The Environmental Justice Movement is an aggregate of community-based, grassroots efforts against proposed and existing hazardous waste facilities and the organizations that assist them. The movement has created a context in which low-income communities and people of color are able to act with power. Using interviews, participant observation, and various archival records, a case study of the organization HOPE located in Perry, Florida, was developed. The case compared key factors in community mobilization and campaign endurance. Special attention was paid to the process of issue construction, the formation of collective identity, and the role of framing in mobilizing specific constituencies. In the case of the P&G/Buckeye Pulp Mill where the community face hazardous surroundings. Environmental inequality formation occurs when different stakeholders struggle for scarce resources within the political economy and the benefits and costs of those resources become unevenly distributed. Scarce resources include components of the social and natural environment. Thus the environmental inequality formation model stresses (1) the importance of process and history; (2) the role of information process and the relationship of multiple stakeholders; and (3) the agency of those with the least access to resources. This study explores the information exchange and the movement's identity on both an individual and group level. When people become involved in the movement they experience a shift in personal paradigm that involves a progression from discovery of environmental problems, through disillusionment in previously accepted folk ideas, to personal empowerment. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2005. / December 6, 2004. / Environmental Studies, Social Network / Includes bibliographical references. / Jane B. Robbins, Professor Directing Dissertation; Donna M. Nudd, Outside Committee Member; Thomas Hart, Committee Member; Ronald D. Blazek, Committee Member.

With an increasing focus on information and learning in today's society,governments are paying more attention to the role that libraries play in the development of an information society. This thesis began with a question regarding the role of national governments and how policies they shape can affect the services that public libraries provide. Traditionally, public libraries have been grassroots, local organizations serving the needs of specific communities. How can this service be maintained and grown using policies developed at higher levels of government? The focus of this paper was on three public libraries in the United Kingdom, Finland and Canada. First, each of the cities under question was described. Second, the development of national information policies was described. Next, the public libraries in three cities (Manchester, Helsinki and Vancouver) were examined with a view toward understanding how national policies have filtered down to the local level. Finally, an analysis of major findings was carried out. The Helsinki City Library stands out as the institution having advanced library services beyond traditional expectations. In addition to electronic services, Helsinki has dedicated itself to bringing information out into the community. In contrast, Manchester has almost no electronic services available through its web site and has focused on bringing users into the library. Finally, the Vancouver library has the same electronic services available to users in Helsinki, with the same commitment to providing traditional information services to users in libraries located throughout the city. The differences in library service approach mirror the innovations in national information policies, which are as different in local delivery as are the libraries themselves. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Information Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2004. / June 15, 2004. / Electronic, Helsinki, Vancouver, Manchester / Includes bibliographical references. / Marcella Genz, Professor Directing Thesis; Kathleen Burnett, Committee Member; Maria Chavez-Hernandez, Committee Member.

This dissertation examined the implementation of the standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act on federal electronic government websites. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that federal e-government websites be accessible to persons with disabilities. These accessibility standards were designed to ensure that e-government websites: 1) provide equal or equivalent access to all users, and 2) work compatibly with assistive technologies, such as narrators, scanners, enlargement, voice-activated technologies, and many other devices that persons with disabilities may employ. Section 508 was passed in 1998 and was to have been implemented by 2001. While some studies have been conducted to assess the accessibility of federal e-government sites, the breadth and depth of issues related to e-government website accessibility has not been adequately examined. This dissertation was a multi-method study of the accessibility of e-government sites in terms of the Section 508 standards that addresses the complexities of accessibility and the reasons for continued inaccessibility on e-government sites. The methods in this study included a law and policy analysis of the standards of Section 508, user testing involving persons with disabilities interacting with e-government websites, expert testing of e-government websites, testing of e-government websites with automated testing software, and a survey of federal web developers regarding their perceptions about accessibility. The key findings from the dissertation include: 1. Compliance with Section 508 standards varies widely between websites; 2. The level of importance accorded to website accessibility varies between agencies; 3. Agencies oriented toward issues of disability are more likely to have accessible websites; 4. Agencies lack a standardized approach to Section 508; 5. Some e-government websites focus on certain aspects of accessibility; 6. The channels of communication between e-government websites and users need improvement. 7. Agencies' perceptions about the accessibility of their sites are not entirely accurate; 8. Compliance with Section 508 could be increased with funding and education for web developers; and 9. Commonly accessible e-government sites are still an unfulfilled goal. Ultimately, this dissertation provided a robust, user-centered portrait of the levels of accessibility of e-government websites, reasons for the current levels of accessibility, and perceptions about accessibility. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / February 7, 2006. / Rehabilitation Act, Section 508, E-government, Electronic government, Accessibility, Persons with Disabilities, Disability, Usability, Websites / Includes bibliographical references. / Charles R. McClure, Professor Directing Dissertation; Stephen D. McDowell, Outside Committee Member; John Carlo Bertot, Committee Member; John N. Gathegi, Committee Member.

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore and analyze a domain of research thought to be shared by two areas of philosophy: computational and digital ontology. Computational ontology is philosophy used to develop information systems also called computational ontologies. Digital ontology is philosophy dealing with our understanding of Being and human existence in terms of the digital. While computational ontology accounts for reality as that which is disclosed to us by natural science—reality independent of human experience—digital ontology always begins with and refers back to the human being in its analysis of Being. The methodology in this dissertation is phenomenology. Both computational and digital ontology are represented using instrumental case studies. The findings consist of essential components shared by computational and digital ontology, the modes in which they appear, and philosophical questions to explore in future research. Ultimately, this dissertation concludes that there is a domain shared by computational and digital ontology in spite of some fundamental differences between the two. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 22, 2009. / Ontology, Phenomenology, Cyberspace, Digital Representation, Classification, User-centered, Naturalism, Philosophy of Information / Includes bibliographical references. / Kathleen Burnett, Professor Directing Dissertation; Russell Dancy, Outside Committee Member; Gary Burnett, Committee Member; Wayne Wiegand, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to identify and explain the factors that contribute to the implementation of succession planning and management programs (SP&MPs) in academic libraries as a means of addressing the lack of planning for and development of current academic librarians to fill future leadership roles at their libraries through the provision of these programs. Kurt Lewin’s (1947) planned change theory framed the research. The theory guided the understanding of the change process and assisted in identifying the driving forces for and restraining forces against a planned change. Understanding and recognizing the forces that can support or impede a planned change may help leaders foresee challenges and opportunities before following through with the change process that includes unfreezing the current status, moving the group towards the desired change, and then refreezing the change at the preferred level. The study found that the deans’ leadership styles affected their decisions to implement SP&MPs as a planned change at their academic libraries and identified driving forces for and restraining forces against program implementation. The study employed a mixed-method sequential explanatory research design that consisted of online questionnaires using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire self-rater form (MLQ 5x) followed by structured in-depth interviews. The findings from the analyses of the MLQ 5x standardized scale demonstrate that the leadership styles of the academic library deans made a difference in their decisions to implement SP&MPs as a planned change at their libraries. The findings from the analyses of the in-depth interviews demonstrate that many driving forces for and restraining forces against SP&MP implementation affected the deans’ decisions now and may affect their decisions in the future. The driving forces were divided into main categories and included; constant change, library staff training, deans’ perceptions towards the future and the profession, and the budget. The restraining forces were also divided into main categories and included; not enough budget, staff, time, and interest; and too many changes, institutional politics and policies, and organizational cultures. The findings also suggest that additional familiarization with formal SP&MP structure and components could benefit program implementation. The literature review and the findings from this study led the researcher to create a list of practical tips for SP&MP implementation specifically for academic libraries. Limitations of this study are attributable to the sample size and the institutions from which the population derived. The study participants were ten academic library deans from the same public university and college system in a southeastern state in the United States. The focus of this study was limited to academic libraries; it did not include public, school, or special libraries. Future research is suggested to supplement the limitations of this study and to build upon the interpretations of the findings. The study should be replicated using a broader sample of leaders in key positions at various levels of the organization; then a comparison the findings from both studies could be conducted to gain a wider perspective on the issues. Future research could expand the knowledge of library practitioners about the purpose and benefits of SP&MPs to the profession. Current library leadership institutes should consider the inclusion of SP&MP training for higher-level library administrators to encourage program implementation. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2016. / November 9, 2016. / academic libraries, leadership, MLQ 5X, planned change theory, succession planning and management programs, transformational leadership / Includes bibliographical references. / Melissa Gross, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathy L. Guthrie, University Representative; Charles R. McClure, Committee Member; Marcia A. Mardis, Committee Member.

School library media specialists have a flexible role within the structure of a school's environment, which allows for a unique opportunity to promote students' reading motivation. This study qualitatively explored school library media specialists' beliefs and practices regarding promoting students' intrinsic motivation; specifically the strategies they use to promote students' motivation, and examine their own workplace motivation. A qualitative ethnographic framework was used to explore media specialists within the larger environment of a school system. This included a semi-structured interviews and informal observations. Four elementary public school library media specialists from low-achieving schools and four from high achieving schools from one district participated. The interviews explored participants' roles as media specialists and their strategies to promote students' reading motivation, collaboration with teachers, and how they situated their media center within the larger school environment. The results were an emergence of a model where the media specialist's role includes their beliefs, strategies, and responsibilities, which surround the heart of their role, connecting the right book to the right student. In this, the media center plays a role. The model encompassed not only the beliefs, strategies, and responsibilities the media specialists used to promote students' motivation, but also the media specialists' perceptions of outside influences on students. The outcomes of their roles connect with the media center, which in turn influence students' intrinsic motivation to read. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester 2017. / March 28, 2017. / Elementary Education, Librarians, Motivation, School Libraries / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeannine Turner, Professor Directing Thesis; Beth Phillips, Committee Member; Don Latham, Committee Member.

LIS literature suggests that the information norms of immigrants are situated in information poverty, gatekeeping, and the digital divide—all of which inhibit access to information. The canon primarily addresses how insufficient information leads to social exclusion. However, it is also possible for immigrants to be overwhelmed by the vastness of information. This dissertation explores the ways in which Black immigrants living in the U.S. experience and negotiate information overload. Virtually no LIS studies explore the dynamics of information as a stressor from the point of view of Black immigrants. Although they are hardly homogeneous, attention to the realities of African, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latinx individuals living in the U.S. is missing from the current body of LIS research. This three-part study involves 1.) analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey to understand Blacks immigrants’ information and communication technology (ICT) access and usage; 2.) survey research to further examine information access as well as measure information overload at a community level ; 3.) focus group research to afford additional insight regarding possible linkages between information overload and acculturative stress. Findings support that Black immigrants are digitally included, but face information overload and therefore social exclusion as a result of adjusting to life in the United States. Information overload is both a casual and determinant of acculturative stress. Finally, to be socially included, immigrants must be equipped with information resilience. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / May 29, 2018. / Acculturation, Black immigrants, Information access, Information overload, Information science, Libraries / Includes bibliographical references. / Gary Burnett, Professor Directing Dissertation; Karin Brewster, University Representative; Mia Lustria, Committee Member; Lorraine Mon, Committee Member.

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