Library and Information Science Program News

Professor Marcia Mardis Receives International Grant for School Librarianship Research

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Dr. Marcia Mardis is the 2008 recipient of the Takeshi Murofushi Research Award for her project entitled “An Analysis of IASL Conference Presentations 1997-2008.” This International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) award was initiated in 1997 through the generosity of Professor Takeshi Murofushi and colleagues for researchers interested in international school librarianship. The award will be presented during a ceremony at the 37^th IASL Annual Conference to be held at the University of Berkeley in California in August 2008. The mission of IASL is to provide an international forum for those people interested in promoting effective school library media programs as viable instruments in the educational process.

A Fond Farewell to Dr. Ronald Powell

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The LIS Program bids farewell to long-time faculty member, Dr. Ronald Powell. Upon his retirement in May 2008, Powell received Professor Emeritus status, an honor recognizing his dedication and distinguished service to WSU. Powell first joined the LIS Program in 1993 and served as Interim Director in 1999. Prior to coming to Wayne State, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan and an Associate Professor, Graduate Studies Director, and Department Chair at the University of Missouri – Columbia. He was a university librarian and college library director before becoming an LIS educator.

Powell’s teaching and research interests included research methods, academic libraries, education for librarianship, and the measurement and evaluation of library and information resources and services. He served as co-editor of the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science (JELIS) from 1995-2001 and has sat on the editorial boards of JELIS, the Journal of Academic Librarianship, and Library and Information Science Research.

Powell is the author of numerous articles and several books, including Qualitative Research in Information Management (co-edited with Jack Glazier), The Next Library Leadership (with Peter Hernon and Arthur Young), and Basic Research Methods for Librarians (with Lynn Connaway). The last book has been published in four editions and is widely used as a textbook in LIS master’s and doctoral programs.

Upon his retirement, Powell plans to remain in the Detroit area but will relocate with his wife, Jeanne, to Ann Arbor, Mich. to be closer to their two daughters and four grandchildren.

Faculty Article Named One of the Best of 2007

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LIS Program faculty members Robert Holley and John Heinrichs had their article, “Libraries as repositories of popular culture: Is popular culture still forgotten?” published in Collection Building, chosen as a Highly Commended Award Winner at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2008. Every year Emerald, one of the world’s leading publishers of management research, invites the editorial team of each of its journals to nominate articles for their Outstanding and Highly Commended Paper Awards. Holley and Heinrichs’ paper was selected as one of the most impressive pieces of work the editorial team saw during 2007.

LISP Professors Recognized For Best Business Paper

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Library and Information Science Program professors John H. Heinrichs, Hermina Anghelescu and Janice Utz, along with co-author Jeen-Su Lim from The University of Toledo were recognized for the “Best Business Paper” at the 2008 American Institute of Higher Education Conference. The conference was held in Orlando, Fla. April 3-5, 2008 where Heinrichs accepted the award from Dr. Alireza Lari, Conference Program Chair.

The paper entitled, “Testing an Integrated Model of e-Learning Adoption Decision” investigated the impact of content richness in the course materials and access ubiquity of the material on student’s e-learning course satisfaction and intention to take additional online courses. The rich content is used to engage the student and ensure the presented information facilitates shared understanding within a short time interval; whereas, ubiquitous access to online courses is defined in terms course and information availability. Along with content richness and access ubiquity, perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use were also incorporated into the model used in the study. The results from this study suggest that content richness of the course materials is a primary factor in predicting student satisfaction with e-learning courses and student’s intention to take another e-learning course.

The 2008 American Institute of Higher Education Conference focused on the role and importance of decision sciences in dealing with issues in business, economics, industrial engineering and education. Researchers explored, discussed and discovered how decision sciences can help individuals understand and shape the future research in these fields. The conference was an amalgam of conceptions, practices, and ideologies, exploring differing definitions and visions of decision sciences, appreciating existing contributions, and envisioning future possibilities.