Naresh Kumar Agarwal

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Simmons University

Knowledge management (KM) is a set of processes to improve organizational functioning by harnessing organizational knowledge. KM has been taught in different global universities—either as standalone courses or as programs of study. While KM is also taught in a number of library and information science (LIS) programs in South Asian (SA) universities...

In any research that involves people, whether as respondents or participants, demarcation of their characteristics is crucial for necessary context. These can include their roles (e.g., patient, caregiver), relationships (e.g., partner), and demographics such as age range, [dis]ability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, socio‐economic group or geo...

Brenda Dervin's Sense‐Making Methodology has had a significant impact on communication, information science, and other fields, with over 18,800 citations on Google Scholar. Researchers over the years, including a recent ARIST review, have studied Dervin's work. However, prior research has not analyzed a single article to see how it has been cited o...

We are living in a world where a lot of people maintain constant connectivity through sending and receiving messages and calls. Contemporary research has focused on how smartphones disconnect us from our physical environment. Yet, in a digital disconnect, almost daily, people choose not to respond to certain messages or calls, which can make the se...

Information behavior describes the many ways in which human beings interact with information – how people seek and utilize information, but also includes other activities such as avoiding/stopping, distorting, encountering by chance, organizing, storing, creating, sharing, diffusing, and deciding to stop using information. Prior studies have attemp...

Purpose This study investigated the moderating effect of organizational knowledge management performance on the sharing and use of information encountered by serendipity within the organization. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 274 medical librarians from the top 100 medical schools. Findings Individual information encountering pr...

The spread of d/misinformation on social media poses serious threats to the social, cultural, political, and economic structures of human societies. This panel is designed to discuss the phenomenon of d/misinformation and fake news on social media, including the motives of its sharing and its impact on society. The panelists will also highlight the...

ABSTRACT The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is as much an information war as it is a medical war. Members from South Asia and the Asia Pacific countries share their experiences and challenges faced with collaborative responses for the ASIS&T Special Chapter funded project on “Dealing with COVID-19 and saving people’s lives in South Asia (SA) a...

Information science is increasingly focused on giving voice to marginalized communities, improving their daily lives, and contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). However, challenges facing marginalized communities in the Global South are less frequently investigated, yet of great importance....

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the research and publication trends in the articles published in the conference proceedings of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) since the year 2000. Design/methodology/approach We analyzed two decades of ASIS&T proceedings to uncover bibliometric patterns. This study...

Information-seeking behaviour is the process of acquiring information from sources in response to a need. The acquired information can then be transferred into knowledge for use, archiving, or sharing. This study investigates the information-seeking behaviour and knowledge transfer among food industry business (fbiz) owners in Kuwait, and how these...

Purpose People are living in a world where they maintain connectivity through sending and receiving messages and calls. Yet, almost daily, people choose not to respond to certain messages or calls, which can make the sender anxious, and adversely affect their communication. The aim of this study was to investigate the receivers' reasons for not res...

In this study, we analyzed two decades of the proceedings of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) to uncover bibliometric patterns. We found 3,129 publications from 2000–2020, with more than three‐quarters jointly authored. Most authors are from U.S., Canada, and China. Social media and information behavior are the top‐rese...

Purpose This paper seeks to disambiguate the phenomenon by clarifying terms, highlighting current efforts, including the importance of critical thought and awareness, and a test for genuine serendipity. Design/methodology/approach The authors review the literature, primarily from a library and information science perspective, and arrive at a theor...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study smartphone use and its positive and negative effects and to provide recommendations for balanced use. Design/methodology/approach To study phone use, this paper applies the uses and gratification theory and gathered interview data from 24 participants on the participants’ frequency of use, mode of comm...

It is not clear if people’s high propensity for information encountering translates to organizational work settings. We investigate the relationship between individual predisposition for information encountering with the frequency of individual information encountering at work. Through a survey of 274 medical librarians of the top 100 medical schoo...

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on information encountering and serendipity within information behavior research and practice. Serendipity has the potential to facilitate creativity and innovation in various spheres, including in libraries, archives and museums. However, do we wait for chance to occur, or can serendipity be desig...

Smartphone‐mediated communication has become the norm for a lot of people over the last two decades. It's common to see people spend a large part of their days glued to their smartphones, maintaining constant connectivity through sending and receiving messages and calls. However, people, almost daily, experience their closed ones or professional co...

This proposal builds on the previous successes of the interactive panels sponsored by the ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Education (SIG ED) at the 2017, 2015, 2013, 2012, and 2011 annual meetings. The all‐new 2020 panel features faculty in various stages of their academic careers, including a relatively new assistant professor, one who has just c...

Current efforts to fight misinformation, disinformation, and fake news have been isolated and inadequate. Most models of information behavior deal with information, and not misinformation or disinformation per se. We seek to disambiguate the phenomenon by clarifying terms and highlighting efforts towards fighting fake news. Building upon Karlova an...

The Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology (JASIST) is a leading information science journal, recognized by many ranking metrics. Understanding patterns in articles published would be helpful to new researchers seeking to publish with the journal. However, the last comprehensive bibliometric analysis on JASIST is more than...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the place of knowledge management (KM) in library and information science (LIS) research. The authors looked for KM articles published in top LIS journals since 2000. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed publication trends and the distribution of articles by KM-related terms used, reg...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the place of library and information Science (LIS) research within leading knowledge management (KM) journals and conferences. Design/methodology/approach Authors examined articles published from 2000-2018 in top-20 KM publications identified by Google Scholar to look for relationship with LIS. Aut...

Purpose This paper aims to review the landscape of research in pedagogy and learning that surmounts the challenges of low-tech, information-rich environments during the past decade. It also reviews the methods used, populations studied and places where such research was carried out and proposes a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach A...

A large number of people spend a major part of their days staring at their smartphone screens. The objective of this poster is to study smartphone use and its positive and negative effects, and to provide recommendations for balanced use. We interviewed 20 female and 4 male participants. Ease of communication and multitasking are the key benefits,...

In an increasingly interconnected world, information professionals are expected to be at the forefront of implementing and instructing others in using information technologies. Yet, it is a challenge for educators to leverage library and information science students' varying interests and experiences to develop technology curricula that addresses d...

Research published during the last two decades has frequently discussed how Knowledge Management (KM) is important for libraries. However, we do not know the extent to which KM forms a part of Library and Information Science (LIS) research. In this study, we looked for KM articles published in top LIS journals since 2000. We analyzed publication tr...

In the past few years, many researchers and practitioners have shown the value of applying knowledge management (KM) in libraries and other information settings – so as to serve the patron better and to innovate services. However, it is unclear to what extent has mainstream KM literature embraced LIS research as a domain within KM. In this research...

Effective management of all knowledge in an organization is a key criterion for innovation. Academic libraries are beginning to realize the importance of knowledge management in this regard. However, there are no quantitative studies studying knowledge management and service innovation in the context of libraries. Islam, Agarwal and Ikeda arrived a...

Serendipitous discovery has been a research topic for more than one hundred years, but only recently has it been the focus of attention in library and information science (LIS). In 1960, Bernier published the first article on serendipity in a LIS journal. The number of publications gradually grew until 1990s, after which the field experienced a sig...

Professional associations across various fields have largely been struggling to stay relevant. Many have been watching a steady decline in membership numbers over the years. In many cases, members who join do not renew their membership. Existing members complain about the association not giving enough value for their membership dues. While the asso...

Knowledge Management (KM) provides a systematic process to help in the creation, transfer and use of knowledge across the university, leading to increased productivity. While KM has been successfully used elsewhere, universities have been late in adopting it. Before a university can initiate KM, it needs to determine if it is ready for KM or not. T...

Introduction. Serendipitous or accidental discovery of information has often been neglected in information behaviour models, which tend to focus on information seeking, a more goal-directed behaviour. Method. This theoretical paper seeks to map the conceptual space of serendipity in information behaviour and to arrive at a definition. This is done...

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...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies thatlibrarians employ to ensure quality of service, the ways and barriers forservice innovation, and the likelihood of adopting knowledge management forservice innovation in libraries (KMSIL). Design/methodology/approach – In total, 17 academic librarians filled out a qualitative...

Although people engage in a range of information behaviors, the majority of previous models and empirical research in information behavior tend to focus just on information seeking and use. This panel will discuss the need of extending the territories of information behavior research beyond seeking and use. Panelists will explain their own research...

Effective management of all knowledge produced within an organization is frequently identified as a key criteria for innovation of new products and services within the organization. Academic libraries are beginning to realize the importance of knowledge management (KM) in this regard. However, there aren't any quantitative studies studying KM and s...

Knowledge Management (KM) is a collaborative and integrated approach adopted at various levels to ensure that an organization’s knowledge assets are best utilized to increase organizational performance. While KM has been adopted in a large number of sectors and organizations, colleges and universities, and the higher education sector in general, is...

While Web 2.0 tools are increasingly being adopted by academic libraries to connect with patrons, they are not actively used to facilitate knowledge management (KM). This study investigates the awareness and comfort of librarians, their perceived usefulness of KM using Web 2.0, organizational readiness, and the ways in which these affect the librar...

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to investigate the tools/technologies that would be of value to libraries as they implement knowledge management (KM) and to map these to different phases of the KM cycle. Design/methodology/approach – Models of the KM cycle and theories related to information technology (IT) adoption were reviewed, along with...

PurposeThrough observing the use of iPhone and iPad by a child between the ages of two and four years and a half, this study presents accounts on the child’s use of and interaction with these devices, as well as her interaction with the physical environment. Design/methodology/approachUnstructured, naturalistic observation was employed in this stud...

: With increased mobility, it is important that individuals keep their own personal health records (PHRs). Nurse practitioners are encouraged to assume greater responsibility for PHR adoption and recognize the key role they play in recommending PHR use. This article also briefly discusses college students' perceptions of their exposure to online PH...

A Web site is often the first stop for a person trying to determine how to get to a person based in a library or a college campus building. The Web site, and the in-built online directory, may provide the building name and office number for a library staff or a faculty member, but these can be out-of-date and do not provide complete information for...

There is an extensive amount of Library and Information Science (LIS) writing produced each year. While there is general awareness regarding the variety of journal literature, there is no certainty on the percentage of the collection that we can call research. This project is an important first step in answering the question. A content analysis of...

EDITOR'S SUMMARY While the ASIS&T Annual Meeting is as excellent opportunity for information professionals to gather, the special interest groups (SIGs) and chapters support interaction year‐round. SIGs bring together members focusing on 21 areas of interest, while 20 chapters are organized by region, with 43 university‐based student chapters. Each...

Editor's Summary A professor's advice to “find your community” started Naresh Agarwal as a doctoral student on a path to discovering and connecting to others with similar interests and goals. After visiting other conferences, Agarwal felt welcome at ASIS&T's Annual Meeting in 2008 and made the most of the connections he made. He got involved in sev...

This proposal expands on the basic format of the successful interactive doctoral student panel sponsored by SIG/ED at the 2012 ASIS&T annual meeting. The 2013 panel features panelists prepared to address audience questions on such topics as the traditional academic job market, alternative career paths including post-doctoral opportunities, the deve...

Research in information seeking behavior has looked at the way a person goes about looking for information when faced with a need for information. However, the relationship between happiness and information and how this information impacts happiness is often left out of the picture. Also, higher education in the field has not explored happiness as...

The design of information retrieval (IR) systems must respond to the goals, intentionality and prior domain knowledge of the users. During focus groups conducted, end users complained that instead of looking for specific-items, they might be interested in a spectrum of concepts – all things related to something or all things of a particular color....

In Library and Information Science (LIS), while there is an awareness of the variety of journal literature, we do not have a number on the percentage of the collection that qualifies as research. A content analysis of the LIS literature available at the Simmons College Library is currently in progress. The research level collection of LIS literatur...

Evaluation is the systematic assessment of the operation and/or the outcomes of a program or policy, compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the improvement of the program or policy (Weiss, 1998). Neal (2006), in the context of academic libraries, says that "decisions are routinely not supported by the evi...

An important question in information-seeking behavior is how people decide on which information source to use when they need information for their work-related tasks. This question becomes especially pertinent in light of the varying degree of legitimacy accorded to digital sources, and the use of new channels of access such as mobiles and tablets....

An important question in information-seeking behavior is where people go for information and why information seekers prefer to use one source type rather than another when faced with an information-seeking task or need for information. Prior studies have paid little attention to contingent variables that could change the cost-benefit calculus in so...

Past studies on a person's choice of information sources have shown mixed results because of a lack of understanding of the 'context' surrounding information seeking that impacts a person's choice of an information source. The Contextual Identity Framework combines three conflicting views of context to try and define its boundaries in information b...

Construct validity refers to the degree to which inferences can legitimately be made from the operationalizations in a study to the theoretical constructs on which those operationalizations were based. When both convergent and discriminant validities are satisfied, construct validity is said to be satisfied. Verifying survey items for construct val...

In this paper, we present a platform called Knowledge Community (K-Comm) that embodies the principles of a digital ecosystem with collective intelligence. This platform is a knowledge-based social network which allows users to contribute and seek information. Users can ask questions or answer questions asked by other members. K-Comm also captures t...

Despite the seemingly widespread and growing attention to the notion of ‘context’ in information seeking, the concept remains ill-defined and inconsistently applied. There isn't any success in defining: What context really means? What are the boundaries of context? What constitutes the ‘core’ (main factors that lead to information seeking behavior)...

Capturing tacit knowledge is one of the major challenges faced by Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). Most such systems try to capture employee knowledge pertaining to a specific domain of organisational interest. However, every employee has much more to contribute apart from knowledge in a particular area. The sum total of his/her skills, interest...

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is all about the way in which people interact with computer systems. This paper focuses on the cognitive aspects of HCI when a user is searching for information, so as to facilitate effective user interactions with vast amounts of available information. Search engines provide a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, which do no...

3G opens up doors for high-speed transfer of both voice and data. However, the actual adoption rate of 3G has remained below expectations. Thus, it is important to understand the interplay of actors involved in the adoption process of this technology. Prior research suggests that external variables like convenience, self efficacy, service quality a...

Despite knowledge sharing tools, lack of motivation is one of the primary reasons why organizational knowledge-sharing initiatives fail. In this interpretive case study, we look at knowledge sharing not within an organization, but in the context of schoolteachers and students in Singapore secondary schools. Through interviews with teachers and stud...

Searchers generally have difficulty searching into knowledge repositories because of the quantity of data involved and because search mechanisms are not tailored to the differing needs of the searcher at different points in time. Also, every searcher generally searches alone without taking into account other users with similar search needs or exper...

Searchers generally have difficulty searching into knowledge repositories because of the quantity of data involved and because searcher mechanisms are not tailored to their differing needs at different points in time. Also, every searcher generally searches alone without taking into account other users with similar search needs or experience. While...

With the emergence of information- and knowledge-based economies, knowledge management has gained importance in organisations. It remains a challenge, with a typical mid-sized organisation quickly accumulating vast amounts of information. Trying to make sense of data and to search effectively forms a core part of this challenge. This paper aims to...

Component-based software development (CBSD) is based on the idea of developing software systems by selecting appropriate off-the-shelf components and integrating them under a specified architecture. Such an approach prevents a software developer from having to reinvent the wheel, reduces software development cost and time, and promotes flexibility...

Electronic documents are increasingly becoming the norm today. Electronic document management systems solve many of the storage and retrieval problems inherent in paper filing systems while reducing business costs. However, with conversion of paper documents to electronic form, and an increasing amount of data being produced in electronic form, an...

Due to the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, it is being targeted to support video applications, such as video-on-demand (VOD). However, with the growing popularity of the Internet, congestion in the network poses a great hurdle in transferring real-time video data. For pre-compressed MPEG-2 video streams, the network may not be able to maintain a...

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There have been continual efforts to improve user-experience and information-retrieval through quality searching techniques. Search methods employed by search engines can be broadly seen to suffer from two patterns: a) relevant information is present but comes with much irrelevant information b) relevant information is present but not in the requir...

The question of 'identity' is a complex one. It concerns who we are, and who we identify ourselves to be. The importance and sensitivity of identity is highlighted by the fact that while it gives one a sense of belonging, a narrow and skewed interpretation of one's identity can lead (in its extreme form) to acts of hatred, violence and terrorism. W...

Libraries and archives across the world have played a vital role in enabling access to information to a large number of people. The advent of the Internet and mobile computing has helped accelerate this process of democratization of information. The Bhagavad Gitā (Song of God) is considered the most important among the large pantheon of ancient Hin...