Ken Haycock

Fostering Collaboration, Leadership And Information Literacy: Common Behaviors of Uncommon Principals and Faculties

Information literacy—the ability to access, process, and use information and ideas effectively—has a positive effect on student achievement; this is not simply a reflection of the interests, skills, and abilities of the individual classroom teacher, but a reflection of the priorities, skills, and abilities of the school principal and the resulting infrastructure necessary for the development of resource-based learning.

Dual Use Libraries: Guidelines for Success

Combined school and public libraries have been studied extensively for more than thirty years. Common advantages and disadvantages, together with typical problems, have been identifi;ed. From the work of researchers in three countries, predictors of success can be articulated: the population served is less than 10,000; a formal planning process involving the stakeholders was undertaken; a written legal agreement for governance, administration, finances, and operations includes guidelines for evaluation and dissolution; a decision-making board or management committee develops policies and procedures and engages and evaluates the director; an integrated facility is conveniently and visibly located, accommodating a variety of groups and resources with a separate area for adults and designated parking; the library is connected with a larger network, regional system, or consortium; the principal has a strong desire for success and teachers support the concept; one highly motivated professional librarian is in charge; there is regular communication and planned cooperation between public library and school staffs; and there are no restrictions on access to resources or on the circulation of materials.

Designing and Evaluating Library Leadership Programs: Improving Performance and Effectiveness

It has become accepted wisdom that there is a shortage of leaders in the library profession. A number of leader and leadership development programs have emerged in Australia, Canada and the United States that attract interested participants, yet what is the core purpose of these programs? Do they work? Review of leadership programs reveals that systematic and ongoing evaluation is not only missing as a key factor for determining effectiveness but evaluation is challenging at best, as few programs have stated goals and objectives that enable evaluation. This paper reviews current research literature of leadership development programs in Business and in Library and Information Science, including program foundations, characteristics unique to librarianship and program evaluation, to determine if there are key indicators for successful programs and their evaluation. The resulting findings may guide the revision of current programs and lead to the development of new programs that ensure that current gaps in the pool of emergent leaders are bridged, in part, by improved leadership programs and institutes.

Influence and Increased Funding in Canadian Public Libraries: The Case of Alberta in Fiscal Year 2009–10

This exploratory case study examined the role of social influence in the decision-making process to increase public library funding in the Canadian province of Alberta in the 2009–10 fiscal year. Using Robert Cialdini’s theory of factors of influence (i.e., commitment and consistency, authority, liking, social proof, scarcity, and reciprocity) as a framework for analysis, findings show that consistency and commitment and authority were relevant and that liking was also important. These findings are consistent with Cialdini’s theory, which suggests that the quality of relationships is one factor that can most strongly influence a decision maker. This study gives insight into the factors motivating those involved in public library funding allocation decisions. No prior studies have examined the construct of influence in decision making about funding for public libraries at any level of government.

Exemplary public library branch managers: their characteristics and effectiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to revisit a study that identifies the characteristics that contribute to perceptions by local politicians, library board members, library leaders and colleagues of what makes a public library branch manager “exemplary”.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an in‐depth study that draws upon a survey questionnaire and 120 interviews with multiple stakeholders, supervisors, peers and branch managers from two large public library systems in the Greater Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) area and peer members of the Ontario (Canada) Library Association. Branch managers also completed the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator assessment instrument for personality type and temperament profiling.Findings – Survey results collectively described the exemplary branch manager as a flexible individual with best‐practice management know‐how and the emotional intelligence needed to motivate and bring others along. The exemplary branch manager has a strong tendency toward extraverted ...

The Role of Interpersonal Influence in Budget Decision Making The Canadian Public Library Experience

This study determined factors which influenced Canadian provincial (state) politicians when making funding decisions for public libraries. Using the case study methodology, Canadian provincial/state-level funding for public libraries in the 2009-2010 fiscal year was examined. The data were analyzed to determine whether Cialdini’s theory of influence and specifically any of the six tactics of influence (i.e., commitment and consistency, authority, liking, social proof, scarcity, and reciprocity) were instrumental in these budgetary decision-making processes. Findings show the principles of “authority,” “consistency and commitment,” and “liking” were relevant, and that “liking” was especially important to these decisions.

Education for library and information studies in Canada: a cross‐cultural comparison

Purpose – This paper aims to highlight the unique characteristics and homogeneity of the Canadian accredited programs in library and information studies compared with those programs in the USA.Design/methodology/approach – Each year the Association for Library and Information Science (ALISE) collects statistics from accredited graduate programs. By disaggregating the American and Canadian information and limiting the data to the accredited degree program only, comparisons could be drawn between the two data sets. The generalizations and themes were then validated by comparison with the recent history of development of Canadian schools.Findings – The history of development of Canadian graduate programs and the national context has resulted in programs that are more homogenous than diverse. The programs are housed in public research institutions, with competition for spaces. The students are full‐time, studying a curriculum with more required courses. Faculty have more time for research. Access is an issue....

The School Media Center and the Public Library

Would a public library/school media center combination work? What would be the advantages and disadvantages? The author considers the various factors and cites criteria for combinations.

The Future of Libraries: More Questions Than Answers?

ABSTRACT This article summarizes the conclusions from a series of two-day seminars of professional library executives on the future of libraries. The provocative element in this summary is the groups’ promises to not get caught up in library “nostalgia, platitudes, and clichés.” The result is a clear-cut set of questions that all librarians but especially public librarians need to face as they prepare for the many questions of adaptation of their profession to the issues they already face in keeping or making their libraries successful through the remaining decades of the 21st century.

The role of influence in city and public library partnerships: an exploratory study

– The purpose of this article is to discuss whether interpersonal influence impacts the success of information technology support jointly managed by public libraries and their corresponding city departments. By exploring various management models of the information technology departments serving Canadas urban public libraries, the role of interpersonal influence in these partnerships is described. , – A two-part survey was administered to all Canadian urban libraries to explore which management models exist and to determine current issues. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with exemplary sites. The survey data were used to rank dependence levels of public libraries on their corresponding cities. Using Cialdinis framework of influence, a thematic analysis was conducted on the interview data to note the presence or absence of each principle. , – Most Canadian urban public libraries rely on their corresponding cities for a small number of IT-related services; 25 percent have somewhat or highly integrated departmental partnerships. Interpersonal influence, particularly the principles of “authority” and “liking” are important factors in these partnerships. , – This study is limited to Canadian urban public libraries and explores a single service. It builds on previous studies exploring the role of influence and public libraries, and indicates the utility of further research of city and public library partnerships. , – The findings may help inform the development of Library Service Level Agreements and other shared policy documents. , – This is the first study to explore shared management models and the role of influence at the municipal level in Canadian public libraries.