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Full-Text Articles in Library and Information Science

The Primary Source: Issues In The Usability Of Genealogical Records, Patrick O'Daniel Dec 2007

The Primary Source: Issues In The Usability Of Genealogical Records, Patrick O'Daniel

Masters Theses

This thesis examines genealogists’ information needs and discusses how librarians can accommodate them by providing access to essential primary sources as well as making those materials user-friendly. It includes a review of relevant literature and the results of a survey of experienced genealogists that shed light on the informationseeking behavior of genealogists. It identifies problems experienced by genealogists in their search for information and recommends solutions by explaining what librarians can do to make primary sources more accessible and usable for genealogists. In doing so, it also illuminates the goals of genealogists, how they search for information, and what they …


State Libraries In The United States: Identifying And Meeting The Challenges Of The Twenty- First Century, Sandra G. Treadway Aug 2007

State Libraries In The United States: Identifying And Meeting The Challenges Of The Twenty- First Century, Sandra G. Treadway

Masters Theses

State libraries are important organizations within the library community in the United States, yet little has been written about them and students learn almost nothing about them in the course of graduate study in library and information sciences. State libraries’ contributions to their profession and the citizens they serve are not as well known as they should be nor are they appropriately acknowledged beyond their immediate constituencies.

This study examines a sample of nine state libraries during the past twenty years – three that are highly successful (the California State Library, the New York State Library, and the Library of …


How The Public Library Contributes To Community Building: A Case Study, Barbara J. Snyder May 2007

How The Public Library Contributes To Community Building: A Case Study, Barbara J. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how one local New Jersey public library contributed to the revitalization efforts of its community by building social networks that benefitted all members of the community. Because the nature of the study dealt with conditions that were social, the qualitative method of research was chosen. A personal interview was used to collect information on how the library built social networks within the community it served by identifying and connecting the library's assets to the community's. The data were compared to a model developed from a previous study, The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories …


Life After Harry: Creating A Reader's Advisory Model Based On The Literary Archetypes Of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Patricia C. Hatton May 2007

Life After Harry: Creating A Reader's Advisory Model Based On The Literary Archetypes Of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Patricia C. Hatton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a method of Reader's Advisory based on archetypal character analysis in place of genre, author, or mood advisory. The study used J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter fiction series as a base for developing this strategy. After identifying four character archetypes in the Harry Potter series, the researcher consulted Bowker's Fiction Connection database to find other award winning young adult fiction that contained at least two of the archetypes identified in the Harry Potter series. Upon identifying ten novels that fit the criteria, the researcher read and analyzed each of …


An Evaluation Of How Elementary School Teachers Perceive Library Media Specialists' Responsibilities In Gloucester County, New Jersey, Kathleen M. Farrington May 2007

An Evaluation Of How Elementary School Teachers Perceive Library Media Specialists' Responsibilities In Gloucester County, New Jersey, Kathleen M. Farrington

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not teachers expected a higher level of responsibility from the library media specialist in schools that employed at least one full-time library media specialist (n=47). Additionally, it investigated whether or not those teachers had a more in-depth understanding or acceptance of the roles of the library media specialist. Specifically it addressed the following research questions: 1.) What roles and responsibilities of the library media specialist did classroom teachers deem important? 2.) Was there a difference in teacher understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the library media specialist between schools …


Evaluating The Effectiveness Of School Library Web Sites, Sheryl Laws May 2007

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of School Library Web Sites, Sheryl Laws

Theses and Dissertations

In today's society, the use of technology is growing rapidly. School libraries have a responsibility to their patrons to keep up with this trend by providing information about the school library on the Internet. These Web sites must be well maintained and up to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate elementary and middle school library Web sites to find if they were meeting the standard of a Web page.

With the use of a checklist, the researcher evaluated the school library Web sites based on appearance, ease of use, age appropriateness, and information that was included. After …


Services Provided By District School Library Media Supervisors, Ericka L. Hooker May 2007

Services Provided By District School Library Media Supervisors, Ericka L. Hooker

Theses and Dissertations

District school library media supervisors have been shown to be an asset to school library programs. Research has shown that school libraries can be more productive and successful, when they are coordinated by a supervisor holding advanced qualifications. The services offered by a district school library media supervisor can directly affect the role of the school library media specialists he/she supervises. Two groups of school library media specialists were surveyed to determine what services their district supervisor provided and how the presence or absence of this position affected the availability and quality of library services offered. Group A were respondents …


Student Teachers Need A Shot In The Arm: A Study Of Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Through Teacher Preparation Programs, Daria C. Benford May 2007

Student Teachers Need A Shot In The Arm: A Study Of Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Through Teacher Preparation Programs, Daria C. Benford

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service teacher training and/or exposure to the potential collaborative role of the teacher-librarian. The study used a short written survey questioning pre-service teachers about any instances of collaboration with a school library media specialist, knowledge about and exposure to collaborative ideas or methods involving school library media specialists throughout their teacher preparation program, and attitudes towards the roles of the school library media specialist. The population for this survey was pre-service teachers that had been contacted through their field experience or education departments or through face to face contact. Pre-service teachers were …


Censorship And Self-Censorship In The Public High School Libraries Of Gloucester County, New Jersey, Melissa L. Owen May 2007

Censorship And Self-Censorship In The Public High School Libraries Of Gloucester County, New Jersey, Melissa L. Owen

Theses and Dissertations

It is essential that young adults have access to books that are of interest to them, regardless of controversy that may surround such titles. The purpose of this study was to determine the existence of commonly banned young adult (YA) books in the library collections of traditional public high schools in Gloucester County. A significant lack of such books may be a sign that censorship or self-censorship has hindered the development of the collection, thereby robbing students of their freedom to read.

The researcher searched the OPACs of thirteen traditional public high schools for thirty-seven predetermined titles. The titles that …


A Study Of Books Included In The State Of New Jersey's Holocaust And Genocide 5-8th Grade Curriculum, Christin M. Robey May 2007

A Study Of Books Included In The State Of New Jersey's Holocaust And Genocide 5-8th Grade Curriculum, Christin M. Robey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the books suggested by the State of New Jersey Holocaust and Genocide Curriculum. "To Honor All Children for Grades 5-8" in order to create a diverse curriculum. Through the use of suggested materials by New Jersey, it is intended that students be exposed to a well rounded and balanced educational experience. In order for this for this curriculum to be diverse, it needs include many ethnic racial/ethnic groups and other topics relevant to holocaust and genocide study. The curriculum guide also needs to be updated to include books that have a …


Recreational Reading Program For Sixth Grade Students, Angela M. Smith May 2007

Recreational Reading Program For Sixth Grade Students, Angela M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine how much time was dedicated to recreational reading by sixth grade students and what were the topics and genres that interested them. Questionnaires were administered to 201 out of 257 regular education sixth grade students regardless of gender and reading level. According to the results, there was a direct correlation between the types of books that the students enjoyed reading, their opinions on student choice of recreational reading books versus teacher choice of assigned books, and the types of books that they would like to have more of as required reading for …


Mapping Change Management: A Co-Citation Analysis, Brian R. Low Mar 2007

Mapping Change Management: A Co-Citation Analysis, Brian R. Low

Theses and Dissertations

Today's organizations are continually undergoing changes to make improvements in their efficiency and effectiveness. The ability of organizations to effectively implement and sustain successful change, however, has been limited, with most change initiatives failing to attain the desired success. To counter this trend, researchers across several disciplines have worked to provide practitioners better insight into how to facilitate change within their organizations. This research has resulted in many theories as to what constitutes change and how best to implement it, but it lacks a unifying theory that encompasses all aspects of change research. This effort takes a step toward a …


Double Duty: Processing And Exhibiting The Children's Home Society Of Florida Collection As An Archivist And Public Historian, April Anderson-Zorn Jan 2007

Double Duty: Processing And Exhibiting The Children's Home Society Of Florida Collection As An Archivist And Public Historian, April Anderson-Zorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Children's Home Society of Florida, often referred to as "Florida's Greatest Charity", is the state's oldest non profit welfare agency. Founded in 1902, the society was instrumental in creating and reforming child welfare laws as well as helping countless children in the state of Florida find loving homes. This paper focuses on the archival processing of the Children's Home Society of Florida Collection papers and the creation of a subsequent web exhibit. The role of archivist and public historian is examined to see how each profession works toward a common goal.


Organizational Leadership In Academic Libraries : Identifying Culture Types And Leadership Roles, Monica Garcia Brooks Jan 2007

Organizational Leadership In Academic Libraries : Identifying Culture Types And Leadership Roles, Monica Garcia Brooks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify organizational culture types and leadership roles among research and non-research libraries in higher education institutions in the United States and to reveal trends that can assist in enacting needed organizational change. Organizational culture and leadership are two intertwined concepts that are strongly aligned with the human element of any supervisory experience. According to Crosby, they help “nurture effective and humane organizations” (Crosby, 2004). This research project sought to test the claims brought forth by library researchers such as Kaarts-Brown et al. in which they reported a tie between the library manager’s ability …


Bundling Information Goods: The Case Of E-Journals, Yong Tan Jan 2007

Bundling Information Goods: The Case Of E-Journals, Yong Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the development of the Internet, e-business has become popular. Increasingly, e-journals are being sold via the Internet. E- journals have two main characteristics: one is the low marginal cost associated with access; the other is the large number of items. For the commercially motivated seller, the issue of bundling a large number of low marginal cost items so as to maximize profits needs to be dealt with. In this thesis, a solution by way of an intermediate bundle is proposed. It is found that the profit obtained under the proposed procedure is 4% to 5% higher than that under …


English Language Learners And Library Research, Jessica Schomberg Jan 2007

English Language Learners And Library Research, Jessica Schomberg

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to study problems English language learners (ELLs) face when doing research in U.S. academic libraries. A review of the literature indicates that ELLs face both linguistic and cultural barriers. Those barriers are related to learning expectations, library anxiety, and technology. Research on organizational culture and its influence on website design was consulted and used to compare the design of a library catalog’s interface with student responses to a library instruction session offered within Composition 101 for non-native speakers. Based on those results, it is argued that library catalogs are designed to match the cultural …