Diane D. Kester

School system adoption of library networking

A model to assist school systems in the decision-adoption process of library networking has been developed. It gives the major activities at each stage for four aspects: technological support, financial support, human support, and activities and applications. Within each aspect, it identifies anticipated events in each of the three stages of participation in a network. For the study, a random sample was drawn from school systems identified in one or more of three types of networks: OCLC vendors; state, regional, multitype networks; and state-wide school networks. Data was compiled from a questionnaire based on the preliminary stage model. Descriptive statistics were used to provide profiles of the respondents. Chi-square and gamma coefficient tests were performed on each variable in the questionnaire in relation to the level of involvement reported by the respondent. Sixteen of the nineteen variables in the model tested significant.