Center for Knowledge Management

Susan Kroll, MLS, Director

Now in its second phase of development, the Ohio State University Center for Knowledge Management (CKM), housed in the John A. Prior Health Sciences Library, will become one of the nation’s most comprehensive repositories for global biomedical knowledge and intellectual capital. The library provides cost-effective access to biomedical knowledge, identifies and makes available knowledge and key research findings, expedites packaging of information content as reusable and sharable resources, facilitates understanding and helps incorporate information resources into work processes. The CKM offers: upto- date information and tools to support instructional technology; graphic, photographic and print production; interactive multimedia; e-learning management; and an ability to meet the customized Web needs of its customers.

Ongoing Research Programs

Center for Knowledge Management

Tim Cain, PhD, is principal investigator for OSU:pro, a phase 1 implementation of a campuswide data-integration tool for tracking faculty and staff expertise at Ohio State. Funded by a $480,000 grant, the project is sponsored by the offices of Academic Affairs, Health Sciences University CIO and University Libraries.
In May 2006, Tim Cain, PhD, Chris Fish and Elizabeth Sabatino filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a data-integration tool for synthesizing the tacit and explicit knowledge of University personnel.
In July 2006, Daniel Sabatino, Dave Dipietro, Pam Pierron and Tammy Thompson filed an invention report with the Office of Technology Licensing and Commercialization at Ohio State. T. MedSTAR: Leveraging data services to manage, track and contextualize the academic performance, records and curricular activities of professional students.

Prior Health Sciences Library

Pamela Bradigan, principal investigator, and Fern Cheek, co-investigator, are working to determine what type of academic medical center library support is provided to biomedical researchers conducting clinical trials.
Jane Case-Smith, principal investigator, and Carol Powell, co-investigator, are analyzing trends in occupational therapy research for the past five years by reviewing articles published in journals in that field.
Lynda Hartel, principal investigator, and Fern Cheek, co-investigator, are examining electronic book technology to assess how OSUMC faculty, staff and students use this format for their information needs.
After implementation of the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy in 2005, Lynda Hartel, principal investigator, and Jan Maxwell, co-investigator, are examining libraries’ and publishers’ commitments to this forum, assessing the different mix of models, education of grant recipients to the policy and promotion of open access publishing to faculty members.
Eric Schnell, principal investigator, is researching these questions related to library technology: Are libraries structured or organized to innovate? Which technologies will soon affect libraries? How can Web site mashups and Web services be used in libraries?
The John A. Prior Health Sciences Library was designated as an Outreach Library and awarded a $2,000 grant (May 2006-April 2007) by the Greater Midwest Region of the National Networks of Libraries of Medicine. Marguerite Weibel is principal investigator.