Knowledge retention and transfer: how libraries manage employees leaving and joining

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate how libraries prevent the loss of knowledge with people leaving or resigning, and the strategies they adopt to retain this knowledge and to transfer organizational knowledge to new employees. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 101 academic librarians from 35 countries in 6 continents who provided qualitative answers to two open-ended questions in a survey questionnaire. Findings – Documentation, training and digital repositories were found to be the primary strategies used. A number of respondents admitted to retention and transfer being done poorly. Very few libraries had a formal knowledge management (KM) process. The study proposes a theoretical framework for knowledge retention and transfer in libraries. Practical implications – Libraries will be able to learn of retention and transfer strategies, and identify gaps in their KM process based on the mapping of a specific strategy to knowledge dimension or phase of the KM cycle. Originality/value – This is the first empirical study in the area of knowledge retention in libraries. The study brings together the perspectives of libraries across the world. The primary research contribution is the theoretical framework which can be used to further research on knowledge retention and transfer in the context of libraries.