HOW TO MAXIMISE THE JOB SATISFACTION OF PROFESSIONAL LIBRARIANS

Abstract

As the rapid changes in Library and Information Science (e.g. information technology) has gathered momentum in recent years, the character of a professional librarian has also changed and requires the revision of the organisational structures in which librarians perform their day-to-day operations. The main purpose of this change is to maximise the job satisfaction of professional librarians while enabling them to play an efficient role and reach their potential in the changing environment. Today, most professional librarians carry out their duties within a bureaucratic structure. They seem to believe that the existing organisational structure has hindered the development of the genuine professional in Iibrarianship. It has also been suggested in the literature that the loss of professional autonomy in the bureaucratic situation can cost librarians their occupational authority and control over library work. In recent years, many attempts have been made to suggest a 'more innovative' organisational structure in which the professional librarians perform their work more efficiently with higher job satisfaction. The basic direction can be summarised as moving from 'mechanistic' to 'organic' structure. This article aims to investigate the causes of problems encountered by library professionals in the bureaucratic structure and analyse how their job satisfaction can change in alternative structures.