluate the perceptions, understandings, role and responsibilities of LIS professionals toward knowledge management. The questionnaires were administered to subject librarians who were included in the sample at the universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Generalising the findings of this study over the population of LIS community in Pakistan reveals that knowledge management is for the improvement of library services and productive purposes. Accordingly, the Pakistani LIS professionals use knowledge management practices for the improvement of their respective library service. The LIS community is also very familiar with the term “knowledge management”. It succeeded mainly to generalise that majority of the LIS professionals mentioned that they have used knowledge management in their libraries.

Prerequisite and awareness status of Web 2.0 applications in University Libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Aziz Ur Rahman ◽  
Haroon Idrees ◽  
Arif khan
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Web 2.0 Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽  
Rss Feeds ◽  
The University ◽  
E Mail

Purpose This study aims to explore the awareness status of Web 2.0 tools among library and information science (LIS) professionals in the University Libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Design/methodology/approach The study used quantitative method to collect data from 73 LIS professionals in 18 public sector university libraries of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Inferential and descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze data using SPSS. Findings It was observed from the findings that majority of LIS professional s possess good knowledge of MS Office; however, some senior librarians were less acquainted. Internet facility was available to 60 participants out of 66. Librarians were not familiar with many services of Web 2.0; however, Facebook, YouTube and Skype were most familiar among the librarians. Majority of the respondents had no experience of using podcasting, RSS feeds, LinkedIn, LibraryThing, Flickr and MySpace. On the other hand, e-mail services, Facebook and YouTube were founded to be the most commonly used Web 2.0 tools among respondents. Problems faced by majority of the respondents were power failure, lack of training, non-cooperation from higher authorities, low speed of internet and financial problems. Practical implications These research results can be very beneficial for the interested librarians in universities, when they plan to use Web 2.0 applications in their libraries. Originality/value This study presents an overall picture of Web 2.0 applications in university libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and attempts to provide the readers with helpful information to better understand how their colleagues elsewhere are utilizing Web 2.0 tools in execution of library services.

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