Implications of knowledge management in academic libraries Dr. Natarajan M. Senior Principal Scientist (Retd.), National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), New Delhi-110012, India Online published on 22 June, 2017. Abstract The Library and information science discipline has undergone enormous changes within the last three decades, some of these dictated by changes in technology and others by social and economic change. Knowledge management (KM) has emerged as a significant social and organizational development leading to new focus on the role of information and knowledge professionals. This article deals with the definitions of KM, the principles, the need and importance of KM to academic libraries. The application of KM to libraries assumes greater significance and this is particularly true for academic libraries, as these libraries will face unprecedented challenges in the 21st century. There has been a paradigm shift in libraries from an information management to knowledge management. The concept of KM in libraries as a completely new method of management demands change in its conventional management. The role of librarian needs to be shifted form information providers to knowledge mangers and therefore they need to constantly update or acquire new skills and knowledge. This paper provides the implementation of KM in an academic library environment, principles of KM, objectives of KM in academic libraries, process of KM, process of knowledge creation, taxonomy of KM, tools for KM and the implications for the LIS professionals and the users. It discusses KM practices which include knowledge generation, knowledge acquisition, knowledge organization, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, knowledge sharing and knowledge retention. The library should use collaborative and interactive work spaces such as the wikis that are available to locate and share specific knowledge and expertise. It concludes the implications of KM for the library professionals and for the users. It suggests the competencies required to implement the KM activities for the LIS professionals Top Keywords Knowledge management, Knowledge sharing, Knowledge transfer, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge organization, KM tools, Academic libraries, Knowledge creators, Content management. Top |