Dallas Long PhD '16

Dallas Long, Ph.D. ’16.

Dallas Long, associate dean of Milner Library, was recently informed that his dissertation has been selected by the American Library Association to be featured in the May/June issue of American Libraries.

Kathy Rosa, the American Library Association’s director for the Office of Research and Statistics, said Long’s dissertation was selected because it “has the potential to influence practice [of librarianship].” Each summer, American Libraries profiles dissertations it considers notable for the field of library and information science.

“Increased accountability in higher education is compelling librarians to demonstrate their impact on student learning and student success,” said Long, a 2016 graduate with his Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations.

His dissertation Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals as Collaborators for Student Learning and Success looks at how librarians and student affairs professionals perceive each other’s roles in student learning. He conducted a study using multiple focus groups consisting of librarians and student affairs professionals at several four-year universities in Illinois. The study “identified opportunities for prospective collaborations and the conditions which impede or facilitate prospective collaboration.”

Long’s committee members were Phyllis McCluskey-Titus, Mohamed Nur-Awaleh, Scott Walter, and James C Palmer (Chair).