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Blueprints: Falvey LibraryContents: April 2001
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Dr. Ellinger, the first Commerce and Finance faculty member invited to participate in the Falvey Memorial Library Faculty Research Talk series, joined the C and F faculty at Villanova in 1997 as assistant professor of marketing and distribution. |
Ellinger subsequently developed research questions for his current work from the seeds of ideas germinated during this rigorous, yet fruitful, dissertation process. He has now focused the critical lens of empirical observation on practicing logistics management professionals, who are responsible for the transportation and distribution of goods throughout the economic supply chain.
Starting with theoretical models of learning organizations (an organization which implements the practices that promote learning at the individual, team and organizational levels), Ellinger clearly presented the background and research questions which undergird his research. Then, in a fascinating, humorous and meticulous manner, Ellinger presented his research findings.
Beginning with a pool of four hundred companies, Ellinger surveyed logistics managers on their perceptions of their company’s degree of application of the learning organization concept. Ellinger obtained data that he then correlated to objectively reported measures of the same company’s financial performance. Using a variety of statistical methods, Ellinger was able to determine a significant degree of association between the "hard" data from the company’s financial performance and the "soft" data reported by the logistics managers.
hrough his research, Ellinger successfully documented the statistically significant relationship between the degree to which a company embraces learning organization theories and the financial performance of a firm. Ellinger concluded the discussion by fielding questions on the implications and limitations of the research and his recommendations for further study.
Ellinger’s wife and co-author Andrea Ellinger attended his presentation as did as many of his colleagues and students from the marketing department. Their enthusiastic support for Ellinger’s presentation is further evidence of this remarkable professor’s ability to make ‘statistically significant’ relationships throughout the Villanova community.
(Dr. Ellinger’s article can be viewed in full text at edst.educ.ubc.ca/aerc/2000/ellingeraetal1-final.PDF.)
Michael Foight is the business information specialist and special collections cataloger.
by Judy Olsen
In a world where so much information is available electronically we may welcome the opportunity to curl up with a good book!
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To celebrate National Library Week, April 1 - 7, our first floor display case features works of fiction awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction each year since 1918 with comments about some of these books by Villanova faculty and administrators. |
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Some of these titles have stood the test of time and are as fresh today as when originally published. Other selections were popular at the time but have since faded into obscurity. And some selections provoked a lively debate.
Dr. James Mullins, the previous University librarian, had envisioned the display focusing on the first fifty years of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (in the early years the designation was ‘Novel’), but the scope of the display was expanded to include new award winners as well.
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We polled some administrators and the faculty in the English department and the Core Humanities program, asking them to select and comment on one or two titles: has this book stood the test of time or, for the newer titles, do you think it will become a classic? About the earliest entries, Dr. Paul Wood, English department, commented: "Often novels become dated but almost all of these have stood up against the test of time. . . . Specifically, I would single out Edith Wharton: among all the winners, her Age of Innocence stands out as remarkably ‘undated’ for a novel published in 1921." |
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Ms. Jody Ross, English department, who’s read most of the Pulitzer books, recommends the contemporary novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, by Oscar Hijuelos (1990 award): "I loved this novel. The characters are so rich and the situations they find themselves in are strange and yet utterly believable and important." |
Established as an incentive to excellence by noted journalist Joseph Pulitzer in his 1904 will, the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded in journalism, letters, drama and education. Certainly some Pulitzer selections have been controversial. One critic wryly commented that "it was an award that was usually conferred upon two classes of writers: those who didn’t need it and those who didn’t deserve it" ("Notes and Comments," New Criterion 16 May 1998: 1). The Pulitzer board may also choose to reject the juries’ recommendations.
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Dr. Andrew Mathis, English department, commented on the board’s refusal to award the Pulitzer to Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow despite the unanimous support of the fiction jury, which, in response, refused to nominate another book: "But as the magnum opus of a person who has repeatedly been called America’s greatest living writer of fiction, we should encourage people to continue reading Gravity’s Rainbow, the Pulitzer board’s protestations notwithstanding." |
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Nevertheless, Pulitzer board member and Stanford professor James Risser defends the selection process, noting it "remarkably free" of "lobbying pressure or horse-trading" ("In defense of the Pulitzer prizes," Editor & Publisher 25 February 1995: 13).
he display was created and assembled by Judy Olsen, Barbara Bores, Ginny Reedy, Graphics artist Lorraine Williams and Falvey’s cataloging department. Additional literary comments are provided by Dr. Scott Black, Dr. Margaret Boerner, Gary Bonas, Bill Byrne, Joseph Casino, Dr. Charles Cherry, Dr. Robert Hohwald and Dr. James Kirschke.
We invite you to peruse the exhibit, note the selected comments and perhaps choose some of the books to read yourself. Do you agree with the Pulitzer board’s selection? With your colleagues’ comments?
All of the Pulitzer Award for Fiction books are in Falvey’s collection. Their call numbers are provided to help you locate the books. Enjoy!
Judy Olsen is a reference librarian and librarian liaison to the English department.
by Judy Olsen
As Radnor Township celebrates its Centennial this year, Villanova University, a distinctive presence within the Main Line community for more than 150 years, joins the festivities too. At the request of Barbara Clement, assistant vice-president for Public Relations and a member of the Centennial Steering committee, the Rev. Dennis J. Gallagher, O.S.A., University archivist, met with Radnor Historical Society’s John Dale and Lindsay Walters, ‘01, a Public Relations intern, to select photographs and prints depicting Villanova throughout the years.
hese Villanova photos were part of the township’s exhibit originally displayed March 12 at the Willows. The exhibit was shown again at a black tie fund raising Radnor Centennial gala at Ardrossan Farm April 21.
he photographs and prints preserve historical views of the University, including some buildings destroyed by fire. One early photograph depicts the Saint Thomas of Villanova Church with the adjoining monastery, formerly the Belle-Air mansion which burned in 1912. An 1872 Villanova College prospectus states that the annual tuition of $250, which included "board and washing," was payable one half year in advance. The striking 1943 photo of row after row of Navy V-12 student trainees represents Villanova’s turning point during World War II when compulsory military service jeopardized the all-male school’s existence.
Father Gallagher, as University archivist, maintains the permanent documentary records of the University, and, according to Father Gallagher, "the Archives serve as the institutional memory of the University."
Affiliated with the University since 1975, Father Gallagher originally taught graduate classes in the library science department. After moving to Falvey Memorial Library, he worked in Access Services until his appointment as University archivist by President Rev. John M. Driscoll, O.S.A. Father Gallagher completed his undergraduate and graduate work at Villanova and earned his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Catholic University of America.
by Luisa Cywinski
he Falvey VQI Enhancement Team (ET) sponsored a brown bag lunch talk in March that offered Falvey Library staff valuable information about crime prevention and personal safety at work and at home.
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The presentation was given by Joanna Aversa-Gallagher, sexual assault interventionist; Regina Moore, community service officer; and Deborah Patch, crime prevention specialist. Each highlighted different areas of concern, including crime prevention, workplace security habits, and personal checklists for one’s car, home and personal safety. Crime trends and statistics were also provided. |
 Luisa Cywinski, Joanna Aversa-Gallagher, Regina Moore and Deborah Patch |
Special attention was paid to the security habits of students who use Falvey Library and how library staff can intervene and raise awareness among them. To illustrate how staff can teach students new security habits, Regina Moore displayed a slip currently used by Circulation staff members to remind students that unattended valuables can be stolen. Office Moore emphasized other _common sense habits and distributed a new employee pamphlet that lists easy ways to protect belongings at work.
 Deborah Patch (second from left) discusses crime prevention measures with ( l to r) Diane Adamo and Charlotte Scheld. |
The Public Safety representatives fielded questions about a personal firearms policy on campus, emergency phone use and handicapped emergency procedures in the library. The library staff should cultivate a general awareness of the people and belongings in one’s area. Public Safety encouraged staff to call whenever observing a suspicious person or when a potentially harmful situation arises. |
Falvey ET members are Teresa Bowden, Luisa Cywinski, Chris Foster, Laura Hutelmyer, Kathleen O’Connor and Darren Poley.
Luisa Cywinksi is Circulation supervisor.
Falvey’s Web databases, available from the Library home page, are heavily used for research.
Top ten databases used / by number of searches (June to December 2000)
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Also contributing to this issue of Blueprints: Jacqueline
Smith; Photography: Donna Blaszkowski, Judy Olsen.
