Knowledge sharing practices in public libraries: a case study of eThekwini Municipal Libraries (EML)

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.In the information age, knowledge is predominantly seen as one of the most important assets in both private and public organisations and should therefore be managed carefully. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge sharing practices in public libraries: a case study of eThekwini Municipal Libraries (EML). Knowledge management (KM) and knowledge sharing (KS) in public libraries has increasingly come into focus but very little literature is available on knowledge sharing in public libraries in the South African context. eThekwini Municipal has adopted a number of KM initiatives in order to improve the municipalities’ service delivery and to meet its strategic vision. The study was guided by the following research questions: What was the extent of knowledge sharing at EML? What knowledge sharing practices were undertaken at EML? What was the attitude and perception of library staff towards knowledge sharing? What were the challenges facing the library staff with regards to knowledge sharing? What strategies could EML use to overcome such challenges. The study was informed by the Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation (SECI) Model of knowledge creation, also known as the Knowledge Conversion Theory. This study was guided by the post-positivism paradigm and used the mixed methods research design, which included both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The targeted population consisted of 168 respondents. A census was used to collect data from professional library staff. Qualitative data was collected from district managers by means of face-to-face and telephonic semi-structured interviews and quantitative data was collected from the senior librarians, librarians and assistant librarians by means of self-administered questionnaires administered online via email. The computer software program Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data obtained from the set of closed questions in the questionnaire. Results of data analysis were presented in the form of tables, figures, charts, and verbal descriptions. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis; qualitative data was organised and presented according to the research questions and involved the discussions of themes and categories. The major findings were that library staff at EML had strong feelings that knowledge sharing with co-workers was a good practice. The findings also revealed that there are a number of problems associated with knowledge sharing at EML. There was consensus between interview and questionnaire respondents that there was knowledge sharing challenges at EML. Such challenges were divided into individual and organisational factors. In line with these findings, respondents were asked to recommend strategies for improving knowledge sharing at EML. The top five recommendations made by respondents included top management support, organisational culture, organisational structure, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), and a budget to support knowledge sharing projects

An exploration of knowledge sharing as a means of improving municipal governance in selected Limpopo municipalities

The aim of this study was to underscore the role of knowledge sharing in improving the municipal governance in the local government sector of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to find out the kind of knowledge management programmes which are in place in the municipalities of Limpopo Province; establish the extent to which municipalities in Limpopo encourage knowledge sharing for improvement of municipal governance; determine factors which affect knowledge sharing among employees of municipalities of Limpopo Province, and propose recommendations and strategies on how to optimally share knowledge in Limpopo municipalities. The nature of this study warranted the use of two research paradigms, namely positivist and interpretivist approaches. The study employed an integrated research method which covered both the qualitative and quantitative approach. In collecting data, data instruments were triangulated. In this regard, the researcher mostly used a questionnaire with little employment of interviews and observation. The researcher sampled 438 employees and 21 managers from the selected municipalities. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The major findings of the study are the following: poor knowledge management programmes in Limpopo municipalities, knowledge sharing among the employees and across the municipalities is not encouraged, knowledge sharing in Limpopo municipalities is affected by both individual and organisational barriers and under-utilisation of information communication technology tools to support knowledge management programmes and practices. Comparatively, the findings of this study to a large extent support what has been recorded in literature. However, the study contradicts a typical mind set of many people that “knowledge is power” and cannot be shared freely. The study recommended to Limpopo municipalities to develop Knowledge sharing strategies that need to be linked to municipal strategic plans; involvement of top management in knowledge management activities; development of knowledge-friendly culture and utilisation of information communication technology tools in support of knowledge sharing. Some recommendations for further study were also provided. Among others, the study recommended that a study on the use of incentive systems as a means of encouraging knowledge sharing be conducted in selected municipalities. This was because studies on the use of incentive systems for motivating knowledge sharing yielded contradictory findings in many organisations.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 201

An exploration of knowledge sharing as a means of improving municipal governance in selected Limpopo municipalities

The aim of this study was to underscore the role of knowledge sharing in improving the municipal governance in the local government sector of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to find out the kind of knowledge management programmes which are in place in the municipalities of Limpopo Province; establish the extent to which municipalities in Limpopo encourage knowledge sharing for improvement of municipal governance; determine factors which affect knowledge sharing among employees of municipalities of Limpopo Province, and propose recommendations and strategies on how to optimally share knowledge in Limpopo municipalities. The nature of this study warranted the use of two research paradigms, namely positivist and interpretivist approaches. The study employed an integrated research method which covered both the qualitative and quantitative approach. In collecting data, data instruments were triangulated. In this regard, the researcher mostly used a questionnaire with little employment of interviews and observation. The researcher sampled 438 employees and 21 managers from the selected municipalities. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The major findings of the study are the following: poor knowledge management programmes in Limpopo municipalities, knowledge sharing among the employees and across the municipalities is not encouraged, knowledge sharing in Limpopo municipalities is affected by both individual and organisational barriers and under-utilisation of information communication technology tools to support knowledge management programmes and practices. Comparatively, the findings of this study to a large extent support what has been recorded in literature. However, the study contradicts a typical mind set of many people that “knowledge is power” and cannot be shared freely. The study recommended to Limpopo municipalities to develop Knowledge sharing strategies that need to be linked to municipal strategic plans; involvement of top management in knowledge management activities; development of knowledge-friendly culture and utilisation of information communication technology tools in support of knowledge sharing. Some recommendations for further study were also provided. Among others, the study recommended that a study on the use of incentive systems as a means of encouraging knowledge sharing be conducted in selected municipalities. This was because studies on the use of incentive systems for motivating knowledge sharing yielded contradictory findings in many organisations.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 201

Interdisziplinäre Kooperation bei der Erstellung virtueller geschichtswissenschaftlicher 3D-Rekonstruktionen

Virtuelle 3D-Modelle finden in den historischen Disziplinen in zweierlei Art Verwendung. Zum einen dienen diese zur Erfassung und Digitalisierung existierender historischer Objekte. Daneben dient die Erstellung von virtuellen 3D-Rekonstruktionen der Nachbildung nicht mehr existierender Objekte und Strukturen. Während technische Abläufe beider Ansätze ebenso wie methodische und wissenschaftstheoretische Aspekte in der Fachliteratur häufig und umfassend thematisiert werden, ist eine Frage nach sozialen Aspekten und sozialer Interaktion im Kontext derartiger Vorhaben bisher unbeleuchtet geblieben. Ziel der Arbeit stellt dar, eine Bandbreite und Relevanz von Aspekten der Kooperation als „Zusammenarbeit mit gemeinsamem Ziel, gegenseitiger Abstimmung, planvollem Vorgehen sowie Vorteilen für alle Akteure“ (Hagenhoff, 2004) im Kontext derartiger geschichtswissenschaftlicher 3D-Modellierungsvorhaben mittels sozialwissenschaftlicher Methoden zu beleuchten. Dabei zielt eine Darlegung auf unterschiedliche Skalierungen von Kooperation ab – angefangen bei einer Wissenschaftslandschaft über Kooperationsstrukturen bis hin zu einer Betrachtung von spezifischen Kooperationsphänomenen und -strategien innerhalb von Arbeits- und Erstellungsprozessen