Dissertation Information for William Crowe NAME: - William Crowe
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (1986)
ADVISORS: - David Kaser
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Philip C. Chamberlain - George Whitbeck - Herbert S. White
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: VERNER W. CLAPP AS OPINION LEADER AND CHANGE AGENT IN THE PRESERVATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Abstract: The career of Verner W. Clapp (1901-1972), a senior administrator at the Library of Congress and founding president of the Council of Library Resources, was examined to determine to what extent and in what ways he was an opinion leader and/or change agent in the cause of preservation of library materials, defined for this study as applications of microphotography, improvements in binding techniques, and improvements in permanence/durability of paper. The study was conducted as biographical research and drew on a broad body of social science research on change to apply to it a paradigm of change, definitions of the characteristics of opinion leaders and change agents, and categorizations of change strategies. Sources consulted included Clapp's papers, the records of organizations with which he was associated, and a large body of related secondary sources.
The study found that during his years at the Library of Congress (1922-1956) Clapp did not act in significant ways as an opinion leader or change agent in preservation of library materials. However, it was during this time that he became an opinion leader in librarianship generally and developed a serious interest in preservation. While at the Council on Library Resources (1956-1972), Clapp was both opinion leader and change agent in preservation, and emphasized use of rational-empirical strategies to effect change. In the areas of preservation examined, the study found that: (1) Clapp's interests in microphotography were more focused on improved dissemination of documents and economies of storage than on preservation. (2) He was frustrated in attempts to effect significant change in binding, principally because of the problems of studying the complex interactions of binding elements. (3) Clapp made great efforts in the cause of manufacture of permanent/durable paper and methods of preserving existing paper, especially in close collaboration with William J. Barrow.
Clapp's most significant contributions to preservation were his work with Barrow; his advocacy of attention to preservation within the library community, especially in the American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries; and his own research on the history of permanence and durability of paper.
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MPACT Scores for William Crowe A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:07:35
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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