Enabling Knowledge

Creation: An Organizational
Development Approach for
Library Centrality

Mary M. Somerville, Ph.D.

California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA
msomervi@calpoly.edu

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 Organizational
Development Ideal

The organizational learning

environment will foster deeper –
and ‘actionable’ - understanding of
issues inherent in developing
information literacy within various
educational contexts.

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 Organizational Assumptions
and Learning Priorities
Organizational conception of information is ‘real
problem’ so ‘knowledge enabling’ experiences aim
to:
 Surface information conceptions and advance
their complexity – e.g., understand ‘sources’
(textual, social, physical, and sensory) as more
than ‘in need of’ metadata description (’control’)
 Stimulate information sharing and reflective
dialogue – e.g., activate learning experiences that
produce appreciated benefits from exposure to
diverse perspectives

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Organizational Knowledge
Creation Theories
 Systemic ‘big picture’ thinking
(Checkland/UK)
 Social ‘information to knowledge’
exchange and creation processes
(Nonaka/Japan)
 Differentiated ‘information
encounter’ (and usage outcomes)
experiences (Bruce/Australia)
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Early Information Literacy
Conception
Define
need/purpose

Harvest
Assess delivery systems
effectiveness
measurement
Intelligent
le Cr
e
l exib ati
ve Locate
F
Effective effective searching
source types
Information
Vi

user
si
on

us
Communicate
a

io
ry

Evaluate

r
identify

Cu
appropriate venue Risk taking criteria
Source
info need quality
Organize – assimilate -
transform info to knowledge
purpose-driven

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 Shared Workplace and
Classroom Learning Results
 Intellectual—question assumptions,
improve thinking, and deepen
understanding.
 Social—encourage cooperation and
awareness, develop social identity, and
foster belonging and community.
 Personal—develop self-awareness and
self-efficacy, encourage commitment, and
enable self-expression.
 Practical—develop teamwork skills,
expand written and oral communication,
and advance group proficiencies.

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 Emergent Workplace
Information Conceptions

 Information control paired with

information usage
 Information literacy aligned with
disciplinary mastery
 ‘Meaning making’ occurs through
social negotiation

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Formative and Summative
Learning Assessment
Continuous KWL reflection:

 What do you know?

 What do you need to know?
 How do you want to learn it?

… informs Research Information Services

& Education (RISE) forum, database,
and education system design and
content.
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Initial Interactive
Processes Assessment
Library users

S tudents Community
users

Faculty and
Lecturers
RIS E

Librarians
Library
RIS E staff
assistants

RIS E RIS E
FORUM DATABAS E

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Soft System Methodology Processes for
Organizational Meaning (POM)

Capture situated
knowledge
Take part
in peer
Capture conversations
information Capture
search customers
process inquiries

Practice
Systems
Thinking
Evaluate
realized
information
system

Appreciate

7 faces of
relational Take
information action
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competence
 Participatory Design &
Organizational Evaluation
 User generated, user implemented, user
interpreted research on library systems
and services, including focus groups,
usability studies, campus surveys, and
stakeholder interviews
 Qualitative, evidence-based, interactive
‘sense making’ dialogue that promotes
learning through iterative problem
identification and exploration

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 ‘Master Teacher’
Leadership Principles
 Leaders foster a learning environment
conducive to enabling knowledge
creation through reflective inquiry and
information exchange.
 They consistently demonstrate and
encourage contextualizing systems
thinking.
 They encourage – and acknowledge –
boundary crossing relationship building.
 They practice explicit ‘relational
information literacy’ in the workplace.

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Sustaining Organizational
Synergies
 Illuminating ‘intersubjective’
dialogue and reflection (Lloyd)
 Expanding boundaries of concern
and influence
 Continuing evidence-based
information practice (Partridge &
Hallam)
 Evolving purposes, processes, and
relationships
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 New Campus Learning
and Teaching Roles

Creators of applied educational

theory and producers of active
learning experiences, which are
information-resource based and
information literacy-enabling ...
that build upon (and extend)
workplace learning experience
outcomes.
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 Knowledge-able
University Outcomes
Knowledge Management
 ‘Learning collections’ development –
faculty curricular collaborations
 Digital research portals – student
research partnerships (Rogers)
Knowledge Integration
 ‘Knowledge Making’ New Media course
(Gillette)
 Literature-Based Scientific Learning
(LBSL) case studies (Elrod)
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Information Literacy
Education Conceptions
 Content Frame – disciplinary viewpoint
 Competency Frame – performance
orientation
 Learning-to-Learn Frame –
constructivist process
 Personal Relevance Frame –
experiential engagement
 Social Impact Frame – societal
implications
 Relational Frame – experiential
discernment (Bruce, Edwards, Lupton)
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 Theoretical Foundation for
Advancing Library Centrality
 Originating, exchanging, and exercising
individually held information to enable
collective knowledge sharing and
creation (Nonaka)
 Valuing campus constituencies’ situated
perspectives and establishing exchange
relationships that support inquiry and
build community (Checkland)
 Applying expanded information finding,
interpreting, and using conceptions for
social learning through ‘meta-level’
reflection and dialogue (Bruce)
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Selected Core References
 Bruce, C. (1997). The Relational Approach: A New Model for Information
Literacy. The New Review of Information and Library Research 3: 1-22.
 Bruce, C., Edwards, S., & Lupton, M. (2006). Six Frames for Information
Literacy Education: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting the Relationship
between Theory and Practice. Italics 5(1): 1-18.
http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol5-1/pdf/sixframes_final%20_1_.pdf
 Checkland, P. B. (1999). Systems Thinking, Systems Practice: Includes a 30-
year Retrospective, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England
 Lloyd, A. (2005). Information Literacy: Different Contexts, Different Concepts,
Different Truths? Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 37 (2): 82-
88.
 Nonaka, I, Konno, N., & Toyama, R. (2000). SECI, Ba and Leadership: A Unified
Model of Dynamic Knowledge Creation. Long Range Planning 33:5-34.
 Partridge, H., & Hallam, G. (2005). Developing a Culture of Evidence Based
Practice Within the Library and Information Profession. Paper presented at IFLA
World Library and Information Congress, Oslo, Norway.

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