The perception of libraries and librarians in society: The case of Erzurum province

Libraries have been established to collect, organize and put the materials on which information is recorded, regardless of their type, and to serve the user. The librarianship profession, which aims to provide people with access to the information they need, prepares both printed and electronic resources for use by some methods and techniques appropriate to the needs of those who need information. The methods and techniques used from the past to the present cause the perception of the profession as an ordinary job and the decrease of professional reputation. The study was prepared to measure the awareness of the society against libraries, librarians and also librarianship. Data on the attitudes and behaviors of the society on the subject were compiled and evaluations were made based on these data. The findings of the research were created by analyzing the data obtained by the survey technique. The survey was applied to 384 randomly selected citizens from the city of Erzurum. When the results obtained from the data are examined, it is seen that the services provided in libraries are not known enough by the society and that the librarianship profession is perceived as an ordinary profession. This situation can be accepted as an indication that the ongoing libraries are only a place to study. The understanding that the librarianship profession can be done by people with all educational levels can be deducted from the analysis. In line with these results, it has been revealed that libraries and librarians do not have sufficient awareness and respect by the society. In the context of these data, it is thought that librarians should introduce both the services carried out in libraries and the qualifications of the librarianship profession by organizing activities. At the same time, it should be understood that library staff should consist of people with the necessary training, and it is an important issue that should be emphasized.