Libraries are hubs for social and intellectual interactions in communities
and organizations. Virtual libraries should serve the same purpose, yet vir
tual libraries often focus simply on making their holdings available. In th
is article an on-line corporate library is described that places knowledge
sharing and community building at the core of its design. The library syste
m supports personal websites that are visible to the entire organization. P
ersonal topic profiles for library research services, information services
choice and collaborative research requests provide employees with views of
each others' activities and interests. In particular, information about res
earch questions being asked across all parts of the organization provides a
unique window on the company's goals and activities. Collaboration and int
erest-matching tools help employees to share knowledge across the oraganiza
tion and to form special interest communities. (C) 1999 Academic Press.