Study of the job characteristics of New Zealand librarians in a public library

Abstract

Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Theory was adapted for use in this study. A questionnaire survey was carried out in a metropolitan public library in New Zealand. It aimed at finding out the librarians' perception of job characteristics, their perceived outcomes and the antecedents which affected their perception. An analysis of the results of this study revealed that this library was operated by mature, experienced, gualified, and female-intensive librarians. The allocation of duties was affected by age, education and gender. Among various personal attributes, librarians' perception of job characteristics were significantly affected by educational level and work experience. In addition, participation in reference work and selection work also enhanced a positive perception on feedback. In short, the librarians' average scores on most aspects of the job characteristics and outcomes were higher than the normative means suggested by Hackman and Oldham. It indicated that there was no urgent need for this library to redesign its work. In general, this study has also proved that the Job Characteristics survey can be employed in public library's redesign work. It can help the library managers determine whether job redesign is needed or not. Moreover, it reveals how can library work be structured effectively and, at the same time, the librarians find the work personally rewarding and satisfying.