If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to determine the association between the strength of different types of ties with the sharing of different kinds of knowledge.Design/methodology/approach -In this paper the association of ties with the sharing of different types of knowledge was measured by a specifically created and developed web survey that was made available to 22 units in the subject organization. Multiple Regression Quadratic Assignment Procedure (MRQAP) was used to examine the resulting data in order to address the following questions: first, is there a significant association between strength of business ties and the sharing of public knowledge? Second, is there a significant association between strength of social ties and the sharing of private knowledge?Findings -Findings in this paper show that the strength of business relationships rather than the strength of social relationships contributed most significantly to the sharing of public and private knowledge in this organization. Specifically, the frequency of business interactions predicted the sharing of public non-codified knowledge, while the closeness of business relationships predicted the sharing of private non-codified knowledge and the sharing of public codified knowledge. Unexpectedly, neither business nor social ties predicted the sharing of private codified knowledge.Research limitations/implications -The paper shows that one organization belonging to a certain type of business was studied, and these results might be more relevant in the setting of similar business organizations that have similarities in their contexts and profiles with this organization.Practical implications -The results in this paper may assist organizations in rethinking the ways of approaching certain types of knowledge sharing in their strategic and infrastructural decisions and their application. Organizations might invest in promoting inter-unit exchanges and in creating meaningful social nets for more innovative products and better performance.Originality/value -This paper makes a distinct contribution to the available body of research on how social networks in organizations operate in sharing knowledge. The paper provides answ...

Knowledge Management (KM) is a collaborative and integrated approach adopted at various levels to ensure that an organization's knowledge assets are best utilized to increase organizational performance. While KM has been adopted in a large number of sectors and organizations, colleges and universities, and the higher education sector in general, is yet to take full advantage of the possibilities offered by KM. Also, while past research has sought to highlight the importance of implementing KM in higher education, there is a lack of a single, clear template for KM implementation that universities leaders and administrators can adopt. The contribution of the paper is a practical, actionable, step-by-step plan, as well as a diagrammatic, theoretical framework for initiating KM successfully in colleges and universities.

153 This paper analyzes results of a survey on shelf-ready materials management and cataloging practices in US academic libraries with various collection sizes. The survey respondents consisted of managers and librarians in technical services operations. Survey questions addressed topics such as the volume of shelf-ready materials, perspectives on shelf-ready expansion, the effect of local cataloging practices on shelf-ready services, the amount of cataloging and processing errors, and quality control. The majority of participants were from small-and medium size academic libraries, and print materials were the prevalent format for shelf-ready treatment. Two main reasons for shelf-ready implementation across libraries of all sizes were the need to improve materials turnaround time and the desire to redeploy staff for other projects or tasks. T he acquisition of library materials in shelf-ready form is one of the outsourc-ing strategies implemented by technical services departments to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase patron satisfaction. Shelf-ready materials supplied by vendors include physical items accompanied by full bibliographic records and physical processing such as application of barcodes, spine labels, security strips, etc. As the current library environment is moving toward management of electronic resources, the possibility of streamlining receiving, cataloging, and processing of materials in non-electronic format is potentially a very welcome alternative to the traditional acquisitions to cataloging model. While some libraries gained substantial experience in managing shelf-ready operations during the last decade, others are still contemplating the idea or are unsure of the implications that shelf-ready services could have for their libraries' databases and staffing. Potential concerns linked to the implementation of shelf-ready services can include extra review of vendor-supplied records, presence of less than full bib-liographic records, and changes in work assignments for technical services staff. The review of current library literature reveals a need for assessment of academic libraries' practices in shelf-ready materials management. The authors designed a survey to gain insights into different aspects of acquiring shelf-ready materials in US academic libraries with varying collection sizes. The authors were particularly interested in gathering feedback on the quality of bibliographic records for shelf-ready materials and their effect on local cataloging practices, including authority work. The implication of the new cataloging code,

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the role of knowledge sharing (KS) culture in leveraging knowledge management (KM) strategy and human resource (HR) strategy to improve business performance (BP). Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire survey was distributed to 120 randomly selected companies in Kuwait. A total of 392 valid responses were collected and tested using a structural equation model. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS and LISREL software to verify the research hypotheses. Findings The results revealed the impact of the mediating variable KS culture on the enhancement of BP. Both KM strategy and HR strategy were observed to have a positive direct effect on KS culture. Practical implications The results indicate that top management should make efforts to cultivate a KS culture to achieve better BP and future success. Originality/value The primary research contribution is the conceptual model for the role of KS culture as a mediator between KM strategy, HR strategy and BP.

Knowledge Management (KM) provides a systematic process to help in the creation, transfer and use of knowledge across the university, leading to increased productivity. While KM has been successfully used elsewhere, universities have been late in adopting it. Before a university can initiate KM, it needs to determine if it is ready for KM or not. Through a web-based survey sent to 1263 faculty members from 59 accredited Library and Information Science programs in universities across North America, this study investigated the e®ect of individual factors of trust, knowledge self-e±cacy, collegiality, openness to change and reciprocity on individual readiness to participate in a KM initiative, and the degree to which this a®ects perceived organisational readiness to adopt KM. 157 valid responses were received. Using structural equation modeling, the study found that apart from trust, all other factors positively a®ected individual readiness, which was found to a®ect organisational readiness. Findings should help universities identify opportunities and barriers before they can adopt KM. It should be a useful contribution to the KM literature, especially in the university context.