Knowledge Management Components in Academic Libraries in Iran: A Systematic Review

Knowledge is the source of wealth, ability and wisdom, and can lead to national development when produced, published, managed and applied. This systematic review aimed to examin the establishment and implementation of knowledge management elements in academic libraries in Iran.
All indexed articles in national and international valid databases were reviewed using related keywords. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria then underwent an assessment for study quality; the selected articles were classified and the results were completely described.
From the initially identified 860 articles, 28 met the initial inclusion criteria. Concerning the application and implementation of knowledge management, half of the libraries ranked below average while less than half ranked average. Only two libraries had a satisfoactory status and ranked above average.
Generally, the establishment and implementation of knowledge management elements in academic libraries in Iran are relatively poor, but medical libraries are in a better condition; therefore, knowledge management awareness is the first step towards improving and removing the barriers to its implementation. Knowledge management, if monitored and integrated at national level, can prevent the wate of intellectual capital resources.