Knowledge sharing among patrons in academic library: a case of IRC UTP

Abstract

Nowadays, Knowledge Management has become an essential discipline for an organization to survive due to the significant use of information and its availability. Being an information rich spot, having a Knowledge Management system will be a very big help in transferring the tacit and explicit knowledge that exist in one library, especially in an academic library such as Information Resource Centre, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (IRC). Academicians or students may looks for book and a knowledgeable librarian may help by identifying the availability or location of the book. However, whether the book matches the patrons needs or not, can only be answered after they get and read the book themselves. In the 21st century, “knowledge is power” and knowledge sharing is increasingly becoming crucial tool in providing a dynamic interaction among library patrons. It will be good if a patron can share their reading experience and help another patron find a suitable book through reading the shared knowledge. This project focuses on studying the knowledge sharing culture in an academic library and developing a knowledge sharing portal for the library patron, which the Communities of Interest(CoI) are focus on students who are not only read for leisure but also to complete their academic assignment. By having this portal, it can become the platform to share the knowledge and aid to speed up the quest of suitable book for one’s assignment.