Knowledge transfer and management during and beyond new employee training: The experience of academic library student workers

Hu, Zhan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/103321 Copy

Description

Title

Knowledge transfer and management during and beyond new employee training: The experience of academic library student workers

Author(s)

Hu, Zhan

Issue Date

2019-03-15

Keyword(s)

• Knowledge management
• Tacit knowledge
• Library student workers
• Knowledge sharing

Abstract

Knowledge management (KM) emerged as an explicit field of scientific inquiry in the 1980s and quickly drew research interest from a wide range of academic areas, as knowledge is increasingly recognized as the driver of productivity and innovation of an organization in today's knowledge-based economy. Academic libraries have been adopting KM strategies and tools to improve operational efficiency, and to support continuous innovation in service provision. KM in this context is broader than the traditionally recognized role of libraries in managing explicit knowledge. The more intricate aspect of KM involves managing the creation, organization, and sharing of tacit knowledge possessed by all library staffs in the library environment. This study studies the problem from the perspective of student workers, who often staff public service points as the first contact for patrons, and are increasingly taking on more sophisticated roles and responsibilities. Semi-structured interviews are conducted to exam academic library student workers' perception and experience of KM practices and tools in their work setting and identify opportunities where they can contribute positively to improving knowledge sharing and library service provision. Preliminary findings show that student workers generally lack an understanding of their job tasks, tools they use and the broader implications of how they deal with knowledge and information in the context of KM, thus making them less motivated to share actively. Many students express discontents with the KM tools used in the libraries, meanwhile, believing that their libraries could benefit from a more formalized KM practice.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2019 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/103321

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/iconf.2019.103321

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2019 Zhan Hu

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