Incorporating KM education into LIS curriculum: Perspectives from LIS academics

摘要

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how and to what extent knowledge management (KM) has been incorporated into the library and information science (LIS) curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: The study is conducted using an e-mail questionnaire survey of LIS academics world-wide who adopted KM education in their schools. Based on a preliminary survey of 600 LIS schools' homepages, a structured questionnaire is sent out to 106 LIS academics via e-mail. In total, 58 filled-in questionnaires are received, of which 57 are valid for analysis. The analysis follows a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches of research with a primary focus on qualitative analysis. Findings: LIS has assimilated the core content of KM based on the combination of varying proportions of major perspectives and skill-sets of KM with an emphasis on information management and information technology-oriented courses. The study also finds that LIS has incorporated KM following a partial adoption process through mutual borrowing of knowledge between LIS and KM. Research limitations/implications: Many LIS schools, especially from non-English speaking countries, do not come under investigation due to their lack of web accessibility. Practical implications: This paper reinforces the curriculum renovation of LIS with the incorporation of KM. It suggests a strong interdisciplinary collaboration with other disciplines having KM interests, and the adoption of a balanced approach to KM that would consider wider audiences and market demand. Originality/value: The study presents the practical experiences of LIS academics who adopted KM education. The study also explores the concept of "mutual borrowing of knowledge" between LIS and KM.