Relationship between school culture and an effective school library program.

Abstract

Standards establishing effective school library programs have been described in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (AASL & AECT, 1998), which calls on the librarian to act as an instructional partner with classroom teachers so that information skills instruction takes place within the context of ongoing classroom activity. However, some school librarians have been unable to implement this model. This begs the question, why are some librarians able to establish such programs while others fail? There is research literature in education that acknowledges the importance of school culture as a factor in instructional innovations. Yet this is not an issue that has been addressed to a great extent within the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature regarding school library programs. Examining the culture in schools with effective school library programs may help to identify factors that support implementing the Information Power model. This dissertation describes a multiple case study of four K- 12 schools. Each of the schools has received a national award recognizing the effectiveness of the library based on criteria established by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Giddens' structuration theory (1984), Senge's (1990) concepts of the learning organization, and Schein's (1992) theory of organizational culture provide the framework for this dissertation. The approach to analysis is consistent with the tenets of naturalistic research and reflects the assumptions of a qualitative research more generally. Common patterns found at each site include the presence of a collaborative culture, the collaborative leadership style of the principal, and high expectations for the students and staff. LIS professors may use these conclusions in the instruction of school library candidates. School librarians may use this data in aligning their programs with national standards. Future research includes replicating this study using a larger number of schools to determine if the same patterns will surface. Additional research needs to be conducted analyzing the role of culture in organizations, the influence of interactions among the major players in the schools, and the change process.