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The intranet has emerged as one of today's most effective tools for knowledge management. This article reports on the extent to which three South African academic libraries, selected by means of the purposive sampling method, utilise the intranet as a knowledge management tool. Based on the literature, knowledge management and an intranet are briefly defined. The advantages of the intranet as a knowledge management tool as well as the content of an intranet are discussed. The opinions about knowledge management and the utilisation of the intranet as a knowledge management tool in the three academic libraries are weighed up against the findings in the literature. It is clear that a strong awareness exists of the importance of knowledge management and the value of the intranet as a knowledge management tool. However, the potential of the intranet as a knowledge management tool is not utilised fully.

This article examines important issues of knowledge management within academic libraries, and how reference librarians can become more effective as information intermediaries. Exploiting knowledge can be a major competitive advantage for libraries, which can translate into better service to users. This article focuses on librarians and the information they use in carrying out the tasks for reference librarianship, and in organizing a multi‐campus library to effectively meet the needs of a large and diverse group of faculty, students, and staff. Specifically, a new tool for managing and using informal knowledge will be described, along with the team‐based approach that was used to develop and introduce the tool into the New Brunswick Libraries at Rutgers University.

The transformation from an industrial to a knowledge economy and society are underway. In the knowledge economy, the knowledge of people and organizations—their intellectual capital assets—are the primary factors of production and the source of wealth. This is in contrast to other kinds of capital that fueled the industrial and the agricultural economies. Librarians have understood the knowledge society as one characterized by an increased focus on digital resources and an expanded use of virtual channels to deliver those resources. However, the nature of the knowledge society and economy is far more expansive than a digital environment. A knowledge society is one in which all members of a society engage in knowledge transactions—in the business environment, in the social sphere, in civic activities, and in everyday environmental actions. This view of the knowledge society presents new opportunities for librarians to leverage their intellectual capital. This chapter profiles the intellectual capital assets of librarians, considers how they align with professional competencies, and presents use cases that illustrate the value of these assets. Future scenarios illustrate how traditional functional competencies might shift in the knowledge economy. These also suggest contexts which highlight undervalued or new competencies. Seven observations describe how librarians might prepare for expanded roles in the knowledge society.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a knowledge management framework for university libraries (named GC@BU). The framework consists of three modules: knowledge management coordination; knowledge resources; and learning commons, and uses as theoretical assumptions the design of an university library (developed for the context of the framework), the standards for libraries in higher education of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the characterization of the university library as a complex adaptive system (CAS).

This framework was structured by a literature review and based on models, methodologies and existing frameworks, being afterwards evaluated through focus groups composed of managers of university libraries, resulting in an enhanced version.

After evaluation, the GC@BU framework showed to be easy to apply in the context for which it was created (university libraries). It is noteworthy that in addition to the knowledge management application, the GC@BU reinforces the importance of concerning for the quality and the services, since it uses as a parameter the standards of the ACRL. In addition, the perspective used to characterizing university libraries (as CASs) was well accepted by the tool evaluators.

The proposed framework is focussed on university libraries, but its use in other contexts should not be dismissed as long as the manager makes the necessary adjustments for this purpose.

Since knowledge management is an intangible element, its application and benefits are not easy to conceive. This tool provides the implementation of knowledge management in university libraries, and knowledge is considered from different approaches (from the user, the collaborator, the library collection). Besides, the tool is arranged so (in modules and verification criteria) as to allow the manager to administer the library as a whole, from the point of view of knowledge management.

This study is considered innovative and applicable on the global stage of university libraries, because despite being evaluated by Brazilian managers it uses international standards and has a strong ability to adapt to different contexts.

This paper aims to investigate how libraries prevent the loss of knowledge with people leaving or resigning, and the strategies they adopt to retain this knowledge and to transfer organizational knowledge to new employees.

Data were gathered from 101 academic librarians from 35 countries in 6 continents who provided qualitative answers to two open-ended questions in a survey questionnaire.

Documentation, training and digital repositories were found to be the primary strategies used. A number of respondents admitted to retention and transfer being done poorly. Very few libraries had a formal knowledge management (KM) process. The study proposes a theoretical framework for knowledge retention and transfer in libraries.

Libraries will be able to learn of retention and transfer strategies, and identify gaps in their KM process based on the mapping of a specific strategy to knowledge dimension or phase of the KM cycle.

This is the first empirical study in the area of knowledge retention in libraries. The study brings together the perspectives of libraries across the world. The primary research contribution is the theoretical framework which can be used to further research on knowledge retention and transfer in the context of libraries.

Web based knowledge management systems have opened new arrays in the present web based world. Because of innumerable features, they have become the first hand choice of every organization. The objective of this paper is to propose a web based knowledge management system for university libraries that will support the creation, organization, storage, dissemination and utilization of the institution's digital knowledge assets. The paper also aims to illustrate the requirements of a web based knowledge management system (WBKMS) for university libraries along with their key advantages.

Existing web based knowledge management systems were surveyed and a model framework was developed keeping in view the prevailing loopholes in the present systems.

The study evolves into a model web based knowledge management system catering for the needs of the users in the present bit and byte world.

Further research can be conducted into designing web based knowledge management systems keeping in view the needs and behavior of the users they serve. Deep log analysis of the academically endeavored web based systems can be carried out for working out a better and productive WBKMS.

The outcome of the research will improve staff professionalism and will help in achieving coordination with other libraries and library users. Knowledge innovation in a web‐based environment will help in the creation of better and enlightened knowledge based society.

The technologies discussed will help in achieving satisfaction levels both on the part of users as well as library professionals. The whole behavior of seeking information and knowledge will change because of generation, sharing and management of information and knowledge in a virtual mode. Such systems will help organizations strategically when their branches are located in different geographical locations and this will give a platform to the members/employees to share best practices, problems, customer interactions, and prevent reinvention of the wheel.

This article intends to explore how organizational learning affects innovation in public library services, and the role of public librarians in innovation in library services.

This study collected 375 valid questionnaires from 19 public libraries in Shanghai and Zhejiang based on organizational learning, organizational innovation and employee psychological empowerment theory. Additionally, SPSS and HLM are used to analyze the relationship among the three processes of organizational learning: knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge application, and public library service innovation.

Results show that organizational learning has a significant positive effect on the service innovation of public libraries. Knowledge acquisition and knowledge application in the process of organizational learning have a significant positive influence on the service innovation of public libraries, but the impact of knowledge sharing on service innovation is weak. Employee psychological empowerment has a negative regulating influence on knowledge sharing–public library service innovation, but no significant influence on knowledge application–public library service innovation and knowledge acquisition–public library service innovation.

This research explores the effectiveness of the theory of organizational learning in the field of public libraries and also confirms the role of librarians in the work of public libraries. Together, they promote the innovation of public libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of the existing state of practice in knowledge sharing in university libraries.

This is survey research which is based on an electronic questionnaire.

Results reveal that the majority of libraries investigated are quite friendly towards knowledge sharing, and the majority of librarians value the importance of knowledge sharing. Results also confirm that the knowledge that they mostly use is mainly intangible knowledge.

If knowledge‐sharing requirements of librarians while collaboratively performing reference and information services can be acknowledged, guidelines for enhancing conceptual collaborative process would be suggested.

This paper aims to discuss the applications of knowledge management (KM) for library practice.

The paper starts by reviewing the relevant literature and then the results of an empirical study which investigated the perceptions of LIS community on the relevance of KM to libraries. The involvement of libraries in KM programs is also presented.

The results show that the LIS community exhibits a positive attitude towards introducing KM to libraries, and not only because this could bring libraries closer to their parent organization, but also because it might help them to survive in an increasingly challenging environment.

Although there are some indicators of involvement of libraries in KM in published case studies (through activities such as development of intranets and institutional repositories of content management and embedding information literacy instruction in the curriculum and employing web 2.0 technologies for knowledge sharing), libraries are still in the early stage of understanding the potential implications of KM.

The paper focuses on KM in the library community.

Knowledge management systems have opened new arrays in the present digital environment. Nowadays, because of innumerable features, they have become the choice of many organizations. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the issues of a KM-based digital library system that will support the creation, organization, storage, dissemination and utilization of the institution's digital knowledge assets.

The study is based on viewpoints, a review of existing concepts and the structure of DL and KM, and on the results of an interview of ten DL practitioners world-wide. The respondents are purposively selected from the participants' lists of an international training program (ITP) on “managing electronic information and digital libraries”. The interview is conducted by e-mail using a short, structured and open-ended questionnaire.

The present study finds some significant overlaps between DL and KM and argues that a generic KM process of acquisition, organization, storage and retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge by receiving feedback can suitably be fitted in DL. It is apparent that an integration of KM can add value to building a knowledge sharing culture, promoting the KM culture, and ultimately increase the organizational output. It helps to improve efficiency, to ensure higher productivity and user satisfaction in the library.

Further research can be conducted into designing KM-based DL systems keeping in view the needs and behavior of the users they serve. A deep log analysis of the academically endeavored KM-based systems can be carried out for working out a better and productive DL. The recent study requires a practical investigation.

The outcome of the research will improve the DL system to enhance its effectiveness, staff professionalism and will help in achieving coordination. Knowledge innovation in a DL environment will help in the creation of better and an enlightened knowledge-based society.

The issues discussed here will help in achieving satisfaction levels both on the part of users as well as DL professionals. The proposed issues and structure is an original work and theoretically, they would contribute to the advancement of an academic debate in both the areas of DL and KM.