Knowledge Access Management: The Redefinition and Renaming of Technical Services

Abstract

The context and environment for library technical services may be best described by the examination of influencing factors, which shape and direct these services. Of these factors, the dominant current forces -economic pressures (i.e., budgetary constraints), user expectations, and technologyaffect how technical services are changing and converging, thus requiring a new definition and renaming. Knowledge access management is presented for consideration.

Anything can happen in the Zone: Library and Departmental Change Driven by Migration to a Cloud-based Library Management System

“…And yet, Hirshon's article 25 years ago was advocating abandoning "the conventional library organization chart, which neatly divides public and technical services" 9 as well as addressing the broader set of skills needed by those in public positions as they need to interact with systems more often, and conversely, those in the technical positions as they come into contact with the public more often. 10 Indeed, as Gertrude Koh argued quite presciently in 2000, a more apt description of the work that is done traditionally in technical services departments might be "knowledge access management" 11 a phrase which embraces the fact that while the skills required are similar, there is a "clear ideological transformation … from collections held in a library to access plus" (166). 12 Additionally, as remarked more than 35 years ago by Michael Gorman, 13 the traditional behind the scenes role ascribed to technical service positions should now also require a more heightened awareness of the front facing, public aspects of their duties.…”

Creating a New Organizational Structure for a Small Academic Library: The Merging of Technical Services and Access Services

“…Similarly, public services librarians could bring their instructional and bibliographic skills to enhance the value of the catalog. Building on Atkinson's concept, Koh (2000) posits "knowledge access management" as a new concept to describe technical services, merging many facets of both public and technical services within the scope of staff duties.…”

Knowledge access management at Lied Library: cataloging and Web site reengineering

“…Other articles of interest related to knowledge access management and librarianship include discussions related to expertise-centered management (Broadbent, 1998), differences between information management and knowledge management (Schwarzwalder, 1999), redefining and renaming technical services (Koh, 2000), skills required for knowledge access managers/librarians (Nicolson, 1998), selected guides to resources (Ferguson and Pemberton, 2000), and the integration of knowledge access management theory and philosophy into the work environment (Loughridge, 1999;Rowley, 1999;Jantz, 2001;Beckett et al, 2000;Lucier, 1992).…”