This Love_readme20210429.txt file was generated on [20210429] by [April Love] ------------------- GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------- 1. Title of Dataset Data for: The Role and Importance of the Subject Specialist in the Pac-12 Conference University Libraries Summary of Data Description 2. Author Information Principal Investigator Contact Information Name: April M. Love Institution: J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah Address: 295 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860 Email: april.love@utah.edu Associate or Co-investigator Contact Information Name: Mohammad Mirfakhrai Institution: J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah Address: 295 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860 Email: mohammad.mirfakhrai@utah.edu Alternate Contact Information Name: Institution: Address: Email: 3. Date of data collection (single date, range, approximate date) 201803-201807 4. Geographic location of data collection (where was data collected?):Pac-12 Universities--University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado, Boulder, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Washington, Washington State University, University of Utah. 5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: no funding sources -------------------------- SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION -------------------------- 1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: CC BY NC 2. Links to publications that cite or use the data: Love, April M. and Mohammad Mirfakhrai. 2021. The Role and Importance of the Subject Specialist in the Pac-12 Conference University Libraries Summary of Data Description. Journal of Library Administration 3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: none 4. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: none 5. Was data derived from another source? no If yes, list source(s): 6. Recommended citation for the data: Love, April M. and Mohammad Mirfakhrai. 2021. Data for: The Role and Importance of the Subject Specialist in the Pac-12 Conference University Libraries Summary of Data Description. The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository https://doi.org/10.7278/S50D-F4CC-ZMV2 --------------------- DATA & FILE OVERVIEW --------------------- 1. File List A. Filename: Pac-12 Subject Specialist.xlsx Short description: EXCEL spreadsheet of raw data from Survey Monkey survey questionnaire. WE WANT THE NAME OF FILES HERE AND THE DESCRIPTION OF WHATS IN THE FILE - NOT THE TITLE AND ABSTRACT. B. Filename: PAC-12 Subject Specialist CSV.csv Short description: Edited CSV spreadsheet of raw data from Survey Monkey questionnaire. 2. Relationship between files: CSV file format converted from original EXCEL spreadsheet format. 3. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: 4. Are there multiple versions of the dataset? yes/no Yes If yes, list versions: Pac-12 Subject Specialist.xlsx PAC-12 Subject Specialist CSV.csv i. To submit in CSV format ii. When was the file updated? 20210526 Name of file that was updated: PAC-12 Subject Specialist.xlsx i. Why was the file updated? To remove identifying information. ii. When was the file updated? 20210526 -------------------------- METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION -------------------------- 1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: Survey Monkey. Survey was designed by the researchers. Survey was submitted to the University of Utah IRB prior to making it available to participants. The Institutional Review Board of the University of Utah approved the survey design. The Survey was anonymized. Respondents were chosen from a sample of 120 subject specialists selected at random by searching through the 2018 websites of the Pac-12 university libraries. 2. Methods for processing the data: Data were collected from 105 anonymous participants via Survey Monkey. The data from Survey Questions 1-9 were collated and then analyzed using the Statistical Program "R" using logistic regression for the independent variables to significance and confidence levels of p< 0.05. The data were summarized and organized by survey questions into a summary data description table with percentages. The summarized data was then used to determine to what degree the authors' research questions were answered. Survey Questions: 1. Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Yes No 2. Does the academic library where you work require that subject specialists/selectors have an advanced degree in addition to the MLIS to be hired? Yes No 3. Do you hold an additional advanced degree besides your MLIS degree? Yes No 4. What degrees do you have? MLIS Advanced Master’s subject degree Ph.D. 5. Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your undergraduate degree(s) if you do not hold an advanced degree beyond the MLIS? Yes No 6. Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS, if you have any? Yes No 7. As a subject selector/specialist engaged in reference work and instruction, do any of your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS help you to be more effective in delivering information services? Yes No I don't have an advanced degree beyond the MLIS 8. Do you receive any extra monetary compensation solely based on your subject expertise with an advanced degree beyond your MLIS at your academic institution? Yes No 9. Are you called upon to participate in overall library decision-making? Yes No Authors' Research Questions: 1. To what degree do subject specialists with an advanced degree beyond the MLIS and those without an additional advanced subject degree participate in overall library decision making? 2. Do the institutions that require an advanced subject degree beyond the MLIS at the time of hiring, pay more salary to the employee because they hold the additional degree? 3. Is there a difference in the level of overall reward (pay) of subject specialists with an additional advanced subject degree beyond the MLIS and those without an advanced degree? 4. Is there any significant relationship between the level of education of professional librarians and their effectiveness in delivering information services in the Pac-12 libraries? 5. To what degree is the collection development subject area supported by professional librarians with undergraduate degrees if the professional librarians do not hold an additional advanced subject degree beyond MLIS? 6. To what degree is the collection development subject area supported by the additional advanced subject degree of professional librarians beyond the MLIS? Limitations of Study: There were exclusions to the investigation because of differing circumstances, pay scale, and hiring requirements. For example, law librarians, who must hold a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, and medical-health sciences librarians, who must have credentials from the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), were both excluded from the study. The survey itself asked for subjective responses from the participants concerning their perceptions of their roles as subject specialists. Survey Question 7, in particular, asked for a subjective response regarding self-assessment of effectiveness as a subject specialist. The authors realize that there may be an element of bias inherent in this question. Data were collected from 105 anonymous participants via Survey Monkey. The data for Survey Questions 1 through 9 were collated and then analyzed using the Statistical Program "R" using logistic regression analysis for the independent variables to significance and confidence levels of p< 0.05. The data were summarized and organized by survey questions into a summary data description table with percentages. The summarized data was then used to determine to what degree the authors' research questions were answered. 3. Instrument- or software-specific information needed: The statistical analysis program "R" was used to use logistic regression for the first 9 non-demographic survey questions. 4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate: The standard levels of p< 0.05 significance and confidence level were applied. 5. Environmental/experimental conditions: Normal office settings. 6. Describe any quality-assurance procedures performed on the data: Statistical analysis used the logistic regression method and the standard p< 0.05 levels of confidence and significance. 7. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission: April Love and Mohammad Mirfakhrai. ----------------------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: [Summary of the Data Description] ----------------------------------------- 1. Number of variables: 20 2. Number of cases/rows: 105 3. Variable List A. Name: Respondent ID Description: Yes/No answers Value labels if appropriate: B. Name: Start Date Description: Yes/No Value labels if appropriate: C. Name: End Date Description: Yes/No Value labels if appropriate: D. Name: Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: E. Name: Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: F. Name: Does the academic library where you work require that subject specialists/selectors have an advanced degree in addition to the MLIS to be hired? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: G. Name: Does the academic library where you work require that subject specialists/selectors have an advanced degree in addition to the MLIS to be hired? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: H. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your undergraduate degree(s) if you do not hold an advanced degree beyond the MLIS? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: I. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your undergraduate degree(s) if you do not hold an advanced degree beyond the MLIS? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: J. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your undergraduate degree(s) if you do not hold an advanced degree beyond the MLIS? Description: Some column Value labels if appropriate: K. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS, if you have any? Name: Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: L. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS, if you have any? Name: Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: M. Name: Do the collection development subject areas you support relate to your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS, if you have any? Name: Do you currently work as a subject selector/specialist in an academic library? Description: Some column Value labels if appropriate: N. Name: As a subject selector/specialist engaged in reference work and instruction, do any of your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS help you to be more effective in delivering information services? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: O. Name: As a subject selector/specialist engaged in reference work and instruction, do any of your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS help you to be more effective in delivering information services? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: P. Name: As a subject selector/specialist engaged in reference work and instruction, do any of your advanced degree(s) beyond the MLIS help you to be more effective in delivering information services? Description: I don't have an advanced degree beyond the MLIS column Value labels if appropriate: Q. Name: Do you receive any extra monetary compensation solely based on your subject expertise with an advanced degree beyond your MLIS at your academic institution? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: R. Name: Do you receive any extra monetary compensation solely based on your subject expertise with an advanced degree beyond your MLIS at your academic institution? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: S. Name:Are you called upon to participate in overall library decision making? Description: Yes column Value labels if appropriate: T. Name:Are you called upon to participate in overall library decision making? Description: No column Value labels if appropriate: 4. Missing data codes: No data codes Code/symbol Definition Code/symbol Definition 5. Specialized formats of other abbreviations used: None