Journal of Educational Media and Library Sciences


Vol. 36 No. 1 , Pages 1 - 19 , 1998

Selection of Library Automation Systems: A Management Perspective

Wenxian ZHANG

Abstract

Selecting automated library systems is a complex and often difficult process that most library administrators will have to go through, and different libraries usually took different approaches. This study is to identify the factors that influence library administrators’ decision-making process regarding library automation. The most significant attitude changes between librarians with automated systems already in their libraries and those without automation occurred in the areas of system cost and vendor selection. Administrators from libraries without automation considered the system cost to be the dominant factor, while librarians with automated systems operating in their libraries had learned from their experience and put much more emphasis on performance, and were more willing to search for the computer system that would best meet their needs.

Keywords: Surveys—automation; Public libraries—Connecticut; Cooperative library systems

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