A STUDY OF PERCEPTIONS OF LIBRARY PERSONNEL CONCERNING COMPUTER APPLICATION AT THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY (AUTOMATION, ETHNOGRAPHIC, ATTITUDES)

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of personnel with respect to computer application at the Michigan State University Library. In order to meet the above-mentioned purpose of the study, specific research questions have been formulated as follows: (1) What are the salient characteristics of computer application at the MSU Library from the point of view of library personnel? (2) What new experiences are library personnel encountering as a result of automation and how do they interpret these experiences? (3) What are the perspectives of library personnel with respect to the future potential of computerization in the Library? (4) How, in the perceptions of library personnel, will the traditional notion of "library" change in terms of emerging new technology?;This study was carried out using a qualitative fieldwork research approach that emphasized description, inductive analysis, and the study of people's perceptions. The data were collected primarily through in-depth interviewing with the library personnel. From among the 75 professional librarians, 15 were selected as a research sample to represent all major sections of the Library.;The major findings of the study included: (1) The majority of perceptions supported computer application at the Library. It was perceived that quick and extensive services to users were possible through automation. (2) The second group of perceptions opposed a quick automation at the Library. It was perceived by this group that a hasty application of computers at a library would bring about a number of problems. (3) The third group of perceptions was essentially ambivalent, being pro-automation for one aspect and at the same time anti-automation for another aspect. It was perceived by this group that automation was necessary in general, but automation lacking discreet application would result in some difficulty in certain areas.