Toward Ubiquitous Knowledge Sharing: Collaboration is Passkey

Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.

--Lao Tzu (2007)

Accelerating Change

“We enter this twenty-first century in the midst of a bewildering mix of opportunity, uncertainty, challenge, and change, all moving at unprecedented speed. Fueled by dazzling new technologies, increasing social diversity and divide, and radical shifts in industry and labor markets, accelerating change has become a way of life” (Martin, 2003, p. 11).

Information is increasing at an exponential rate and “[a]s the amount of information grows, so does the challenge of providing information to those who need it” (Rubin, 2004, p. 1). For today’s libraries to thrive, they must proficiently select, organize, retrieve, disseminate, and preserve information. Like any organization, they must remain receptive and responsive to change in an ever-shifting social and technological landscape. However, to create and foster a true learning society, libraries must go beyond the realm of ordinary information activities.

Rising to this challenge, modern libraries are taking on unprecedented responsibilities. They are tackling issues of access, democracy, intellectual freedom, and diversity. In addition, they must take measures to ensure the provision of services that promote education and lifelong learning. This core value, as stipulated by the American Library Association, encourages its members to “work with educators, government officials, and organizations in coalitions to initiate and support comprehensive efforts to ensure that school, public, academic, and special libraries in every community cooperate to provide lifelong learning service to all” (APA, 2006).

Education is a Communal Obligation

The library is an important ally in an educational arena affected by decentralization trends, “an increase in individualized, self-directed, free-choice learners” (Martin p. 12), and federal mandates such as the No Child Left Behind Act. Libraries should endeavor not only to meet the needs and interests of its learners, but also increase awareness of and equitable access to its resources within its given community. One of the best strategies for doing so is through collaboration.

It can be inferred from the ALA’s aforementioned statement, that the library alone cannot endorse education. Efficacious lifelong learning is a process that encompasses various formal and informal educational experiences. To best support these experiences, libraries should become part of a larger network of learning resources. Such a network might include schools, museums, public broadcasting, state agencies, and other organizations that share a similar goal.

Knowledge Sharing and the Theory of Social Capital

“It is believed that investing in social values based on mutuality, trust and respect could yield long-term benefits such as corporate well-being and innovativeness. The benefits are believed to be based on better knowledge sharing, lower transaction costs due to communicative spirit, and a greater coherence of action” (Wílden-Wulff and Ginman, 2004, p. 448). Founded on the notion of resource pooling, libraries are well versed in the tradition of collaboration. Consequently, they are uniquely poised to teach others the mechanisms of information exchange across organizational boundaries.

Collaboration is challenging, but holds a promise of deep reward. “[B]oth practical experience and scholarly research indicate significant difficulty in getting people with different expertise, backgrounds, and problem-solving styles to effectively integrate their unique perspectives.” (Cross, Borgatti, and Parker 2002). Differences among organizational cultures can be very powerful, but when recognized “can evolve into sources of synergy rather than contention (Martin, p. 14). Given time and trust, networks can even develop into partnerships.

If libraries are to be relevant within the communities they serve, they must be willing to meet other organizations at “…intersecting nodes of interest, activity, and mission” (p. 13). Through collaboration we can amplify our identity and better represent the dreams of the people we serve.


References

“Core Values Statement,” American Library Association, July 26 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2009 from: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/corevaluesstatement/corevalues.cfm

Cross, R., Borgtti, S. P., and Parker, A. (2002). Making invisible work visible: Using social network analysis to support strategic collaboration. California Management Review, 44(2), 25-46.

Fake, C. (2007). We have done it ourselves. Retrieved February 21, 2009, from: http://www.caterina.net/archive/001061.html

Martin, R. S. (2003). Reaching across library boundaries. In Emerging Visions for Access in the Twenty-first Century Library Conference Proceedings, August 2003. (pp. 3-16). Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved February 21, 2009, from: http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&q=cache:NdWQBeja3WIJ:www.immagic.com/eLibrary/UNPROCESSED/Unprocessed%2520eLibrary/COMPLETE/ENROUTE/JXF/Enroute/Shoji/CLIR_pub119.pdf%23page%3D9+martin,+r.+s.+(2003).+reaching+across+library+boundaries

Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of library science (2nd Ed.) New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Wildén-Wulff, G. & Ginman, M. (2004). Explaining knowledge sharing in organizations through the dimensions of social capital. Journal of Information Science, 30(5), 448-458.