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Papers by Marion Williams

Research paper thumbnail of The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 2018

This paper addresses the adoption and non-adoption of communication methods such as social media ... more This paper addresses the adoption and non-adoption of communication methods such as social media and explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies and their use in academic libraries. I interviewed 16 library employees from six academic university libraries in the Flanders region of Belgium and in South Africa. I explored five academic university libraries in the urban regions of Flanders and South Africa and one situated in a rural region of South Africa. This article discusses the benefits of using social media as a communication tool to engage with students. The results demonstrate that ‘ease of use’ was portrayed as a beneficial construct and has a positive influence on behavioural intention and use of Web 2.0 technologies. A comparison on the adoption of social media between the two countries indicate that financial resources, infrastructure and management support are crucial determining factors in service delivery.

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

This thesis is dedicated, in loving memory, to my late parents, Benjamin and Mary Williams as wel... more This thesis is dedicated, in loving memory, to my late parents, Benjamin and Mary Williams as well as my nephew Kurt Connor Williams, whose encouragement, support and guidance have enabled me to fulfill my potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Turning Bad Leaders into Good Leaders: Diminishing the Theory X Style

Leadership - New Insights

While not everyone is born with the talent to lead, many businesses have been plagued by accident... more While not everyone is born with the talent to lead, many businesses have been plagued by accidental leaders. Such leaders have no prior experience managing others. A bad leader can do more harm than good to a company. They are frequently the cause why employees decide to leave a company. Controlling and manipulative leaders have a negative influence on employee morale and have the potential to damage the organization’s corporate culture. Furthermore, employees do not depart because they are unsatisfied with their jobs. They leave the company because they are unhappy with their leaders. This chapter explores micromanagement as a Theory X style and identifies indicators such as lack of trust and high-staff turnover as the primary reasons why leaders fail to “lead” the “ship.” The chapter concludes that effective leadership necessitates leadership skills and training.

Research paper thumbnail of Social media, diffusion of innovations, morale and digital inequality

Library Hi Tech, 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore social media usage in an academic library in South... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore social media usage in an academic library in South Africa and the factors influencing its use. The primary goal of the study was to examine perceptions surrounding the impact of non-adoption of social media on morale, and to explore the consequences of digital inequality.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative method, in-depth interviews were conducted with a small sample comprising six key informants at the University of Limpopo Libraries.FindingsThe findings suggest that non-adoption of social media has a negative influence on morale, and that it is a very necessary tool required for interaction with students as well as promotion and marketing of the library’s resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to one academic library in South Africa situated in a rural area. The research suggests that more academic libraries in rural areas be studied to ascertain if geographical location and finance are barriers t...

Research paper thumbnail of Challenges for information literacy education at a university of technology

Innovation, 2011

The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an informat... more The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The intervention consisted of two workshops which aimed to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university's OPAC and engineering databases and to reference and cite their sources. The project assessed students' information skills before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the American College and Research Library (ACRL) standards. The research provides insight into how information literacy education at CPUT library can be improved. Its major recommendations are that more time in the timetable must be allocated to information literacy education and that lecturers should recognise the educational role of librarians.

Research paper thumbnail of Library as Place: Evaluating Physical and Virtual Spaces. A Case Study of Two Academic Libraries

Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies

Informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on social capital, this paper examines how academic librarie... more Informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on social capital, this paper examines how academic libraries might be considered places to create social capital. The study that directed this article utilised a qualitative approach and drew upon the perceptions of both the student population and library professionals at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the University of Limpopo in South Africa. This study explored the similarities and differences in respondents’ perceptions of their respective libraries. The study relied on semi-structured interviews comprising 34 participants: 30 students and four library professionals. To inform this study, data were collected on the perceptions of the libraries’ physical and virtual spaces to ascertain differing views regarding academic libraries’ social values and their contribution to creating social capital. Students use the physical space extensively as a gathering place for group discussions and independent academic work, and depend on library ...

Research paper thumbnail of The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 2018

This paper addresses the adoption and non-adoption of communication methods such as social media ... more This paper addresses the adoption and non-adoption of communication methods such as social media and explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies and their use in academic libraries. I interviewed 16 library employees from six academic university libraries in the Flanders region of Belgium and in South Africa. I explored five academic university libraries in the urban regions of Flanders and South Africa and one situated in a rural region of South Africa. This article discusses the benefits of using social media as a communication tool to engage with students. The results demonstrate that ‘ease of use’ was portrayed as a beneficial construct and has a positive influence on behavioural intention and use of Web 2.0 technologies. A comparison on the adoption of social media between the two countries indicate that financial resources, infrastructure and management support are crucial determining factors in service delivery.

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

This thesis is dedicated, in loving memory, to my late parents, Benjamin and Mary Williams as wel... more This thesis is dedicated, in loving memory, to my late parents, Benjamin and Mary Williams as well as my nephew Kurt Connor Williams, whose encouragement, support and guidance have enabled me to fulfill my potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Turning Bad Leaders into Good Leaders: Diminishing the Theory X Style

Leadership - New Insights

While not everyone is born with the talent to lead, many businesses have been plagued by accident... more While not everyone is born with the talent to lead, many businesses have been plagued by accidental leaders. Such leaders have no prior experience managing others. A bad leader can do more harm than good to a company. They are frequently the cause why employees decide to leave a company. Controlling and manipulative leaders have a negative influence on employee morale and have the potential to damage the organization’s corporate culture. Furthermore, employees do not depart because they are unsatisfied with their jobs. They leave the company because they are unhappy with their leaders. This chapter explores micromanagement as a Theory X style and identifies indicators such as lack of trust and high-staff turnover as the primary reasons why leaders fail to “lead” the “ship.” The chapter concludes that effective leadership necessitates leadership skills and training.

Research paper thumbnail of Social media, diffusion of innovations, morale and digital inequality

Library Hi Tech, 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore social media usage in an academic library in South... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore social media usage in an academic library in South Africa and the factors influencing its use. The primary goal of the study was to examine perceptions surrounding the impact of non-adoption of social media on morale, and to explore the consequences of digital inequality.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative method, in-depth interviews were conducted with a small sample comprising six key informants at the University of Limpopo Libraries.FindingsThe findings suggest that non-adoption of social media has a negative influence on morale, and that it is a very necessary tool required for interaction with students as well as promotion and marketing of the library’s resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to one academic library in South Africa situated in a rural area. The research suggests that more academic libraries in rural areas be studied to ascertain if geographical location and finance are barriers t...

Research paper thumbnail of Challenges for information literacy education at a university of technology

Innovation, 2011

The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an informat... more The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The intervention consisted of two workshops which aimed to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university's OPAC and engineering databases and to reference and cite their sources. The project assessed students' information skills before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the American College and Research Library (ACRL) standards. The research provides insight into how information literacy education at CPUT library can be improved. Its major recommendations are that more time in the timetable must be allocated to information literacy education and that lecturers should recognise the educational role of librarians.

Research paper thumbnail of Library as Place: Evaluating Physical and Virtual Spaces. A Case Study of Two Academic Libraries

Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies

Informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on social capital, this paper examines how academic librarie... more Informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on social capital, this paper examines how academic libraries might be considered places to create social capital. The study that directed this article utilised a qualitative approach and drew upon the perceptions of both the student population and library professionals at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the University of Limpopo in South Africa. This study explored the similarities and differences in respondents’ perceptions of their respective libraries. The study relied on semi-structured interviews comprising 34 participants: 30 students and four library professionals. To inform this study, data were collected on the perceptions of the libraries’ physical and virtual spaces to ascertain differing views regarding academic libraries’ social values and their contribution to creating social capital. Students use the physical space extensively as a gathering place for group discussions and independent academic work, and depend on library ...