In Pursuit of the Knowledge World

The World Digital Library (WDL) is still in its nascent stage and attempts to collect and make available material from around the world in multilingual format. To make a complete success of this challenging and huge responsibility, what we really need is a knowledge management program.

By saying that I mean to encourage my fellow librarians to blend LOC’s internal and external information and channelize into knowledge via technology platform. This would imply not shying away from the international librarians who are managing these collections at their local end and then share information globally amongst each other about the existing collection practices, the metadata standards and cataloging rules. This way we will be able to capture the knowledge of these librarians and the WDL project will be a true knowledge sharing project on a global footing. A knowledge management program for the implementation of vast projects such as WDL requires patience and co-operation, but the results far outnumber the hindrances.

Many libraries often maintain database of best practices and lessons learnt on a day to day basis. Integrating this knowledge may be a challenge initially, but by means of proper KM practices, the knowledge sharing is an achievable target. The WDL will benefit tremendously from synthesizing and streamlining the personal and contextual information that the librarians from all over the world who are contributing to this project may have to offer. This kind of attempt may actually become an aggregated KM project. Each library may either need to have a KM program in place, or the LOC may need to run a world wide KM program. Each of the libraries involved will need to make visible its knowledge and its intensity. A knowledge infrastructure then needs to be built upon the existing knowledge cultures. It will be very essential for the LOC to treat these librarians as organizational assets to the LOC even though; they may not be part of the LOC. The communication channels must enhance the transfer of exisitng knowledge of concepts, data, and documentation in a high quality and cost-efficient manner.

The hardest part in the KM implementation may come from librarians who will be required to broaden their vision. Sharing expertise and knowledge that was developed over years during their professional work in their library may be slightly intimidating for the librarians involved. The librarians may need to develop a “big picture” mentality and develop their communication and technology skills. The skills that are critical right now for the sucess of the WDL project are those of webmaster , technical communicator, librarian and business analyst.A single librarian may not have all of these skills.It is only through knowledge sharing, that these skills can be transferred.

It is worth pointing out here that some of these libraries which are a part of the WDL project may belong to cultures which are strongly feudal or anarchist in nature. It is here that the LOC may find it difficult to gain the return of value from investments supporting the knowledge management program. LOC will have to prioritize decisions about the needs of the whole organization, rather than that of its specific parts. Since Information Technology is the tool that facilitates the rapid dissemination of knowledge, the speed and precision of information technology in these countries needs to be evaluated and taken into account. Getting hold of the complete picture of the "information politics" that goes around in these international libraries may be a challenging task for the LOC.



Disclaimer: I do not work for Library of Congress and the ideas expressed here are my own thoughts and they are not meant to endorse The LOC or the WDL. On the other hand, LOC or WDL are not endorsing me either.

Telltale signs of your Website Needing Content Management System

Do you need a Webcontent management system for your website? If this is a tough decision,listen to this podcast describing the tell tale signs of a website needing CMS



Tell Tale Signs of a Website needing CMS





Don't miss What Web Content Management can do for You

Wiki to support your CMS

Wiki allows content to be edited by many people.CMS allows editing your content to keep the content fresh.So basically are these two pitted against each other? People in the wiki camp suggest that Wiki can do at a lower price what a CMS does at a higher price. People in the CMS camp seem to disagree and raise questions over the quality of the finished product.Where is the golden mean? The solution is often discovered when there are a number of pages to be updated and all under different categories.What can be done is to take all of the web content as contained in the CMS into a wiki and allow some of the sections to be edited there.The navigation does not have to be transferred to a wiki(although it could be).This way the CMS takes care of the major updates and wiki allows a segregated updation process.Once the content in wiki is ready, it is taken back to CMS and then published.



Watch a Screencast showing how Wiki and CMS systems can be used together to Update Content

What web content management can do for you?

In a short phrase, the answer is "relieve you". CMS is not simply a template with generic design.With so many CMS systems flooding the scene, custom made design is pretty much in trend and the interface is user friendly. A CMS system can ensure that the content is updated regularly and is done automatically.With little, or no addition to the cost already being incurred, a CMS system allows features like site search, blogging,discussion forums, password protected content and more. However the greatest benefit of CMS is the navigation.If a new category appears overnight, you dont have to redesign your entire website.A CMS system allows the "expansion" of your website with the new category added to all pages. Web content management can actually take the load off your websmaster's shoulders, and for you it means updated content all the time without sweating it out.A good CMS(content management system) can help you repurpose and channel your content for different audiences - saving time, money, and simplifying the web management process.

Watch a video on Content Management.This video can also be watched on YouTube.


Also listen to the podcast

:Tell Tale Signs of Website Needing CMS

Understanding the meaning of Competitive Intelligence

Business intelligence (BI) refers to skills, technologies, applications and practices used to help a business acquire a better understanding of its commercial context. Business intelligence may also refer to the collected information itself.Some people use the terms business intelligence and competitive intelligence synomously whereas some say that competitive intelligence is the language of business intelligence.

In a short phrase, it may be defined as both a product and a process, and in more complex words we may define CI as an ethical and legal business practice. This ethical and legal part is very important as CI professionals emphasize that the discipline is not the same as industrial espionage which is both unethical and usually illegal. In competitve intelligence ,the focus is on the external business environment.There is a process involved in gathering information, converting it into intelligence and then utilizing this in business decision making. CI professionals emphasize that if the intelligence gathered is not usable (or actionable) then it is not intelligence.


A more focused definition of the term is that CI is the organizational function responsible for the early identification of risks and opportunities in the market before they become obvious. This definition focuses attention on the difference between dissemination of widely available factual information (such as market statistics, financial reports, newspaper clippings) performed by libraries and information centers.

CI can be summarized as Finding out information for business planning.
Typically, information must be quantitative, in dollars, not references to documents.
It is usually needed in a huge rush.It’s usually about the future, and thus inherently uncertain.Often a high premium on assertiveness, not accuracy.But it can have high importance and status in a company.

CI is the purposeful and coordinated monitoring of your competitors, wherever and whoever they may be, within a specific marketplace. Your "competitors" are those firms which you consider rivals in business, and with whom you compete for market share. CI also has to do with determining what your business rivals WILL DO before they do it. Strategically, to gain foreknowledge of your competitor's plans and to plan your business strategy to countervail their plans.


Companies and industries prosper through improvements in competitiveness, leveraging core competencies, and competitive intelligence is at the core of the objective of improving competitive advantage. Competitive intelligence is therefore;the core of competitive strategy .


On a lighter note: Here is a strategy game picked by the Editor of Addicting Games.com .This game is called The Balloon Invasion and requires the same caution and strategic mind required while doing Competitive Intelligence.

Play Games at AddictingGames