Contact:
Cara Battaglini
+1.703.647.4917
cara@sla.org

SLA FORMS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT DIVISION  

Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 13 September 2006 - The Special Libraries Association (SLA) announced the creation of a new professional interest division for members who are currently practicing or have an interest in knowledge management in their organizations. The Knowledge Management (KM) Division of SLA will focus on the characteristics and processes through which organizations facilitate the creation, sharing and use of knowledge. The creation of the new KM Division was unanimously approved by the SLA Board of Directors last month.

"Smart and savvy management of information is vital to any company's success, and our members are the right people for the job. I am so thrilled that more and more SLA members are moving into the field of KM with such enthusiasm and interest," said SLA Chief Executive Officer Janice Lachance. "Information professionals and librarians are armed with the expertise and training to be valuable assets to their organizations and flourish in the knowledge management role. SLA will continue to expand our offerings in KM with more programming and professional development opportunities based on the needs and interest of our members."

The KM Division plans to offer broad-based programs, communications, and resources that enable participants to develop their capacity for implementing knowledge management practices in organizations of all types. The KM Division will replace the Knowledge Management Section of the Leadership and Management Division, which was first organized in 1995.

The KM Division activities and programs will focus on:

• all dimensions of knowledge used in organizations, including analysis and synthesis of knowledge into tools for learning, using, developing and sharing through a variety of means including but not limited to documentation.
  
  
• all aspects of the knowledge lifecycle, including knowledge creation, sharing, capture, organization, management, reuse, and preservation.
  
  
• enabling people to directly exchange ideas and learning to increase the relevant knowledge available for use in their organizations. 
  
  
• all aspects of an organization that affect its ability to create and transfer knowledge, including culture, policy, process, management and technology.
  
  
• techniques and tools for collaboration, organizing knowledge repositories, for demonstrating the economic value of KM activities, for promoting organizational learning techniques and applications; and for increasing understanding of knowledge economics. 
  
  
• facilitating a continuous learning environment and reduce knowledge hoarding through collaboration with all parts of the organization, including executive management, information technology, human resources, research & development and document management.

About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org