Ascertaining the Place of Library Information Science in Knowledge Management Research

摘要

In the past few years, many researchers and practitioners have shown the value of applying knowledge management (KM) in libraries and other information settings - so as to serve the patron better and to innovate services. However, it is unclear to what extent has mainstream KM literature embraced LIS research as a domain within KM. In this research, we seek to ascertain the place of the LIS field in KM journals by analysing what the top KM journals - as identified by Google Scholar - have published on LIS in the last two decades since the year 2000. We analysed the publication trends, and the distribution of these articles by LIS-related terms used, region/country and information setting type. We also identified the top-cited LIS articles from within these and their coverage in different journals and in different years. 83 LIS-related articles were found within the 4601 research articles published in top KM journals. Only 1.8% of the KM articles were LIS-related. By showing the relatively low coverage of LIS within KM research, the study demonstrates that LIS researchers/practitioners need to do more to be recognized as an important area within KM. KM journals can also enable greater synergies with LIS for mutual benefit.