Faculty culture and bibliographic instruction: an exploratory analysis - The Library and Undergraduate Education

What is an organizational culture? Schein (1992) provided one of the most inclusive definitions of organizational culture:

A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it

solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration,

that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore,

to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think,

and feel in relation to those problems. (p. 12)

Culture provides meaning and context for a specific group of people. It holds the group together and instills in them an individual and collective sense of purpose and continuity (Bergquist, 1992, p. 2).

Expanding the definition further, Trice and Beyer have elaborated on the characteristics of culture. Culture is collective; it cannot be created by individuals acting alone. Rewards and sanctions exist for believing and acting as others do in the culture. Culture is emotionally charged. In many ways culture helps to deal with life's insecurities. According to Trice and Beyer (1993):

People's allegiances to their ideologies and cultural forms thus spring

more from their emotional needs than from rational consideration.

When ideologies and cultural practices are questioned, their adherents

react emotionally. They may be able to advance elaborate rationales

for them, but the depth of the feelings they bring to their

arguments indicates that more than rationality is at work. Members

of a culture rarely dare to question core beliefs and values. (p. 6)

Rites and rituals both heighten the awareness of shared sentiments and serve to sublimate antisocial impulses.

Culture is Historically Based

A particular culture may arise on the unique history of a specific group. The ideas and practices of the culture may exist long after the uncertainties that caused them are no longer present (Trice & Beyer, 1993, p. 6). Cultures are both inherently symbolic and fuzzy. "Cultures are not monolithic single sets of ideas, but rather incorporate contradictions, ambiguities, paradoxes and just plain confusion" (p. 8). Cultures, while creating continuity, are also dynamic. They change as new members are assimilated and in response to new demands. Communication to members is imperfect and interpretation of symbols results in more than one meaning (p. 7).

For our purposes, then, significant aspects of a culture include such critical aspects as group behavioral regularities, group norms, espoused values, embedded skills, habits of thinking, and shared meaning (Schein, 1992, pp. 8-9). What do faculty members view as their major responsibilities? How do they behave toward each other and others in carrying out those responsibilities? What skills are needed to carry out these responsibilities? How do they respond to perceived changes in those responsibilities? All these are important issues in promoting bibliographic instruction in academia.

FACULTY CULTURE

Does it Exist ?

Is there a faculty culture? Until recently, there has been little cultural research in higher education (Tierney, 1988, p. 7). However, in recent years, various disciplines, such as anthropology, sociology, social psychology, and communications, have contributed to our understanding of faculty culture (Kuh & Whitt, 1988, p. 39). If we consider Trice and Beyer's characteristics of cultures, there is a faculty culture. According to Tierney and Rhodes (1994): "While faculty may be quite diverse across institutional type and discipline, they nonetheless perform many similar tasks, share common values and beliefs, and identify with one another as colleagues" (p. 11).