Paper Accepted for Presentation at the Third Shanghai International Library Forum,

Shanghai, China, August 17-19, 2006

Knowledge Management for Library Strategic Planning:

Perceptions of Applications and Benefits

Zhi Xian Yi Texas Woman’s University U.S.A.

August 18, 2006

Purpose of This Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions and coherence of definitions, applications and benefits of knowledge management for library strategic planning between academic library directors and graduate students of information and library science.

Significance of This Study

The findings will be of value to improve the quality of library strategic planning.

Literature Review

• The literature on knowledge management (KM) has seen growth in recent years with the rapid development of knowledge economy and globalization. The studies cover many aspects of knowledge management such as basics of definitions, models, applications, and benefits.

• As for the library literature on strategic planning, there are some monographs and papers.

• Little research has been conducted on the perceptions of the application and benefits of knowledge management for the library strategic planning. This study will provide significant information on this topic.

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that there exist significant differences concerning perceptions of definitions, applications and benefits of knowledge management for library strategic planning between library directors and graduate students.

 

Method

The e-mail survey was conducted in this study. The formal initial and follow-up e-mail letters and the designed questionnaires were emailed to 19 graduate students of information and library science and 40 academic library directors. Each subject was asked to voluntarily participate in this study, and spend 10-15 minutes opening the questionnaire, filling it out, saving it as a file, and sending it back to the investigator by e-mail. The participants were given ten days to respond the survey.

Main Findings (1)• Using an e-mailed survey, 29 academic library directors a

nd 18 graduate students of information and library science defined knowledge management in terms of library strategic planning and answered questions regarding the applications and benefits of knowledge management to library strategic planning.

• Library directors and graduate students (58.6 and 72.2%, respectfully) tended to agree that “knowledge management is the process of critically managing knowledge to meet existing needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to develop new opportunities.”

• Both directors (93.1%) and students (100%) agreed that knowledge management is applicable to the library strategic planning.

Main Findings (2)• Directors (51.9%) and students (61.1%) tended to agree t

hat applying knowledge management is the best way to improve strategic planning foresight.

• Directors (71.4%) and students (66.7%) agreed that knowledge management can be applied to all areas of library strategic planning.

• Directors (60.7%) and students (50%) believe knowledge management is being applied to “create portals for internal information that catalogs the strategic plans and reports developed for external users”.

• Directors (75.0%) and students (50.0%) believe knowledge management will “improve sharing of internal and external information to minimize redundant efforts and lessen the reporting burden plaguing many libraries today”.

Further Research

Future research should examine more concrete issues on knowledge management for library strategic planning. How to apply knowledge management systems to the library strategic planning and how to develop the new library strategic planning models in combination with knowledge management models may also be studied in the future so as to improve the library strategic planning quality.