Research Article
Subject Librarian Knowledge Exchange and Sharing
Capital Normal University Library, Beijing, 100089, China
Zhong Wenjuan
Capital Normal University Library, Beijing, 100089, China
Knowledge is a concept with rich content and broad epitaxial. The knowledge in this talk, generally refers to summarization in practice of understanding and transforming the objective world and the subjective world, the crystallization of awareness and the fruits of human intelligence.
Knowledge realizes its value only in the process and become practical significant (Sheng, 2004, 2007, 2012). The real knowledge includes explicit and tacit knowledge. Library is explicit knowledge resource center. Knowledge management is to access, utilize and innovate knowledge and to improve organizational innovation capacity and to protect the development of organization activities. It includes the basic aspects of knowledge acquisition, organization, saving, updating, application, evaluation, transference, sharing and innovation and knowledge generation, accumulation, exchange and application management in order to achieve the knowledge capitalization and product. The starting point of knowledge management is to view the knowledge as the most important resources and to broaden access and use of knowledge as the key to improving the competitive ability of the organization (Ping, 2006; Ku, 2001).
In the era of the knowledge economy, library, as a knowledge resource center, not only manages explicit knowledge resources, more importantly, mines and utilizes tacit knowledge resources (He, 2007). To complete this appeal, library must pay attention to librarian as the most critical factors in Library knowledge management. This need management of experience, knowledge, abilities and other factors of Librarians to make Librarians have the greatest potential (Shi, 2006; Qiu et al., 2001). Such management can achieve knowledge sharing, realize knowledge value transformation with effective and promote library knowledgeable. In this case, Library adapts to the era of knowledge-based restructuring and development of the knowledge economy becomes the center of knowledge resources, knowledge exchange and services truly.
To realize these objectives, library should build platform for subject librarian knowledge exchange and sharing. Such platform can guide and continuously improve the level of scientific and technical knowledge of subject librarians and access knowledge and the ability of innovation knowledge. It can also guide and play wisdom potential value of subject librarians and promote the level of service and quality of Library and maximize the benefits. Based on the above-mentioned targets, authors will analyze the current situation and existing problems of subject librarian knowledge exchange and sharing and propose optimization strategies.
CURRENT SITUATION AND PROBLEM
Only limited ways to exchange and share knowledge as Library institutional setting: The institutional setting of the University Library is traditional library business settings. According to Literature information resources, the University Library has institutional settings for the vertical structure (Chu, 2012). Taking Capital Normal University (CNU) Library for example, six parallel departments under Library Curator and Vice Curator in the charge of Vice Chancellor. It causes the barriers between departments as this institutional setting.
Subject librarian working current situation is difficult to realize the exchange and sharing of knowledge: In this century, the reformation of university human resource makes the University Library to employ a large number of master degrees or above disciplinary background as a subject librarian.
It is expect the subject librarian and all kinds of readers including faculty experts to establish close and friendly ties and to provide personalized information service for the professional counterparts readers.
The very plump ideal but the reality is skinny, because all libraries are in short of human resource. Actually, the subject librarian faces with such a situation:
• | To do several tasks at the same time: A reader services librarian is department head, members of the society, security officer etc. and then also subject librarian, tired to cope with the immediate work all day |
• | Lack of long-term planning and even short-term plan cannot be achieved: The subject librarians need a long time input and long-term planning to carry out a service really, however, the reality is that plans never keep up with changes, sometimes even a month plan cannot be realized within the scheduled time due to all sorts of things |
• | Communication difficulties due to objective and subjective factors: Subjectively, some introverted librarian work for many years and do not know all colleagues, not to mention the communication and exchange; objectively, librarians are busy with own work in the work hours and go home after work. Subject librarians in different departments might meet only for a long time, let alone sit down for communication, knowledge exchange and sharing of subject librarians |
Of course, this is not a unique phenomenon in Library. On March 25, 2013, CNU held meeting about the organs adjustment, emphasized on one post, multiple responsibilities and in order to reduce management positions.
This is trend from the central to local authorities but the subject librarian as information consult professional talent, the main work is the subject of information consulting services. And then some auxiliary work.
Lack of system protection to subject librarian: Whether a work achieves better results or not lies in investment of human resources. Only when the integration of the human resources maintains and motivates loyalty and enthusiasm of the organization, guides, controls and coordinates people ideological, psychological and behavioral effective and gives full play to the initiative of the people, so that people can develop their full potential and do suitable thing. In order to improve efficiency, scientific management and development talent, library must implement sound and incentive appraisal system for subject librarians.
Loss of library human resources obstacle knowledge exchange and sharing: There are such is a saying in universities in the United States, if the Chancellor is regarded as a mind of the school, then Library is the heart of the school. Given this understanding, it is pay more attention to Library by the school, especially the quality of library staff. American University Library attaches great importance to the development and utilization of human resources. The American University librarian plays a vital role in higher education. School teaching, research and service work are out of the question without librarians.
As information consultants, Librarians are diligent, hard working to provide first-class service for readers and thus, win the high honor and material benefits in the United States. But the schools and social requirements of librarians is quite strict. Relatively speaking, the domestic universities library does not have the more strict access system for the librarians. Although in this century, the reform of university human resources makes the university library to employ a large number people of master degrees or above. These higher educational background librarians feel confused about their career prospects and a lot of subject librarians take library as a career springboard. The loss of Library human resources leads to difficulties in knowledge exchange and sharing of subject librarians.
Taking CNU library for example, above 1/3 of subject librarians have left Library during the last 12 years. Loss of subject librarians which library carefully nurtured lead to difficult about the discipline service work continuity, let alone the mining of Tacit knowledge of the subject librarian and their knowledge exchange and sharing.
COUNTERMEASURES TO OPTIMIZE THE EXCHANGE AND SHARED OF PATHWAYS OF KNOWLEDGE
Consolidate library organization: Work of the various departments in Library has been division, cooperation and development of labor. There are only difference between work content and no distinction at positions. For common library, purchasing, cataloging, collection, circulation, reference service and technical maintenance are often integrated. But for some large libraries, this specialization is more detailed and these functional departments are more ranged, so communication and coordination of various departments is an important issue. Library should carry out regular librarian Exchange Promotion Association, to establish a mutual communication and understanding of the channels between different departments.
Fig. 1: | Connection and interaction of departments of subject librarian platform |
Subject librarians, in addition to their department, should also have their subject knowledge services organization, such organization and library institutions set the integration and have mutual permeation cycle mode. In order to achieve accurate and fast response, subject librarians need drive departments connection and interaction (Fig. 1). In this process libraries get development by knowledge exchange and sharing of subject librarians.
Optimize subject librarian training mechanism: Libraries need to pay attention to the cultivation and training of subject librarians and to create as many opportunities for continuing education in any form, as long as it is beneficial to Subject Librarians. Therefore, the sound personnel training mechanism for subject librarian is needed, including the development of vocational education and training system. Such system combines the actual needs of Library and library science with information courses practice or job learning system (Chen and Liu, 2007).
University Library now has advanced idea and need further specific and detailed work, therefore, the following aspects of the work is needed to implement:
• | Figure the entry rotation: University Libraries begin the cultivation of talents in the first work day of the new staff members, make them learn through the rotation to achieve positions and be familiar with the work of the various departments of Library. The purpose of the rotation is to provide an opportunity to increase new staffs ability and to make them versatile talents. Generally, librarians must have two or three years to be basically familiar with the business of the various departments of Library. As far as personal growth is concerned, the rotation can strengthen communication skills, expand its connections, extend the field of view, develop a strategic vision and prepare for their future career development. As far as libraries are concerned, mining of talents in the rotation is a big harvest |
• | Subject librarians continuing education as a development strategy considerations: Continuing education for subject librarians which have received advanced training is the improvement of education and the means of the development of the personality of each person. Continuing education is a basic condition for the subject librarian formation creativity and for the success. Continuing education can reshape plasticity of subject librarians. From a formal point of view, the subject librarian continuing education can be colorful such as self-learning, scientific research, academic conferences, research and discussion, lectures, cooperative education, training courses, site visits, etc. From a content point of view, the actual needs of daily life and work such as understanding new concepts, acquiring new technology and broadening their knowledge can be the content of the continuing education. With the development of the times and technology, the popular Internet-based distance education and e-learning way by now are also his tend |
University Library should improve the personnel training mechanism, guide the subject librarians to do long-term career planning, create space of development for subject librarians, build a harmonious learning atmosphere between subject librarians, utilize each librarian knowledge mining and advance improvement for librarians and library itself.
Improve subject librarian system: No rules no standards. The system is effective management method and rule for governing and regulating behavior and the Code of Conduct for subject librarians. Once the subject librarian system is implemented, it should be a legal basis. Library should develop the appropriate and feasible relevant subject librarian system by the clear duties and obligations of the various aspects to ensure the smooth implementation of the subject librarian system which is consistent with the requirements of knowledge management and real knowledge exchange and sharing of protection.
Fig. 2: | Communication and interaction of subject librarian knowledge resources |
Library should implement performance assessment system, adjust the work content through the examination, motivate, mobilize the enthusiasm of subject librarians and promote the knowledge exchange and sharing of subject librarians.
Build platform
Structure of subject librarian communication platform: University Libraries should make full use of the related technology to build the subject librarians communication platform and to make the subject librarians to exchange and share their experience, knowledge and ability. And they should develop specific tools to manage the structured and unstructured data by which the subject librarians use exchange platform server and they should dig the significance of these data and promote the transformation from data to knowledge and from knowledge to action across. The Fig. 2 depicts the structure of a subject librarian communication platform.
Content and features of subject librarians knowledge resource cloud platform: The subject librarian knowledge resource cloud platform is based on the subject librarian-centric network technologies and services and it pursuits equal and interactive exchange experience from which subject librarians participate in the embedded environment; In the platform system, the previous top-down centralized control by a small number of resource controlled is replaced by the bottom-up guiding by the majority of subjects of collective wisdom and strength. Platform system can display the work content of subject librarian, various the PPT Courseware, information push, exchange of experiences and social networking circle like BBS, SNS. Its main features are as follows:
• | Users sharing: Subject librarians share a variety of perspectives without the restriction of time and place, get the information they need and publish their own point of view |
• | Syndication: Information can accumulate in the Platform system continuously and will not be lost, subject librarians can upload their own information resources to the platform and can download the resources in the platform |
• | Groups based on interested aggregation: The gathered groups are interested in one or some of the issues and this leads to market segments unconsciously |
• | Open platform: The platform is open for subject librarians and subject librarians maintain a relatively high loyalty because of interest and are involved actively. Subject librarian work content have the PPT experience exchanges, BBS information push, late data to collect, classify and organize, analyze written knowledge sharing |
Subject librarians obtain information by the Platform, classify, organize, analyze and enhance the information and make a conclusion and then release it into the platform to share this knowledge management cycle.
Role of the subject librarian knowledge resources cloud platform: Now the Internet heavyweights adhere to platform. It is time for libraries to establish a platform for subject librarians. "Platform" concept has long been accepted by domestic enterprises. Today, many software developers and system integrators pay more or less effort in the development process of platform in order to achieve maximum reusability, reduce costs and improve development efficiency and application software reliability. With the advent of the era of knowledge economy, an increasing demand is needed for library knowledge management and knowledge services, To cope with the challenges of knowledge management, Library should strengthen not only the management of knowledge itself and the basic process of knowledge (including knowledge generation, collection, sorting, mining, communication, sharing, application and innovation) but also the management of various elements of knowledge (including knowledge organization, knowledge facilities, knowledge, technology, knowledge, personnel, etc.). And library should pay greater emphasis on the leading role of the knowledge, information, experience and other soft factors of production in the knowledge management. And tap the subject librarian inherent potential knowledge to promote communication and comprehensive sharing of tacit knowledge. The establishment of subject librarian knowledge resources cloud platform helps to improve Library competitiveness and to promote common development of subject librarians and libraries.
In short, with the subject librarian resource cloud platform, subject librarian can acquire and process information at any time and any place by using tiny computing equipment widely deployed in the environment, in which own knowledge and the environment will eventually blend. The establishment of the subject librarian knowledge resources cloud system makes subject librarians to share their work experience, solve the problems encountered and to share their work shared resources, The system collects the unstructured data which subject librarians left in the cloud platform and traces it into available data resources and make the subject librarian tacit knowledge explicit for the knowledge exchange and sharing by calculation, analysis and refining summarize. The previous Library explicit knowledge management can extend to the comprehensive knowledge management including explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge.
With the advent of the era of the knowledge economy, an increasing demand for library knowledge management and knowledge services is needed. To cope with the challenges of knowledge management, Library should strengthen not only management of knowledge itself and the basic process of knowledge (including knowledge generation, collection, sorting, mining, communication, sharing, application and innovation) but also management of the various elements of knowledge (including knowledge organization, knowledge facilities, knowledge, technology, knowledge, personnel, etc).
The library should lay more emphasis on the leading role of the knowledge, information, experience and other factors of production in the knowledge management and should tap the subject librarian inherent knowledge to promote communication and comprehensive sharing of tacit knowledge.
The authors would like to thank the Funding Project for Academic Human Resources Development in Institutions of Higher Learning Under the Jurisdiction of Beijing Municipality (PHR: 201108160) and the Funding of Capital Normal University teaching reform project: the disciplinary literature resources performance evaluation system and application research (for example Mathematics).