Closing The Loop: An Examination of University System of Georgia Provosts’ and Academic Library Deans’ or Directors’ Preferences for Communication and Attitudes Concerning the Contribution of the Academic Library to the University’s Mission

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dc.contributor.author Holt, Michael
dc.coverage.spatial Georgia en_US
dc.coverage.temporal 1980-2019 en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2019-05-29T17:56:43Z
dc.date.available 2019-05-29T17:56:43Z
dc.date.issued 2019-05-29
dc.identifier.citation Holt, Michael Otis. "Closing The Loop: An Examination of University System of Georgia Provosts’ and Academic Library Deans’ or Directors’ Preferences for Communication and Attitudes Concerning the Contribution of the Academic Library to the University’s Mission." D.P.A. diss., Valdosta State University, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/10428/3542.
dc.identifier.other 49213A52-B6ED-BEA6-4B12-61443355C90B UUID
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/10428/3542
dc.description.abstract In the current environment for higher education, it has become critical for all of the departments and colleges within a university to become more aware of their place in the overall mission of the university. This is especially true of the academic library, which had relied upon a reputation as the “heart” of an academic institution for many years. The new reality of shrinking budgets and an increased focus on student success and retention at colleges and universities has meant that this reputation has been challenged in recent years. If libraries are to remain at the “heart” of their campuses, they must re-envision how they approach funding requests and understand their role in campus-wide initiatives for retention and success. One way that academic libraries can begin this process is through working to improving communication between the deans or directors who manage the library and the university provost who often serves as the supervisor of the deans or directors. This study examines that relationship to determine what differences there are between deans or directors and provosts in their communication preferences for funding requests and their perception of the library’s role in campus-wide initiatives to increase retention and student success. The study focused on these areas because two of the main challenges facing higher education in the literature were decreasing funding and the need to improve retention and student success metrics. The quantitative and qualitative data sets collected for this project are used to highlight areas of agreement and difference among deans, directors, and provosts and to recommend steps for future action, including the application of New Public Management theory for better understanding the current higher education landscape. The study also developed recommendations for future studies of library and university administration. Through understanding these differences, academic library and university administrators can better understand how to improve their working relationships in a manner that can hopefully result in better outcomes for the library and the university. en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 Overview 1 Statement of the Problem 3 Purpose of the Study 5 Summary of Methodology 6 Research Questions 6 Summary 7 Significance of the Study 9 Chapter II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 11 Overview 11 The Changing Landscape of Higher Education 11 Academic Library Funding and Budgeting 14 Library Participation in Retention and Success Initiatives 16 Changing Role of Provosts on University Campuses 20 Changing Roles of Library Deans or Directors in Academic Libraries 22 Existing Literature on Provosts’ and Academic Library Deans’ Perceptions of Academic Libraries 25 New Public Management Theory and its Application to the Problem 28 Summary 29 Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 31 Overview 31 Research Design 32 Survey Questions 32 Procedure 33 Research Questions 34 Research Assumptions 35 Data Analysis 36 Reliability and Validity 39 Summary 41 Chapter IV: RESULTS 43 Overview 43 Demographic Information 43 Survey and Interview Structure 47 Research Question 1: Provosts’ Data Preferences for Funding Requests 48 Research Question 2: Provosts’ Perceptions of Library Participation 51 Research Question 3: Deans’ or Directors’ Data Preferences for Funding 54 Research Question 4: Deans’ or Directors’ Perceptions of Library Participation 57 Research Question 5: Relationship Between Responses and Institutional Designation 60 Summary 64 Chapter V: CONCLUSION 65 Overview 65 Summary of Findings 68 Research Question 1: Provosts’ Data Preferences for Funding Requests 68 Research Question 2: Provosts’ Perceptions of Library Participation 72 Research Question 3: Deans’ or Directors’ Data Preferences for Funding 75 Research Question 4: Deans’ or Directors’ Perceptions of Library Participation 78 Research Question 5: Relationship Between Responses and Institutional Designation 81 Implications for Practice 82 Importance of Assessment and Data 82 Applicability of New Public Management and New Public Governance 83 Information Literacy is Increasingly Important 84 Recommendations for Practice 85 Keep Data In Annual Reports 85 Tie Data to University’s Strategic Priorities 86 Remain Mindful of What is Being Requested 86 Understand Why Specific Data is Needed for Specific Requests 87 Help the Library Define its Connection to Retention and Success 87 Be Mindful of the Critiques of Critical Librarianship 88 Communication and Partnership are Keys to Success 89 Limitations of the Study 90 Suggestions for Future Research 91 Summary 94 REFERENCES 96 APPENDIX A: Provost Quantitative Survey Email Solicitation 109 APPENDIX B: Provost Quantitative Survey 111 APPENDIX C: Library Dean/Director Quantitative Survey Email Solicitation 121 APPENDIX D: Library Dean/Director Quantitative Survey 123 APPENDIX E: Provost Qualitative Interview Schedule 133 APPENDIX F: Library Dean/Director Qualitative Interview Schedule 136 APPENDIX G: Qualitative Data Codebook 139 APPENDIX H: Krippendorff’s Alpha SPSS Output 147 APPENDIX I: IRB Approval 149 en_US
dc.format.extent 166 pages.
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.rights This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed. en_US
dc.subject Dissertations, Academic--United States
dc.subject Academic libraries
dc.subject Academic libraries--Administration
dc.subject Academic libraries--Evaluation
dc.title Closing The Loop: An Examination of University System of Georgia Provosts’ and Academic Library Deans’ or Directors’ Preferences for Communication and Attitudes Concerning the Contribution of the Academic Library to the University’s Mission en_US
dc.type Dissertation en_US
dc.contributor.department Public Administration en_US
dc.description.advisor Bernstein, Alan
dc.description.committee Alemanne, Nicole
dc.description.committee Jha, Nandan
dc.description.degree D.P.A. en_US


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