PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to design an axial coding pattern for customer knowledge management (CKM) to identify the conditions affecting it from the perspective of experts in public university libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe current study used a qualitative approach. To collect and analyze data, the grounded theory method with a three-stage strategy of open, axial and selective coding was employed. The research instrument was a semi-structured in-depth interview and the data were categorized using MAXQDA 10 software. The sample of the study consisted of 26 experts from Iranian public universities who were selected through a combined targeted non-random sampling procedure (targeted and snowball). The necessary data were obtained through specialized interviews with 9 faculty members and 17 managers of public university libraries.FindingsIn the present study, 106 open coding, 35 axial concepts, and 16 selective general categories were identified as the conditions affecting CKM development in academic libraries in the form of causal conditions, intervening conditions, strategies conditions, context conditions, and consequences conditions around the core layer of CKM development. The identification of these conditions led to the development of a paradigmatic pattern for the research.Originality/valueThere is no record of research on developing empirical studies in libraries using an analysis of the conditions affecting CKM development in the form of an axial coding pattern. The present research contributed to closing this research gap. The axial coding pattern proposed in this study can serve as a guide for implementing CKM in academic libraries as well as increasing customer loyalty.