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Dissertation Information for Johnny Franklin Quinn Jr.

NAME:
- Johnny Franklin Quinn Jr.

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (1996)

ADVISORS:
- Judith Serebnick

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Thomas E. Nisonger
- Martha McCarthy
- Verna Leah Pungitore

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Abortion titles in Indiana public libraries: An examination of factors influencing collection diversity

Abstract: Library collection diversity is manifested in the acquisition of library materials that reflect a diversity of opinion on controversial subjects. Consequently, this concept has great importance both to librarianship and to the public.

The measure of diversity, however, has proven somewhat problematic, with no satisfactory quantitative method available. Also, recent findings indicate that library holdings for abortion materials are somewhat biased, with pro-choice titles held in more libraries than pro-life titles. This study applies a quantitative measure of collection diversity, Relative Level of Diversity, or RLD (derived from Simpson's index), to the subject of abortion in small to medium-sized Indiana public libraries.

Primary selectors of abortion materials in twenty-six libraries were surveyed by questionnaire. On-site visits to respondent libraries were conducted to determine the abortion holdings and collection diversity for each library. Data regarding a variety of independent variables were obtained, and most of the findings were analyzed using multiple regression analysis, which was in turn used to develop a model of useful regressors.

A six-variable model emerged from the multiple regression analysis, with collection diversity most strongly associated with more highly educated librarians, less censorious librarians, the presence of a written collection development policy, a greater perceived importance of diversity in collection development, libraries open more hours per week, and libraries with a greater number of employees.

In addition, library collections for abortion were, on the whole, somewhat biased, with pro-choice titles more widely held than pro-life titles.

Simpson's index, in general, functioned well as a measure of diversity, but it did show an unexpected sensitivity to changes in very small collections, arguing for caution in the application of Simpson's index in the measure of very small library collections.

The findings suggest that the following variable categories are especially important for collection diversity: librarian variables (pertaining to individual selectors), library (or institutional) variables, and mass media variables (specifically, publishing and reviewing patterns of abortion titles).

MPACT Scores for Johnny Franklin Quinn Jr.

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:08:03

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