University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Job Itself: The Effects of Functional Units on Work Autonomy among Public and Academic Librarians

Patillo, Ericka J.; Morgan, Barbara B.; Morgan, Jennifer Craft

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/15370

Description

Title
The Job Itself: The Effects of Functional Units on Work Autonomy among Public and Academic Librarians
Author(s)
  • Patillo, Ericka J.
  • Morgan, Barbara B.
  • Morgan, Jennifer Craft
Issue Date
2009
Keyword(s)
  • Employee retention -- United States
  • Public librarians -- Job satisfaction -- United States
  • Library and information science
  • Labor studies
Abstract
Job autonomy is a topic that should be of concern to both library managers and employees because job autonomy may predict job satisfaction and retention. This article describes job autonomy among public and academic librarians using data reported by respondents to the Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science (WILIS 1) Research Project1 survey. The authors extracted a subset of the LIS professionals, public and academic librarians, focusing on the autonomy measures and the variables related to the broad areas of responsibility: administration; access and collections; information services, education and research; digital information technology and Web access; and information technology and consulting. Findings indicate that there are significant differences in perceived autonomy based on areas of responsibility. Administrators and information technology librarians reported higher autonomy, regardless of type of library. Also, public librarians have less freedom in scheduling their time than academic librarians. As today's professionals seek more autonomy and flexibility, managers struggle with the pressure of increased attention to accountability within their organizations. Library administrators will need to find a balancing point in order to maintain organizational effectiveness.
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
ISSN
0024-2594
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/15370
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2009 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Owning Collections

Library Trends 58 (2) Fall 2009: Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science PRIMARY
Library Trends 58 (2) Fall 2009: Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science. Edited by Joanne Gard Marshall, Paul Solomon and Susan Rathbun-Grubb.