Each year, "Library Journal" recognizes 50 or so emerging leaders in the profession as Movers & Shakers. These library professionals are passionate about the work they do and are moving the profession forward, often in creative and innovative ways. Some of these individuals enjoyed and were encouraged by amazing institutional support and…

How librarians came to their careers is as varied as the people themselves, but despite some often highly publicized challenges for college and university librarians in the digital age, academic librarianship is good work, according to the "Library Journal's" Job Satisfaction Survey. This article presents the results of this survey. The…

Focuses on appropriate and potentially helpful applications of workplace humor to enhance the work atmosphere in academic libraries. Provides an overview of humor literature and Internet sites. Discusses a conference on incorporating humor into the workplace, humor in academic libraries, personal applications, and applications for management in…

The implementation of work redesign techniques described or similar advanced methods of organization and work system design should allow academic libraries to respond more effectively to rapid changes in user demand and improve the quality of working life of their employees. Included are 44 references. (Author/RAA)

Examines problems of librarians responsible for both collection development and reference services, including time demands, unclear supervisory lines, and misunderstanding of collection development. The discussion includes suggestions for improving this situation, e.g., formal reporting lines for both areas, increased communication among…

While it may seem redundant to be considering the library as a humanistic workplace, since most libraries are probably at the upper end of the quality of workplace life, there is always some room for improvement, making the topic worthy of exploration. The most important consideration in a humanistic workplace is how people are treated. There is a…

Explores three potential sources of harrassment from whom the librarian requires protection--patrons, lower-echelon supervisors, and library administrators. Types of protection provided by library associations, the courts, unionization, librarians' professional goals, actions of progressive administrators, collective bargaining, and public and…

Technological, social, legal, economic, educational and political advances have greatly affected the management of staff who have had to adapt to such developments as networking, the independence of educational institutions, income generation, compulsory competitive tendering, quality management and user consultation. This book is a guide to staff…

Reviews theories on job satisfaction and evaluates their relevance to the work environment of libraries. Analyses of data from survey of Nigerian librarians seem to indicate that some of the theories are irrelevant in that context because survey respondents agree that their level of job satisfaction is directly determined by amount of money they…

Employee absenteeism is a problem faced by all library and information service managers as it erodes both salary budgets and productivity. It can have an undermining effect on staff morale, and may be an indicator of low staff motivation levels. There are two types of absence, unavoidable and avoidable, which can be measured using lost time and…

Discusses previous job satisfaction research and reports a study of job satisfaction among Ohio academic library support staff using Paul E. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey. The 434 responses indicate general satisfaction, with greater satisfaction among females, among those who work in public services, have less experience, or who work…

Discusses the nature of job satisfaction, its relationship to performance, and associated organizational factors, such as commitment, in research libraries. Symptoms of job dissatisfaction are outlined, and a framework for improving job satisfaction provides suggestions in the areas of hiring, professional development, job design, empowerment, and…

Discusses the need for libraries not only to recruit, but also to retain, diverse professional staffs. Topics include diversity as a multi-dimensional concept; creating an environment conducive to retention; ensuring equity in regard to promotion, professional development, and success; the tenure process in academic libraries; and mentoring…

This paper chronicles ongoing alterations to the organizational structure of the acquisitions department at Pennsylvania State University using the tenets of total quality management (TQM). The movement toward reorganizing for process improvement began in late 1992 when the associate dean of libraries called the acquisitions department together to…