Background Knowledge management has emerged as a strategic priority for the academic community at Maasai Mara University. The ubiquitous utilization of powerful computing technologies and collaborations across academic fields means the academic community can generate, use and share voluminous as well as different forms of knowledge resources in real time; a phenomenon commonly being referred to as the fourth paradigm or e-Science. Similarly, managing these value attached knowledge resources in a form that can support complex hypermedia knowledge resources with their associated metadata and allow their improvement, ease in access, retrieval, sharing and collaboration and utilization has equally been challenging for the academic community at Maasai Mara University. Objective This study fleetingly reports on the design of a Knowledge Resource Management System (KRMS) that can be used to bridge this gap at Maasai Mara University’s Research Library in Narok, Kenya. Methodology The study assembles the know-how, expertize, experience, and computational solutions developed by research centers as well as institutions of higher learning to fashion an apt and all-inclusive Knowledge Resource Management System (KRMS) that can support complex hypermedia knowledge resources with their associated metadata at Maasai Mara University’s Research Library Results An archetype of the Knowledge Resource Management system (KRMS) at the Research Library is being developed with very exciting features that could be a game changer in preservation, organization as well as management and utilization of complex hypermedia knowledge resources. Conclusion This study proposed an advanced Knowledge Resource Management system (KRMS) design that purposes to address the gap by employing novel features that can support complex hypermedia knowledge resources with their associated metadata. The novel features include the integration of technologies necessary for handling and managing complex hypermedia knowledge resources in all the stages of information such as acquisition, text mining, indexing searches and leisure. On Cost benefit analysis, the system will permit real-time access, sharing and exchange, of complex hypermedia knowledge resources as per the needs of the academic community prompting overall efficiency and effectiveness among the knowledge communities at Maasai Mara University. The foreseen benefits are way above the cost implications which include implementation and minimal maintenance cost.

Keywords: Knowledge resource center; Knowledge resource management system; complex hypermedia knowledge resources; layout design; Academic community