Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals as Collaborators for Student Learning and Success

307 Pages·2016·1.21 MB·English

Illinois State University
ISU ReD: Research and eData
Theses and Dissertations
3-24-2016
Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals as
Collaborators for Student Learning and Success
Dallas Long
Illinois State University, [email protected]
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Long, Dallas, "Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals as Collaborators for Student Learning and Success" (2016).Theses and
Dissertations.Paper 519.
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LIBRARIANS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS AS
COLLABORATORS FOR STUDENT
LEARNING AND SUCCESS

Dallas Long

293 Pages

Increased accountability in higher education is compelling librarians to
demonstrate their impact on student learning and student success. To do so, they are
encouraged to collaborate with student affairs professionals to improve students’
experiences. However, the literature suggests librarians lack formal, structured
partnerships with student affairs professionals, and that librarians and student affairs
professionals are largely unfamiliar with each other’s roles in student learning. They may
have narrow or inaccurate perceptions of each other, and lack meaningful ways to
collaborate. This study explored librarians’ and student affairs professionals’ perceptions
of each other’s roles in student learning and success. Additionally, this study identified
opportunities for prospective collaborations and the conditions which impede or facilitate
prospective collaboration. By using multiple focus groups in a phenomenological study
design and the concept of third-space professionals as a framework, this study described
the experiences and perceptions of librarians and student affairs professionals at several
four-year, residential public universities in Illinois.

KEYWORDS: Collaboration, Focus groups, Librarians, Library, Student affairs
LIBRARIANS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS AS
COLLABORATORS FOR STUDENT
LEARNING AND SUCCESS

DALLAS LONG

A Dissertation Su bmitted in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

2016
Copyright 2016 Dallas Long
LIBRARIANS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS AS
COLLABORATORS FOR STUDENT
LEARNING AND SUCCESS

DALLAS LONG

COMM ITTEE MEMB ERS:

James C. Palmer, Chair

Phyllis McCluskey-Titus

Mohammed Nur-Awaleh

Scott Walter
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I wish to thank my family. Throughout my life – and in particular these past
seven years – they supported me, encouraged me, helped me get through the difficult
moments, and were there to celebrate my accomplishments. My parents, John and Karen
Long, instilled me with the values, confidence, and strong sense of self that have enabled
me to pursue my ambitions, nurture my writing, and explore my passions. In particular, I
want to thank my mother for the many ways and hours she supported me during my
study. I truly wish everyone could have a mother as committed to her child’s success as
my mother has been to mine.
My husband, Jason, and I kindled our relationship after I had already begun my
doctoral studies. He has never known me as a partner not shut away in our home office,
toiling away long hours on nights and weekends. Too many times, I put my studies and
my dissertation first. He stood with me during all those lonely days and nights. He
helped me, too, when I faced great adversity from which I am still physically and
emotionally recovering. He encouraged me not to let my accident and subsequent health
matters put an end to my years of work toward my doctoral degree, and I persevered. I
could not imagine this journey without him. That journey is now coming to an end, and I
look forward to this next part of our lives together.
Additionally, I thank my grandmother, Eveline Long, my mother-in-law and
father-in-law, and my many friends, who all saw too little of me these past seven years.
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Not least, I thank Jim Palmer, Phyllis McCluskey-Titus, Mohammed Nur-
Alaweh, and Scott Walter. I am grateful for their interest in me and my work and for
their insights and the generosity of their time.
D. L.
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CONTENTS
Page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i

CONTENTS iii

TABLES viii

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION 1

Statement of the Problem 4
Background Context for the Study 5
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions 8
Overview of the Study Method 9
The Conceptual Framework 11
Assumptions and Limitations of the Study 14
Significance of the Study 15
Organization of the Study 17

II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 19

Selection of Sources 20
Part I: Overlapping Values 21

Service to Students 22
Community Development 23
Equality and Social Justice 26
Citizenship 27

Part II: The Phenomenon of Collaboration in Higher Education 29
Part III: Student Affairs and Other Actors in Collaboration 38
Part IV: Librarians and Other Actors in Collaboration 46
Part V: Librarians and Student Affairs in Collaboration 52
iii
Pre-Entry 55
First-Year Experience 58
On-Course 64
Career Preparation 66

Gap Analysis 67

III. METHODOLOGY 73

Philosophical and Methodological Framework 74

Overview of Focus Groups 75
Focus Group Theory 78
Strengths and Limitations 80

Sampling 83
Recruitment 85

Stage 1: Securing Permission from Chief Library and Student
Affairs Officers 85
Stage 2: Recruiting Focus Group Participants 87

Participants 89
Focus Group Procedures 91
Data Analysis 93

The Deixis Tool 94
The Vocabulary Tool 95
The Intonation Tool 96
The “Why This Way and Not That Way” Tool 96
The Intertextuality Tool 97

Trustworthiness of the Study 97

Transferability 98
Dependability 98
Confirmability 99
Credibility 99
Researcher’s Subjectivity and Positionality 100

Conclusion 107

IV. THE LIBRARIANS’ STORIES 108

Librarians’ Roles 112
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