School of Library & Information Studies
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Browsing School of Library & Information Studies by Subject "Academic libraries"
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Item A comparative analysis of the administrative operations of fourteen government-supported university libraries in Thailand using the criteria contained in the draft University Library Standards, 1980, of the Office of University Affairs in Thailand(1982-12) Techamanee, Yupin; Turner, Frank; Smith, Lotsee; Nicosia, AlfonsoItem The development of the Standards for College Libraries(2004-05) Swinney, Victoria Kathleen; Swigger, Keith; Westbrook, LynnThis study traces the history and sources of the Standards for College Libraries from the first committee discussion in the late 1950' s to 2000. Changes in the leadership of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) strongly influenced the process of revising those standards. Changes in higher education standards and the practice of college librarianship also shaped the standards. Throughout all of the versions on the standards, basic support for the central role of the library in collegiate education and faculty status for librarians remained unchanged. The 1959 Standards for College Libraries represented a response to calls for policies and methods for improving smaller college libraries. They set ambitious goals with quantitative minima for all college libraries. An unsuccessful attempt to revise them responded to calls for more flexible standards focused on actual practice and avoided quantitative minima. A new committee developed a consensus document approved in 1975 that returned to quantitative minima and introduced a grading system that allowed libraries to compare their collection, staffing, and facilities to libraries serving similar institutions, with the majority of libraries receiving a grade of C. This scoring system and the omission of audiovisual materials from the collection formula drew considerable criticism. The new edition of the standards in 1986 maintained much of the structure and content of the 1975 standards, but addressed criticism of the scoring system and the omission of audiovisual materials from the collections formula by making it easier for libraries to receive a grade of A and adding audiovisual materials and resource sharing transactions to the collection standard. The increasing complexity of the ACRL and the rising influence of smaller units led to a shift in responsibility for the standards to the College Libraries Section Standards Committee in the 1990's. This group wrote a minor revision of the standards in 1995 and the final revision-of the standards in 2000. This final revision focused on individualized assessment and replaced national normative quantitative standards with suggestions for local quantitative assessment, while maintaining the vision of the library developed in the earlier standards.Item Longitudinal study of the collection development patterns of libraries in the Association of Research Libraries and the Online Computer Library Center, and Texas academic libraries using the OCLC /AMIGOS Collection Analysis compact disc to assess strengths, weaknesses, and overlap for 1985–1995(2001-05) McNeely, Bonnie Michaels; Swigger, Keith; Westbrook, Lynn; Huber, JeffThis study analyzed the changes in book collecting patterns of three peer groups: (1) members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), (2) participants in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Database, and (3) TexShare Libraries. Data were extracted from the OCLC/AMIGOS Collection Analysis CD for non-serial titles for the period 1985-1995 for 104 LC classification numbers and for seven language groups by imprint year for each peer group usingn the 1995-1998 editions. Unique title holdings by 104 LC classification numbers, for seven language groups, by imprint year for each peer group were also extracted. LC subject categories were grouped into three broad subjects: humanities, sciences and social sciences. Yearly changes, rate of change, and yearly average rate of change were calcualted for LC subject categories, language groups, broad subject groups, and unique title counts. ARL and OCLC peer groups had an average yearly rate of growth between 2-3 percent for the period; TexShare had between 1-2 percent. OCLC had the largest growth in the humanities, ARL had the largest in the social sciences, and TexShare had the largest growth in the sciences. The number of unique titles (diversity in the collections) increased as measured by (yearly average for period) for all peer groups: OCLC (3.76%), ARL (3.80%), and TexShare (1.64%). There was a 3 percent average yearly decline in percentage of non-English titles for this period. The large number of negative title counts and rate of change calculations for the years 1994 and 1995 indicate that the acquisitions and cataloging lag for a large number of titles may be five or more years. Although academic libraries have been reporting declining book budgets for a decade or more, the "national collection" continued to grow at an average yearly rate of 2-3 percent for the period studied (1985-1995). However, collaborative collection development could increase the rate of growth and diversity.Item The management of change in the information age: Approaches of academic library directors in the United States(2010-05) Yi, Zhixian; Swigger, Keith; McElrath, Eileen; Yang, Philip Q.Rapid changes in information technology affect all areas of academic libraries, from acquisitions to cataloging, research, and online learning. To ensure that libraries run smoothly and meet the current needs of all students, faculty, and staff, directors must learn to effectively manage constant and evolving change. Researchers Bolman and Deal studied numerous business and education directors and discovered that they used four distinct approaches when managing change: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Structural leaders rely on formal rules, while human resource leaders strive to satisfy human needs. Political leaders use power and conflict, while symbolic leaders create rituals and celebrate the future. When supervising change, leaders and managers used either one (single), two (dual), or three or more (multiple) of these approaches. The change was either planned or unexpected. Using Bolman and Deal's research as a guideline, this study examines how academic library directors manage change. The study also examines the factors that may influence management approaches: (1) demographics (age, gender); (2) human capital (education, length of employment); and (3) library characteristics (size, type). An email survey was sent to 1,010 directors randomly selected from various degree-granting colleges and universities within the United States; 596 (59%) responded. The survey was based on a review of library literature and on Bolman and Deal's change management model. Multiple choice questions tracked the directors' experiences with change management, the approaches used, and the factors that may have influenced these approaches. When applicable, directors were also encouraged to write their own views and experiences. This allowed for any "other" possible categories outside of the Bolman and Deal model. The collected quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations) and inferential statistics (bivariate crosstabulations, chi-square tests, correlations, binary and multinomial logistic regressions). Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the relationships between a dependent variable with multiple categories and more than two predictors. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis. Initially 18 directors, chosen by stratified random sampling, participated in a pilot study of the email survey via surveymonkey.com. Following their suggestions and comments, revisions were made to the survey before it was applied to the large-scale study in a similar manner. This study has confirmed that change is generally managed in academic libraries from structural, human resource, political, symbolic or multiple perspectives. Most directors managed both planned and unplanned change and used multiple approaches. The structural and human resource approaches were the most frequently used single approaches, although dual approaches were also common A correlation and regression analysis confirms that demographics, human capital, and library variables play significant roles in managing change. Regression results show that older directors were more likely to use multiple approaches during change management than younger ones. Directors who oversaw more subordinates were more likely to use multiple approaches to manage change in information technology, and to make change decisions than their counterparts. Those who worked for an institution offering a higher academic degree were more likely than their counterparts to use multiple approaches to plan change, and to resolve conflicts during the change process. The results allow a better understanding of directors' attitudes, behaviors, and approaches to managing change in academic libraries. Directors may use the results to reflect on different options of management strategy and balance the weight of these influences. Librarians may better understand different management techniques and approaches. Hopefully, this study will stimulate more research on the subject.Item Mature learners and information literacy instruction in Academic Libraries: How LIS programs prepare Academic library instructors for adult education roles(2016-12-30) Miller, Michelle; Jeng, Ling Hwey; Lee, Hyuk-Jin; Hoffman, GretchenThe purpose of this study was to determine the availability of instruction courses at library and information science programs (LIS) in the US, and to what extent LIS programs address adult learning theory and instruction in the context of library instruction. Previous studies identified instruction courses at all American Library Association (ALA) accredited programs in the US; however, these studies did not delineate courses as K12 or non-K12 focused, nor did they explore adult learning theory topic inclusion. This study analysed course availability at 50 ALA-accredited programs in the US and used content analysis of instruction and academic library syllabi acquired from current LIS instructors and via course and faculty websites. Content analysis was undertaken using purposeful coding based on the assumptions of adult learning developed by the researcher by combining Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and Malcolm Knowles’ assumptions of adult learning delineated in the adult learning theory andragogy. SPSS was used to conduct quantitative analysis of course syllabi to determine significant associations between syllabus elements. Findings show availability of instruction courses is extensive, but not universal, and that adult learning theory and instruction has minimal presence in current LIS programs. Suggestions for LIS program course development and future course content development are made based on the present study’s findings and evidence from extant research.Item 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, JanineAcademic 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.Item Staffing reference service in university libraries: A cost effective model for administrative decisions(1980-12-31) Shafa, Zarrintaj M.; Sheldon, Brooke; McFarland, John; Turner, Frank; Marino, Samuel