Knowledge management and librarianship: part3

There is a general acknowledgement within the literature that although LIS professionals have excellent information management skills in order to be significant players in knowledge management they need to gain additional skills and overcome a number of obstacles. Some of these obstacles arise from their personal behavior and some from an inappropriate type of education. Abell & Oxbrow (2001) state that from the employers' point of view the specific obstacles are as follows:

• lack of business knowledge
• lack of understanding of the interplay between information and organizational objectives
• poor team and leadership skills
• lack of management skills

Another general criticism of LIS professionals is that they are reluctant to change or slow to do so even when the need to do so is apparent. So, they fail to seize the opportunities.

To successfully engage in knowledge management, LIS professionals must have a holistic view and go beyond the narrow scope of their profession.

Abell, A & Oxbrow, N (2001), Competing with knowledge: the information professionals in the knowledge management age, Library Association Publishing, London.