Library School Faculty Doctorates: A Statistical Review.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether or not there was an over-all discernible trend either downward or upward in the percentage of earned doctorates held by the faculties of the accredited library school programs during the period from 1960 to 1978. The over-all percentage of faculty members with doctorates increased from 32. 1 percent in 1960 to 65.9 percent in 1978. The largest over-all gain was made at the assistant professor level. Although women have made a more spectacular gain in the percentage of doctorates held than men, men throughout the period have held a larger percentage of doctorates than women. Women in 1960 filled a majority of the positions in the accredited schools. Men constituted a majority in the 1978-79 academic year. The Ph.D., first with a major in library science and then followed by majors in other disciplines most frequently the humanities or education is the most common type of doctoral degree held by library school teachers. Eight schools located in the Great Lakes region and the east are primarily responsible for granting the library science doctorate to library school faculties.