APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR LIBRARY OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTHERN STATES OF NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

 

This study was carried out to investigate the Utilization of Knowledge Management Tools for library operations and services in federal university libraries of Northern States of Nigeria. To do this, five research questions were formulated and three hypotheses were tested. Survey research method was employed in the conduct of this study. The total number of library staff used for the study was 967 (nine hundred and sixty seven), drawn from Federal university libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria. Four hundred and twenty four (424) were drawn as sample for this study from six university libraries. The instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. The data collected for the study were presented and analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Frequency distribution tables and percentages were used for the descriptive statistics while ANOVA and Chi square test were used to test the three hypotheses formulated and determined the areas of differences among the university libraries studied. The findings showed that Internet and space for conference/workshops/meeting were the Knowledge Management Tools mostly available and utilized for library operations and services delivery while others were not fully utilized. It was recommended that, Multipurpose Knowledge Management Tool (IT and Non-IT). Should be designed in each unit/division and the library in general considering the operations and services so as the goals of the establishments would be achieved and to encourage collaboration in knowledge creation and sharing for library operations and services etc. Thus, it was concluded that, federal university libraries need to recognize the knowledge of its staff and create an environment (IT and Non-IT) in which the knowledge can be created, valued and share.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

          1.1       Background to the Study

Knowledge is required for society, community and individuals to exist, survive and advance so as to cope with the continued challenges of the changing world expectations. This suggests that, efforts should be made by institutions, organizations and systems such as the library responsible for managing information and knowledge to facilitate access, use and re- use of knowledge found to be relevant and appropriate to satisfy the needs of society, community and individuals.

Knowledge can be conceived as any type of understanding, experience, perception of something and learning that can be grasped by mind or acquired directly and/or indirectly during the course of an action or inaction. According to Chowdhury (2012), Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, expert insight and grounded intuition that provides an environment and framework for evaluating and incorporating new experience and information. Mohammed (2003) viewed ―Knowledge as facts; perspectives; concepts; beliefs; judgments and expectations; methodologies; know-how, and much more, acquired during the course of an action and inaction in our time‖. This can also be seen as a product of man‘s experience. It encompasses the norms by which one evaluates the existing and anticipated inputs from one‘s surroundings. Essentially, Knowledge is abstract; it can be transferred through shared practices or experiences. Some scholars believe that knowledge cannot be shared completely, while some believe that it can be shared but piecemeal. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) were of the view that, tacit knowledge is hard to access, formalize and difficult to share in the organization but not that it cannot be shared. Despite these issues, librarians create and share knowledge.

Basically, tacit knowledge is hidden knowledge buried in the memories of people including librarians. It includes what is learnt from doing, observation, informal information and even gossip. It is more difficult to recognize, collect, codify, store and distribute. This mostly happened when individuals are engaged in conversation, which may not necessarily be organized talk, planned, and with no limit. Awad (2004) supported this above view that ―tacit knowledge is unarticulated and unrecorded. A work group or organization can have tacit knowledge. For a group, tacit knowledge is the shared understanding which underlies practices and behaviour but which is not recorded‖. Examples are: meetings, conversations, answering queries,

teleconferencing, workshops, seminars, and so on. On the other hand, explicit knowledge is the knowledge that is articulated or recorded in a way that enables it to be shared or transferred. It may be recorded in reports, books, technical papers, memos, minutes of meetings, databases, photos, videos, audio recordings and so on. The records may be published or unpublished.  Kiehl (2004) pointed out that for knowledge to be transferred, they must be made explicit so that they can be communicated.

Libraries and librarians are mostly engaged in managing explicit knowledge to satisfy their information needs. It has been observed that the modern economy is progressively developing into knowledge and information based. Knowledge will therefore inevitably serve as the driving force to enhance productivity, economic growth and performance. Thus, the basic questions public and private organizations and enterprises need to find answers to in the view of Mohammed (2013) include: How can the process of knowledge creation, codification and sharing be managed?, How can the initiatives to survive in the knowledge-based economy supported and sustained especially through knowledge management?; How can both the public and private enterprises move and catch up with the present knowledge-based economy?

The 21st century has witnessed rapid strides in knowledge and knowledge products which make librarians and information managers to focus their interest on the management of information/knowledge resources for effective and efficient service delivery.

1.1.1 Knowledge Management (KM)

Conceptually, KM is a process that involves identification, generation, codification, storage and sharing of understanding and experiences. It also facilitates access and use of learning learnt and expert insight. As a discipline, KM promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing enterprise‘s information assets. These assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures and previously un-captured expertise and experience in individual workers.

Different scholars and disciplines define KM in different ways. Blair and Ghaziri (2004) defined KM as ―a systematically and organizationally specified process for acquiring, organising, sustaining, applying, sharing and renewing both the tacit and explicit knowledge to enhance performance and create value to the institution‖. Essentially, it could be said that, knowledge management covers three main knowledge activities, which are: generation,

codification and transfer.

Essentially, KM focuses on access to and utilization of information resources. Thus, the entire process of a library’s operation is an important and organic part of knowledge management (Suliman, 2002). At the individual level, the quality of the performance of an individual is based on that person’s knowledge foundation. As the main methods of gaining knowledge through reading and learning, it is necessary that there are stores of information and knowledge resources to access. Also, as vast amounts of information in many formats are accumulated in a library, the staff should provide ways and means to which information will be made easily available in appropriate formats, quantities, packages and styles of representation.

The objectives of KM in libraries are to promote knowledge growth, knowledge communication and knowledge preservation. It also entails managing knowledge resources in order to facilitate access, use and reuse of knowledge. Steels (1993) observed that, ―Knowledge management is essentially about getting the right knowledge to the right person at the right time‖. This in itself may not seem so complex, but it implies a strong tie to corporate strategy, understanding of where and in what forms knowledge exists. Thus, all the varieties of knowledge  required for the day-to-day library operations  and services need to be  generated, codified, transferred and standardised especially using the knowledge management tools.

1.1.2 Knowledge Management Tools (KMTs)

Knowledge Management Tools (KMTs) are important instruments/methods used in a library system, operations and services for identification, organisation, retrieval, and dissemination of information/knowledge. Whereas, Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) are part of KMTs designed to facilitate knowledge management, they are physical items, such as file cabinets containing project reports, computer programs that contain employee-meeting schedules, or training sessions used to verbally share work practices etc (Zietz, 2006).

It can thus be said that KMT is anything used as a device, means, method or instrument to support/facilitate identifying, acquiring, organizing, sustaining, sharing, retrieving  and evaluating the understanding, experience, and wisdom of an individual or groups of individual, to enhance easy access and create value to the information products provided. The KMTs should be seen to be used to help an information user to gather appropriate information when it is needed rather than require the user to hunt for them through a given data in an attempt to identify something salient.

Different libraries use different methods and tools to manage library operations and services. Thus, professional and para-professional staff in a library system need to be involved in using a variety of KMTs such as:  knowledge identification/generation tools, knowledge codification tools and knowledge sharing tools for library operations and services. In support of the above view, an expert team in Asian Productivity Organization (APO) in Singapore (2009) compiled and agreed to use Knowledge Management (KM) Methods and Tools as follows: Non– IT tools and IT tools. (a) Non–IT Tools: which are: 1. Brainstorming; 2. Learning and Idea

Capture 3. Orientations; 4. Knowledge mapping; and so on (b) IT Tools: 1. Knowledge Bases (Wikis, etc.), 2. Social Network Services; 3.  Advanced Search Tools; 4.  Expert Locator; and so on.

1.1.3  Library Operations and Services

Depending on the type, the library provides physical and/or digital access to information and information resources, in a physical building or room, or in a virtual space, or both. A library’s information resources may include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, videotapes, DVDs, databases and other forms and formats of information and information resources.

Library operations cover the variety of activities a library is involved in or undertaking to perform its functions to achieve specific and general goals. Such activities include: budgeting, collection, selection, ordering, processing, periodicals and newspapers management, circulation procedures, library supplies, inventory, reading promotion and programs, annual reports,

guidelines for visiting, etc.

A typical library is generally known as services centre. Library services can be regarded as any type of assistance given directly or indirectly by the library staff or to a library client/clientele. Therefore, the services rendered by libraries may include: lending, reference, user education, interlibrary loans, short-term loans, bindery, photocopying, database, consultancy services, ask-a-librarian, reserves, printing services, instructional services, media services, request a purchase, digital repository and so on.

Basically, library management tasks include: planning of acquisitions (which is the information resources the library should acquire, by purchase or otherwise); library classification of acquired materials; preservation of information resources (especially rare and fragile records and archival information resources such as manuscripts); accessioning of information resources; facilitating patrons‘ access to information resources, and installing and managing library computer systems. Other long-term library tasks include planning and construction of new libraries and extension to existing ones, and the development and implementation of outreach services and reading-enhancement services (such as adult literacy and children’s programmes).

          1.2       Statement of the Problem

The library exists for the benefit of the mind. Its operations cover any activity that supports its functions such as information access and services; resource collection maintenance and support; customers and staff safety and security; facilities management; sustainability and space planning and analysis; and information/ knowledge management among others.

Organizations use the existing and anticipated knowledge and knowledge assets to plan, analyze and strategizes its present and future systems, operations and services. The library as a centre of information resources and knowledge management has a great role to play in facilitating access, use and reuse of the needed information and knowledge, which may be in tangible and intangible format such as printed and non-printed. Mohammed (2003) observed that traditionally, majority of  public and private establishment strategic plans, policies and controls tend to focus more on tangible assets with very little or no emphasis on intangible ones; like information and knowledge. This points to the need for libraries to make the best use of KMTs especially to identify, create, process, store, share, and explore existing and anticipated knowledge to enhance their operations and service delivery effectively and efficiently. In support of the above view, Bernard and Tichkiewitch (2008) pointed out the need for KMTs support staff to have strong desire for learning new things, developing new skills and

capabilities.

Also, was observed by the members of Nigerian Library Association: Cataloguing and

Classification Section at their conference in 2009 in Lokoja, Kogi State and specifically in Kashim Ibrahim Library, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria that some library staff overstayed in a single section and become indispensable for the fact that they are the only ones that posses the requisite skills and expertise for some specific tasks such that even after retirement they were given contract job to continue working in the said areas of the library. Moreover, some resist changes including creation and sharing of their knowledge with KMTs on the grounds that knowledge is their property to which they claim ownership.  In fact, if such persons are absent or leave the service; the operations and services suffer, because he/she person is the only one that possesses the skills. This sometime leads to the collapse of some services and systems.

Would it be attributed to either poor utilization of KMTs or lack of policy for KMTs utilization?

It was observed that, libraries have done little to use organizational information to create knowledge that can be used to improve the functionality of the library. Ratcliffe-Martin, Coakes and Sugden (2000) agreed that: ―universities do not generally manage information very well and do not recognize knowledge as an asset‖. However, some scholars pointed out that most nonprofit organizations (including the library) do create, codify, store and share knowledge, planned or unplanned without the existence of knowledge management structure that facilitates the effective management of knowledge. It therefore calls to question how effective the activities of knowledge management will be. This presupposes that effective access and utilization of information and knowledge continually requires effective utilization of KMTs.

          1.3       Research Questions

This study answered the following questions:

1. Which KMTs are available and are being utilised for library operations and services in the

Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria?

2. To what extent are the KMTs being utilised to facilitate library operations and services in the Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria?
3. To what extent has KMTs utilisation affected library operations and services of the Federal

University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria?

4. To what extent are the library staff satisfied with the KMTs utilised for library operations and services in Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria?
5. What are the challenges encountered in KMTs utilization for library operations and services in Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria?

          1.4       Hypotheses of the Study

The following null hypotheses answered the stated research questions.

H0₁  There is no significant difference among the libraries on the KMTs utilisation for library operations and services in the Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria.   

H0₂ There is no significant difference among the libraries on their levels of satisfaction with the KMTs utilised for library operations and services in Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria.  

H0₃ The KMTs utilised in the Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria have no significant effect on the library operations and services among the library staff.

          1.5       Objectives of the Study

The general objectives of the study is to discuss the utilisation of knowledge management tools for library operations and services in Federal University libraries of the Northern states of Nigeria. In specific terms, the study has the following objectives namely,  to:

1. determine KMTs available and utilised for library operations and survives in the Federal

University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria;

2. examine the extent KMTs being utilised to facilitate library operations and services in the Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria;
3. determine the extent to which KMTs utilisation affect the library operations and services of the Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria;
4. examine the extent to which the library staff are satisfied with the KMTs utilised for library operations in Federal university libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria.
5. Determine the challenges of KMTs utilisation for library operations and services in the

Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria.

          1.6       Significance of the Study

The goal of this study is to designed a policy for KMTs utilisation for library operations and services which will increase the standard of Nigerian university libraries and assist library staff to benefit from the library system in order to serve their customers better.

It will assist the university library management to provide adequate KMTs facilities and devices that will stimulate and encourage knowledge creation and sharing for library operations and services. In addition, it will give library staff an insight into how to maximize KMTs facilities and devices in building relationships with other members of the staff within and outside the library to improve and compete with the best university library in the world.

Professionals and para-professionals in university libraries would find this study very useful in improving their self-image and making themselves relevant in their work and organisation at large. In addition, KMTs utilisation in the library will assist the library staff in getting easy access and use of information/knowledge asset or product effectively and

efficiently.

Thus, the study will be significant to researchers and scholars in library and information science profession in that it will contribute to the body of knowledge in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.

          1.7       Scope of the Study

The study covered some Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria. The study centred on the KMTs available and used for library operations and services in the respective university libraries in the area of study especially as it relates to IT and non- IT KMTs and concentrated on the knowledge creation and sharing tools. In addition, the study focused on the library staff.

          1.8       Limitation of the Study

This study is limited to the Utilisation of Knowledge Management Tools for Library Operations and Services in Federal University libraries in the Northern states of Nigeria. The most obvious limitation of this study is the inability to cover the entire Nigerian federal university libraries because of their spread and numbers; inadequacy of funds required to tour ; time limitation for completing the project; and delay by some research assistants  in sending the completed questionnaires.

          1.9       Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were operationally used for this study namely:

Library Operation: daily activities performed within the library system that is tailored towards achieving the mission and vision of the library.

Knowledge: understanding, experience, values, contextual information, and expert  insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information.

Knowledge Management Tools: IT and Non IT technologies, systems, methods or        means that enhance or facilitate  knowledge generation, codification, and transfer. Knowledge Management Systems: technologies that enhance and enable knowledge

generation, codification, and transfer understanding, experience, or skills.

Knowledge Creation Tools: IT and Non IT technologies, systems, methods or means that   enhance or facilitate  knowledge generation/identification

Knowledge Sharing Tools: IT and Non IT technologies, systems, methods or means that     enhance or facilitate  knowledge dissemination/communication.

Tools: technologies, techniques or methods that support and enable the performance of   activities or actions.

 

 

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APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR LIBRARY OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTHERN STATES OF NIGERIA

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