Whose Knowledge? Whose Management? Cognitive Considerations for the Provision of Virtual Library Services to School Communities

Abstract

Participating in knowledge management requires school libraries and libraries that serve school communities to understand the cognitive aspects of knowledge acquisition and sharing, and the inadequacies of knowledge management initiatives driven by information technology. Discontinuities in the data-information-knowledge continuum make information fundamentally different from knowledge. Three knowledge principles are critical to successful design and delivery of virtual services, and a knowledge management approach may require reduction in the amount and speed of information the library delivers in order to convert knowledge to value for the school. To manage knowledge effectively, we need to shift our focus to the social context and intentionally and carefully manage the tacit knowing of librarians.