Library employment. Satisfaction, opportunities, challenges, and future actions as perceived by academic librarians

Date14 November 2017
Published date14 November 2017
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/LM-03-2017-0036
Pages511-527
AuthorAbdoulaye Kaba
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion
Library employment
Satisfaction, opportunities, challenges,
and future actions as perceived by
academic librarians
Abdoulaye Kaba
Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the library employment in UAE and explore the
perceptions of academic librarians toward job satisfaction, employment opportunities, employment
challenges, and future actions needed to improve employment opportunities for librarians in UAE.
Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire. A total of
62 academic librarians from public and private universities and colleges participated in the study. The
collected data are analyzed to answer research questions and verify the hypotheses.
Findings Respondents expressed high satisfaction with salary and benefits, job positions, responsibilities
given to them, and appreciations from senior management. However, they are found unsatisfied with
promotion policies and employment opportunity. They reported challenges for getting jobs and expressed
concerns about the future of librarians in UAE. With the exception of experience, findings of the study show
no significant difference of demographic factors on job satisfaction, the perceived employment opportunity,
and challenges. Majority of participants believe that employment opportunity for librarians can be improved
through IT courses, promotion policies, training, career structure, marketing, and changing school name.
They agree that reducing the number of students will not improve employment opportunities for librarians.
Research limitations/implications This is a descriptive study based on a survey questionnaire.
Future studies may use qualitative methods such as the interview for more exploration and in-depth analysis.
Practical implications The findingsprovide concerns aboutthe future of librarianshipin UAE and appeal
to library educators, managers, and decision makers to improve employment opportunities for librarians.
Originality/value The paper reports original research findings on job satisfaction, employment
opportunities, employment challenges, and future actions as perceived by academic librarians in UAE.
Keywords Librarian, Academic Librarian, Library Job, Library Employment, Satisfaction, Opportunity,
Challenges, United Arab Emirates
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
United Arab Emirates (UAE), like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, has
become a major destination for foreign workers of all professions, and librarianship is no
exception. With strong economic development and rigorous progress of academic
institutions, the country has attracted library professionals from all over the world.
However, it is not clear how satisfied are these people with their jobs in UAE. Possible
challenges facing foreigners may include cultural and environmental challenges. These
challenges can have an impact on their feelings and satisfaction.
As cited by Yapa et al. (2013), Locke (1976) defined employee satisfaction as pleasurable
or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences.
It is a key element for improving organizational productivity. Productivity and performance
of any organization can be improved by increasing the level of satisfaction among
employees. Studies have shown that the higher the level of job and employment satisfaction,
the higher the performance and productivity of employees (Goris, 2007; Abdulla et al., 2011;
Springer, 2011; Saranya, 2014). Accordingly, companies and organizations are continuously
investing a lot of money in order to achieve employeessatisfaction.
Employment is a vital indicator for the economic growth and development. This is
because stronger the economy of a country, the higher the employment rate in that country.
Library Management
Vol. 38 No. 8/9, 2017
pp. 511-527
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-03-2017-0036
Received 25 March 2017
Revised 15 May 2017
Accepted 15 June 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
511
Library
employment
Therefore, a weak economic country has a high unemployment rate compared to a strong
economic country.Besides economic growth,globalizations, politicaland educational systems
are other factors that impact employment rate. These factors are interrelated and together
affect the employment rate. The high employment rate should result in high employment
opportunities.A recent press release by the International Monetary Fund (2016) projected 2.3
and 2.7 percent Real GDPfor UAE in 2016 and 2017, respectively. This indicates
employment opportunities not only for UAE nationals but also for foreign workers.
Although UAEs public and private sectors offer great job opportunities for expatriates,
these opportunities are surrounded by challenges. As a library manager for more than
12 years in UAE, I found many challenges hindering employment opportunities, particularly
for library professionals in this country. The challenges could be personal, organizational,
environmental, cultural, etc. However, these challenges can be turned into opportunities
through a positive attitude by considering them as chances to learn and grow and enhance
profession and career.
The main objective of this paper is to present the findings of an investigation on general
job satisfaction among academic librarians in UAE. The paper also reports about the
perception of librarians toward library employment opportunities and challenges in
addition to the perceived actions needed for employment improvement. Although many
researchers have discussed these issues in separate papers (Pors, 2003; Ocholla, 2008;
Ameen, 2011), we find it interesting to discuss them in a single paper. The paper is an
important reference for library managers and decision makers who wish to improve library
employment in UAE as well as for librarians planning to work in the GCC countries.
Related literature
Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction can be determined by many factors. The factors include salary and
incentives, promotion opportunity, performance appraisal, responsibilities, privileges, etc.
The presence and absence of these factors affect job satisfaction positively or negatively.
Scholars and researchers have conducted many empirical and experimental research on
job satisfaction among library professionals (Horenstein, 1993; Leckie and Brett, 1997;
Pors, 2003; Burd, 2003; Togia et al., 2004; Tella et al., 2007; Abdul Karim, 2008; Leysen and
Boydston, 2009). An investigation by Horenstein (1993) in the USA found that salary not
only affect job satisfaction but also can predict it. Islam and Islam (2011) found that the key
factors of dissatisfaction among librarians were lack of sufficient job facilities, financial
reward, and lack of proper value to staff expertise.
Hyder and Batool (2013) reported a comparative study of job satisfaction among
librarians of the public and private universities in Pakistan. The authors found that
librarians serving in public universities were more satisfied compared with the librarians
working in private universities. However, private universities provided greater promotion
opportunities to librarians than public universities. Similarly, Khan and Ahmed (2013)
measured the job satisfaction of library professionals serving in public universities of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The authors used Spectors Job Satisfaction scale to
examine the job satisfaction. Findings showed that participants were slightly satisfied with
the nature of work, but dissatisfied with supervision, benefits, and promotion.
Sambo (2014) reported job satisfaction among librariansserving in Nigerian libraries.
Findings showed that some librarians working in Nigerian libraries are highly satisfied with
their nature of work, while others are dissatisfied with supervision, benefits, promotion
policy, salary structure, and management policy. Challenges identified includes lack of
training, lower payment, poor promotion policy, staff shortage, favoritism, lack
of technology, bureaucracy, and lack of institutional support. In another study, Ikonne
and Onuoha (2015) investigated factors influencing the job satisfaction of librarians in
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