ERIC Number: EJ786562
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Oct-1
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-0277
EISSN: N/A
Great Work, Genuine Problems
Berry, John N., III
Library Journal, v132 n16 p26-29 Oct 2007
This article presents findings from the "Library Journal's" Job Satisfaction Survey among 3,095 library staffers from public, academic, special, and school libraries. A whopping 85.6 percent of the respondents said they would choose a career in librarianship again if they had to start over. Workers in all types of libraries--and across generations--expressed similar views, except those in elementary and secondary school libraries, who were even more enthusiastic--fully 94 percent of them would select the same careers again. While the much-discussed generation gap showed up in some areas of the survey, no gap appeared on this fundamental issue. Just over 85 percent of every age group--those under 30, the huge crowd of library workers aged 30-49, and those over 50--agreed that if they were to begin again, they would choose that library career. The same results proved true whether or not they had earned the MLS degree. There were significant undercurrents of unhappiness, however. Nearly all library workers are deeply dissatisfied with salaries and library funding, the lack of which hampers creativity and innovation. A surprisingly high number expressed disenchantment with the competence of their managers, particulary in their ability to deal with community or campus politics.
Descriptors: Academic Libraries, Job Satisfaction, Age Differences, School Libraries, Library Services, Attitude Measures, Librarians, Media Specialists, Public Libraries, Career Choice, Work Environment, Salaries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A