General
A survey reported in 1979 of job satisfaction among beginning librarians (6 to 18 months on the job) using the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ), the Minnesota Job Description Questionnaire (MJDQ), and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) sent to 314 graduates of 6 library schools (response rate: MJDQ and MSQ, 228 or 73%; MIQ, 193 or 61%) showed thatthere was no statistically significant difference in vocational needs (MIQ) among groups divided by age or previous work experience (significance level .01). (Source)
Ibid…. showed that analysis of the 22 MSQ scales revealed that the mean creativity scale score of the school librarians was significantly higher than the mean creativity scale scores of the technical services librarians in academic libraries and public services librarians in public libraries; that the mean independence scale score of the technical services librarians in academic libraries was significantly higher than the mean independence scale scores of the public services librarians in public libraries and school libraries; and that the mean social service scale score of technical services librarians in academic libraries was significantly lower than the mean social service scale scores of public services librarians in both academic and public libraries and school librarians (significance level .01). (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe 5 most highly ranked items on the MSQ for the whole group were moral values (mean 3.90), social service (mean 3.79), security (mean 3.71), co-workers (mean 3.56), and autonomy (mean 3.52). (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatcorrelation of the MIQ scale scores and the MJDQ scale scores with the MIQ scale scores revealed that the need profiles of satisfied and dissatisfied librarian were quite similar, while the job environments in which satisfied and dissatisfied librarians worked were perceived to be quite dissimilar. Stepwise multiple regression of the MJDQ scale scores with the general satisfaction scale scores showed thatthe 2 most important elements in this environment were the supervision-human relations scale (measuring respondent’s assessment of the human relations skills of his immediate supervisor) and the ability-utilization scale (measuring the respondent’s assessment of the degree to which his job allows him to make full use of his abilities), which accounted for 38% of the variance of the general satisfaction scale scores. (Source)
A survey reported in 1981 that requested a systemic sample of special librarians to take the Rokeach Value Survey (sample size: 200; responding: 101), which was then compared to Value Survey results from librarians in public libraries, library school faculty, and library school students, showed that special librarians differed most from these other groups in the importance they assigned to sense of accomplishment. Public librarians and library school faculty ranked it higher (both ranked it 1 of 18) while library school students ranked it lower (9 of 18). Special librarians ranked it 6 of 18. These differences were statistically significant at the .05 level. (Source)
Academic
A study reported in 1963 of 676 academic librarians from across the U.S. who had been given the Ghiselli “Self Description Inventory” (an instrument that required each subject to choose the adjectives he felt best described him in a forced choice context) plus a supplementary questionnaire showed thatthe average librarian scored in the 76th percentile of the adult working population in intelligence, in the 70th percentile in terms of occupational level, and in the 41st percentile in terms of initiative. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatonly 13% indicated any regret at having chosen librarianship as a profession. This was a much smaller proportion than for most other occupational groups. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe average librarian scored in the 52nd percentile of the adult working population in supervisory qualities. Furthermore, only 2% of the respondents gave supervision or personnel work as a major source of satisfaction in their work, and 20% found supervision the least attractive aspect of librarianship. (Source)
A survey reported in 1975 to determine levels of job satisfaction, using a Maslow needs hierarchy of 202 men and women library professionals from 23 college and university libraries in the greater New York metropolitan area, showed thatin terms of needs fulfillment (degree to which job met needs) men and women showed similar levels of fulfillment in lower order needs, i.e., “social” and “security” needs, but that women expressed statistically significantly lower levels of fulfillment than men in meeting “esteem” and “autonomy” needs. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatin terms of needs deficiency (size of gap between actual and desired degree to which job fills needs) women have statistically significantly higher deficiencies than men in “security,” “autonomy,” “esteem,” and “self-actualization.” There was no statistically significant difference between men and women in the area of social needs. (Source)
Ibid…. showed in terms of importance of needs (degree to which respondents considered the need important) both men and women ranked autonomy and self-actualization needs as most important. The judged importance of security, social, and esteem needs were similar for both men and women, while women considered autonomy and self-actualization as having less importance than men. (Source)
A survey reported in 1976 of 202 librarians in 23 academic libraries in the greater New York metropolitan area who were given the Need Satisfaction Questionnaire (based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) showed that, in terms of need fulfillment (amount of each type of need presently being fulfilled), women reported statistically significantly less fulfillment than men in 2 categories: “esteem” and “autonomy” (significant at the .01 level). In “social” and “security” needs men and women showed similar scores, and in “self-actualization” women had lower scores but not to a statistically significant degree. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatfor both men and women, “security” was the need most fulfilled, while “autonomy” was the need least fulfilled for both groups. (Source)
Ibid…. showed that, in terms of need deficiency (difference between how much of the need is being met and how much should be met), women perceived statistically significantly higher deficiencies than men in 4 areas: “security,” “esteem,” “autonomy,” and “self-actualization” (significant at the .001 level). Men and women had similar scores in terms of “social” needs. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatmen perceived “security” to be the least deficient need, while women perceived “social” as the least deficient need. However, both perceived “self-actualization” as the most deficient need. (Source)
Ibid…. showed that, in terms of needs importance (how important each of the 5 needs is), women perceived “autonomy” and “self-actualization” as less important than men to a statistically significant degree (significant at the .01 level). “Security,” “social,” and “esteem” needs were perceived as equally important by men and women. Both men and women perceived “self-actualization” as the need of highest importance, while both perceived “esteem” as lowest in importance. (Source)
A 1977 study in a library school at a major university in the western United States, involving 16 males and 26 females taking the Bern Sex-Role Inventory, showed thatthere were no statistically significant differences between library school males and the normative male group on masculinity, femininity, or androgyny scores. (Source)
Ibid…. showed that there were no statistically significant differences between library school females and the normative female group on masculinity or androgyny scores. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups on femininity scores, with the library school females scoring higher (significant at the .05 level). (Source)
Ibid…. showed thata comparison of scores for library school males and library school females showed a statistically significant difference on masculinity, femininity, and androgyny scores, with males scoring higher on the masculinity scales and females scoring higher on the female and androgynous scales (significant at the .01 level). (Source)
Special
A survey reported in 1981 that requested a systemic sample of special librarians to take the Rokeach Value Survey (sample size: 200; responding: 101), which was then compared to Value Survey results from librarians in public libraries, library school faculty, and library school students showed thatthe 3 top-ranked values (out of 18) for special librarians were (1) self-respect (i.e., self-esteem), (2) freedom (i.e., independence, free choice), and (3) inner harmony (freedom from inner conflict). (Source)
Ibid…. showed that there were no statistically significant differences in values held by special librarians by gender; however, 3 values did show increases in importance by age of special librarians (sense of accomplishment; equality, i.e., brotherhood, equal opportunity for all; and wisdom), and 2 values showed decreases in importance by age of special librarians (happiness and pleasure). (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe 3 least important values (out of 18) for special librarians were (16) social recognition; (17) national security; and (18) salvation, i.e., saved, eternal life. (Source)
