| A qualitative case study was undertaken in order to investigate the factors which affect the operation of a combined middle school/public library in densely populated Pinellas County on the Gulf coast of Florida. The researcher assumed that the key to understanding what makes an organization more or less effective is in understanding how it does things. The researcher also assumed that the best way to study process is to observe it directly by using the methods of naturalistic inquiry which included observations, interviews, group meetings, and examination of library documents.;Presenting "slice of life" episodes, the researcher focused on the human processes common to all organizations including communication, decision making, cooperation and conflict, leadership and power. Using an illumination model, the researcher sought to describe and interpret rather than measure the effectiveness of the combined program.;In the spirit of naturalistic inquiry, the researcher sought to avoid placing constraints on outputs insofar as possible. Whatever data were collected were analyzed, categorized, and interpreted. A set of categories was derived within which the data could be classified, then the categories were fleshed out with additional information.;The findings of the six month field study conducted in 1994 were organized into five major categories, identified as factors affecting the operation of the combined library. Findings within these categories were further divided into themes identified as indicators of these factors. The factors and their related themes were: (1) Planning, indicated by community readiness, formal agreement, and governance; (2) Leadership, indicated by influence and power, leadership style, and program excellence; (3) Cooperation, indicated by networking, sharing, and reaching out; (4) Community Fit, indicated by the facility, customer satisfaction, and interagency articulation; (5) Personnel, indicated by school board status, adaptability and work roles. |
