Knowledge Management for the Information Professional (Asis Monograph Series)

Explores knowledge management from the perspective of the information professional and looks at knowledge management in a broader transorganizational context. Discussion encompasses background and issues, creating a culture of learning in an organization, and knowledge management tools and applications. Includes a course syllabus developed for a graduate course in knowledge management. Srikantaiah is director of the Center for Knowledge Management at Dominican University. Koenig is dean at Long Island University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The first concern of the editors in putting this book together was to teach knowledge management (KM) to graduate students in library and information science, business schools, records management, and related disciplines. In particular, the editors emphasized the social and cultural components of KM implementation. Unfortunately, the execution falls short of the vision. Although organized into five sections ("Overview of Knowledge Management," "Background & Issues," "Creating the Culture of Learning & Knowledge Sharing in the Organization," "Knowledge Management Tools," and "Knowledge Management Applications"), the contributions by 28 authors, the majority of them faculty members from schools of library and information science, result in a body of work that reads more like a series of loosely related journal articles, with repetition, unevenness of delivery, and lack of a coherent flow building to a strong conclusion. Several of the chapters are written in the first person, awkward in a textbook. The typeface chosen for sidebars and illustrations is an italic font that is difficult to read. A chapter on infomapping includes ten consecutive pages of illustrations, each with an average of three screen views from a Java program. In some cases, the illustrations are so small and complex that they are impossible to read, rendering ineffective the lesson they are constructed to teach. Despite the good intentions, this book will not contribute easily and directly to the construction of a KM framework in a business situation. Not recommended.ASusan S. DiMattia, "Library Hotline" & "Corporate Library Update"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.