Dissertation Information for David Shavit NAME: - David Shavit
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Columbia University (USA) (1984)
ADVISORS: - Redmond Kathleen Molz
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Ambiguous
Title: THE IMPACT OF FEDERAL AID ON STATE LIBRARY AGENCIES: SELECTED CASE STUDIES
Abstract: In 1970 Congress amended the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) to allow the states to use federal funds to strengthen and improve their state library agencies (SLAs).
The policy adapted by Congress resulted from two events. One has been the continuous emphasis (since the 1930s) by the library profession on the weak position of the state library agencies and the need to strengthen and improve them. The other significant event was the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, Title V of which made federal funds available to the states to strengthen their state educational agencies.
Following the enactment of the amendment, the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) prepared regulations interpreting the law and enumerating those activities pursued by the SLAs which would be considered as strengthening the SLA. Some of the major objectives were administration of the state plan, statewide planning for and evaluation of library programs, dissemination of information concerning library services and the activities of the state advisory council.
To examine the states' implementation of the federal policy to strengthen and improve the SLAs and the impact of the federal legislative mandate, case studies of five midwestern states were conducted (Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana). Some of the questions which this study tries to answer are: (1) How was the program implemented in the states, why was it implemented as it was, and what were the factors affecting the implementation of the program? (2) Did the program act as a stimulus for institutional change in the SLAs, and to what extent did it accomplish the legislative mandated activities? (3) In which ways, if any, have the SLAs been strengthened and improved? (4) In which ways could the SLAs realistically have been expected to respond to federal aid?
The study concluded that the impact of the LSCA provision to strengthen the five SLAs was negligible; the amount of change in their administration and management was minimal; and weak agencies were not able to change the conditions that caused them to be weak. The findings are not unexpected, however, if the degree of discretion made available to the states by the act is considered.
| |
MPACT Scores for David Shavit A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:01:58
Advisors and Advisees Graph
generating graph, please reload |