Open AccessThe Presence of the Doctorate among Small College Library Directors
Author(s) -
Peter McCracken
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
college and research libraries/college and research libraries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.886
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 2150-6701
pISSN - 0010-0870
DOI - 10.5860/crl.61.5.400
Subject(s) - value (mathematics) , library science , academic library , sociology , management , political science , higher education , medical education , medicine , computer science , law , machine learning , economics
Although a doctorate provides a library director with little practical assistance toward fulfilling his or her job, many college and university administrators seem to expect library directors to have one. The presence of the doctorate has been studied extensively within ARL institutions, but not within small colleges. This article explores the presence of the doctorate among small college library directors, considering gender and tenure in addition to size of the library, the college, and the library staff. This research finds that 20 percent of library directors at Baccalaureate I institutions have doctorates, and 40 percent have second master’s degrees. Librarians with doctorates do not direct larger institutions than those without Ph.D.s. The value of the doctorate, and its future among female directors in particular, is considered.