Job Satisfaction among Librarians in the Universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: A Survey

Introduction Job is an important aspect of an individual's life, occupies a lot of personal time compared to any other single activity and provides the financial basis for a persons' lifestyle. It is believed that satisfaction at work influences many aspects of work such as efficiency, productivity, absenteeism, turnovers rates, and intention to quit (Horenstein, 1993). Farley, Broady-Preston, and Hayward (1998) states that job satisfaction is the sense of fulfillment and pride felt by people who enjoy their work and perform it well. Job satisfaction plays an important role in achieving organizational goals. Further, Line and Kinnell (1993) defines Job Satisfaction as a "pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job". The previous studies reveal that Job Satisfaction itself a tool of relaxation by which employee get more chances to achieve institutional goals, develop their own capabilities and strengthen themselves in the same field. It has been correlated with positive behaviors toward others and physical health. It is related to personnel turnover and life satisfaction of employee in the organization. In the age of digital transaction, the job of LIS Professionals has become more important because they navigate, organize, preserve and disseminate human knowledge. In Pakistan, all universities have their policies to assist their employees, in which librarians are most important. Several studies on job satisfaction have been conducted with respect to academic libraries worldwide and especially in North America (Line & Kinnell, 1993). In Pakistan, very few studies were conducted related to librarians' job descriptions (Qutab & Shafique, 2011), employability skills of LIS Professionals (Warraich & Ameen, 2011) and professionals education of LIS Professionals in Pakistan (Chaudhary, 2000). Previous studies reveal that there is a need to evaluate job satisfaction of librarians in public sector universities. So this study has been conducted to evaluate librarians' Job Satisfaction in the universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The present study focus LIS Professionals' job satisfaction regarding their salaries, promotion opportunities, Supervision, benefits, rewards, and nature of work. Objectives of the Study The following objectives are made to collect the opinions of librarians about their job satisfaction. 1. To identify the extent of job satisfaction among librarians in public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 2. To know the chief satisfaction and dissatisfaction of librarians serving in public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Research Questions Research questions are made to achieve objectives of the study. 1. What extent librarians are satisfied with their jobs in the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 2. What are the chief job satisfaction and dissatisfaction level of librarians in public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Literature Review In the past, most of research scholars have conducted several studies to evaluate librarians' job satisfaction and other issue related to them like, factors affecting librarians' Job Satisfaction. For example, Plate and Stone (1974) studied Librarians issues and compared major aspects of American and Canadian Librarians. The study found that motivators were the prime factors of librarians' job satisfaction while the hygiene was the main factor of dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction is so important because its absence often leads to lethargy and reduce organizational commitment (Moser, 1997). Sierpe (1999) surveyed Job Satisfaction among universities librarians at Quebec. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) instrument was used to collect the data from 81 (74.3%) librarians. Result of the study shows that although librarians serving were generally satisfied. …