| Academic libraries can play significant roles in helping parent universities to be highly competitive, especially by improving its knowledge management with the help of information and communication technology (ICT). Academic libraries have inherent features that are beneficial to the improvement of the universities¿ knowledge management. Firstly, the libraries have already the required skill, technology, and system. Secondly, they have been accumulating information and knowledge for years more than other units in the university. Thirdly, like butterflies in the garden, the libraries have a bird¿s eye view of scientific garden and therefore, can easily facilitate cross-breeding among different scientific disciplines. Fourthly, they regularly monitor and evaluate information needs and uses (which are parts of teaching-learning & research input and process factors). Having these advantages, the libraries can easily improve the knowledge management in the universities, namely by upgrading their current system into digital library that can facilitate not only traditional library jobs, but also campus e-publishing, e-learning; and interdepartmental and/or interdisciplinary collaboration in curriculum development, teaching, learning, research, and public service, activities. The academic librarians, therefore, need to be actively involved in these activities even at the planning stage. These digital library facilities and librarians¿ involvement will fasten and improve the creation, capture, organization, sharing, and the re-creation, of tacit and explicit knowledge required for the advancement of teaching, learning, and research, done in the universities. Consequently, if universities want to be highly competitive, they need to integrate libraries into their academic activities. |