1. Knowledge Services : Making Libraries Relevant for the Future
by Dr. Sangeeta Kaul Network Manager , DELNET
New Delhi, India
Web :

2. “We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge”
“Knowledge can be regarded as the only unique resource that grows when shared, transferred and managed skillfully.”

3. Introduction
The libraries and library networks are expanding their horizons – resources, services, clientale, reach, etc in the knowledge era.
It is a service industry wherein the survival wholly depend on the quality of services being provided.

4. This has lead more and more institutions and organizations to grow as knowledge centric organizations.
library professionals have to work as Knowledge Managers in such institutions and organizations.
They have to impart Knowledge Services and make the knowledge resources available to its users.

5. Transition from Information Resources to Knowledge Resources

6. Information Resources Vs Knowledge Resources
Information Resources Knowledge Resources
1. Information resources The Knowledge resources
context independent are context dependent
which are vital for
conveying meaning, high
level of context sensitivity.
2. Information Resources The creation of knowledge
can easily be created by resources involves
the Information specialized subject experts
specialists, LIS and various tools and
professionals techniques for knowledge
acquisition.

7. 3. Information resources can Knowledge resource
be created at low cost creation requires more cost.
4. The reliability level is less. The reliability level is high
since it is peer reviewed by
the specialized experts.
5. Information Resources Knowledge Resources offers
does not provide any Decision support system in
Decision Support system. problem solving.
6. Information Resources is Knowledge Resources is
non-heuristic Heuristic i.e. It has self
learning information.
7. Information Resources The importance of knowledge
gets obsolete fast Resources grows with time.

8. Paradigm shift – Information Services to Knowledge Services

9. What is a Knowledge Service ?
Knowledge Services can be described as means of exploiting and processing considerable masses of information resources making them available into useful knowledge.
Knowledge Services provide useful filtered knowledge.
It helps in building up a link between information and the uncovered tacit knowledge by the data mining or knowledge discovery technologies

10. Knowledge Services Architecture
It is necessary for the LIS professionals to keep the architectural issues in mind before designing the knowledge services for their users.
The Content Architecture
From hierarchical display of the information content to the tri-dimensional (rich, hyperlinked, compounded multimedia information)
2. The Technology Architecture
The Knowledge Technology tools and technologies including Knowledge maps, data mining, data visualisation.

11. 3. The People Architecture
The LIS Professionals to have adequate knowledge skills. A proactive collaborative knowledge sharing environment to be encouraged within an organisation. The Organization’s intellectual capital to be captured, organised, analysed and interpreted.

12. The value addition by the Libraries
Libraries as Knowledge Mediators.
Libraries as Publishers
3. Knowledge Repositories /Digital Library

13. Knowledge Service Model(KSM)
Information Layer
Knowledge Layer
Knowledge Services Layer

14. 5. Expert Networks/Ask an Expert Service
i CERN Ask an Expert Service (
The service specialises in particle physics topics. The FAQ is also developed.
ii Netwellness (
It is a non profit service that provides high quality information created and evaluated by Medical and Health Science Professionals. Ohio State University School of Public Health, The University of Cincinnati, the Case Western Reserve University are partners. The health care faculty from these universities serve as Knowledge Experts in the interactive “Ask an Expert Service”
6. Knowledge Portals

15. Lessons Learned : Yet another initiative for knowledge sharing.
6. Knowledge Portals
Experience Information Systems .Librarians compile the information from the product managers and assimilated the data concerning various projects.
Lessons Learned : Yet another initiative for knowledge sharing.

16. 7. Knowledge Service Centre
Library and Information Centres now have to get re-modelled as Knowledge Service Centres.

17. 7. Knowledge Cafes
The concepts of Knowledge Cafes are fast emerging. The Knowledge Cafes creates the ambience of a café wherein the users feel much relaxed and the environment is conducive for knowledge sharing activities.
Northern Sydney Institute in Australia (
Thomas Scientific Knowledge Café (

18. 9. Decision Support Systems (DSS)
The knowledge driven decision support system has specialised problem solving expertise and the expert has knowledge about a particular domain, the problems existing within that domain and to impart the necessary skills for resolving these problems. It carries immense value in healthcare, medicine, agriculture, etc.
UK National Knowledge Service provides Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) wherein the system (software) is designed to directly aid in clinical decision-making in which the individual characteristics of a patient are matched with the computerised knowledge base.

19. Knowledge Services – Some Initiatives :
CII & PFS Knowledge Services (
ii. IDS Knowledge Service, U.K. (Institute of Development Studies)
iii USAID Knowledge Services Center (

20. Knowledge Delivery in the 21st Century
The Library Professionals should become the Certified Knowledge Service Professionals and must work as knowledge specialists.
The Libraries should serve as the Knowledge Service Centre.
The Libraries should help their respective organisations in capturing the tacit knowledge available with the researchers and scholars of their organisations, analyse it and finally interpret and customise it for future consumption.

21. Thank You!