The Role of Special Libraries and Knowledge Management

Abstract

Nowadays, Knowledge management (KM) is important for organizational development. Librarians in special libraries need to take part in this function and enhance their role in increasing effectiveness of knowledge management. As the role of librarians in special libraries has become changing due to a proliferation of Internet and online information, they must get involved in promoting the use of knowledge for achieving organizational strategies and make it known among organizational executives that a library is a free-flowing knowledge and learning Centre. Librarians in special libraries could play essential roles in 7 steps of knowledge management: knowledge identification, knowledge creation and acquisition, knowledge organization, knowledge codification and refinement, knowledge access, knowledge sharing, Librarians can use the skills they have in library and information management as a key manager or facilitator in managing knowledge.