| This thesis identifies the major problems involved in the use of computers in library and bibliographic information systems in Brazil, examines motives for and results of automation, and offers an in-depth description of existing automated systems. The researcher personally visited the thirty-one most significant automated systems in five localities in Brazil, and systematically collected numeric and descriptive data that could help characterise automated processes and identify problem areas. Questionnaires were sent out by post to institutions which could not be visited. Attitude tests were also applied to fifty-five senior staff of these institutions, to determine their ranking of problems, motives and results, their views of other relevant factors and their educational background. This same attitude test was also applied postally to a group of senior librarians in institutions which did not use computers; eighty-six replied.;Automation was found to be firmly established amongst library and bibliographic information systems in Brazil; the thirty-one institutions had a total of eighty-five operating automated processes, of which the most popular was cataloguing, automated seventeen times, followed by data bases, circulation control, indexing and SDI. Lack of experienced personnel was felt to be the major problem, followed by lack of finance, lack of official guidance and government policy, and lack of networks and cooperation; lack of official policy was seen as a far more serious problem by respondents who used computers, than by those who did not. Automation was adopted to improve service to users, increase productivity and because manual methods could no longer keep up with the quantity of work. The latter point seemed to reflect inefficient manual methods, as automated systems handled a level of activities which was numerically quite low by British or North American standards. Respondents generally had a positive opinion of automation, which they felt permitted improved service, increased productivity and faster information processing. The author's major suggestion is for seed money to encourage limited automation projects, with consultative and cooperative elements, in major cities throughout Brazil, making the experience gained so far available to most professionals. |
