Dissertation Information for John Philip Mulvaney NAME: - John Philip Mulvaney
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of Pittsburgh (USA) (1989)
ADVISORS: - Margaret M. Kimmel
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - E. Blanche Woolls - Daniel O'Connor - Ellen Detlefsen
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: The characteristics of a quality library school
Abstract: The question of quality in library education has long been a vexing one. Library education programs have been accused of not aspiring to excellence; accreditation has been criticized for not assuring quality. As different perception studies have shown, certain schools are considered to be of higher quality than others. A literature review was undertaken to ascertain those characteristics which library educators feel are necessary for a quality program. It was assumed that perception studies measure quality.
This study examined two groups of library schools: those consistently ranked in both of Herbert S. White's perception studies and those schools not consistently ranked. Quantifiable characteristics were entered into a multiple regression in which the dependent variable was the number of times the school had been ranked in different perception studies. Selected variables were then entered into a discriminant analysis in which the dependent variable was whether the school was consistently ranked in the two White studies. To measure those variables which could not be quantified, selected library school deans were interviewed.
Descriptive statistics showed clear differences between the two groups of schools. In the multiple regression model, which accounted for 82.7% of the variance, the most important variable was the half-life of the school's doctoral graduates which accounted for 61.4% of the variance. The discriminant analysis model explained 78.3% of the variance. On the basis of several variables which define various aspects of a program's size, finances, age, leadership, and rigor, the discriminant analysis showed that ranked and unranked schools form two mutually exclusive groups whose membership can be predicted with better than 98% accuracy. It also showed that the profession has defined the quality of a school's MLS program in terms of its having a doctoral program, and the size and age of its MLS program.
This study revealed an empirical basis for the perception rankings of library education programs by library educators and ARL library directors. The appropriateness of these results should now be evaluated.
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MPACT Scores for John Philip Mulvaney A = 0
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calculated 2008-01-31 06:23:19
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