Dissertation Information for Gregory J. Zuck NAME: - Gregory J. Zuck
- (Alias) Gregory James Zuck
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA) (1980)
ADVISORS: - Jack A. Clarke
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Ethel Auster - Richard D. Walker - Charles A. Bunge - Charles Nicholas Halaby
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: Unstable environments and centralization of decision making in large academic libraries
Abstract: The sample was composed of administrative staff at the levels of department head, division head, advisory staff, and the library director in twenty large university libraries. These libraries were continuous members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and were located in the United States.
The independent variable was an index number developed from the percentage of budgetary fluctuations in the eleven year period, 1965-1975. Ten academic libraries with the least and ten academic libraries with the most fluctuating budgets were calculated mathematically. This budgetary fluctuation was considered a description of satable and unstable environments. The dependent variable was tested by means of a seven page questionnaire.
Contrary to some sociological literature on complex organizations, one hypothesis was that unstable library environments would be related to centralization of decision making. In general the twenty ARL libraries tended to be centralized. Significant differences at .05 were found in the cases of some decision making that was done department-wide. Spearman correlation was applied to the library environments, decision making in the areas of materials in contrast to personnel budget, and the variables of number of library directors over an eleven year period and the type of the parent organization, public or private. From these data it was found that libraries that had centralized decision making on materials also practiced centralized decision on personnel matters. The number of library directors was not found to be correlated with types of environments. However, the stable library environments tended to be associated with parent organizations that were private.
The conceptualization and testing may require a larger and more diverse sample of libraries including both supervisory and nonsupervisory staff. Likewise, the dissertation suggests further amplifications on the basic process of organizational environments and large academic libraries.
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MPACT Scores for Gregory J. Zuck A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
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TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:27:07
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