College and Research Libraries ELIZABETH W. MATTHEWS Trends Affecting Community College Library Administrators A national survey of chief administrators in the library-learning re- source centers of public. comprehensive community colleges reveals they are assuming a new expanded role in a total program. With new titles, indicating affiliation with a unit broader than a library, they are becoming educational technologists for individual and curricular in- struction, assisting in teaching strategies, and becoming involved in netv areas, such as design and production, graphics, and electronics. CoMMUNITY COLLEGE library- learning resource directors are assuming a new role, not only for the administration of library material in all forms, but in pro- viding a learning environment and assisting instructors with multiple teach- ing strategies. They are becoming more than librarians; their positions have taken on new dimensions. To probe those individuals in this new role, a national survey was designed in 1972 to elicit information concerning certain characteristics of the library- learning resource directors and to iden- tify their positions in the administrative hierarchy. The study was limited to the chief administrators of the centers, or programs, in public comprehensive com- munity colleges. It was restricted to community colleges with transfer, occu- pational, and continuing education pro- grams; therefore, two-year colleges with only one program, whether transfer or occupational, were omitted. Private col- leges were also omitted, as were techni- cal schools and military schools. Elizabeth W. Matthews is catalog librari- an and assistant professor, library affairs, School of Law Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 210 I Many two-year branches of state uni- versities did not fulfill the criteria of typical public comprehensive communi- ty colleges, and so all junior colleges controlled by universities were eliminat- ed as well. A questionnaire, as the data gathering instrument, was sent to the population of 586 institutions meeting the criteria. Responses were received from 465 libraries ( 79.4 percent), and of the total population 75.9 percent furnished usable data for analysis. TITLE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR The concept of the library-learning resource center is so new that no uni- form terminology has been adopted. Terms describing the chief administra- tor indicate affiliation of the library with instruction, learning centers, or audiovisual programs. Embryonic termi- nology leans toward identification with instruction, including often the desig- nation "learning" or "instruction." The word used to describe the person in charge of the center, or program, shoW:s that the individual is a "director" or a "coordinator" rather than merely a li- brarian. Administrative function is im- plicit, and in some cases campus-wide involvement is recognized. Those with the actual title "director of learning resources" accounted for 20.8 percent of the population; deans and coordinators of learning resources contributed the small percentages of 3.8 and 2.1 respectively. Slightly more than 14 percent had other learning re- source titles. A total of 41.2 percent had titles that indicated association with a library-learning resource center or a fa- cility with a similar designation. Al- though there is uncertainty in the adap- tation of any one new title, some dis- satisfaction with the term "library" is implicit in the frequent rejection of that terminology in favor of new desig- nations. These titles indicate a struggle with the nomenclature itself. The debatable terms were so changeable that they dif- fered between the issuance of the new AAJC-ACRL "Guidelines" in January 1972 and the revision of those "Guide- lines" accepted in June of that same year, from library-learning resource cen- ter to learning resource center .1• 2 The American Association of Junior Col- leges3 and the Association of College and Research Libraries had collaborated on the first draft. The later revision in- cluded contributions from the Associa- tion for Educational Communications and Technology, in addition to those from the other two organizations. In the shift toward description of the unit as something broader than a li- brary, the title "director of library ser- vices" accounted for nearly a third ( 31.1 percent) of the respondents. This title, including the words "library ser- vices," implied more than a traditional library-there is a slight bending of the more rigid term. Although directors of the newly emerging centers have diverse titles, traditional libraries do remain, with librarians as chief administrators. The title "library director" or "librari- an" was reported by 27.7 percent, al- though some of those had integrated centers. In Fritz Veit's contribution to a 1964 Community College Library I 211 study, there was no doubt that the title "librarian" remained the most popular professional designation, as there were but few other designations, almost all including the term "library."4 The same author in his 1975 volume, The Com- munity College Library, however, em- phasized the present lack of uniformi- ty.5 A survey of junior colleges in the 1960s indicated that the trend is toward a combined media department and li- brary, thus creating a learning resource center or an instructional materials cen- ter;6 and another study described an integrated complex, a new academic phenomenon, called a "learning center" with library and nonbook resources op- erating together under centralized ad- ministration. 7 ExPERIENCE AND CHARACIERISTICS Of those in charge of these library- learning resource programs, described as new phenomena, almost half ( 47.9 per- cent) have been in their positions from two to five years, while slightly more than 10 percent were new to the posi- tion, having served one year or less. About a fourth ( 25.5 percent) had from six to ten years of experience in current positions. Sixteen percent were veterans of more than ten years, al- though only 5 percent had been in their positions twenty years or more. A contributing factor to the finding that more than half had been in their positions five years or less could be that the public community colleges devel- oped and expanded at a very rapid rate during the decade of the 1960s and into the 1970s. With fifty or more new insti- tutions chartered during some years, staff mem hers had been recruited only recently. The current directors have had pre- vious experience as librarians. The shift to integrated centers with instructional involvement suggests that these former librarians have had to adapt to the ex- panded concept of library service. Prior 212 I College & Research Libraries • May 1977 to taking their present positions, 69.7 percent had been librarians, with 3 per- cent of those indicating that they had audiovisual responsibility as well. A small percentage ( 7.9 percent) had been employed in a learning resource center previously. Five percent had been audio- visual specialists or media specialists. Fewer than 10 percent had been teach- ers; and other prior positions ( primari- ly in education) accounted for only 8 percent, including academic administra- tors, professors of educational adminis- tration, curriculum specialists, superin- tendents of schools, and specialists in learning laboratories and in communica- tions. Very few came from outside the educational sphere, such as business, in- dustry, or the military. Other studies also have shown the predominance of the field of education for prior experi- ence, particularly that of teaching. 8• 9 The early association of the public junior colleges with secondary education would lead one to believe that prior ex- perience might actually have been on the secondary school level. 10 However, previous experience was gained in the secondary school by less than a third ( 29.5 percent) of the population. High- er education was the level of experience for 47.4 percent of the respondents. Those already in the junior college area accounted for 23.7 percent; 11.1 percent came from four-year colleges; and 12.6 percent had prior experience in univer- sities. Although the area of vocational and technical education is emphasized in the junior college, less than 1 percent had come from technical schools. Slightly more than 22 percent had prior experi- ence in elementary schools, public and special libraries, and other areas. In an earlier study the prediction was made that, as the junior college becomes more distinct, it is probable that previous experience will be college library experi- ence rather than school library experi- ence.11 The current trend would tend to support this forecast. With the chief administrator of the library being col- lege or university oriented, the junior college becomes more closely allied with higher education. To determine the personal character- istics of the current administrators di- recting these centers, data were sought concerning sex and age. Of the chief library-learning resource administrators, 62.6 percent were male, and 37.4 percent were female. In other studies of aca- demic librarians, women predominate in staff positions; however, men are fre- quently found in the administrative po- sitions. In a 1970 study of academic library administrators, including but not limit- ed to those in two-year institutions, ap- proximately nine-tenths were male, as opposed to slightly more than one-tenth female. 12 A study of personal character- istics of academic librarians indicated that very nearly two-thirds of the aca- demic librarians were women; relatively more of the men, 21.6 percent versus 11.8 percent of the women, were chief librarians.13 Findings in the present in- vestigation agree with the trends ex- pressed in prior studies in which there is male predominance in administrative positions. A 1973 study of community college librarians, most of whom were in staff positions, reported a reverse ratio of 61.7 percent females and 38.3 percent males. 14 In the present investigation, directors in these positions are shown to be mid- die-aged. The modal age bracket of re- spondents was 40-49. It might have been expected that young men with knowl- edge of new techniques would have been sought for innovative programs in new institutions; however, mature men with prior experience are directors of library-learning resource centers. An overwhelming majority find job satisfaction in these positions. While 94.3 percent agreed that the position was satisfying, less than 6 percent ex- pressed dissatisfaction. This is a smaller percentage than that of Schiller's study, in which 11 percent of the academic librarians reported that they were dis- appointed in their work. 15 Current directors accept the integrat- ed concept of library-learning resource programs, with 95.9 percent agreeing with the concept. On an adaptation of the Likert scale, 66.6 percent, or two- thirds, expressed strong agreement. A very low percentage ( 4.1) indicated some degree of disillusionment with in- tegration. Present-day emphasis is on the centralized administration of ·all types of material. The 1972 "Guidelines" used the ter- minology "center" until the revision of those "Guidelines" six months later, at which time "program" replaced the for- mer term in the document. The most noticeable change since the 1960 Stan- dards, shown in the new "Guidelines" (including the revision), was the in- creased emphasis on the administrative unification of print and audiovisual services. In the present study a number of re- spondents indicated that, although ad- ministered as an integrated unit, library and audiovisual services were not in the same location. In the single organiza- tional function, three-fourths ( 75.5 per- cent) replied in the affirmative that the department consists of library and au- diovisual services administered as an in- tegrated. ·unit. During 1972 a survey of community college construction revealed that various combinations of library, audiovisual, learning laboratory, repro- graphics, and skills centers formed learning resource centers in the new architectural arrangements. 16 DunES In programs with the expanded, inte- grated concept, administrators face problems broader than usual library management problems. They estimate that a higher percentage of time is Community C allege Library I 213 spent in administrative duties than in other areas. More than half of their time ( 59.6 percent) is devoted to admin- istration, with 11 percent reporting that all of their time was so allocated. Ad- ministrative duties require a broad range of competence in decision-making, di- recting, fiscal planning, budgeting, staff- ing, coordinating, and communicating, as well as personnel management. As staff expands, administrative re- sponsibility grows. While few supervise large numbers of people, most have some supervisory responsibility. The re- vised "Guidelines" state that all person- nel should be considered for employ- ment on the recommendation of the director, with the advice of the center staff or unit head. The current directors do have primary responsibility for se- lecting new staff members in 86.2 per- cent of the centers. In the area of bud- geting, 91.3 percent have primary responsibility for the library budget, while 71.4 percent have responsibility for the audiovisual budget. Audiov-isual Services The trend toward integrated centers with provision for audiovisual services has necessitated involvement of direc- tors in the supervision of routines not heretofore considered a part of library service. There are new functions in graphics sections, electronics sections, photographic laboratories, and produc- tion design centers. Nevertheless, little time is estimated as being spent on au- diovisual services, with only 6.5 percent so allocated. Of the centers polled, more than 90 percent have holdings in slides, records, filmstrips, audio tape, and microforms; 7 4.2 percent own films; 83.2 percent have transparencies; and 69.5 percent have acquired videotape. Self-instructional carrels with media outlets were available in 64.6 percent of the institutions. Other respondents volunteered infor- mation that carrels were in the process 214 I College & Research Libraries • May 1977 of being built or were on the drawing board. Wet carrels are equipped in many institutions with dial access, audio, and visual capabilities. Here the library-learning resource staff, under the direction of the administrator, provides a place for learners to proceed at their own rates, allowing for differences in intelligence, motivation, and persistence. Teaching When consideration is given to the role of the library-learning resource di- rector in providing the learning environ- ment, it can be assumed that the librarian, instead of actually teaching, is involved in expanding instructional techniques as an instructional technolo- gist. By their own declaration, respon- dents consider that 6.7 percent of their time is devoted to teaching, with 4.5 per- cent devoted to informal instruction and 2.2 percent to formal course work. They do not indicate a preference for increasing their teaching duties measurably. Seventy-eight percent do not wish to devote any time to formal teaching, and 95 percent would prefer to spend less than 10 percent of their time on course work. In an earlier study, it was shown that librarians feared that their teaching role might actually be- come submerged in the administrative aspects of their jobs.17 If it is assumed that the small percentage of time re- ported in teaching is accurate, then the concern expressed may, in fact, have been realized. Library-learning resource directors, rather than imparting knowledge, ar- range an educational setting and pro- vide motivation so that learning can take place. Major current trends in in- struction include self-instruction and individualization of instruction, sup- porting the philosophy of individual differences. To the extent that the col- lege makes use of the library-learning resource center as an integral part of the curricular program, the learning center becomes a teaching instrument. Design and Production The new concept of the library- learning resources program allows for the production of materials for curric- ular and individual needs. The revised "Guidelines" state that materials are se- lected, acquired, designed, or produced on the basis of institutional and instruc- tional objectives. They state, further, that materials may be acquired and made available from a variety of sources, among which are listed the fa- cility for design and production of ma- terials not readily available. Production activities may include graphics, photog- raphy, cinematography, audio and video recording, and preparation of printed materials. These are new concepts for library- oriented personnel; however, 72.1 per- cent indicated that production is pro- vided, at least to some degree. While some reported that design and produc- tion were on a limited scale, many were encouraging this new involvement with materials. Technical Processes In addition to the time spent on ad- ministrative duties, audiovisual, teach- ing, and production, the directors spend 12 percent of their time on technical processes, which would include acquir- ing and organizing the collection. Time spent in processing is lessened in 23 per- cent of the institutions which reported that their materials were received pre- processed by a commercial or other agency. The current trend is in direct opposition to direct involvement with cataloging. A decade earlier,, nearly three-quarters of the junior college head librarians did the actual cataloging in addition to other duties. 18 As early as 1935 a report on junior college trends suggested that technical processes be scanned for possible curtailment. 19 Current directors indicated that they would prefer to spend less time than they actually spend on technical services. A number of directors indicated that they were in the process of changing from Dewey to Library of Congress classification. With 56.4 percent organiz- ing according to Library of Congress and 42.9 percent under Dewey Decimal, classification is changing in the direction of Library of Congress. This is a new trend since the study which reported that Dewey was almost overwhelmingly preferred. 20 The present study determined that many local schemes with accession num- bers were used for audiovisual materi- als, although 21.5 percent classified nonprint under Dewey and 22.5 percent according to Library of Congress. A few used the indexes of the National Infor- mation Center for Educational Media as guides to arrangement. Books and audiovisual materials were recorded in a central coordinated or union catalog in more than two-thirds ( 67.2 percent) of the institutions. Public Services The amount of time estimated as spent in public services is 11.1 percent, and the directors would prefer to in- crease that amount slightly. Additional time is devoted to work with the public in faculty liaison, curriculum develop- ment and planning, committee work, public relations, and meetings. Time spent in curricular development indi- cates that the library-learning resource director is taking on the responsibility of keeping informed concerning curric- ular matters and being alert to support through materials. Directors were represented, either per- sonally or by staff, on the curriculum committee in 71.6 percent of the institu- tions. This is an increase in the percent- age of directors represented on the com- Community C allege Library I 215 mittee when compared with Wheeler's study which reported approximately one-third serving on the curriculum committee.21 This new frequency of service on the committee points further to the role of directors regarding in- structional involvement. Knapp's study had revealed comments from teaching faculty that did not identify the librari- an as a fellow curriculum builder, but rather as one who merely reported hold- ings.22 REPORTING AND LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY There is recognition of the teaching- learning instructional function of the library-learning resource center by fact of the line of reporting. The changing trend in the administrative hierarchy is that of direct reporting to the dean of instruction. More than half ( 58.7 per- cent) of the directors indicated that they report to the dean of instruction, and another 10 percent report to other deans, with 11.5 percent reporting to the president and 13.3 percent to the vice- president. An unusual line of reporting is noted by a small group ( 2.4 percent) who report to the president and the dean; 4.1 percent report to "others." This information reveals a change in the administrative hierarchy since Wheeler's study in which more than half of the community college library directors in the sample described them- selves as responsible to their college presidents, with just over one-fourth re- porting to deans. 23 Moore, in a recent study, found 64 percent of the library directors reporting to the academic dean. 24 He pointed out that the position of the head librarian stands relatively high in the structure of the American public community college. 25 Veit has expressed concern that learn- ing resource programs might not achieve the necessary close contact with the in- structional program unless the director 216 1 College & Research Libraries • May 1977 of the library reports to the college of- f d . ff . 26 ficer in charge o aca emiC a aus. Findings of the present study show the director of library-learning resources in a position of direct reporting to the dean of instruction, thereby linking the learning resource program with instruc- tion. These library-learning resource chief administrators should have rank and titles identical to those of the teaching staff, according to the 1960 Standards. The 1972 "Guidelines" expanded this statement into a standard expressing the fact that the chief administrator of the center should have the same administra- tive rank and status as others with similar institution-wide responsibilities. More than 80 percent of the current di- rectors are accorded faculty status; rank was not surveyed. The "Guidelines" stress the obligation to meet professional re- quirements, such as advanced study, re- search, and committee work. An actual poll of two-year college learning re- source centers in one state showed that the responsibility for advanced study, research, and publication was required in very few cases. 27 CoNCLUSION The chief administrator of the li- brary-learning resource center or pro- gram has had to adjust to a new philosophy, a new role, from that of a keeper of materials to a dispenser of curriculum materials, to analyst and de- signer of instructional systems with a concern for planning a learning en- vironment. The role of the director has assumed broader dimensions than here- tofore in expanded libraries with new names, viewed now as omni-media cen- ters, with audiovisual responsibilities in a total program supporting new meth- ods of teaching, different types of stu- dents, and diverse curricula. Although the director's time spent in actual teaching is minimal, his or her role is closely allied to that of instruc- tion in providing the learning environ- ment with appropriate materials of all types for the individualization of in- struction. The majority of the directors agree with the integrated media concept and derive satisfaction in their posi- tions. They have reached a new level of professionalism directly involved with individual and classroom learning. REFERENCES 1. ''AAJC-ACRL Guidelines for Two-Year College Library Learning Resource Cen- ters" ( Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1972 ) . 2. "Guidelines for Two-Year College Learning Resources Programs," C allege & Research Libraries News 33:305-15 (Dec. 1972). 3. The name of the organization has changed to American Association of Community and Junior Colleges. 4. Fritz Veit, "Personnel," in Charles L. Trinkner, ed., Library Services for Junior Colleges (Northport, Ala.: American Southern, 1964), p.83. .5. Fritz Veit The Community College Li- brary ( W ~stport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1975), p.l8. 6. Robert R. Veihman, "Media Departments and Junior Colleges," Illinois Libraries 51: 283 (April 1969). 7. T. N. Dupuy, Ferment in College Libraries (Washington: Communication Service Cor- poration, 1968), p.31. 8. James J. Kortendick and Elizabeth W. Stone, Job Dimensions and Educational Needs in Librarianship ( Chicago: Amer- ican Library Assn., 1971 ), p.70. 9. Anita Schiller, Characteristics of Profession- al Personnel in C allege and University Li- braries, Research Series no. 16 (Spring- field, Ill.: Illinois State Library, 1969), p.24. 10. Veit, The Community College Library, p.4. 11. Veit, "Personnel," p.87. 12. Mary Lee Bundy and Paul Wasserman, The College and the University Adminis- trator Technical Data Summary: Prelim- inary Analysis (College Park: University of Maryland, School of Library and Info~­ mation Services, Manpower Research ProJ- ect, 1970), p.l. 13. Schiller, Characteristics of Professional Per- sonnel, p.45. 14. Shirley A. Edsall, "Career Patterns of Com- munity College Librarians," (dissertation, Indiana University, 1973), p.128. 15. Schiller, Characteris"tics of Professional Per- sonnel, p.55. 16. Joleen Bock, ''Two Year College Learning Resources Center Buildings," Library ]our- nal91:3811 (Dec. 1, 1972). 17. Veit, "Personnel," p.89. 18. Arthur Ray Rowland, ''Cataloging and Classification in Junior College Libraries," Library Resources & Technical Services 7:257 (Summer 1963). 19. Edna A. Hester, "Junior Colleges: Their Trends and Libraries," Junior College ]our- nal6:131 (Dec. 1935). 20. James W. Pirie, "Junior College Library Processing," Library Trends 14:170 (Oct. 1965). 21. Helen Rippier Wheeler, The Communitu Community College Library I 217 College Library: A Plan for Action (Ham- den, Conn.: Shoe String Press, 1965), p.129. 22. Patricia Knapp, College Teaching and the College Library, ACRL Monograph 23 (Chicago: American Library Assn., 1959), p.84. 23. Wheeler, The Community College Library, p.52. 24. Everett LeRoy Moore, "The Library in the Administrative and Organizational Struc- ture of the American Public Community College," (dissertation, University of Southern California, 1973 ), p.131. 25. Ibid., p.147. 26. Veit, The Community College Library, p.49. 27. Alice S. Clark and Rita Hirschman, "Using the 'Guidelines': A Study of the State-Sup- ported Two-Year College Libraries in Ohio," College & Research Libraries 36: 368 (Sept. 1975).