The design and implementation of knowledge management systems in academic libraries to enable knowledge management processes : a case study of Makerere University Library

Abstract

Knowledge management (KM) is increasingly becoming important for organisations to enhance their competitive advantage, performance and to become more effective. Academic institutions and academic libraries, in particular, have come to the realisation that they too can benefit from knowledge management and are increasingly looking to adopt appropriate means to effectively manage their knowledge resources so as to improve the services rendered to their patrons. Knowledge management systems (KMS) are suitable means for academic libraries to manage knowledge and enable the processes of creation, storage, sharing and application of knowledge. While issues related to the design and implementation of knowledge management systems have been widely discussed within various sectors such as the business sector, there is a paucity of research pertaining to KMS implementation in academic libraries yet libraries have started to use several technologies for KM without putting certain issues that are critical to the successful implementation into consideration. Therefore, this study, puts forwards the idea of a KMS in Makerere University Library, exploring several aspects with the aim of discovering how the library can successfully implement a knowledge management system and in so doing explore the readiness of Makerere University Library to implement a KMS. An exploratory study was done adopting the qualitative research approach with Makerere University Library as the case study. The study involved interviews with eight library staff members in the librarian and IT staff categories that were purposively selected to provide information to the study. The major findings from the study revealed that, the majority of library staff at Makerere University Library understand the meaning of knowledge and knowledge management concepts though more training is still needed to clarify these concepts to some staff that do not have a clear understanding of the two concepts. The study also revealed that, the technological infrastructure of the library needs to be updated to support the KMS implementation. Other factors discovered that are key for the successful KMS design and implementation include: library management support, KMS budget, library culture, KM strategy, policies and guidelines, rewards and incentives. The study also identified benefits of a KMS for the library as well as challenges that the library may face in implementing a KMS. Finally, the study puts forward recommendations in the form of strategies for the library to successfully implement a KMS.