Knowledge management for service innovation in academic libraries: a qualitative study

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies that librarians employ to ensure quality of service, the ways and barriers for service innovation, and the likelihood of adopting knowledge management for service innovation in libraries (KMSIL). Design/methodology/approach - In total, 17 academic librarians filled out a qualitative survey with open-ended questions. Findings - Most librarians saw service innovation as critical to the continuing success of the library, and felt that knowledge management (KM) would be extremely helpful for service innovation in their libraries. The proposed strategies and findings led to a theoretical framework of KMSIL. Originality/value - Though exploratory in nature, this is the first study that combines service innovation with KM from the perceptive of academic librarians and has important implications for theory and practice. The proposed theoretical framework could serve as the basis for a deeper study and further research in this area.