Special Libraries as Knowledge Management Centres

Book excerpt: This book focuses on the role of special libraries as knowledge management centres in their organisations. It describes the work of a special library and the special library draws on the characteristics that make the nucleus of collecting and organising knowledge which is used for the benefit of the institution. By acquiring and sharing knowledge, staff will enhance the intellectual capital of the institution. Traditionally libraries are the information centres that organise and classify information. Further on they are the proper places to create human networks and to organise the knowledge hidden in the minds of the staff. This book also examines methods to prove the value of a special library for the parent organisation when it becomes the centre to gather knowledge. - Draws on the characteristics that make a special library necessary for an organisation - Shows the importance of knowledge management in an organisational environment - Provides ways to persuade the management of an organisation that the special library is the proper centre for knowledge management