School of Library & Information Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11274/8857

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Audiobooks and attitudes: An examination of school librarian's perspectives
(2013-01-01) Brock, Rosemarie Monique; Vardell, Sylvia M.; Akin, Lynn; Battle, Joel
Given that research has shown that audiobooks impact literacy for youth in a number of ways, and since school librarians typically serve as gatekeepers of audiobook collections in school libraries, this study examined the attitudes of school librarians in Texas toward audiobooks. Using a multiliteracies framework to guide this research, this study asked: How do school librarians in Texas perceive the value and use of audiobooks for children and young adults? An electronic online survey was conducted using the population of school librarians in the state of Texas at both the elementary and secondary levels with 298 librarians providing usable data for analysis. In addition to the guiding study question, the thirty-nine question survey attempted to ascertain attitudes toward differences between listening to and reading a book, toward the addition of audiobooks to a school library collection, toward the use of audiobooks with diverse student populations, in addition to collecting general demographic information about librarian experience and correlating findings against this demographic data. When applicable, the survey included open-ended survey questions that offered participants an opportunity to offer additional comments and feedback. To highlight, this study's results found that across all grade levels (e.g., elementary, middle school, high school, young adult, adults), the overwhelming majority (94.6%) of librarians noted that ALL students should have access to audiobooks, with 82% reporting having an audiobook collection in their school library. The "typical" school librarian respondent in this study was female, with a Master of Library Science degree, working in a public school, serving 500-1000 students in the suburbs, with a budget of at least $300 per year to spend on audiobooks. Educational constituency and annual budgets were both proven to be statistically important in the acquisition of audiobooks. Respondents essentially had the same regard for the value of audiobooks in relation to reading regardless of the size of their audio collections. Most noteworthy obstacles for acquiring audiobooks were funding (52%), lack of interest from faculty (24.8%) and format restrictions (21%). In conclusion, it is important to note that while attitudes held by school librarians in Texas regarding audiobooks were overwhelmingly positive, a number of obstacles contribute to the lack of robust audiobook collections in many school libraries.
Authenticity and empowerment: Female role models in historical fiction from the Amelia Bloomer Project
(2016-05-30) Kinnaird, Kimberly Campbell; Vardell, Sylvia M.; Akin, Lynn; Haag, Claudia; Richey, Jennifer
Due to the shortage of female characters in historical texts, it is important for librarians and educators to share historical fiction novels containing strong female protagonists with children. While guidelines are available for critiquing authenticity in historical fiction and empowerment of female characters, these approaches are rarely combined. This study posed the following research question: What is the relationship between Boreen’s three stages of historical authenticity (1999) and Brown and St. Clair’s three levels of female empowerment (2002) in the historical middle school novels selected in the first decade of the ALA Amelia Bloomer Project list? To examine authenticity and empowerment, twenty-seven historical fiction novels were selected from the Amelia Bloomer Project. Each conflict between the female protagonist and society’s expectations was assigned one of Boreen’s authenticity levels and one of Brown and St. Clair’s empowerment stages. Frequencies and correlations were analyzed, showing a strong correlation of .863 between female protagonists’ authenticity and empowerment. Boreen’s most historically accurate protagonist (30.8%) correlated most often with Brown and St. Clair’s heroine that is strong on a limited scale (34.6%). Boreen’s historical role model acting courageously within society’s bounds (56.8%) correlated most often with Brown and St. Clair’s female character that defies society for personal ambition (55.9%). Boreen’s social renegade (12.4%) correlated most often with Brown and St. Clair’s role model that acts as a catalyst for change (9.5%). Secondary analyses showed the largest percentage of books was set in the United States (44.4%), accounting for 52.2% of all the books placed in the 19th and 20th centuries. The sources of conflict correlations gradually increased following the escalation of the protagonists’ actions from internal conflict, to interpersonal disputes, to eventually confronting society. These results mirrored the progressive stages of Boreen’s (1999) historical role models and Brown and St. Clair’s (2002) female empowerment levels. In conclusion, analyzing female characters’ levels of authenticity and empowerment is one method of evaluating and understanding historical literature for young people. The depiction of brave girls struggling to make their own choices in life may be particularly motivational for today’s readers.
A cautionary tale: Mixed methods analysis of elementary school library folklore collections
(2016-05-09) Enochs, Elizabeth Lee; Vardell, Sylvia M.; Akin, Lynn; Hoffman, Gretchen
Using mixed methods and framed in community psychology theory, this collection analysis study examined the folklore holdings of 77 elementary libraries in one large, urban school district in order to address three questions for research: What are features of elementary school library folklore collections? How is folklore used in elementary school instruction? and Do elementary school library folklore collections support instruction? Quantitative metrics for analysis included multiple linear regression, relative use factor, and Spearman s rho correlations. Most collections comprised 3.96% folklore titles, well below the 5% recommended in the literature. The majority of collections were 18 years old. Average folklore circulation accounted for 2.27% of total circulation. Age was not associated with the circulation of the folklore collection; however, size of the folklore collection predicted about 15% of circulation, and larger folklore collections circulated more than smaller. Semi-structured interviews with teachers from the schools in the quantitative sample furnished a narrative explaining teachers use of library folklore in instruction. Teachers use folklore to teach culture, math, and science. They provide classroom sets of folklore from the school library during close study of the genre. Merged with the quantitative findings, these interviews explained the need to care for older collections, to maximize the size of the folklore collection, and to select well-illustrated folklore titles spanning cultures and reading levels. A chief lesson from this cumulative collection analysis is that library collections are best analyzed in the context of the community where they are used.
Communication of community college library promotion to distance learners: Librarians' practices and perceptions as determined via e-surveys and telephone interviews
(2008-12) Austin, Sandra; Akin, Lynn; Battle, Joel; Jeng, Ling Hwey
Distance learners' lack of knowledge about available library resources and services is the research problem addressed in this study. It is significant to Library and Information Studies because library professionals are called upon to consider and examine their methods and practices of how they create a presence among their distance learners. This signals librarians to make adjustments to bridge the gap between what is available and students' actual use of the library. This research sought to find out how community college libraries might establish a presence among new distance education students that would result in their greater use of library resources and services. How librarians feel they achieve library promotion to distance education students and the extent to which promotion is carried out for the purpose of reaching those students are the focus of this study. Information is provided concerning how community college libraries can promote themselves among new distance learners via means that may positively impact use of library resources and services. The Association of College and Research Libraries' (ACRL) 2005 Academic Library Trends & Statistics (Associate's Colleges) was used to acquire the population of academic institutions used in this study. A pretest of the research instrument, a questionnaire, concerning the promotion practices of community college libraries in regard to distance learners, was conducted. Every fifth institution listed among those in the population was selected for participation in the pretest, with a total of fifty-four being selected. As a result of the pretest findings, the questionnaire was revised for the actual research study. The research sample of 204 libraries was sent an initial email message, which was the cover letter, and an attachment to the cover letter that contained the questionnaire. A follow-up message was sent to libraries that did not respond initially. Overall, thirty percent of the sample responded to the electronic questionnaire The data were tabulated, Once tabulated, the data were placed onto charts that describe the activity of the libraries' promotion activities, as related to distance learners. These statistics were examined to show the relationships among library promotions, distance learners, and the promoted benefits of the library services and materials. Pearson Correlation two-tailed tests were used to show relationships among particular variables and the overall growth of distance education library usage resulting from promotion efforts. Telephone interviews with librarians of the community colleges followed administration of the questionnaire. Of the fifty-nine questionnaire respondents, a sample of twenty librarians was interviewed concerning their library promotion practices. This sample was selected based upon the systematic sampling method. Sixteen of the twenty librarians were successfully contacted and interviewed. The data from the telephone interviews were tabulated and analyzed to show the commonality among responses and to show the differences that illuminate what some of the forces are behind library promotion to distance learners: what is practiced, what is not practiced and why not, and how promotion is accomplished. As a result of the findings, it may be concluded that the majority of libraries in the study use more than one means of creating initial communications between the library and distance learners and that growth has also occurred in the use of library resources and services among distance education students. Data indicate that promoted benefits that correspond with the promoted product also positively impact consumption of the product, in that the benefit is of a utilitarian or a hedonic nature in regard to consumer needs. Those libraries that used only one means of promotion or none at all, experienced usage losses, no growth, or very little growth. The telephone interviews revealed that while libraries are incorporating innovatively proactive means of reaching and serving distance learners, more planning, initiatives, and library awareness assessments are needed for furthering the presence of the library among distance learners. Such efforts could prove to increase library usage and student productivity.
Examining the fieldwork experience from the site supervisor perspective: A mixed-methods study using Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development theory
(2013-05) Brannon, Sian; Akin, Lynn; Swigger, Keith; Golden, Janine
The purpose of this study was to identify feelings and behaviors of fieldwork supervisors in public libraries using Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development theory as a background for design, analysis, and discussion of results. This research sought to find out how fieldwork supervisors perform initial assessments of their fieldwork students, what activities and assignments are conducted during the experience, how the supervisors assess the students, and how they feel about their role in the process. The study began with an online survey (77 respondents), continued with 25 interviews, and concluded with a content analysis of 47 evaluation forms provided by library and information science education programs. Results of the survey and interviews were compared to the evaluation forms and the American Library Association's Core Competences of Librarianship. Results give a better understanding of the thoughts and actions of fieldwork supervisors in public libraries, and a new fieldwork evaluation form is proposed.
An exploration of the experiences of pioneering online library and information science graduate students in the 1990s
(2011-05) Shelnutt, Cherri; Akin, Lynn; Vardell, Sylvia M.; Hoffman, Gretchen
This researcher explored the impact of the experience of early library and information science (LIS) online graduate courses from the perspective of the pioneering students involved in such courses in the 1990s. The study identified some of the experiences of LIS graduate students who took courses online during the 1990s, the time period marking the beginning of this form of educational delivery in the library and information studies field. Focusing on Rogers' theory of the diffusion of innovation, the researcher used an online questionnaire with quantitative questions as well as open-ended ones. This historical study obtained descriptions, experiences, and stories from 185 early student participants in their own words. The more quantitative questions provided background information about the LIS online graduate courses from a student perspective. Using coding, the researcher analyzed the text responses and identified categories commonly reported by the early LIS graduate students who participated in this study. The resulting categories expand knowledge about LIS education in general and early LIS online learning in particular.
Factors contributing to the adoption of virtual worlds by librarians
(2012-05-30) Hill, Valerie; Akin, Lynn; Vardell, Sylvia M.
The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may or may not contribute to the adoption of the innovation of virtual worlds by librarians. Using Everett Rogers' Diffusion Theory as a framework, the study sought to identify librarians with avatars (computer simulated representations of themselves) in the virtual world of Second Life, specifically those with a rez date (date of creation of the avatar) prior to two years of the study. Research questions guiding the study were as follows: 1. What are the most influential of Rogers' five attributes of Diffusion Theory for librarians making the decision to adopt virtual worlds as a professional medium? 2. How are Rogers' five attributes of Diffusion Theory relevant to the adoption of virtual worlds when applied to the self-identified stage of adoption of librarians? The methodology of this study was a survey which was based on the Community of Inquiry, or COI Model, a survey designed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, which uses a collaborative-constructivist approach to understanding the process of learning through a community. The survey was adapted to align with Rogers' 5 attributes. Results of the study revealed a high perception of relative advantage and compatibility with librarianship, a good deal of observation of the innovation, but a lower perception of trialability and complexity. Findings may be useful for understanding factors of adoption, for documentation of the efforts of early adopting librarians, and will lead to a better understanding of the future of virtual world librarianship in an age of rapidly changing technology trends.
Identifying core competencies for electronic resources librarians in the twenty-first century library
(2011-05-30) Sutton, Sarah; Akin, Lynn; Hoffman, Gretchen; Bray, Kaye
The purpose of this three phase study was to identify competencies for electronic resources librarians based on their appearance in job ads (phase one) and to determine which competencies are taught in MLIS programs, which are taught in continuing education, and whether significant differences exist between the two educational venues in terms of which competencies for electronic resources librarians are being taught (phase two). The study concluded with a comparison of the competencies for electronic resources librarians identified in the first phase of the study with ALA's Core Competences of Librarianship (phase three). In phase one, content analysis of 190 job ads for electronic resources librarians published between January 2005 and December 2009 was conducted. These competencies were then sought in 286 online electronic resources related MLIS course syllabi and 274 continuing education course descriptions which, in both cases, were taught between January 2005 and December 2009. Chi-square tests of independence were performed to determine whether a competency that is identified as being required or preferred in job ads is independent from whether it is associated with experience, knowledge, or ability in the context of the job ads. In the second phase of the study, Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify significant relationships between the frequency with which competencies were identified in MLIS course syllabi and the frequency with which competencies were identified in continuing education course descriptions. In the third phase of the study, a set of core competencies for electronic resources librarians was developed based on the results of the content analysis conducted in phase one and then compared with ALA's Core Competences of Librarianship using word clouds for comparative analysis. Results reinforce the importance of continuing education, identify competencies taught in formal coursework and in CE courses, compare and contrast all three sets of identified competencies, and emphasize the significance of technology in ER librarianship. Abbott's theory of the System of Professions (Abbott 1988) is used as a theoretical framework for further discussion of the results.
An investigation of the perceived information needs, information-seeking behaviors, and the use of community public libraries among first-generation adult Korean immigrants living in the Dallas, Texas, area
(2002-08) Rho, Jin-Ja; Westbrook, Lynn; MeGregor, Joy; Akin, Lynn
The overall purpose of the study is to explore informational needs, information-seeking behaviors, and the use of community public libraries among first-generation adult Korean immigrants living in the Dallas, Texas, area. The subjects for the study consisted of thirty-six first-generation adult Korean immigrants living in the Dallas, Texas, area. Among the total thirty-six interviewees, half (9 males and 9 females) were randomly collected from the Dallas Korean resident directory. The remaining interviewees (9 males and 9 females) were collected with the help of three gatekeepers of Korean ethnic populations living in the Dallas, Texas, area. Data for the study were collected by means of a flexibly-structured, open-ended, face-to-face interview. The data were analyzed using both content analysis and the ethnographic summary approach according to the constant comparison method. The informational needs expressed by the respondents were classified into the following twelve topic areas: children's education, educational opportunities for career development, survival information, family relation matters, mainstream community information, business-related concerns, general legal aid, health insurance, housing information, basic computer skills, tax assistance, and English literacy improvement. The immigrants relied heavily on informal interpersonal Korean social networks as their primary informational source. Community public libraries were perceived as irrelevant and inconsequential places for their daily informational need situations. The immigrants simply did not realize the libraries existed for them, nor did they acknowledge any benefits of or necessity for a library for their lives. Although the adult Korean immigrants made limited use of public libraries for themselves, they were devoted users of the library for their children's school-related concerns, and most of the immigrants' library uses were almost entirely limited to their children's educational purposes. The importance of learning English was a constantly recurring theme during the interview process. The language barrier caused the immigrants to seek information from their own ethnic resources because their English proficiency affected their abilities to go beyond the same ethnic information environment. Also, the language barrier exacerbated the degree of the immigrants' social isolation and alienation from mainstream society.
Measuring academic library efficiency and alignment with institutional resource utilization priorities using data envelopment analysis: An analysis of institutions of higher education in Texas and their libraries
(2012-12) Shupala, Christine; Swigger, Keith; Akin, Lynn; Golden, Janine
Academic and library administrators are increasingly required to demonstrate efficiency in programs, services, and operations as well as effectiveness. An important component of efficiency measurement is identification of a relevant peer group against which to compare the administrative unit to determine relative efficiency. The two-fold purpose of this study is to identify efficiencies related to teaching and research in academic libraries and institutions of higher education (IHEs) and to determine the usefulness of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as an efficiency measurement tool for the academic administrator. Using a population of academic libraries and IHEs in Texas as a case study, variables were identified that represented the teaching- and research- related inputs and outputs for IHEs and academic libraries. Three separate models types were developed for each administrative level in each year of the two-year study. The first focused on teaching efficiency; the second focused on research efficiency; the third combined teaching and research to examine overall efficiency. Separate variables were selected for each administrative level to represent the teaching- and research-related inputs and outputs for the administrative level. Data were gathered for 2007 and 2008 for both academic libraries and IHEs to permit model stability testing. Each model was completed once in each study year. A total of twelve individual models were completed across the two years of study. In the first phase of the study, variables were selected based on an extensive review of the literature and the researcher's professional judgment, following the process the academic administrator might employ to select variables. All variables for each model were calculated, transformed as needed, and tested for isotonicity using a correlation matrix. Variables were entered into the DEA analysis tool and relative efficiency scores were calculated using input-oriented CCR-CRS and BCC-VRS models. The initial calculations indicated that scale was a factor in efficiency and BCC-VRS was employed to determine final efficiency scores. Discrimination in each model was increased using a backward removal of variables procedure. Each model identified the relative efficiency of the academic libraries and IHEs in the study population. In the second phase of the study efficiency scores for the population of IHEs and academic libraries were subjected to statistical analysis. Related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Spearman's rho correlations were performed to test the stability of the model and identify both significant differences in and correlations of scores at each administrative level across years. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to identify relationships in efficiency scores across administrative levels in each year of the study. An institutional control filter was applied to all analyses to determine the extent to which institutional control influenced its efficiency score. Additional analyses were conducted using Spearman's rho and Holms sequential Bonferroni to determine the influence of institution size and Carnegie degree classification on efficiency scores. Results of the DEA process and analysis identified the method's strengths and pitfalls. The process highlighted the influence of population size and homogeneity, of data availability and imbalances, and of the method used to increase model discrimination. Difficulties arising from these influences were addressed and final efficiency scores were presented. Statistical analyses identified general trends in efficiency at both the academic library and the IHE levels of administration and suggest that size, classification, and control may influence efficiency. While results of the study indicate that the complexity of DEA may limit its usefulness to academic administrators, the study provides a foundation from which additional efficiency analysis tools may be developed in the context of an overall assessment plan. Academic and library administrators wishing to pursue DEA analysis will find this study useful as they identify variables, processes, populations, data, and relevant DEA models. The study also provides a foundation for future research in IHE and library efficiency analysis and highlights research opportunities in data collection and preparation, variable selection, population identification, and discrimination methods.
Newbery and notable: Investigating trends in children's literature 2000–2009
(2012-05) Follis, Marianne Crandall; Vardell, Sylvia M.; Cahill, Maria; Akin, Lynn
Given the prestige and longevity of the Newbery award winning books, they are often used as historical samples of children's literature. This use is questioned in this study since the Newbery award winning title is but one in thousands published in any given year. This study asked: Should the Newbery award winning books be placed in a position of serving as landmarks of the past? Do they reflect what typically occurred in the time period during which they were produced? Can assumptions be made about the whole year's worth of children's literature through the examination of one book? In order to answer these questions, a larger, yet similar sample data set was needed. The Notable Children's books list was selected due to its similarities in selection committee makeup and book selection criteria. Using the standardized Library of Congress subject headings, an open coding method, based in grounded theory, was applied, resulting in created inclusive groupings, called "supersets." Frequencies and analyses were gathered and reported for the study showing there were six years in which the Notable book list and the Newbery award winning title shared a superset heading. After examining aggregate data for the studied years, 2000-2009, five superset headings were shared by both lists: "animal (wild)," "family," "fantasy," "friends" and "traditional literature." One of the findings this study reported was that the top ten superset headings occurring in the Notable books list accounted for not quite half, 47%, of the listings of superset headings; 1272 occurrences out of a possible 2709. Of the 88 superset headings created by the researcher, a mere ten of the 88 constituted almost half of the entries. This would seem to show a concentration in these areas of content for the Notable books list: "biography," "poetry," "animal (wild)," "traditional literature," "science," "occupation," "family," "fantasy," "books and reading," and "friends." In conclusion it is important to note that while breaking the books down into subject headings in this study may seem to anonymize the titles or reduce them to their base elements, in this case their subject headings, each of these books is really a single drop in the sum total of children's publishing. However, the impact of the Newbery award winning titles on individual readers is what makes them truly unique.

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