A content analysis of literature regarding knowledge management opportunities for librarians

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the progress of research regarding the opportunities for librarians within the context of knowledge management.

Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis of 28 full-length journal articles indexed by Library Literature in the past ten years was conducted.

Findings – Findings indicate that more researchers than practitioners are aware of knowledge management opportunities, utilised more literature reviews and based their findings on theory. In addition, an unexpected finding was that the majority of researchers communicated their findings in professional rather than scholarly journals. Practitioners should therefore give attention to studies conducted by researchers to become aware of opportunities they could not identify themselves.

Research limitations/implications – Only full-length journal articles indexed by Library Literature were included. Thus the findings may have limitations in their generalisability.

Practical implications – Results of the study may assist in the improvement of teaching and research in library and information science. Additionally, librarians may become aware of the opportunities and acquire guidelines on how to attain the necessary requirements towards enhancing their role and ultimately boosting their image.

Originality/value – The study shows the progress of research regarding the knowledge management opportunities for librarians to researchers and practitioners interested in this field.