Measurement of burnout and the influence of background characteristics in Greek academic librarians

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to measure levels of burnout among Greek academic librarians and to assess its relation with certain background characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThe Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to 136 academic librarians across Greece.FindingsFindings suggested that respondents experienced low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and moderate levels of personal accomplishment. Of the background characteristics, age, number of years as a librarian and participation in decision‐making were found to be independent of experienced burnout. Direct contact with library users seemed to enhance feelings of personal accomplishment. In addition, employees with short‐term contracts reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion in comparison to their colleagues holding lifetime positions.Research limitations/implications – Future research can focus on different types of libraries where the predominance of different organizational characteristics might have a different impact on individual burnout. Another direction for future research is the study of the specific job conditions that might contribute to burnout.Originality/valueProvides valuable results concerning burnout among library professionals in Greece.