Knowledge sharing amongst librarians in Cypriot libraries

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are fivefold: 1. To ascertain whether Cypriot librarians are familiar with knowledge management; 2. To identify the willingness of those professionals to share and re-use knowledge; 3. To investigate the role of information systems in facilitating knowledge sharing; and 4. To identify organizational barriers that hinder knowledge production, 5. To be used for future studies on the subject. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was used. A questionnaire was distributed to Cypriot library staff, across seven libraries and their departments in Nicosia and Limassol. The questionnaires were given to all levels of employees in the organizational hierarchy. Findings – The research supported the literature and showed that knowledge sharing is a major asset in organizational success and a valuable tool to contribute to organizational processes. The paper concludes that trust, knowledge management systems and incentives are a positive influencing factor in promoting knowledge sharing by boosting the motivation and performance of employees. Research limitations/implications – This paper is the first attempt to study knowledge sharing and knowledge management in Cypriot libraries. The questionnaires returned constituted 45.83% of those distributed. The relatively small number of library staff working in Cypriot libraries allows us to undertake further studies which will aim to map knowledge sharing attitudes among Cypriot librarians. It would be interesting to extend the study to other developed European countries in order to understand similarities and differences in knowledge sharing and reveal how knowledge management is treated by other effective organizations. Originality/value – This is the first research study of Cypriot librarians concerning knowledge management (KM) and fills the gap in the literature on the subject. The findings may be used as a basis that will assist local knowledge management professionals to develop a framework to explore knowledge sharing and knowledge management in similar organizations such as libraries, museums and archives.