دور المكتبات و مراكز المعلومات في دعم الأعمال في الأردن

Abstract EN

Several countries in the Region in general and Jordan in particular are moving towards what is called “knowledge economy" and to become more linked to and integrated in global business within the context of "globalization".

The main objective of this research was to document and share the experiences of the private sector especially companies in Jordan as part of their work to develop and expand their role in the knowledge-based economy.

The paper discussed the contribution of libraries (libraries, information and documentation centers) in business development and the extent to which libraries are used in business management including planning, organization, human resources management and direction and control.

The role of libraries in supporting research and development, protection of intellectual property and trademarks, the development of professional networks and working groups through the implicit and explicit information sources was elaborated based on previous studies.

The paper attempted to identify the areas that contribute to business information or business intelligence in the success of businesses, thus building the knowledge economy.

The paper utilizeddata using standardized interviews with senior executives in six companies in Jordan, including small, medium and large enterprises to understand how they use information to support businesses, identify the channels they use to access information to support policies, procedures and decision making.

The paper discussed the role of knowledge management, in particular lessons learned and best practices, and leveraging experiential knowledge in business administration.

Based on the analysis of data collected through the interviews, it was concluded that libraries and information centers are underutilized by the business community while implicit knowledge and social networks are more used.

The paper offered a number of recommendations: libraries should promote and market their services, they should change the role they play form storage places to more proactive agents to access information, library and information sciences departments should focus on business information in teaching, research and publishing and that research on use of information for planning and decision-making should continue.