The effects of automation on hiring practices and staff allocations in academic libraries in four-year and two-year institutions in Tennessee
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of automation on hiring practices and staff allocations in four-year and two-year, public and private academic libraries in Tennessee. All 56 academic libraries' directors at four-year and two-year institutions were mailed the survey, Impact of Technology on Library Personnel. Forty-four (79%) of the library directors responded. The study's hypotheses stated that (a) there would be no significant differences in the numbers of professional librarians in academic libraries when the library becomes automated, (b) there would be no significant differences in support staff in academic libraries when the library becomes automated, (c) there would be no significant differences in the numbers of "other" professional staff in academic libraries when the library becomes automated, and (d) hiring policies, for example, specific skills sought, would not have changed when the library becomes automated. After analyzing the results, the null hypotheses were accepted at.05 level of significance using t test, proportions, and percentages. The consensus of the literature tended to indicate that automation may have a positive or negative effect on staffing procedures in the academic library. Most strategies utilized in the process of computerization assume the efficacy of a role/task approach to staffing. It is recommended that further studies be undertaken to determine (a) whether automation in the academic library has resulted in increased productivity of staff, (b) whether automation and upgrading of job descriptions of support staff leads to a breakdown in the traditional organizational structure, and (c) what positions are most affected by the changes brought on by automation.
Subject Area
Library science|Higher education|School administration|Educational software
Recommended Citation
Murle Edward Kenerson,
"The effects of automation on hiring practices and staff allocations in academic libraries in four-year and two-year institutions in Tennessee"
(1997).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9907850.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9907850