1 TRANSITIONING A HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY TO A LEARNING COMMONS: AVOIDING THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS A thesis presented by Robin Cicchetti by The School of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education In the field of Education College of Professional Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts February 2015 2 Abstract This study focuses on the process of transitioning a traditional high school library to the learning commons service model. The study identifies the requirements of the model and the factors that either promote or undermine the success of the transition. A general inductive approach based on qualitative research was used to collect and analyze data obtained from three high school librarians who self-identified as having successfully transitioned a high school library to a learning commons. The two research questions for the study were: (1) What factors determine a successful transition? (2) What factors undermine or threaten the transition? Data was collected through multiple methods including: field notes from site visits, review of participant created websites, as well as interviews conducted in person, by telephone, and by video conference. Coding was used to sort and evaluate data that identified categories and themes that influenced the success of the transition. The transition to a learning commons is analyzed in the context of the tragedy of the commons scenario (Hardin, 1968). The tragedy scenario has its roots in pre-Roman England when farmers grazed their livestock in communally held fields. The growth in demand for the common fields led to increasing herd sizes with no corresponding incentive to maintain the shared resource, leading ultimately to overuse, depletion, herd starvation, and collapse. The tragedy scenario has been applied to analogous issues such as over-fishing, deforestation, and in this study, the highly demanded resources of a modern learning commons. Keywords: library, school library, high school library, learning commons, information commons, transition, tragedy of the commons 3 Acknowledgments I am grateful to a number of people who supported me throughout the course work and research that comprised this process. The support of my school library colleagues, and the school librarians who generously agreed to participate in this study, have been inspirational. I also want to thank my dissertation advisory committee members, Dr. Kristal Clemons, Dr. Lynda Beltz, and Dr. Mary Frances Zilonis, for their expertise and insight that was so valued and deeply appreciated. To my family, thank you for your patience and support throughout this process. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 11 The Tragedy of the Commons .................................................................................................. 12 The Problem .............................................................................................................................. 13 Problem Statement .................................................................................................................... 14 Significance Statement .............................................................................................................. 15 Research Question .................................................................................................................... 18 Positionality Statement ............................................................................................................. 19 Professional Context ............................................................................................................. 20 Bias ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 25 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 25 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 27 The Learning Commons ........................................................................................................... 27 The History of U.S. High School Libraries .............................................................................. 29 Dewey’s Model School ......................................................................................................... 29 Establishing School Libraries ............................................................................................... 30 The Great Society and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ................................. 31 5 The Standards ............................................................................................................................ 31 The Certain Standards ........................................................................................................... 31 Information Power ................................................................................................................ 33 The Emergence of the Learning Commons .............................................................................. 33 Impact on Student Achievement ............................................................................................... 35 Educational Equity .................................................................................................................... 35 Identifying the Elements of the Learning Commons ................................................................ 38 Physical Space ...................................................................................................................... 38 Staffing .................................................................................................................................. 40 Nonprofessional staff ........................................................................................................ 40 Professionally Licensed Staff ........................................................................................... 41 Librarian Leadership Attributes ............................................................................................ 42 Perceptions ............................................................................................................................ 43 Pre-service training ............................................................................................................... 44 Administration and procedures ............................................................................................. 46 Implementing a Successful Transition to a Learning Commons .............................................. 48 Attributes of a Successful Learning Commons ........................................................................ 49 Implications of the Tragedy of the Commons .......................................................................... 50 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 51 Problem Statement .................................................................................................................... 51 6 The Paradigm ............................................................................................................................ 51 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 52 Research Tradition .................................................................................................................... 52 Qualitative research .............................................................................................................. 52 General inductive research .................................................................................................... 52 Statement of Positionality ......................................................................................................... 53 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 53 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 55 Recruitment and access ............................................................................................................. 56 Data collection .......................................................................................................................... 56 Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 57 Informed consent .................................................................................................................