Knowledge management and librarianship: part 2

LIS professionals are not in unanimity about knowledge management. Some commentators argue that knowledge management is nothing more than information management (Wilson 2002) or that it is no different from what librarians have done for years (Koenig 1997). Nevertheless, there is a general acknowledgement within the literature that LIS professionals have excellent information management skills in order to be significant players in knowledge management. Abell & Oxbrow state that:
“A knowledge management environment needs excellent information management (IM). Although IM is not KM, knowledge is communicated through information, and the management of information creation, flow, storage and destruction is essential if individuals and groups are to share and build knowledge. The skills that facilitate the building of infostructures-the combination of information architecture, content management and information technology that enables individuals to access the right, reliable information at the right time, prevents information overload, and supports push-and-pull information delivery-are increasingly valued and sought by organizations. There are no doubt that the information profession has the theoretical basis and practical skills to provide this essential element of KM. (Abell and Oxbrow 2001)”
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Wilson, Tom (2002) 'The nonsence of knowledge management', Information Research, 8(1).
Koenig, MED (1996), 'Intelectual capital and knowledge management', IFLA Journal, 22(4), pp. 299-301.
Abell, A & Oxbrow, N. (2001), Competing with knowledge: The information professionals in the knowledge management age, London: Library Association Publishing.