Documenting and Sharing Managerial Wisdom

Abstract

Librarians manage information. How well do they manage their institutional knowledge, though? Knowledge management (KM) is a concept that is derived from business, though it has been found to be useful, and has been widely applied, in non-profit parlance and even librarianship. We frame the problem of library leadership transition within a KM context, focusing on public library management. A survey of libraries in Missouri (United States) reveals the current state of practice for library leadership transition in light of one KM framework. The results of this paper inform both our current knowledge of succession planning for Missouri libraries and the gaps that currently exist between the informal transfer of knowledge and a structured KM system. Finally, we discuss the Public Library Leadership program, designed to introduce LIS students to public library administration through a combination of educational and experiential learning opportunities, and we explore how the literature and the study might inform education for new public librarians, especially directors of small public libraries.