The Application of Knowledge Management in Organizational Restructuring of Academic Libraries: A Case Study of Peking University Library

Abstract

A traditional library’s functions are centered on literature information resources and their utilization. Their management system comprises resource acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, reading, and reference in respect of literature streams. Functionally, libraries have currently evolved into knowledge service centers, which are oriented toward knowledge, committed to achieving knowledge innovation, and centered on the knowledge demands of users. Meanwhile, library management also gradually refocuses on knowledge management. As one of China's top-level academic libraries, in recent years, Peking University Library has restructured its organizational framework and reappointed librarianships based on the knowledge streams and on a human-oriented principle. The intent is to satisfy the knowledge demands of different types of users and create an environment in favor of knowledge flow and innovation. The main point of the institutional reorganization is to transform the user service department into the Learning Support Center and Research Support Center. Taking this recent restructuring as an example, this paper discusses the application of knowledge management in the organizational restructuring of libraries.