Performance Of Librarians Research Articles

Job Satification And Performance Of Academic Librarians In Nigerian Universities In Southwest Nigeria

A survey of the examination of the factors that affect job satisfaction and performance of academic librarians was conducted on selected eight universities comprising both state and federal universities, in southwest Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was use to select 130 respondents across the institution of study. Out of the 130 samples only 120 completed questionnaires were returned. Simple percentages were used, alongside chi-square to analyze the data. The result of the analysis shows that level of education has a significant effect on the payment structure of an academic librarian. This shows that the higher the education the more the job becomes satisfactory. Also the result shows that the status of an academic librarian is greatly influences the kind of welfare package receives from the institutions i.e. welfare packages could affect the job satisfaction of an academic librarian most especially the one with low status. The result shows that most senior and principal librarians are more satisfied with their job than the low cadre academic librarian. The result also shows that to render effective services in academic libraries depend on the human resources. Consequently, Job satisfaction and performance of the academic librarians, who have an important place in the information society, will affect the quality of the service they render. We proffer strategies which if carefully implemented will improve job satisfaction and performance among academic librarians. Keywords: Job satisfaction. Performances, Motivation, Academic LibrarianThe Information Technologist Vol. 5 (2) 2008: pp. 91-100

The Ambidextrous Librarian, or “You <i>Can</i> Teach a Middle-Aged Dog Some New Tricks!”

Sometimes a great reference librarian's performance begins to fall below expectations. Although the job of reference librarian is one of the best, burnout does happen. What do you do as head of reference when a good reference librarian runs smack into the face of real-live burnout? What do you do when he or she is just simply tired of looking for information, tired of teaching research skills, and showing this stress to users and coworkers? Although we have all felt moments of frustration (If I get asked just one more time for ...), when the thought becomes a daily or hourly one, the time has come for the head of reference to begin the discussion about job or career changes. Understanding the long road ahead to finding a new match within the library or the profession will help reference managers. In this column, Mitchell Fontenot describes his journey down the path of finding a good match for himself. His personal story brings that to light while also showing how new learning challenges brought new energy. This is of timely interest to administrators and managers because within the next few years a large number of librarians will retire, opening up many higher level positions. Mid-career librarians will be in the prime position to apply for these jobs, if they are willing to make some career changes. I am always on the lookout for ideas for future columns. Ideas on the drawing board include outreach services and new software for developing tutorials that can be put on the library's webpage. If you have experiences with any of these or other practical ideas for providing reference service, please e-mail me.--Editor Many librarians are currently entering mid-career, a time often fraught with burnout and thoughts of career change. Simultaneously, many librarians from the baby boom generation will be retiring. (1) There is also a shortage of young people entering the profession, and recruitment is aggressive. (2) Although this is a concern for the profession there is a positive aspect to this shortage also. These openings will create many career-change opportunities for those in their mid-career. I offer my own personal experience of switching from law librarianship to general academic reference/instruction librarianship (and subsequently outreach services after two years) as an example of the reasons and benefits of such a career change. The intent of this article is to encourage both mid-career librarians and their supervisors or mentors to think seriously about the benefits of career changes. There are not many articles written on career changes for librarians, so although it may not be a new idea or experience for librarians, thinking, talking, and writing about it is relatively rare. Dougherty's article on a post-retirement career is an excellent example of how a librarian can do other things after years of experience in the profession and how best to effect change) Our field lends itself to alternative endeavors not necessarily within the confines of a traditional library position, but by virtue of experience in management, budgeting, supervision, and so on. On the other end of the career spectrum, Newhouse and Spisak's article (beautifully entitled Fixing the First Job) expounds about the challenges and opportunities for new professionals who rethink their original career goals after the first year or two on the job. (4) In a very entertaining article, Johnson writes about the mid-career change of a librarian to a archivist and from a small college to a large university library. (5) Albanese's article on librarians' power to recognize change and actively create new career paths shows how we can form our own career destiny outside of the traditional library position. (6) Couple this with the imminent surge in retirements of librarians and the paucity of middle aged and middle experienced librarians in an article by Curran, these articles detail the almost limitless possibilities for professional growth and movement at any time in one's career. …

Benchmarking Librarian Performance in Chat Reference

Librarians participating in Oregon's collaborative statewide virtual reference project used an analysis of chat reference transcripts to evaluate librarian performance.

Communication Breakdown: Librarian and Student Approaches to Virtual Reference Differ

A review of:
 
 Walter, Virginia A. and Cindy Mediavilla. "Teens Are from Neptune, Librarians Are from Pluto: An Analysis of Online Reference Transactions.” Library Trends 54.2 (2005): 209-227.
 
 Objective – To evaluate the effectiveness of an online reference and referral service for students (primarily those in middle school and high school) seeking homework help.
 
 Design – Analysis of 114 transcripts of reference transactions. 
 
 Setting – A centralized homework reference and tutor referral service provided on behalf of the California State Library by the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System. 
 
 Subjects – Virtual reference librarians at a large urban library system and middle and high school students in California.
 
 Methods – One hundred fourteen virtual reference transactions recorded between October 12 and November 8, 2003 were evaluated against the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) “Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers.” Secondly, the transcripts were subjected to discourse analysis.
 
 Main results – Performance of virtual reference librarians vis-à-vis RUSA guidelines
 In the majority of cases, there was some evidence that librarians communicated clearly (110 out of 114 transactions). In 78 cases, it appeared that a librarian was available quickly, and in 92 of the transactions a friendly greeting was given. What was striking, however, was that in a clear majority of cases, some of the classic reference interview strategies were not employed. In 100 or more cases each, the following strategies were not observed: repeating or paraphrasing the question; helping to interpret the question; verifying mutual understanding; asking if the question has been answered; asking if the student needs more information. Furthermore, in 75 cases librarians did not probe for further information to clarify the question, while in 87 cases they did not check that information had been clearly understood. 
 
 Possibly related to these findings, the researchers felt that the transcripts revealed “a conviction that homework questions are not the proper content for reference transactions” (222). In addition, librarians were found to be frequently too quick to refer students to a tutor, when a query might have been better answered as a reference question.
 
 Findings of discourse analysis
 In general, the virtual reference librarians used impersonal, formal language to “reinforce the professional’s superior position vis-à-vis the help-seeker” (217). There were repeated attempts by the students to interject a lighter or warmer tone (using humour, emoticons, informal language, introducing a personal note, etc.). These attempts were rarely reciprocated, with librarians continuing to use impersonal language, including stock messages such as:
 “we are experiencing a very busy time right now,” (217); or,
 “I am going to send you a page which will give you some help with your homework.
 After we disconnect this session, click on this link and follow the instructions to be connected with a tutor. Please do not click on any links on this page until after we have disconnected” (217).
 
 In several cases librarians were preoccupied with defining their roles—for example, specifying that they could give reference help but not advice. In all, the distancing mechanisms used by librarians, combined with occasional inaccurate referrals and technical problems with the software, were seen to create an enormous potential for frustration on the part of the student.
 
 Conclusions – The most important implication of the study was that librarians and students were worlds (or planets) apart in their approach to the reference interaction. While “teens attempted to create meaning by recreating the chat discourse environment in which they were most at home”, librarians “tried to create meaning in a parallel discourse environment that duplicated as much as possible the standard impersonal protocols of a face-to-face reference counter” (223). One suggested way to alleviate the disconnect between librarians and students was to involve students in the planning of the services. For now, however, the authors conclude that “teens are from Neptune, librarians are from Pluto. Better services would result if they could meet somewhere closer together” (224).

Utilization of electronic information sources (EIS) by the academic staff of Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become basic ingredients in the operations of libraries, and the education sector in general. Libraries are finding it increasingly difficult to acquire and make available to their users the full range of information in print form. Besides, electronic information sources (EIS) are becoming more popular with users who find them rewarding and preferred over the print sources. Libraries are subscribing to EIS as an alternative way of avoiding the problems associated with print sources. This paper examines the impact of the use of EIS on scholarly publications, job performance and ICT skills acquisition of librarians in Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library. It also highlights some of the problems associated with the use of EIS in this library and emphasizes the importance of ICTs training for librarians in a rapidly evolving technologically driven profession. University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal Vol. 7(1) 2005: 47-56

The performance of the medical librarian and its interaction with the health professionals for research and selection of specialized information

Este artigo apresenta e discute as atividades do Bibliotecário Médico, ao mesmo tempo em que descreve os principais recursos informacionais existentes para atender a demanda informacional dos profissionais da área da saúde e a aplicação dos resultados levantados pelo bibliotecário para aplicar o uso efetivo da Medicina Baseada em Evidências. Palavras-chave Bibliotecário médico; Medicina baseada em evidências; Bases de dados; Fontes de informação; Profissionais da saúde Abstract This article discusses the activities of Medical Librarian, at the same time that describes the main information resources existing for attending the informational demand from the health professionals and the application of the obtained results by the librarian to aplly the effective use of the Medicine Based in Evidences. Key words Medical librarian; Medicine based in evidences; Database; Information sources; Health professionals.

Virtual Reference in the Music Library

Virtual Reference in the Music Library Gerald Szymanski (bio) and Mary Alice Fields (bio) In December 2002, the Information Sharing Subcommittee1 of the Music Library Association's Reference and Public Services Committee (RAPS) created and conducted a survey of virtual reference activity in music libraries. This survey was linked from the MLA-L electronic discussion list with the request that it be completed for each institution where one or more music librarians participate in or actively plan to participate in virtual reference services. For purposes of the survey, virtual reference was defined to include e-mail reference, queries via a Web-based form, live chat, live voice chat, and any other electronically mediated reference interaction between a music librarian and a library patron. Responses to the survey were received from forty-five librarians representing thirty-nine institutions of higher education, five public libraries, and one special library. Following a discussion of the published literature on the topic, this article reports the survey findings. Literature Review A review of the extensive literature relating to reference transactions reveals very little pertaining to music.2 In 1985 Susan Clegg published a sample reference survey form in Fontes Artis Musicae, along with a plea that music libraries collect reference statistics and report them in such a way that others could benefit from them.3 In the same issue, Roger Crudge reported briefly on "Music Library Statistics in Britain."4 Helmut [End Page 634] Rösner's article, "Zur Statistik der Musikbibliotheken," concerning music libraries in Germany, appeared in Fontes Artis Musicae in 1992.5 The International Association of Music Libraries (IAML) Project Group on Statistics, chaired by Susan Clegg, created "Guidelines and Recommendations for the Collection of Music Library Statistics" in 1991. Based on the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 2789:1991 ("Information and Documentation: International Library Statistics," later revised as ISO 2789:2003), the recommendations were accepted as the official IAML guidelines for music library statistics in 1992 and were published in 1993; the only reference statistic included was the "total number of recorded enquiries."6 In 1994, the Music Library Association's Reference and Public Services Committee (RAPS) began a study of the reference performance of librarian, paraprofessional, and student employees in academic music libraries using the survey instrument developed for the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program (WOREP). A preliminary report on the results of this study was published in this journal in 2001.7 The data are intended to "measure general characteristics of reference service in music settings and determine how they mirror or differ from . . . general-library counterparts."8 More recently, analyses of virtual reference services, particularly chat reference service, are beginning to appear in the literature; however, as is true for other aspects of reference service, few articles refer to subject analysis and none were found that relate to music.9 Although this study of virtual reference is no more than a snapshot of activity, the hope is that it can represent a first step in establishing benchmarks for virtual reference within the discipline. Methodology In preparation for a presentation at the Music Library Association (MLA) annual meeting in February of 2003, the RAPS Committee's [End Page 635] Information Sharing Subcommittee, chaired by John Anderies, created a survey on the use of virtual reference in music libraries and by music librarians. Anderies converted the survey into a Web-based input form, using standard radio buttons, check boxes, and text blocks. The responses were collected using a program called Gather, a prototype Common Gateway Interface (CGI) application for gathering data submitted via Web forms.10 From Gather, the results were exported into an Excel spreadsheet for analysis. The survey, included as an appendix to this article, was distributed in December 2002 as a link on the MLA-L electronic mailing list to over a thousand subscribers, with the request that it be completed by music librarians who participate in some form of virtual reference or have plans to do so. "Virtual reference" was defined as including but not limited to "e-mail reference, queries that come via a web-based form, live chat, [and] live voice chat."11 In this survey, "virtual" reference is equivalent in intent...

Factors Influencing Competence and Performance of Reference Librarians in Academic Libraries in Nigeria

Reference service embraces a variety of activities which bring the reference librarian in direct contact with those who patronize the reference section of the library. Reference service is, indeed, a demanding, an intellectual, and brain-tasking aspect of library services to clientele. The performance of the reference librarian can make or mar the effectiveness of reference services.

Evaluation of academic librarians' instructional performance: Report of a national survey

Some types of library instruction easily allow student learning to be assessed (i.e., the self-paced workbook and credit-bearing library instruction), but there is no generally accepted means of measuring learning gained from the typical one-shot library instruction session. Instead, evaluation of library instruction tends to focus upon attendees' perceptions of the librarian's performance. This study reports the results of a survey of evaluation practices reported by library instruction coordinators at forty-four colleges and universities throughout the United States. Among the respondents' organizations, “reaction data” is most frequently used to assess the effectiveness of library instruction, although it provides little evidence concerning what students have learned. Nearly three-fourths of the library instruction coordinators who answered the survey indicated that evaluative feedback is solicited from students at their institutions. More than one fourth of the respondents indicated that their libraries use student responses as a basis for performance appraisal, while slightly less than sixteen percent reported that evaluative responses solicited from faculty are used to assess performance. Peer observation of library instruction as an evaluative tool was also frequently reported. Survey results are analyzed and discussed, as are benefits and limitations of various types of evaluation. The author argues that subjective data alone are inadequate to measure student learning, guide programmatic improvements in library instruction, or be used as a basis for librarians' performance appraisals. It is suggested that, due to its limitations, course-related library instruction can render little useful evaluative information. Librarians need to identify and implement teaching strategies that increase the amount of meaningful instruction and allow student learning to be assessed.

Wrong Questions, Wrong Answers:

Due to the public nature of reference work, librarians need to be accountable to the patrons that they serve. A high level of performance at the reference desk generates good public relations and creates an atmosphere in which patrons are encouraged about returning to the library, whereas poor performance reflects poorly on the library as a whole. In addition to this direct accountability to patrons, reference librarians should be measured on their accountability to their colleagues, the library administration, and the profession as a whole. Several methods have been developed to evaluate the performance of reference librarians. Most such methods concentrate on the accuracy of the response to the patron's question and neglect the process involved in obtaining that answer. Unfortunately, this method of fact-based evaluation does not reflect the needs of patrons at most reference desks. This paper proposes a method for evaluating reference performance based upon behavioral factors. In addition, some specifi...

Marketing the Library in a Time of Crisis

As the 1980s draw to a close, libraries are again contending with the problem of budget cuts in a declining economy. In the light of this situation, it becomes necessary for librarians to return to the drawing boards to revise public policy statements. How to cut services without destroying the traditional role of libraries in society, whether or not to invoke user fees under a free access philosophy, and how to increase the productivity and level of performance of librarians are some decisions that have to be made.

Status and Performance of University Librarians in Uganda

The thesis of this study is that the status of the university librarian is of significant value to his/ her performance. This study set out to ascertain this significance by investigating the status and performance of librarians in selected universities in Uganda. The findings were that the status of the university librarians in the country is only fairly satisfactory. It was also found that the status of university librarians is a significant predictor of their performance. Therefore, the paper urges university administrators in the country to re-examine the status accorded to their librarians because it is an important ingredient in their performance.Keywords: Library management; Performance management; Human resources development.