Kirsty Williamson
DipLib MelbSC, MLib Monash, PhD RMIT
Position: Senior Research Fellow
Location: Room 308, Building 5, Wagga Wagga Campus
Phone: (02) 6933 2759
Fax: (02) 6933 2733
E-mail: kwilliamson@csu.edu.au
Bio
Kirsty Williamson has been an academic in the LIS field for 20 years, holding positions at The University of Melbourne, RMIT, Monash University and Charles Sturt University. In the last 12 years, as Senior Research Fellow at both Monash and Charles Sturt University, she has been principally a researcher and supervisor of higher degree students. Over this period she has been Director of Information and Telecommunications Needs Research (ITNR), a research group affiliated with both Caulfield School of IT at Monash University and the School of Information Studies at CSU.
Since the early 1990s Kirsty has won over $3 million dollars in research grants from such organisations as the Telstra Fund for Social and Policy Research, Department of Information Technology and the Arts, and the Australian Research Council from which she has received six grants – five Linkage and one Discovery. She also has a strong publishing record, both internationally and nationally.
Research
Kirsty’s research has been wide-ranging in the information and technology areas, particularly focussing on the field of human information behaviour (including information needs, information sources, information use and information literacy) and the human and social aspects of ICT use. Her research has also focussed on a range of user groups, including: older people, people with disabilities, secondary and university students, women with breast cancer, baby boomers, online bankers and online investors. Public library research has also been an important study area.
- Information needs of various community groups, e.g, older people
- Information – seeking behaviour
- Telecommunications needs and use of various community groups, e.g people with disabilities
- Usability of electronic information sources
Research Grants, 2002 onwards
| Year | Amount | Research Grant |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-2002 | $295,252 | AccessAbility Program (Online Services for People with Disabilities), Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts |
| 2002-2003 | $198,500 | ARC Linkage and BreastCare Victoria: An Intelligent, User-Sensitive Portal to Breast Cancer Knowledge Online($60,000 coll. Org. contribution) |
| 2003-2005 | $383,300 | ARC Linkage and Public Record Office of Victoria: Trust and Technology: Building Archival Systems for Indigenous Oral Memory ($90,000 coll. org. contribution) |
| 2005-2007 | $285,000 | ARC Discovery One Day We’ll All Invest That Way! Regulating Online Investment |
| 2005-2007 | $90,000 | ARC Linkage and VICNET Overcoming Barriers to Effective Internet Use by Community Sector Organisations (APAI) ($15,000 coll. org. contribution) |
| 2006-7 | $136,872 | ARC Linkage and Scotch College, Wesley College, Mater Christi College, Kooringal High School ($26,500 coll. org. contribution) |
| 2006-2008 | $65,000 | Industry funded: Upper Murray Regional Library, Public Libraries Australia, State Library of NSW Impact of the Retirement of the Baby Boomers on the Public Library |
| 2006-7 | $32,000 | Scotch Library Review |
Teaching
Kirsty’s teaching activities are now restricted to PhD supervision. At present she is principal supervisor of four students and associate supervisor of one student.
Professional Engagement
Kirsty served on the Program Committee for the international conference, Information Seeking in Context, in 2004, 2006 and 2008. She is Chair of the School of Information Studies Research and Development Committee and Ethics Committee.
Recent Publications
- Williamson, K. & Asla, T. (2009) Information behavior of people in the fourth age: Implications for the conceptualization of information literacy. Library and Information Science Research, Vol. 31, No.2, pp. 76-83.
- Williamson, K. (2008). ‘Where information is paramount: A mixed methods, multi-disciplinary investigation of Australian online investors’. Information Research, an International Electronic Journal, Vol.13, No. 4.
http://InformationR.net/ir/13-4/isic08.html - Williamson, K., McGregor, J. Archibald, A., & Sullivan, J. (2007).'Information seeking and use by secondary students: The link between good practice and the avoidance of plagiarism’. School Library Media Research, Vol. 10, n.p.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume10/williamson_informationseeking.cfm - Williamson, K. and McGregor, J. (2006). ‘Information use and secondary school students: a model for understanding plagiarism’. Information Research, An International Electronic Journal, Vol. 12, No.1.
http://informationr.net/ir/12-1/paper288.html - Williamson, K. (2006). ‘Research in Constructivist Frameworks Using Ethnographic Techniques’. Library Trends. Vol., No.1, pp. 83-101. (Commissioned, but fully refereed.)
- The web site for Kirsty’s research group, where further publications can be found, is at: http://infotech.monash.edu.au/research/groups/itnr/