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Dissertation Information for Deborah Jeanne Grimes

NAME:
- Deborah Jeanne Grimes

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Alabama (USA) (1993)

ADVISORS:
- Charles B. Osburn

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Marion Paris
- Annabel Kuykendall Stephens
- Philip M. Turner
- Eva Mae McMahan

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Centrality and the academic library

Abstract: The purpose of this research project was to study academic library centrality within the context of organization theory and to identify possible indicators of the concept on which further study may be based. The concept is related to "the library is the heart of the university" metaphor and to the mission of the academic library. Using a modified grounded theory methodology, the research design of this study included: (1) clarification of the concepts of resource allocation, retrenchment, power, and centrality; (2) a pilot study and development of interview format and questions; and (3) a formal study with interviews of chief academic officers and chief executive officers in five universities. Conclusions drawn from this study are: (1) the metaphor is not equivalent to the academic library mission, and its continued use has negative implications for both theory development and practice; and (2) important components of two existing definitions of academic unit centrality are relevant to the academic library, but neither is directly applicable. In addition, a number propositions arise from the study: (1) certain indicators of academic subunit centrality identified in previous studies are not indicative of academic library centrality; (2) certain services, resources, or facilities provided by the academic library are relevant indicators of academic library centrality in relation to the general mission of the university; (3) certain indicators are more pertinent to the university mission component of teaching while others are more pertinent to the component of research; (4) three major categories of indicators of academic library can be distilled from the range of possibilities: service, access, tradition; (5) these broad categories may be applied as empirical indicators of academic library centrality, regardless of mission component, university priorities, or type of academic institution; and (6) academic library centrality can be operationally defined as user success.

MPACT Scores for Deborah Jeanne Grimes

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-05-19 11:31:46

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