Naresh Kumar Agarwal

A context-based investigation into source use by information seekers

An important question in information-seeking behavior is where people go for information and why information seekers prefer to use one source type rather than another when faced with an information-seeking task or need for information. Prior studies have paid little attention to contingent variables that could change the cost-benefit calculus in source use. They also defined source use in one way or the other, or considered source use as a monolithic construct. Through an empirical survey of 352 working professionals in Singapore, this study carried out a context-based investigation into source use by information seekers. Different measures of source use have been incorporated, and various contextual variables that could affect the use of source types have been identified. The findings suggest that source quality and access difficulty are important antecedents of source use, regardless of the source type. Moreover, seekers place more weight on source quality when the task is important. Other contextual factors, however, are generally less important to source use. Seekers also demonstrate a strong pecking order in the use of source types, with online information and face-to-face being the two most preferred types.

Verifying survey items for construct validity: A two‐stage sorting procedure for questionnaire design in information behavior research

Construct validity refers to the degree to which inferences can legitimately be made from the operationalizations in a study to the theoretical constructs on which those operationalizations were based. When both convergent and discriminant validities are satisfied, construct validity is said to be satisfied. Verifying survey items for construct validity becomes important, especially when these items are self-developed and not based on questionnaires used in past studies. Yet, there is lack of clarity on how to go about doing so. While researchers in other fields have come up with simple techniques, these have not been readily applied to the field of information behavior. Using the case of questionnaire design for source choice in information behavior, this methodological paper describes the use of a 2-stage sorting procedure based on Moore and Benbasats 1991 work. The procedure can serve as a guide to researchers using questionnaire design for studies in information seeking behavior and should help lend greater rigor to such studies.

Knowledge management implementation in a library

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to investigate the tools/technologies that would be of value to libraries as they implement knowledge management (KM) and to map these to different phases of the KM cycle. Design/methodology/approach – Models of the KM cycle and theories related to information technology (IT) adoption were reviewed, along with tools/technologies for collaboration and KM. A theoretical “model for KM tools and their adoption in libraries” was arrived at. Findings – It was found that there is no single set of tools that would be applicable to everyone or across libraries. In addition, technology is just an enabler for KM. Therefore, a comprehensive set of tools, both physical and technological, is presented. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides a practical, one-stop place for librarians to decide on KM methods and tools based on their unique environments. The proposed model for KM tools should guide further research. Originality/value – Most studies on KM have been outs...

Library adoption of knowledge management using Web 2.0: A new paradigm for libraries

While Web 2.0 tools are increasingly being adopted by academic libraries to connect with patrons, they are not actively used to facilitate knowledge management (KM). This study investigates the awareness and comfort of librarians, their perceived usefulness of KM using Web 2.0, organizational readiness, and the ways in which these affect the library adoption of KM using Web 2.0. The survey questionnaire was completed by 101 librarians from 35 countries in 6 continents. Most respondents had heard of KM, were comfortable with Web 2.0, perceived KM using Web 2.0 to be highly useful, but were not entirely sure if their libraries were ready to adopt KM. Comfort with Web 2.0 was found to impact perceived usefulness, which in turn, strongly affected the likelihood of adoption of KM using Web 2.0. This is the first study that combines KM using Web 2.0 from the perspective of academic librarians globally, and has important implications for theory and practice.

Capturing tacit knowledge across different domains: Knowledge Community (K-Comm)

Capturing tacit knowledge is one of the major challenges faced by Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). Most such systems try to capture employee knowledge pertaining to a specific domain of organisational interest. However, every employee has much more to contribute apart from knowledge in a particular area. The sum total of his/her skills, interests and experiences make for rich knowledge. Our research focuses on maximising the knowledge potential of every employee across different domains. We have developed a system to identify an individuals knowledge areas, based on his/her strengths, experiences and passion. It will enable an individual to contribute and share knowledge with other individuals. When applied to the organisation, it should help increase the span of knowledge areas reachable by KMS, and make them more effective. We move from a scenario where there are few experts towards one where everyone is an expert, and has something to share.

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

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

Initiating Knowledge Management in Colleges and Universities: A template

Knowledge Management (KM) is a collaborative and integrated approach adopted at various levels to ensure that an organization’s knowledge assets are best utilized to increase organizational performance. While KM has been adopted in a large number of sectors and organizations, colleges and universities, and the higher education sector in general, is yet to take full advantage of the possibilities offered by KM. Also, while past research has sought to highlight the importance of implementing KM in higher education, there is a lack of a single, clear template for KM implementation that universities leaders and administrators can adopt. The contribution of the paper is a practical, actionable, step-by-step plan, as well as a diagrammatic, theoretical framework for initiating KM successfully in colleges and universities.

Knowledge retention and transfer: how libraries manage employees leaving and joining

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate how libraries prevent the loss of knowledge with people leaving or resigning, and the strategies they adopt to retain this knowledge and to transfer organizational knowledge to new employees. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 101 academic librarians from 35 countries in 6 continents who provided qualitative answers to two open-ended questions in a survey questionnaire. Findings – Documentation, training and digital repositories were found to be the primary strategies used. A number of respondents admitted to retention and transfer being done poorly. Very few libraries had a formal knowledge management (KM) process. The study proposes a theoretical framework for knowledge retention and transfer in libraries. Practical implications – Libraries will be able to learn of retention and transfer strategies, and identify gaps in their KM process based on the mapping of a specific strategy to knowledge dimension or phase of the KM cycle. Originality/valu...

Conceptualizing value co-creation for service innovation in academic libraries

For the academic library to remain relevant to its users, it must redefine its role in the digital environment and innovate to create responsive and convenient services. It must work actively not just to create value for the user but to involve the user in value co-creating value for service innovation. In this theoretical work, we conceptualize the business concept of value co-creation in the context of libraries and propose a framework of value co-creation for service innovation in academic libraries. With guidance on value co-creation in an academic library environment, and library actors mapped to the co-creation cycle, libraries can use the framework to offer new library services to user communities. The framework also provides a basis for further research in this area.

Effect of knowledge management on service innovation in academic libraries

Effective management of all knowledge in an organization is a key criterion for innovation. Academic libraries are beginning to realize the importance of knowledge management in this regard. However, there are no quantitative studies studying knowledge management and service innovation in the context of libraries. Islam, Agarwal and Ikeda arrived at a framework for knowledge management for service innovation in academic libraries (KMSIL). Through a survey of 107 librarians from 39 countries, this study investigates the effect of knowledge management (and knowledge management cycle phases) on service innovation. The study found that knowledge capture/creation and knowledge application/use both significantly impact service innovation in academic libraries. The effect of knowledge/sharing and transfer on innovation was found to be insignificant. The study also demonstrated the relationship between the knowledge management phases. The findings support the KMSIL framework. They should help academic libraries in the process of service innovation by utilizing phases of the knowledge management cycle.