Marsha Ann Tate, Ph.D.Librarian and Web Coordinator 222 Buckhout Laboratory The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802-4507 Phone: (814) 865-7736 Email: mat1@psu.edu |
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Marsha Ann Tate, Ph.D.Librarian and Web Coordinator 222 Buckhout Laboratory The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802-4507 Phone: (814) 865-7736 Email: mat1@psu.edu |
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Education | Research Interests | Courses Taught
Professional Organization Affiliations |
Selected Publications
Selected Presentations
Ph.D., Mass Communications, The Pennsylvania State University
Areas of Specialization: Canadian television and film industries; North American communications history and policy
M.A., Communication Studies, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Specialization: Political communication
M.S., Library Science, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Specialization: Government documents
B.A., Political Science, The Pennsylvania State University
Specialization: Russian area studies
My communications-related research primarily focuses upon the Canadian media industries' development within a globalized media milieu, North American communications policy, and new communications technologies. My library science-related research interests focus upon copyright and trademark issues associated with new media technologies and the development of Web-based instructional materials. I also conduct historical research; my current activities in this area include chronicling the development of American summer colonies in Cobourg and Lake Muskoka, Ontario, as well as exploring the role of American business interests in the development of the Lake of the Woods region of Ontario and the province of Alberta.
Summer 2008: Instructor, Computer Basics
State College Area School District Community Education Program
Spring semester 2008: Instructor, CIS 105 (Introduction to Computers and Applications)
Lehigh Carbon Community College SCI Rockview Program
Fall semester 2006-2007: Instructor, EndNote for Scientists Series
Seminar series devoted exclusively to using EndNote software; sponsored by Penn State's Department of Plant Pathology.
Fall semester 2006: Instructor, IDS 105 (Thinking, Problem Solving, and Team Building)
Lehigh Carbon Community College SCI Rockview Program
Summer semester 2006: Instructor, Business Communications 209
Lehigh Carbon Community College SCI Rockview Program
Spring semester 2005: Instructor, Comm 413 (Media and Public)
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
2002-2006: Guest Lecturer, College of Communications
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Lecture topics include: International communications, Copyright, Cable television industry
Fall semester 2001-Spring semester 2002: Graduate Teaching Associate, College of Communications
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Instructor for breakout section of Communications 100, Introduction to Mass Communications
Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS)
Bradford County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society
Centre County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society
Film Studies Association of Canada (FSAC)
Middle Atlantic & New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS)
Councilor at Large, Executive Board
MANECCS Web site Coordinator
Pennsylvania Canadian Studies Consortium
Member, Executive Committee
Tate, Marsha Ann. Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web. 2nd ed. Clermont, FL: CRC Press, book in press.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Alliance Atlantis Communications: The Emergence of a Canadian Contender in the Global Media Milieu." Ph.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 2007.
Using a combination of case study and historical research methodologies, this study examines the development of Toronto, Ontario-based Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. and its predecessor companies within the context of a globalized media environment. Specifically, the study identifies and analyses key factors that helped Alliance Atlantis to emerge as a viable competitor in both the North American and international television marketplaces. The in-depth investigation of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.—one of Canada 's most successful integrated distribution-exhibition-production companies to date—illustrates the complex interrelationships between domestic and international economics, regulatory policies, technological innovations, as well as entrepreneurial skills in shaping the development of a modern-day media corporation. By highlighting key stakeholders, productions, and mergers over the course of Alliance Atlantis' and its predecessor companies' histories, the study also considers how the above-mentioned factors have forcibly changed Alliance Atlantis' corporate structure, strategies, and entertainment products. In a broader sense, the examination and analysis of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. provides insights into the transitioning North American and global mediascapes and may prove helpful to other foreign-based production companies struggling to compete within a global audiovisual market traditionally dominated by Hollywood-based companies.
Tate, Marsha Ann. Canadian Television Programming Made for the United States Market: A History with Production and Broadcast Data. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.
Canadian Television Programming Made for the United States Market examines factors which led to an independent television production sector in Toronto, Ontario, and the Ontario-based companies that have competed in the U.S. marketplace. Alliance Atlantis Communications is given particular attention as one of Ontario's most successful production companies. Economic and political influences as well as current and future prospects of independent production companies are discussed.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "An East-West Expert Dialogue: Regulation and Telecommunications Market Development in China" [report]. Washington, DC: East-West Center, 2004.
Schement, Jorge R., and Marsha Ann Tate. "Rural America in the Digital Age: A Preliminary Assessment of the State of the Information/Telecommunications Infrastructure in Ten Counties of North Dakota and Pennsylvania" [PDF document]. University Park, PA: Institute for Information Policy, College of Communications, School of Information Sciences and Technologies, The Pennsylvania State University, 2003. (Report prepared for the Rural Policy Research Institute--RUPRI). A six page rural policy brief of Rural America in the Digital Age by Dorie Pickle and Sharon Strover of RUPRI's Telecommunications panel is also available.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Janet Alexander. "Teaching Web Evaluation: Librarians Meeting the Challenge." In All that Glitters: Evaluating Electronic Information, edited by S. Vincent. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1999.
Alexander, Janet, and Marsha Ann Tate. Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999.
Karp, R., and J. H. Schlessinger, eds. Plays for Children and Young Adults: An Evaluative Index and Guide. New York, NY: Garland, 1991. Contributed 15 play evaluations.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Studios Keep Pace with Digital Revolution.” Playback, August 4, 2008.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "FILMPORT Enters Global Studio War." Playback, April 28, 2008.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Meet Goldman Sachs". Playback, January 7, 2008.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Venturing into the Blogosphere. Playback, November 12, 2007.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Cobourg, Ontario: Canada's Mason-Dixon Community" [PDF document]. Cobourg and District Historical Society Historical Review, September 2005.
In the years following the Civil War, Cobourg Ontario, a community nestled on the shores of Lake Ontario, emerged as one of the most popular resort communities in North America. Families from the southern United States found a summer respite in a cool and hospitable climate without needing to spend their vacation money in the northern United States. Somewhat surprisingly, at the same time, wealthy families from the northern United States --including Pennsylvania --also began making summer pilgrimages to Cobourg. The northerners initially came to Cobourg for business-related reasons but returned to partake of the area's reputedly high quality ozone. A number of the seasonal Cobourg residents later constructed large mansions throughout the town and its environs. Cobourg remained a popular destination for both southern and northern U.S. families alike until the early years of the 20th century. This article offers a brief historical sketch of the colony's development from its beginnings in the 1860s to its decline in the 1920s and 1930s.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Looking for Laura Secord on the Web: Using a Famous Figure from the War of 1812 as a Model for Evaluating Historical Websites." The History Teacher 38, no. 2 (February 2005): 225-240.
This essay explores the cyberspace repository of information about the Canadian historical figure Laura Secord in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) How is Laura Secord's journey depicted on Web pages/sites? (2) How are the Web-based depictions of Laura Secord similar/different from accounts found in print sources? and (3) In what, if any, other aspects do the Web-based resources related to Laura Secord differ from their print counterparts?
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Valerie A. Allen. "Integrating Distinctively Canadian Elements into Television Drama: A Formula for Success or Failure? The Due South Experience." Canadian Journal of Communication 28, no. 1 (2003): 67-84.
The production of indigenous Canadian television drama, despite cultural importance ascribed to the genre, has been continually beset by funding and other problems. This situation prompted Canadian producers to concentrate upon the production of so-called industrial dramas that attempt to minimize or completely mask their Canadian origins and are designed primarily for the export market. There have been exceptions - North of 60, Black Harbour, Due South. These identifiably Canadian dramas garnered significant numbers of viewers at home as well as foreign audiences. Based upon a case study of Due South, we suggest that distinctive Canadian elements need not be viewed as detriments to a show's success but rather be regarded as potential assets that can help a program distinguish itself from its competitors.
Tate, Marsha Ann, Janet Alexander, and Michael Powell. "A Modular Approach to Teaching the World Wide Web." Research Strategies 17, nos. 2/3 (2000): 201-206.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Janet Alexander. "Critical Evaluation Skills for World Wide Web Resources." Computers in Libraries 16, no. 10 (1996): 49-55.
Newspaper/Newsletter Articles
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Meet the Manufacturer of the Grange Fair's Distinctive Green Tents.” Bellefonte Gazette, August 22, 2008, p. 17.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Selected Agricultural-related Museums and Historical Sites in Pennsylvania and the Surrounding Region" [Web resource], 2008-.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Pennsylvania and Penn State's Agricultural Heritage: A Chronology" [Web resource].
Tate, Marsha Ann. The American Summer Colony at Cobourg, Ontario [Web site].
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Canadian Film and Television Industries: A Bibliography" [PDF document].
Tate, Marsha Ann. Canadian Media Companies at Home and Abroad Research Project Portal [Web site].
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Valerie Allen. "Duesers: A Case Study of the Due South Cyberfandom" [PDF document]. Document originally posted in 2000 as an HTML document.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Janet Alexander. Evaluating Web Resources [Web site], 1996-2005.
Tate, Marsha Ann, Janet Alexander, and Michael Powell. A Modular Approach to Teaching/Learning the World Wide Web [Web site], 1997.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Resources for Research, Writing, and Citation in Plant Pathology" [Web page].
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Web-based Resources for Rural Research" [Web page].
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Solitudes, Synergies, and Sustainability: The National and International Footprint of Quebec-based Media Companies." Paper to be presented at
the ACSUS-in-Canada Colloquium,
Quebec and Canada: 400 years of Challenges, Quebec City, Quebec, November 2008.
Quebec's media industries do not exist in isolation. On the contrary, they are invariably intertwined with a myriad array of media enterprises and systems spanning Canada and beyond. Although Quebec-based media companies have long maintained a perceptible presence outside of Quebec, relatively little research has been devoted to the nature and extent of the companies' footprints beyond their home province. Consequently, this paper examines these footprints using a two-step approach. First, Quebec 's media industries are collectively situated within the larger Canadian and international media milieus. Thereafter, a detailed case study analysis of three individual Quebec-based media companies with known holdings outside of Quebec —Astral Media, Quebecor, and Transcontinental—will be presented. The analysis will address the following questions: (1) What types of media holdings does each company own/manage? (2) Are the various holdings of each company owned solely by the company or in partnership with other companies? (3) What percentage of each company's sales and earnings are derived from Quebec versus non-Quebec sources? and finally, (4) Who are each company's major domestic and foreign competitors? The insights derived from this study enhance our understanding of the complex relationships that exist among Quebec 's media industries and their Canadian and international brethren in today's globalized media environment.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Our Men in Canada: The Formal and Informal Functions of U.S. Consular Offices and Agents in Ontario during the Early 1900s." Paper to be presented at the Biennial Conference of the Middle Atlantic and New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS), Arlington, Virginia, October 2008.
This paper analyses the activities of U.S. consular offices in two Ontario towns, namely, Peterborough and Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), during the first decade of the twentieth century. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section presents brief historical sketches of Peterborough and Rat Portage, together with a discussion of the United States' rationale for establishing consular offices in the respective communities. Drawing upon U.S. Department of State records, along with a variety of other archival sources, the second section of the paper analyzes the consular offices' activities between the years 1900 and 1910. The analysis specifically addresses the following questions: (1) What precise activities did the consular agents perform in their official capacity? (2) How much freedom were the agents given by their superiors in Washington , DC , to make decisions on their own? (3) What types of formal and informal interactions did the agents have with their superiors in Washington , DC ? (4) What types of formal and informal interactions did the agents have with their Canadian hosts (e.g., local residents, government officials)? and finally, (5) What impact, if any, did national and international events have upon the day-to-day activities of the consul offices? This in-depth examination of the Peterborough and Rat Portage consular offices will provide new insights into the significant yet often overlooked historical contributions these offices have made to the overall United States-Canadian relationship.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "The Tenuous Venture: Situating Toronto's Independent Television Production Sector within a Globalized Media Milieu." Paper presented at the 2007 biennial meeting of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), Toronto, Ontario, November 2007.
Toronto 's independent television production sector operates within a multidimensional domestic, continental, and global cultural, economic, political, and technological environment. Moreover, Toronto-based independent production companies must compete with Hollywood 's large and deep-rooted multinational media conglomerates in both the North American and global audiovisual marketplaces. Given these circumstances, the overarching question addressed in this study is What have been the experiences of Toronto-based independent television production companies in the increasingly globalized media economy? In order to adequately address this larger question, the study is guided by the following subordinate questions: (1) What role have technological innovations played in the recent development of the sector? (2) What role has the structure and performance of the Canadian and international media markets played in the sector's developmental trajectory? and (3) What role have regulatory policies and subsidy programs played in shaping the development of the sector? Using a political economy framework, the study documents and analyzes the intertwined economic, political, and technological factors that have influenced the development of one of the largest television production sectors in North America over the past several decades. Through analyses of the most significant stakeholders and events within the sector, the study demonstrates how the sector has been forcibly changed by the increasing globalization of media industries. It also illustrates how this transformation has directly affected the structure and activities of the sector's constituent companies and also provides insights into the development of non-Hollywood-based firms within an increasingly global mediascape.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Canadian Media Companies: Prey or Predators in the Global Media Marketplace?" Presentation given at the Pennsylvania Canadian Studies Consortium 2007 Meeting, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, March 2007.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Alliance Atlantis Communications: The Emergence of a Canadian Contender in the International Media Milieu" [PowerPoint presentation saved as PDF document]. Ph.D. thesis defense presentation, College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, February 28, 2007.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Alliance Atlantis Communications: The Emergence of a Canadian Contender in the North American Media Industries" [PowerPoint presentation saved as PDF document]. Presentation given at the 25th Biennial Conference of the Middle Atlantic and New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS), Montreal, Quebec, September 2006.
This paper examines the development of Toronto, Ontario-based Alliance Atlantis Communications, one of Canada 's most successful integrated distribution-exhibition-production companies to date. Given a number of inherent structural problems associated with Canada's domestic television production sector combined with Alliance Atlantis Communications' base of operations outside of the Hollywood film and television production hub, the paper specifically identifies the conditions and factors that enabled the company to emerge as a viable competitor in both the North American and global television marketplaces. The paper, based upon an in-depth case study of Alliance Atlantis Communications and its predecessor companies, illustrates the complex interrelationships between domestic and international economics, government regulatory policy and subsidies, technological innovations, as well as entrepreneurial skills in shaping the development of the company. Through an examination of key stakeholders, productions and various mergers that have occurred throughout Alliance Atlantis' history, the paper also demonstrates how the company has been forcibly changed by this combination of internal and external factors. Finally, the paper analyzes how these various factors have directly affected Alliance Atlantis' corporate strategies and its entertainment products, linking together structural economy, regulation, and policy. In a broader sense, the examination and analysis of Alliance Atlantis Communications may prove helpful to other foreign-based production companies struggling to compete within a global market traditionally dominated by Hollywood-based companies.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Moguls, Mounties, and Media Empire Building: Alliance Atlantis Communications and the Transformation of Canada's Film and Television Industries." Presentation given at the Film Studies Association of Canada (FSAC) 2006 Conference, Toronto, Ontario, May 2006.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Film North: Canada's Feature Film Industry." Lecture given at the Canadian Arts Festival, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, April 2006.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Subverting Stereotypes from London, Ontario to Los Angeles, California: A Review and Analysis of Paul Haggis's Televisual Oeuvre" [PDF document]. Presentation given at the Film Studies Association of Canada (FSAC) 2005 Conference, London, Ontario, May 2005.
Paul Haggis's recent forays into the feature film milieu have garnered the London, Ontario native widespread critical acclaim. Serving as a co-producer, director, and/or writer for a series of high-profile motion pictures such as Million Dollar Baby and Crash have propelled Haggis to Hollywood 's coveted "A list" of directors and writers. Nonetheless, prior to his entrée into feature filmmaking, Paul Haggis already enjoyed a highly distinguished career as a creator, producer, and writer in the North American television industry. A two-time Emmy Award recipient, Paul Haggis's television oeuvre encompasses an eclectic array of prime time sitcoms and dramas. Starting out as a writer for situation comedies such as Facts of Life and One Day at a Time, Haggis later moved on to created notable dramas including Due South, EZ Streets, and Family Law. Subversion of widely held stereotypes and showcasing society's myriad moral ambiguities are hallmarks of Paul Haggis's dramatic endeavors in both television and feature films. While the two techniques have helped produce powerful and thought-provoking dramas, on occasion, they also have sparked controversies. This article examines these "Haggis hallmarks" in Due South and EZ Streets, two television series Mr. Haggis created back-to-back during the mid-1990's. The article also examines several controversial aspects of the shows related to Haggis's use of both techniques.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "The American Summer Colony in Cobourg, Ontario." Presentation given to the Cobourg & District Historical Society, Cobourg, Ontario, May 2005.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Cobourg, Ontario, 1850-1930: Canada's Mason-Dixon Community." Presentation given at the 16th Biennial Mid Atlantic & New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS) Conference, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, October 2004.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Sheila S. Sager. "Broadband Alternatives for Community Development." Panel session held at the Rural Telecon '04, 8th Annual Conference of the Rural Telecommunications Congress, Spokane, Washington, October 2004.
Tate, Marsha Ann, Sheila S. Sager, Jorge R. Schement, and William Shuffstall. "Community Broadband Access: It's More than Infrastructure Stupid" [PowerPoint presentation saved as PDF document]. Panel session held at the Rural Telecon '04, 8th Annual Conference of the Rural Telecommunications Congress, Spokane, Washington, October 2004.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Drama in the Ring and on the Ice: An Exploration of Atom Egoyan's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Television Productions" [PDF document]. Poster session presented at the 2004 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Convention, Toronto, Ontario, August 2004.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Sheila S. Sager. "The Fate of Rural America in the Information Age: An Introduction and Preliminary Application of the 4C's Theory" [PDF document]. Poster session presented at the 2004 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Convention, Toronto, Ontario, August 2004.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "What did the Neighbors Think? Coverage of the United States in The Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail: December 1967-April 1968." Paper presented at the 2003 biennial meeting of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), Portland , Oregon, November 2003.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Elsa Winch. "Imagining and Engineering the Wireless Information Literacy Classroom." Session held at the 2003 Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 2003.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "A Historical Survey and Analysis of Canadian Television Programming Produced for the U.S. Market." Paper presented at the 15th Biennial Mid Atlantic & New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS) Conference, Buffalo, New York, October 2002.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Valerie Allen. "Due South and the Canadian Image: Three perspectives" [PDF document]. Paper presented at the 2001 biennial meeting of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), San Antonio, Texas, November 2001.
Tate, Marsha Ann, and Brenda Corman. "Streaming Toward the Future." Poster session given at the 2001 American Library Association Annual Conference, Washington, DC, June 2001.
Tate, Marsha Ann. "Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web." Session presented at the Pennsylvania Library Association, Lehigh Valley Chapter Spring Conference, Lehigh County Community College, Bethlehem, PA, May 2000.
Page maintained by: Marsha Ann Tate mat1@psu.edu
Page last updated: 2008, September 5.