Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2008, Educational Leadership

This case study of the Ohio Private College Libraries (OPAL) consortium, 1998-2007, explored how OPAL participants interpreted the concept of organizational agility through the collaborative leadership activities of structuring and agenda setting. As a complete insider, I combined the qualitative research strategies of personal journaling, participant observation, document analysis, and participant interviews in a process of heuristic inquiry to discover why OPAL had not expanded its agenda beyond its shared integrated library system (ILS). OPAL was formed by OHIONET so that small college libraries could afford a high-quality ILS for the purposes of library management, resource sharing, and related activities. Research findings showed that participants shared leadership power through decision-making on structure and a complementary agenda to shape OPAL incrementally from an informal roundtable to a formal hierarchy of large committees. The consortium participants also transformed from a group eager to add many shared services to a group focused intensely on the ILS as one clear and strongly supported group purpose. Their shared decisions about structuring had the leadership effect of a close interpretation of the OPAL mission statement in the context of a complex library environment. I concluded that OPAL demonstrated organizational agility primarily through changes in structure that sharpened participant focus on the processes of sharing the ILS. Implications of the research were as follows: (a) Although well-organized, strongly supported, and agile, OPAL remained temporary, given its dependence on voluntary member support in an environment of unpredictable change. The lifespan of OPAL depended on sustaining participants' agreement that the OPAL collaboration was providing their local libraries with unique and high priority advantages that justified ongoing investment of local funds and human resources. The broader and very advantageous environment was an importan (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Darla J. Twale Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Theodore J. Kowalski Ph.D. (Committee Member); Timothy J. Ilg Ph.D. (Committee Member); Edward D. Garten Ph.D. (Committee Member); Thomas J. II Lasley Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Library Science; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Through a critical phenomenological approach, this study captured the lived experiences of directors in the Ohio Private Academic Libraries (OPAL) consortium and their responses to dual pandemics, the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic of racism. Individual qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten OPAL directors to examine their roles as leaders in times of upheaval. Findings indicate that the pandemics amplified challenges in emotional and practical ways. Directors contended with emotional labor marked by ambiguity and burnout. Practical challenges (staff reductions, enforcing safety protocols, and the Great Resignation) further impacted morale. Racially just, equitable systems encourage workplaces defined by compassion, autonomy, and respect. Thus, directors must prioritize antiracism actions to dismantle white supremacy and racial capitalism in their libraries.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski (Committee Chair); Miriam Matteson (Committee Member); Thomas Oldenski (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Library Science