From Information to Knowledge and Back Again: How NASA Libraries and Knowledge Management Work Together for the Advancement of Space Science

This paper outlines the history of and continuing association between NASA libraries and knowledge offices, with a special focus on this relationship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and will be informed by interactions within other space agencies and private industry. Libraries have been operating in the knowledge management (KM) space since the concept of KM was defined and codified. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the JPL Library led many early KM initiatives and continues to work closely with the JPL Knowledge Office on strategy and applications of benefit to the Lab. These efforts include creating and supporting best practices around Information Management and Knowledge Management, knowledge capture and transfer, maintaining the efficient flow from data to information to knowledge, defining the transmission of knowledge back to information, and developing the structure and function of organizational information. Unlike the European Space Agency (ESA) whose libraries wholly transformed into Knowledge Centers, the NASA Center Libraries and Knowledge Offices remain as separate entities with distinct reporting structures, allowing subject matter experts to collaborate with others within and outside their organizations. While it is a challenge structurally that the NASA Agency and Center Knowledge Management offices report to the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE) and the Libraries report to The Office of Communications (OCOMM), the NASA libraries and Knowledge offices continue to work in tandem to advance knowledge management thinking, solutions, and research.

本论文梳理了美国国家航空航天局（National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA）图书馆与知识办公室的发展历程及二者间的持续协作关系，重点探讨美国国家航空航天局喷气推进实验室（Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL）内二者的协作模式，且本研究的阐述将参考其他航天机构与私营行业的互动实践。自知识管理（Knowledge Management, KM）的概念被正式界定并系统化以来，图书馆便已涉足知识管理领域。在美国国家航空航天局喷气推进实验室，JPL图书馆牵头开展了多项早期知识管理项目，至今仍与JPL知识办公室就惠及实验室的战略与应用展开紧密协作。此类工作涵盖制定并推广信息管理与知识管理相关的最佳实践、知识捕获与转移工作，保障从数据到信息再到知识的高效流转，明确知识向信息的逆向转化路径，以及构建组织信息的架构与功能。与欧洲空间局（European Space Agency, ESA）将图书馆全面转型为知识中心不同，美国国家航空航天局各中心图书馆与知识办公室仍为独立实体，拥有各自独立的汇报体系，这使得领域专家能够与组织内外的其他人员开展协作。尽管存在结构性挑战：美国国家航空航天局总部及各中心的知识管理办公室向总工程师办公室（Office of the Chief Engineer, OCE）汇报，而图书馆则向通信办公室（Office of Communications, OCOMM）汇报，但NASA图书馆与知识办公室仍持续协同合作，以推动知识管理理念、解决方案与相关研究的发展。