Charles R. McClure, PhD

Francis Eppes Professor of Information Studies and
Director, Information Use Management & Policy Institute
College of Communication & Information, Florida State University

Louis Shores Building, Room 226
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2100
Phone: (850) 644-8109
Website: mcclure.ii.fsu.edu
Email: cmcclure@lis.fsu.edu

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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES THE RETIREMENT OF CHARLES R. MCCLURE

Dr. Charles R. McClure, Krafft (formerly Eppes) Professor of Information Studies and founder and Director of the Information Institute in the School of Information (iSchool) at the College of Information, Florida State University (FSU), retires in January 2021.   McClure served in these positions for almost 21 years.

Previous to his tenure at Florida State University, he was a Professor at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Oklahoma, and then earned the rank of Distinguished Professor at Syracuse University, School of Information Studies (one of only eight so named at the time).  McClure also served as President of Information Management Consulting Services, Inc.  He completed his PhD in Information Studies at Rutgers University, earned a master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Oklahoma, a second master’s in American West History, and his BA in Spanish both at Oklahoma State University.

As Director of the Information Institute, a research center at FSU, he worked with a number of colleagues successfully bringing some $11 million into the Institute in external research funding – in addition to the research funding he received at the University of Oklahoma and Syracuse University.  These projects addressed topics such as planning and evaluation of information services; federal information policies; impacts and deployment of broadband; use of information services; deployment and economic impact of telecommunications; provision and assessment of digital services; and more.

Some of the agencies that funded these research projects include the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the U.S. National Commission on Library and Information Science, the Coalition of Networked Information, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and numerous other Foundations and local, state and Federal government agencies.

McClure was a prolific producer of books, refereed articles, conference papers, and research reports – with some 50 authored or co-authored/edited books and literally hundreds of other published articles, reports, etc. He was also a frequent speaker and workshop leader at various professional associations. During his career he regularly was listed as one of the most cited researchers in library/information science.  In 2019 the Library and Information Technology Association selected him to receive the Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology for his work in telecommunication and information policy research.

Over his career, McClure received numerous awards for his research and teaching from such professional associations as the Association of Library and Information Science Educators, the American Library Association, the Library Research Roundtable, the Defense Technical Information Center, and the American Society for Information Science and Technology.  He was also recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Oklahoma and Rutgers University.

When asked about his accomplishments over a 43 year career in academia McClure responded that he was most proud of the various students, and especially the doctoral students he directed and taught at the University of Oklahoma, Syracuse University and Florida State University.  “Many of these students have gone on to be lead researchers, teachers, and administrators in schools of library/information science, in government, various libraries, and in the private sector.”  He was also proud of his broadband research that contributed to increased users of broadband Internet – especially in rural areas.

McClure said he has enjoyed his career in academia and thanks all the people with whom he has had the pleasure of working and meeting.  He looks forward to continuing his activities in influencing Federal information policy issues, taking a more active role in a range of environmental issues, assisting his Master Gardener wife, Vicky, with her various projects, and improving his birding skills.

Francis Eppes Professor

Dr. Charles R. McClure cmcclure@lis.fsu.edu is the Francis Eppes Professor of Information Studies at the School of Library & Information Studies, College of Communication & Information, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. He was selected as the first recipient of an Eppes endowed chair at FSU in 1999. From 1986-1999 he was at Syracuse University, School of Information Studies - the last five as a Distinguished Professor. He teaches courses in planning/evaluation of information services, U.S. government information policies, evaluation of networked services, library/information center management, and research methods. He completed his Ph.D. in Library and Information Services from Rutgers University.

Information Use Management & Policy Institute

As Director of the Information Use Management & Policy Institute at Florida State University, he and the Institute staff work on a range of funded research projects, promote interdisciplinary research efforts at the university and with other organizations, engage in a range of program evaluation activities, and actively participate in various information policy debates and initiatives at the state and federal levels. The Information Institute, founded in 1999, provides a highly visible and active research arm of the College of Communication & Information. Since its inception in 1999, the Information Institute has received some $8 million in funded research and external support.

Library Related Research

McClure has conducted research on a range of library planning, evaluation, and management topics. He served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Public Library Development Project, funded by the Public Library Association, which resulted in the 1987 ALA publications, Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries and Output Measures for Public Libraries, 2nd edition. Since that time he has published numerous books and papers on these topics. This topic was revisited by McClure and Paul Jaeger, who wrote Public Libraries and Internet Services Roles in 2009 (American Library Association). His co-authored book, Public Libraries and the Internet: Roles, Perspectives, and Implications, was published in 2011 by Libraries Unlimited.

He completed the manual Assessing the Academic Networked Environment: Strategies and Options (Coalition for Networked Information, 1996), which was funded by the U.S. Department of Education. In 1996, he also completed a funded project that assessed the Maryland statewide network Sailor, summarized in the report Sailor Network Assessment Final Report: Findings and Future Sailor Network Development. Similar studies assessing networked services were completed in 1998 for Delaware, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. More recently, he was funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for 2010-2012 to participate in a research project related to improving access to and use of e-government resources and services through public libraries.

National Surveys

He completed national surveys in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 on Public Libraries and the Internet, with John Carlo Bertot, examining the use of the Internet by public libraries. These studies were funded and published by National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the American Library Association (ALA). He was a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) with John Carlo Bertot on an effort continuing through 2009 to extend and expand these national surveys, funded by the American Library Association for $1.4 million. For the 2010-2012 surveys, McClure continued working on the surveys as a consultant.

McClure was the Co-PI for a study funded by OCLC (and others) assessing Digital Reference Services. This study resulted in the manual, Statistics, Measures and Quality Standards for Assessing Digital Reference Library Services; Guidelines and Procedures (2002). He completed in January 2002 a project funded by the Association of Research Libraries that resulted in a manual describing a number of statistics and measures to describe use and users in the networked environment and a report assessing the utility of institutional outcome measures for academic libraries. He also has been the PI on a range of initiatives related to the evaluation of the Florida Electronic Library (FEL) to assess the service and to conduct functionality and usability on the service from 2001 through 2011.

From 2003-2008, McClure was Co-PI on three studies funded by the U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The first is Librarian Education for the Collection, Analysis and Use of Library Networked Services and Resources Statistics which resulted in the EMIS (E-metrics Instructional System) training modules related to networked statistics available on the Institute website. The second study is Integrating Public Library Databases onto a Nationwide Digital Basemap for Enhanced Library Services: The U.S. Public Library Geographic Database which resulted in an online public access GIS for public library descriptive data. During 2005-2008 he served as the Co-PI on a study also funded by IMLS, Increasing the Effectiveness of Evaluation for Improved Public Library Decision Making.

Most recently, McClure has expanded his research activities into areas of health informatics, broadband and telecommunications, renewable energy resources, and hurricane and emergency management. Recent work in these areas includes a report on health information usage of the Florida Electronic Library, 2007-2008 Evaluation Activities for The Florida Electronic Library: Public Libraries and Consumer Health Information Resources and Services(2008). Also, he was PI on a project funded by the Florida Division of Library and Information Services to investigate and understand the broadband needs of Florida public libraries in facilitating and offering e-government and emergency/disaster management services, which resulted in the report Needs Assessment of Florida Public Library E-Government and Emergency/Disaster Management Broadband-Enabled Services (2009). As Co-PI, he completed in 2011 Development of a Renewable Energy Research Web Portal. In addition, he was PI on the Hurricane Preparedness and Response by Utilizing Florida Public Libraries project, which has resulted in several reports, a book chapter “Public Libraries in Hurricane Preparedness and Response,” and a 2009 paper in Florida Libraries, “Hurricane Preparedness and Response for Florida Public Libraries: Best Practices and Strategies.”

Federal Information Policy

He has served as the PI for studies related to the management of government information and information policy by agencies such as the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, the Government Printing Office, the National Technical Information Service, the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, the Government Accountability Office, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He has written extensively on topics related to U.S. government information, information resources management (IRM), and information policy including the co-authored works Federal Information Policies in the 1990s: Views and Perspectives and Public Access to Government Information, 2nd ed.He is a frequent participant in executive and congressional briefing sessions and other meetings related to U.S. information policy. In 1997, he completed the study Evaluation of the Federal Government's Implementation of the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) funded by the U.S. General Services Administration. He was a Co-PI for a study assessing federal electronic records management issues, funded by the National Archives in 2001. In January 2002, he completed (with others) a policy analysis of selected issues related to privacy for the U.S. Congress. During 2004, he completed a study assessing records management for the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. More recently, in 2009-2010 he collaborated with OMB Watch on a project to promote transparency to and improved access to federal government information.

Broadband Use, Deployment, and Policy

During 2010-2011, McClure received funding from the North Florida Broadband Authority and the Florida Rural Broadband Alliance to conduct broadband needs assessments and on-site broadband/network diagnostics to improve Florida rural counties’ access to, deployment of, and use of broadband – especially for local economic development. These efforts support larger projects funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). He also has worked with the American Library Association, Washington Office on a number of studies related to the deployment and use of broadband and the E-rate.   Beginning in 2013, McClure is the Principal Investigator for the four-year study Assessing Information Technology Educational Pathways that Promote Deployment and Use of Rural Broadband, funded by the National Science Foundation for $844,825.  These studies continue a record of broadband research with which McClure has participated since his involvement in the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Journal Editorship

McClure is the founding Editor of Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy. He was a co-founder of Government Information Quarterly, served as its Associate Editor from 1984-2012, and has edited and participated in a number of theme issues on information policy issues related to Universal Service in the Global Networked Environment. During 2004, he served as the editor of Journal of Government Information. McClure also serves on the editorial board of a number of additional journals, such as Library Quarterly.

Awards

His research has won a number of awards, including:

• His co-authored study Federal Information Policies in the 1980s: Conflicts and Issues (Ablex, 1987) was recognized by the American Society for Information Science as the best book in information science for 1988.

• His study, Electronic Networks, the Research Process, and Scholarly Communication received the American Library Association's Jesse H. Shera award for the best research study in library/information science -- the third time he won the award.

• He has authored/edited some 50 monographs and 300 reports/chapters/papers.

• In a 2006 research study (“Scholarly Productivity of U.S. LIS Faculty,” Library and Information Science Research, August 2006), McClure was identified as the 4th most productive Library and Information Science (LIS) faculty member in journal publication during 2001-2005.

• McClure also was identified as only one of four LIS faculty that has been ranked in the top 10 of LIS faculty for journal productivity since 1981.

• His co-authored paper “Functionality, Usability, and Accessibility: Iterative User-centered Evaluation Strategies for Digital Libraries” that appeared in a 2007 issue of Performance Measures & Metrics was given the award of “Highly Commended” by the Emerald LiteratiNetwork publishers.

A selection of some of his recent publications can be found on his personal website at: http://mcclure.ii.fsu.edu/publications.html

Information Management Consultant Services, Inc.

As president of Information Management Consultant Services, LCC, he consults with a number of academic, public, and special libraries; government agencies; professional associations; networks and electronic service providers; and corporations regarding the design, planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of information services. He is also a frequent speaker at professional meetings and conferences.