Conceptualizing ‘knowledge management’ in the context of library and information science using the core/periphery model

Abstract

This study took cognisance of the fact that the term 'knowledge management' lacks a universally accepted definition, and consequently sought to describe the term using the most common co-occurring terms in knowledge management (KM) literature as indexed in the Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. Using a variety of approaches and analytic techniques (e.g. core/periphery analysis and co-occurrence of words as subject terms), data were analysed using the core/periphery model and social networks through UCINET for Windows, TI, textSTAT and Bibexcel computer-aided software. The study identified the following as the compound terms with which KM co-occurs most frequently: information resources management, information science, information technology, information services, information retrieval, library science, management information systems and libraries. The core single subject terms with which KM can be defined include resources, technology, libraries, systems, services, retrieval, storage, data and computers. The article concludes by offering the library and information science (LIS) professionals' general perception of KM based on their use of terms, through which KM can be defined within the context of LIS.