The purpose of this study was to utilize the Delphi technique for university community involvement in generating data for consideration for inclusion in the library building program at Florida Institute of Technology. / Three rounds of questionnaires were administered to Trustees, Vice-Presidents, Deans for Directors, Academic Department Heads, Other Administrators, Librarians, Faculty, Students, and Alumni of the institution. / In Round I eighty-two participants were requested to consider a list of 25 factors generated by the research, plus any other factors of their choosing, and suggest what facilities and services they felt would be appropriate for the university's new library. Seventy respondents submitted a total of 428 statements. A second questionnaire was developed and pretested. Improvements were incorporated into a revised instrument consisting of fifty-five statements and Round II was submitted to seventy panelists. / They were asked to rate each statement on two Likert-type five point scales indicating their perception of the desirability and feasibility for the university's new library building program. The responses were tabulated and the median was calculated. In Round III, the fifty-five statements, with the Round II median responses circled, were sent to sixty-seven participants. The panelists were asked to consider the statements again, and if their rating differed from the median response to change their rating to the median or briefly state the reason for their divergent view. Fifty-seven panelists responded and consensus was achieved in fifty-four statements regarding desirability, and fifty-three statements regarding feasibility. / Statements top-rated "very desirable" and "definitely feasible" dealt with the building's central location and access to it, energy efficiency lighting, air conditioning and heating, and humidity control. Self-service copy capability and special provisions for handicapped patrons were also top-rated on both scales. / Additional microform facilities, an electronic book and journal security system, and expansion of the bound journal collection were rated "very desirable" and "possibly feasible" as was facilitating the information transfer process by computerization and network membership. An elective course in how to use the library's resources was rated "definitely feasible" and "desirable". / Findings. (1) The Delphi technique did provide useful data for consideration for the library building program at Florida Institute of Technology. (2) Fifty-four statements achieved consensus on the desirability scale with an average degree of 86.5%. On the feasibility scale fifty-three statements achieved consensus with an average degree of 85.5%. The three rounds of questionnaires gave the study's director and the participants greater insight into the planning/problem area, and the respondents did evaluate the proposed alternatives. Therefore, the consensual, heuristic, and evaluative goals of the technique were accomplished. (3) There was dramatic movement toward the consensual viewpoint between Round II and III. Analysis of score changes indicated that approximately half the respondents in each sub-group changed score to the consensual response. (4) Library oriented goals such as a high number of volumes and seating spaces, computer assisted instruction, and comprehensive audio-visual capability were ranked lower than energy efficiency; lighting, air conditioning and heating, and humidity control; and self-service copy capability. (5) There was a high degree of correlation (SQRT.(s = .84) between what was perceived as desirable and feasible by the respondents. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-08, Section: A, page: 3307. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74260 |
| Contributors | HENSON, LLEWELLYN LAFAYETTE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 189 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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