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The paper seeks to explore the essential nature of knowledge services, and to identify key issues that impact on the successful implementation of knowledge services in libraries.

This paper focuses on and discusses the heightened information service levels required in order to aspire to knowledge services. It answers the questions: What is the difference between information services and knowledge services? How do we realize knowledge services? What is knowledge services' blue print?

Information profession services are required to identify, analyze and coordinate the various needs of their potential user groups. Part of this process determines the levels of service. The requirements are changing from data, information to knowledge. The main reasons are library customers' growing and changing needs: from information access, storage, and retrieval to knowledge access, storage and retrieval. The aim of knowledge services is to provide a high level service through the effective use of knowledge. So special repositories must be accessed and used, and then analysis tools can be applied to achieve the user's objectives.

The paper posits how knowledge is pivotal in today's environment and illustrates how it is important to set up new knowledge services modes that make use of knowledge service platforms and knowledge warehouses.

This column aims to investigate the possibilities of web services for the integration of information with relevant services.

This is a viewpoint paper.

This column encourages the exploration of web services based on careful analysis and semantic ontologies in order to provide relevant integration of services and information.

The rapid proliferation of web services – whether RESTful or SOAP based – offers many opportunities both internally and externally for libraries, but the adoption of web services needs to be tempered with careful planning and analysis.

The column offers some interesting suggestions for exploring theoretical options in the adoption of web service information and services. Some technical aspects of web service technology are discussed and then related to the core mission of librarianship, which is to assist patrons in navigating the great breadth of data available in increasing quantities via web service technology.

This paper seeks to create a novel management model for digital libraries which can effectively respond to the challenges and culture posed by Google or other search engines.

The paper attempts to construct an advanced management model for a digital library which can have the advantages of Google, other search engines and libraries, yet avoid their inherent weakness. For that, the paper investigates and analyzes the advantages and weaknesses of Google and digital libraries at home and abroad, and makes reference to the theory of supply chain management (SCM) to construct a new management model for a digital library.

A supply chain for the digital library is constructed and a supply chain architecture for digital libraries, their components and the running situations of content services flow, information flow and funds flow in supply chain, is proposed. The components are described in detail. Then three kinds of service models are constructed and their service processes are analyzed.

The paper is one of the research findings of the National Key Technology R&D Program of China during the 11th Five‐Year Plan Period (No. 2006BAH02A12): Digital Content Supporting Technology Platform and will be applied to Chinese digital libraries construction.

The supply chain management model for a digital library which is blessed with the advantages of Google and libraries but without their weaknesses is studied and presented for the first time. The model can provide a well‐suited, highly efficient and one‐stop‐shop information and knowledge service for users.

The purpose of the paper is to grope for the scientific research method for the reader's potential discontent information with the analysis of the show form of the reader's potential discontent information and the statistic analysis of the reader's service information in the academic library.

The paper uses the research method of the behavior analysis to study the show form of the reader's potential discontent information, and farther puts forward the research path for the reader's potential discontent information in the academic library by a statistics analytical methodology.

The paper finds that the reader's potential discontent information is very important but not easy ascertained information source in the library service work estimate. Library supervisor must understand that not only the behavior analysis but also statistics analytical method can develop the scientific analysis and research to obtain the information for the improvement of the library service.

There is an important value for using the behavior analysis and statistics method to develop a further research.

The paper shows that it is very important value to obtain the reader's potential discontent information for improvement of the library service.

The paper offers some important information collection outlet and method to design the service mode and improve the service work for the academic library.

This article stems from the work of the EISSWA Research Project, which has been using an action research approach to explore the information needs of social welfare practitioners. It is argued that the research carried out so far has revealed a significant area of information need on the part of this particular user group which is not being met by existing support services, and that the library‐based information services in particular have either failed to appreciate that this gap exists or, being aware of it, have not taken the initiative to respond to it. A possible explanation for this is put forward, special attention being paid to the cultural context in which information work of this kind takes place, and an alternative model is proposed by which library‐based information services could be adapted and developed to more effectively meet the information needs of their practitioner clients.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of marketing of information products and services in university libraries in Kenya.

The paper utilises literature surveys of currently published articles and the researcher's professional experience.

Marketing is a basic and essential management process for promoting information products and services in university libraries in Kenya, but it is not given the attention it deserves and/or is poorly coordinated. Marketing avails university libraries the unique opportunity to provide quality, and demand‐based and user‐oriented information products and services.

The paper used mainly literature surveys of currently published articles and the researcher's professional experience.

The paper offers reasons, strategies or initiatives and recommendations on how to make university libraries the destination for the user population. In this respect, university libraries should be proactively involved in marketing of information products and services to the user population.

University libraries in Kenya should involve themselves actively in marketing and promotion of information products and services to the information audience. This helps to create awareness among the user population leading to increased use of information products and services in the libraries.

The paper highlights various marketing initiatives of making university libraries in Kenya the destination for the user population. Also, the paper explores recent innovative strategies for marketing information products and services. Marketing helps university libraries to: market and promote information products and services, provide innovative products and services, understand the needs and demands of the information audience or user population, plan service provision, and provide efficient and effective information products and services.

This article, a product of an IIMHL‐brokered partnership, concerns the requisites of today's health services information systems, and how an organisation in London, Ontario, Canada is responding to the addictions and mental health service information needs of the citizens of the Province of Ontario. The piece draws a parallel between theory regarding how stored data can be translated into information, knowledge, understanding and, ultimately, wisdom, and the practical needs of information and referral organisations as per their objective of providing their consumers with the value of current and accurate information. In the case of ConnexOntario ‐ funded by Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care ‐ the keys to this value are the powerful database that is used to house the data, and the innovative ‘front‐end application’ ‐ ConnexOntario eServices ‐ that allows users to input, retrieve and present the information as necessary. An emphasis is also placed on how eServices, in concert with the ConnexOntario database, helps promote the principle of mental health service leadership for its stakeholders, which is relevant as per the stated objective of the IIMHL.

The value of library and information services in the incorporated South African law firm was investigated with regard to accountability to corporate management. A cost accounting exercise was developed and tested in seven South African law firms of varying size. Cost per practitioner was calculated in order to correlate data from the participating organisations so that average relative spending might be determined. Attempts to relate the unit cost of library and information services to use and usefulness were inconclusive and these efforts were unable to demonstrate the value of the corporate investment. Recognised business practices relating to corporate accountability were considered with regard to the relevance to corporate support services. These included ISO 9000 and the practice of internal auditing. An information services audit was proposed in accordance with a recognised management process.

Having an ageing population is an issue facing many countries, particularly western nations. With governments and service providers focusing on healthy ageing and ageing in place, notions of choice and active participation for older people in selecting services appropriate to remaining in the community are also emphasised. Central to this is the issue of information navigation: knowing what services are available and how to get that information, for older people and those who support them. Based on a series of qualitative studies of service provision and using perspectives from older people, their families and those who provide services for them, this paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the process of information navigation as opposed to providing ever more information content.

During the last several decades, logistics has increasingly emerged as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This article incorporates recent work in services marketing on customer information acquisition, with research on industrial buying behavior to help logistics service providers understand and manage their customers’ information acquisition and purchase activities for logistics services.