From information to knowledge management : a critical approach on differences and common ground under the integration Rhetoric

It is apparent that the criticism about knowledge management as a fad or a new name for information management is mainly expressed from the information science community. This behaviour possibly stems from the threat that information managers are facing with the emergence of knowledge management discipline and their difficulty to obtain strategic roles in the knowledge centred organisations. On the other hand the "explicit information" part of knowledge management initiative partially legitimizes the argument that knowledge management "is simply a more pretentious synonym for information management". The purpose of this paper is to critically appraise the criticism that knowledge management is another fad or a new term for information management. Four main aspects as criteria for differentiation between information and knowledge management are discussed. The criteria include: knowledge capital, knowledge sharing, knowledge management systems & technology, and e-learning. In addition, t he common-grounds between information and knowledge management are also presented. Finally some recommendations are provided for promoting and establishing a knowledge management culture within the academic libraries sector.