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Knowledge Application 213

to be able to trust that the content is valid and should be applied. They are less likely
to completely overlap in context, so it is likely that knowledge reuse would require
contact with others knowledgeable about the knowledge object.
Expertise-seeking novices are often in a learning scenario. Unlike the previous two
types of reusers, novices are the most distant or different from the knowledge object
authors and those experienced with its use. Knowledge intermediaries have a much
greater role to play here in making sure novices begin by accessing more general
information (e.g., FAQs, introductory texts, glossaries) before they attempt to apply
the knowledge object or directly contact those who are more expert in using the
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knowledge object. EPSSs and other performance support aids such as e-learning
modules would also be of great use to such reusers.
Secondary knowledge miners are analysts who attempt to extract interesting and
hopefully meaningful patterns by studying knowledge repository use. They are analo-
gous to the usage analysts who perform similar roles for a CoP library as discussed in
chapter 5. They are also analogous to librarians who periodically assess the collective
holdings of a library, whether physical or digital, to see which items are no longer
being actively accessed and should perhaps be archived, which have been superseded
by newer and better best practices, and so forth.
Different types of reusers will interface differently with knowledge repositories and
they will differ in their support needs. Repositories therefore need to be able to per-
sonalize — either at the extreme of treating each individual differently or at the very
least, personalizing at the level of a community of practice. Since CoPs revolve around
organizational and professional themes, it makes sense to partition the global knowl-
edge repository along similar lines. Careful attention must also be paid to the roles of
intermediaries needed to develop and maintain the organization ’ s corporate memory.
Content authors are as vital to successful knowledge application and reuse as are
container maintainers.

Knowledge Repositories
Knowledge repositories are usually intranets or portals of some kind that serve to
preserve, manage, and leverage organizational memory (discussed further in chapters
8 and 11). There are many different types of knowledge repositories in use today
and they can be categorized in a number of different ways. In general, a knowledge
repository will contain more than documents (document management system), data
(database), or records (record management system). A knowledge repository will
contain valuable content that is a mix of tacit and explicit knowledge, based on the
unique experiences of the individuals who are or were a part of that company as well