Knowledge management and innovation: Two explicit intentions pursued by Spanish university libraries

Abstract

This article analyses the content of three types of institutional statements (mission, vision and values) published on Spanish university libraries’ websites. The aim is to determine whether they express explicit support for knowledge management and innovation in the university. The analysis revealed that 75% of the population (n = 76) published at least one such statement. The most widely published of the three types was the mission statement, 37 of which contained the terms ‘knowledge’ or ‘innovation’, particularly the former, present in 33. The vision statements of 17 libraries alluded to both, in practically the same proportion. ‘Innovation’ appeared in 20 of 28 libraries with statements of values, denoting the high esteem in which that conceit is held by university librarians. These statements stand as proof that libraries regard innovation and some stage of knowledge management as primary aims, with the furtherance of knowledge creation/generation the one most frequently cited.