Dissertation Information for Maurice Peterson Marchant NAME: - Maurice Peterson Marchant
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA) (1970)
ADVISORS: - Marvin W. Peterson
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Robert Tylore Blackburn - Edmon Low - James I. Doi
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: THE EFFECTS OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS ON ALTERNATIVE MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between professional library staff participation in decision making and a set of performance measurements thought appropriate to university libraries. Two independent variables were measured. The first is an index of the extent to which the professional library staff perceives of itself as involved in the decision making process. The second is an index of their perception of the participative nature of the library's managerial style in general. The research was a test of the applicability of Rensis Likert's participative management theory to university libraries and utilized his research instrument. "Profile of Organizational Characteristics," in measuring the independent variables.
The performance measurements are; (1) faculty evaluation of library characteristics, (2) circulation of library materials for use outside of the library per student and per faculty. (3) extent of library long range planning, (4) library staff uniformity in its evaluation of the importance and quality of various library operations and characteristics, and uniformity between the staff, the library's top management and the faculty in evaluation of those operations and characteristics, and (5) staff satisfaction with their jobs. They represent performances of the libraries' productive, adaptive and maintenance functions.
The general procedures used were regression and correlation analysis by which the relationships between the independent variables and performance measurements were clarified by partialling out the effects of a group of control variables.
Control variables represented three major groupings: university characteristics and resources, library organizational variables, and library staff characteristics. More specifically they were as follows: (1) Doctoral degrees granted. (2) Prerequisites available o the library staff. (3) Library staff, collection, and total expenditures per full time equivalent student and per full time equivalent faculty. (4) Index of the physical decentralization of library collection. (5) Index of library autonomy from university administration and faculty. (6) Beginning librarian salary. (7) Number of professional librarians. (8) Ratio of librarians to total library staff, to students, and to faculty. (9) Size of collection. (10) Acquisitions rate of library materials. (11) Serial titles received. (12) Breadth of Education index of professional library staff. (13) Percent of librarians who have been members of a given library staff for at least three years.
Twenty-two universities whose libraries are members of the Association of Research Libraries participated. All members of their professional staffs and a sample of their universities faculty were surveyed. In addition, relevant data was acquired as available from published sources.
Relationships between one or both independent variables was significant with (1) staff satisfaction, (2) uniformity of staff evaluation of library quality, (3) and uniformity of evaluation between top management and faculty. A near- significant relationship was also found with uniformity of staff evaluation of library importance. While the relationship with faculty evaluation was not of significant, which had significant relationship with both faculty evaluation and the independent variables.
A preliminary model of causality explaining faculty evaluation was constructed using the independent and control variables. It suggested that staff satisfaction is affected by three variables: (1) participative management, (2) breadth of education and (3) wealth as measures in terms of library expenditures per student or per faculty. Wealth is also related to collection size.
Circulation per student was shown to be significantly related to faculty evaluation, but there were important differences in their relationships to other factors. It was suggested that circulation, as a measurement of library effectiveness, must be used with care because concern for optimizing circulation may result in inadequate recognition of important factors affecting the quality in library service.
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MPACT Scores for Maurice Peterson Marchant A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:30:17
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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