Date

7-21-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Advanced Educational Studies (PhD)

Chair

Heather Strafaccia

Keywords

academic library, academic library value, advocacy, spiritual leadership, Christianity, faith integration

Disciplines

Educational Leadership | Library and Information Science

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the faith-based advocacy experiences for library leaders at Christian institutions of higher education. The theory guiding this study is spiritual leadership theory, which demonstrates how library leaders connect library resources and services to the advancement of the mission and goals of a Christian institution of higher education. The central research question asked, What are the lived experiences of library leaders in Christian institutions of higher education who have engaged in faith-based advocacy? Participants in this study were those who served as the primary administrator of an academic library within a governing member Council for Christian Colleges and Universities institution and had completed at least 3 full academic years of service. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews, focus group interviews, and document review, and horizonalized into three themes: information, formation, and transformation. These themes were used to develop individual and composite textural and structural descriptions of participants’ experiences with faith-based advocacy. Results demonstrated that library leaders, driven by their personal faith and alignment with the faith-based mission of their institutions of higher education, develop their library personnel to steward a collection of faith-based information resources through formative educational experiences and biblically hospitable spaces designed to transform students to know Christ and to make Christ known through their chosen vocations.

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