thornton.p65 Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 217 Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent Employed in ARL Academic Libraries Joyce K. Thornton Job satisfaction is critical to the retention and recruitment of librarians. This study examines job satisfaction of librarians of African descent employed at academic libraries holding membership in the Association of Research Libraries. The results of a three-part job satisfaction survey are presented. The survey identifies areas of satisfaction and dissatis­ faction for this group of librarians. There has been no significant gain in the number of librarians of African descent in ARL academic libraries in the past ten years. If libraries are to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, consideration must be given to what makes these employees remain on the job and in the profession. any writers have suggested of African descent is on the staff, they may that by the turn of the century, feel isolated. These and other factors may the majority of the U.S. popu­ affect the level of satisfaction that librar­ lation will be members of four ians of African descent derive from their racial and ethnic groups—African Ameri­ cans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Na­ tive Americans. We can readily observe that these demographics are already be­ ing felt in the workplace. Moreover, this new majority is forcing changes in the traditional makeup of student popula­ tions at many institutions of higher edu­ cation. Thus, it follows that the faculty and staffs of these institutions should re­ flect the population they serve. In libraries with predominantly white staffs, librarians of African descent are in a somewhat unique position. Some may have added pressures. They may face at­ titudes about their abilities to do a job well or have peers who feel that they have been given the job because of their skin tone. And in libraries where only one librarian jobs. There is a paucity of research on job satisfaction of African Americans overall and of those in academia in particular. This article examines factors, already es­ tablished, that contribute significantly to job satisfaction of librarians of African descent at ninety-six U.S. academic librar­ ies that are members of ARL. In addition, the study examines six factors of concern to librarians of African descent to deter­ mine their significance to job satisfaction. The survey excluded deans and directors. Cause for Concern Carol Patitu and Martha Tack stated that “without a doubt, the continuing absence, not presence, of African American faculty, who represent the largest minority group in higher education’s faculty rank has be- Joyce K. Thornton is Director for Specialized and Distance Library Services in the Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M University; e-mail: JKTHORN@tamu.edu. 217 mailto:JKTHORN@tamu.edu 218 College & Research Libraries May 2000 TABLE 1 Minority Librarians at U. S. ARL Academic Libraries Year Total Filled No. of Minority No. in Academic No. in Medical Total No. of Positions Librarians Libraries and Law Libraries Librarians of African Descent 1987-88 7,248 1988-89 7,354 1989-90 7,444 1990-91 7,654 1991-92 7,520 1992-93 7,484 1993-94 7,318 1994-95 7,411 1995-96 7,435 1996-97* 7,561 735 756 791 818 804 802 830 841 842 853 635 651 670 699 689 687 710 724 723 721 100 105 121 119 115 115 120 117 119 132 231 248 274 272 248 272 276 274 262 279 *Based on ninety-six U.S. members (Ohio University became a member, adding six minority librarians). come a national issue.”1 William B. Harvey asked: “Where are the Black faculty?”2 The question of concern that prompted this study is, Where are the librarians of Afri­ can descent? Earl Smith and Stephanie Witt, in a study conducted to compare oc­ cupational stress among African American and white university faculties, sounded an alarm regarding the number of African American faculty presently employed and the fewer numbers that will be employed on university campuses in the future.3 Their alarm sounded a wake-up call for libraries, as well. Table 1 shows the repre­ sentation of minority librarians at ARL universities in the United States for the past ten years. (The thirteen Canadian aca­ demic libraries are excluded because Ca­ nadian law prohibits identification of Ca­ nadians by ethnic category.)4 Jan S. Squire has reiterated the fact that there is, and continues to be, considerable underrepresentation of specific racial and ethnic groups in the library workforce. She listed the reasons as: a lack of ethnic mi­ nority graduate students in information and library science (LIS) programs, a lack of recruitment and affirmative action poli­ cies in libraries, and an inability to retain ethnic minorities on staff.5 Concerted ef­ forts are made to recruit minorities to in­ stitutions, but equal efforts are not made to retain them. The recruitment, retention, and advancement of people of color in the library profession are important to the long-term future of libraries. Meredith A. Butler and Gloria R. DeSole stated that “it is in the highest self-interest of all librar­ ies, but especially of our academic and re­ search libraries, to reflect the diversity of our rapidly changing world. Libraries that do not have librarians, staff, collections, and a welcoming atmosphere for one third of this nation will find it difficult to justify their relevance as serving the needs of their cli­ entele.”6 Table 1 also shows that from 1987 to 1996, only forty-eight African American librarians were added to the ninety-six ARLs. These numbers highlight the con­ tinuing severe underrepresentation of li­ brarians of African descent in academic libraries and in the library and informa­ tion science profession. Job advertisements show that some universities (e.g., University of Minne­ sota, Auburn University, Yale University, Ohio State, Iowa State, University of Cali­ fornia at Santa Barbara, University of New Mexico, University of Michigan) have established residency/post-master’s internship programs designed to increase the number of minority librarians in aca­ Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 219 demic research libraries and/or to pro­ mote the growth and development of minority librarians within the profession. At its 1997 midwinter meeting, the ALA unveiled its Spectrum Initiative proposal. According to DeEtta Jones, the initiative addresses “the underrepresentation of critically needed minority librarians If libraries are not only to recruit but also retain a diverse workforce, consideration must be given to what makes these employees remain on the job and in the profession. within the profession” by proposing that five graduate library education schools create a consortium in an effort to gradu­ ate 150 racially diverse librarians in three years. The proposal highlights the dispro­ portionately low numbers of racially di­ verse individuals graduating from LIS schools and concludes that the library profession as a whole is losing ground in recruiting minorities to LIS professions while the ethnic makeup of the United States continues to change. ARL’s own diversity program is founded on the belief that only by adding different per­ spectives and talents to the research li­ brary profession will such libraries con­ tinue to be the vibrant and evolving in­ stitutions needed for the increasingly di­ verse communities of the twenty-first cen­ tury.7 If libraries are not only to recruit but also retain a diverse workforce, consid­ eration must be given to what makes these employees remain on the job and in the profession. Surely, satisfaction with one’s job is a most compelling factor. Review of the Literature Job satisfaction is one of the more widely discussed topics in the literature and the workplace. Many definitions of job satis­ faction exist, including: • Job satisfaction is a dynamic chang­ ing idea that reflects an individual’s atti­ tudes and expectations toward his work and goals in life. 8 • Job satisfaction is the feeling an employee has about his pay, work, pro­ motion opportunities, coworkers, and supervisor.9 • Job satisfaction refers to the feelings and emotional aspects of individuals’ ex­ periences toward their jobs, as different from intellectual or rational aspects.10 In 1985, Paul E. Spector calculated that approximately 4,793 articles had been written on job satisfaction.11 If a count of relevant articles and dissertations were made today, that number would certainly be well over six thousand. The LIS field is contributing to this growth. Prior to 1970, no studies were found specifically about job satisfaction and li­ brarians; however, two studies on job turnover of librarians cited factors such as low pay, job duties, and lack of pro­ motion as reasons for high turnover.12 These factors now are considered as per­ taining to job satisfaction. In 1983, Beverly Lynch and Jo Ann Verdin iden­ tified ten studies on various aspects of job satisfaction in libraries. These stud­ ies attempted to identify the factors most highly related to job satisfaction. Of the ten studies, two were concerned with satisfaction in specific libraries. One compared libraries or library units, and one investigated satisfaction of all occu­ pational groups within the library. Lynch and Verdin’s study explored the corre­ lates of job satisfaction within the work setting. It suggested that significant variations in job satisfaction occur among functional units in libraries and among occupational groups.13 The 1987 replication of Lynch and Verdin’s study supported their earlier findings.14 Other studies shed further light on the job satisfaction of librarians. Ilene F. Rockman’s study suggested that job satisfaction is a function of more than just gender or membership in a dominant work group and that autonomy and de- cision-making opportunities can affect job satisfaction.15 Carol Saunders and Russell Saunders measured the effect of flextime on several variables, including satisfac­ tion. They concluded that job satisfaction has more powerful factors than a work schedule.16 Dale Susan Bengston and Dor­ http:schedule.16 http:satisfaction.15 http:findings.14 http:groups.13 http:turnover.12 http:satisfaction.11 http:aspects.10 220 College & Research Libraries May 2000 othy Shields tested and supported Maurice Marchant’s theory that manage­ ment style is a predictor of job satisfac­ tion.17 Job Satisfaction Studies in Other Countries Librarians in other countries also have reported research on job satisfaction stud­ ies. In a general satisfaction survey of one hundred librarians of Lucknow City, Ka­ mala Chopra found that librarians de­ rived satisfaction from their work, social recognition received, working conditions, job security, and social status. Sources of dissatisfaction were from avenues for pro­ motion, behavior, and pay scales.18 When Brigg Nzotta studied the factors associ­ ated with the job satisfaction of male and female librarians in Nigeria, he found that women derived greater job satisfaction from their work than their male counter­ parts. Women were more satisfied with independence, security, ability utilization, and working conditions. On the other hand, men were more satisfied with va­ riety.19 In a second study on general satis­ faction of Nigerian librarians, Nzotta found that (1) librarians in management were more satisfied than public or tech­ nical services librarians with regard to variety, responsibility, and creativity de­ rived from their job; and (2) librarians in management and public services were more satisfied than technical services li­ brarians with the social status aspect.20 It cannot be taken for granted that the major correlates of job satisfac­ tion for librarians of African descent and white librarians are the same. J. F. Shyu studied the level of job satis­ faction at sixteen university libraries in the Republic of China. The data suggested that the staffs had not achieved satisfac­ tion on their jobs. Neither the educational- level, department affiliation, nor marital status variables showed significant differ­ ences among the respondents in job sat­ isfaction. Sex, age, professional education, tenure, career orientation, and supervi­ sory level affected job satisfaction.21 David Waters assessed the impact of new tech­ nology on job satisfaction, prestige, self- esteem, and social relationships at the University of Tasmania. He concluded that technological change had not been a major force for job dissatisfaction. Job dis­ satisfaction, where it exists, seemed to be largely independent of the introduction of new technology.22 In a study of corre­ lation between job satisfaction, job atti­ tudes, and work behavior among staff members in academic libraries in Nige­ ria, Edet E. Nkeuweren supported the proposition that management style and quality of work life affect job satisfaction and that overall job satisfaction is a func­ tion of many needs. The results also indi­ cated that Nigerian library staffs re­ sponded positively to monetary rewards as incentives to improve job attitude and work performance. Factors outside the work environment also affect the level of Nigerian library staffs’ job satisfaction.23 Recent Studies Beginning around the mid-1980s, job sat­ isfaction studies in libraries began to ex­ amine the relationships between job sat­ isfaction and other interventions, including continuing education needs; automation; unionization; performance; and job responsibilities.24–28 A number of studies on job satisfaction of profes­ sional/support/clerical staff began to appear in the literature.29 Specific studies on job satisfaction and public libraries began to appear that included general job satisfaction studies, job satisfaction and stress, changing climate, and goal set­ ting.30 Mohammad H. Mirfakhrai studied correlates of job satisfaction among librar­ ians in the U.S. He concluded that aca­ demic librarians in both smaller and larger libraries had a positive perception of their jobs. There was no significant re­ lationship between sex of academic librar­ ians and their overall satisfaction in both- sized libraries. The nature of work, su­ pervision, salary, promotion, and cowork­ ers was highly correlated with the over­ http:literature.29 http:satisfaction.23 http:technology.22 http:satisfaction.21 http:aspect.20 http:riety.19 http:scales.18 Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 221 all job satisfaction of academic librarians in both smaller and larger libraries. Age, experience, and length of employment with the present institution were nega­ tively correlated with overall job satisfac­ tion in both-sized libraries; and academic librarians in both smaller and larger li­ braries were least satisfied with promo­ tional opportunities.31 In a thorough examination of the lit­ erature, Squire looked at job satisfaction and the ethnic minority and located a small body of literature that pertained to job satisfaction and ethnicity, but job sat­ isfaction was not specifically covered.32 In their study of job satisfaction and automation, Leigh Estabrook, Chloe Bird, and Frederick Gilmore reported that “race is the second largest factor in explaining job satisfaction. Whites are significantly more satisfied with their jobs. This find­ ing is disturbing, for it suggests that li­ braries do not treat minority workers equally.”33 Cynthia Preston conducted a study on perceptions of discriminatory practices and attitudes in the workplace and how they influenced job satisfaction. Her study focused on relationships with supervisors, patrons, coworkers, and management. She concluded that racism by itself is not a significant and recogniz­ able determinant of job satisfaction or dis­ satisfaction.34 In summary, the review of the litera­ ture shows that although the number of studies on job satisfaction in libraries con­ tinues to grow, examination of job satis­ faction of librarians of African descent is a realm that has remained relatively un­ explored. It cannot be taken for granted that the major correlates of job satisfac­ tion for librarians of African descent and white librarians are the same. There is a critical need for additional research on the job satisfaction of minorities, especially librarians of African descent. Methodology A three-part survey instrument was de­ veloped, partially based on surveys found in the literature. A standard instrument was not used because none addressed several factors of concern to librarians of African descent, such as diversity, isola­ tion, or hostility issues. A pilot survey was sent to librarians of African descent in Texas, Mississippi, California, Pennsylva­ nia, and New York. Part I of the question­ naire obtained information about the re­ spondents’ age, gender, education, faculty status as defined by their institutions, ten­ ure, rank, years in the profession, years in present position, salary, and area of service. Part II of the questionnaire solic­ ited information regarding the respon­ dents’ perception of the work environ­ ment. This section solicited information on isolation, diversity, decision making, and participation in university- and li­ brary-related activities. Part III consisted of twenty-three items on overall satisfac­ tion. Respondents indicated satisfaction in each of the areas by selecting a response from a Likert-type five-point scale based on a similar survey used by Bonnie Horenstein in her study on job satisfac­ tion of academic librarians.35 Respondents also were asked to rank factors that would influence their decision to leave and to list occurrences in their current job that contributed significantly to feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. In an attempt to obtain the most accu­ rate (if such exists) number of librarians of African descent employed at ARL aca­ demic libraries, a letter explaining the project and asking for the names of librar­ ians of African descent was sent to the deans/directors at the ninety-six U.S. ARL academic libraries. Seventeen direc­ tors responded that there were no librar­ ians of African descent at their institu­ tions. Fifty-two directors responded with names. Five were reluctant to give names and asked that the surveys be sent to them. A follow-up call was then made to the personnel/human resources directors at the twenty-two remaining institutions. An offer was made to send surveys to per­ sonnel/human resources directors if pro­ viding names was a problem. For surveys sent to personnel/human resources direc­ tors, a cover letter was included regard­ ing the project. Eighteen deans/direc­ http:librarians.35 http:satisfaction.34 http:covered.32 http:opportunities.31 222 College & Research Libraries May 2000 tors/personnel officers indicated an in­ terest in seeing the results of the survey. The seventy-nine institutions reported a total of 216 librarians of African descent. The 1996–1997 ARL Annual Salary Sur­ vey indicated that there were 279 Black librarians at the ninety-six U.S. academic libraries.36 The difference in the numbers may be attributed to the facts that ARL uses the term black rather than librarians of African descent, the term used by the author; ARL’s data are for filled positions as of July 1, 1997; and ARL asked for all professional positions rather than the ac­ credited library masters. Two hundred and sixteen surveys were mailed in March, with a requested return date of April 23, 1998. By the requested return date, 111 sur­ veys had been returned from the seventy- nine institutions. A follow-up letter with another survey was sent to those indi­ viduals for whom names were given and a message was posted on one listserv. By June 30, an additional thirty-five surveys were received. The 146 of 216 returned surveys represented a 67 percent return rate. Two surveys from library deans were not used. Of the 144 surveys, the eight received from Howard University, the only Historically Black College or Univer­ sity (HBCU), were excluded. Responses from the 136 surveys were analyzed. Numbers were assigned to each response category for each question. The SPSS for Windows statistical program was used to analyze the responses. Table 2 reflects some of the responses from the demographic section. Of the 134 respondents to the age question, 84 per­ cent (115) were 35 years old and older. These numbers show a need for strong recruitment of younger people to the pro­ fession. Seventy-three percent (99) of the 129 respondents to the gender question were female. This percentage is close to the number reported by the ARL statis­ tics, which reflects that women make up 72.64 percent of the librarians in the four racial groups that comprise minority staff (Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Native Alaskan). Ninety-six percent of the respondents (129) were full-time librarians. Slightly more than 43 percent (59) had faculty sta­ tus. Of the 64 responses regarding faculty rank, 13 percent (8) were instructors, 19 percent (12) were assistant professors, 27 percent (17) were associate professors, 6 percent (4) were professors, and 36 per­ cent (23) listed other. More than half (68) responded “not applicable.” Some of the titles given in the “other” category in­ cluded assistant university librarian; li­ brarian II, III, and IV; deputy librarian, administrator, curator, visiting instructor, visiting minority scholar, general librar­ ian, temporary librarian, and EPA-non­ tenured faculty. Less than 35 percent (47) indicated that full-time librarians were eligible for tenure, and about 20 percent (27) were tenured. Of the 132 responses to the question regarding total years as a professional li­ brarian, 61 percent (81) had been in the profession ten years or longer. The aver­ age is fifteen years, close to ARL’s aver­ age years of experience for minority li­ brarians as 16.1 years. Surprisingly, of the 135 responses, 18 percent (24) had been at the same institution more than fifteen years and 19 percent (25) had been at the same institution for ten to fifteen years. Of the 135 responses regarding salary, 48 percent (65) earn more than $40,000. Over three percent of the 135 respon­ dents were black, not African American, and 4.4 percent listed themselves as other; almost 71 percent (96) of the 135 respon­ dents held an MLS or a master ’s degree; 24 percent (32) held an additional master ’s. Reference ranked highest as area of service with 30.9 percent (42) of the 109 respondents listing it as their department or area of service. The ARL statistics re­ ported that 31.5 percent of minority librar­ ians work in reference. The second larg­ est area of service was the “other” cat­ egory at 24 percent (26). “Other” included media, archives, interlibrary loan, branch head librarian, collection development, departmental librarian, digital librarian, diversity librarian, special collections, bib­ http:libraries.36 Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 223 TABLE 2 Demographic Data on the Respondents {N= Number of reslondentsl Age N under 25 1 25-34 18 35-44 49 45-54 57 Over 55 9 No response 2 Gender N Male 30 Female 99 No response 7 Education N MLSIMA 96 Additional MA 32 Ph.D. 2 Other 5 No response 1 Full-Time Librarian N Yes 129 No 5 No response 2 Faculty Status N Yes 59 No 77 Faculty Rank N Instructor 8 Asst. professor 12 Assoc. professor 17 Professor 4 Other 23 Not applicable 68 No response 3 Eligible for Tenure N Yes 47 No 11 No response 78 Tenured N Yes 27 No response 29 Not applicable 78 No response 2 Years as a Professional Librarian N 0-3.9 29 4-9.9 22 10-15 34 Over 15 47 No response 3 Years at Present Institution N Less than 1 year 13 1-3.9 35 4-9.9 38 10-15 25 More than 15 24 No response 1 Salary N Under $25,000 2 $25,001-$30,000 16 $30,001- $35,000 27 $35,001-$40,000 25 $40,001-$45,000 23 More than $45,000 42 No response 1 Area of Service N Acquisitions 3 Cataloging 9 Automated Systems 3 Reference 42 Serials 1 Administration 20 Circulation 5 Other 26 No response 1 224 College & Research Libraries liographer, library instructor, government publications, cultural activities, technical services, undergraduate services, data services, access services, African Ameri­ can studies librarian, and preservation. Eighteen percent (20) of the respondents listed administration as their area of ser­ vice. Less than one percent were in seri­ als. The author recommends that future surveys provide more job categories as possible choices for the participants. Part II of the questionnaire asked re­ spondents to answer nineteen percep­ tional questions by selecting “No Opin­ ion,” “Not at All,” “Little,” “Moderately,” or “To a High Degree.” Table 3 reports the number of responses to the perception questions. Sixty percent of the respon­ dents who expressed an opinion felt that their involvement in library- and/or uni­ versity-related committees had nothing or little to do with their race, compared to 32 percent who felt moderately and to a high degree that they were involved be­ cause of race. Eighty-two percent of the respondents felt moderately and to a high degree that their knowledge was re­ spected. Fifty-two percent felt no or little external pressure to overachieve, com­ pared to 40 percent who felt, moderately and to a high degree, external pressure to overachieve. And 74 percent felt, mod­ erately and to a high degree, self-induced pressure to achieve. Three questions were asked regarding isolation. Forty-one percent (56) of the respondents perceived a moderate to high degree of isolation at the institution, and 34.5 percent (47) perceived a moderate to high degree of isolation in the workplace. Nineteen percent (26) of the respondents indicated that isolation affected their per­ formance. Forty-one percent (56) of the respondents felt that they must try to fit into the work environment. Joan Howland has suggested that “it simply is neither logical nor good business prac­ tice to recruit and hire librarians from di­ verse backgrounds, only to expect them to assimilate and become mirrors of the generations of librarians which have pre­ ceded them.”37 Although, overall, respon- May 2000 dents felt support at work, 13 percent (18) felt that the work environment was hos­ tile and 26 percent (36) had experienced incidences of racial discrimination in the workplace. In her study of perceptions of discriminatory practices and attitudes, Preston asked participants if they had observed racial discrimination in their work environment and found that 51 per­ cent had.38 The three questions regarding diver­ sity revealed that although the library ad­ ministration is somewhat committed to diversity (52%), and welcomes and val­ ues it (54%), the diversity programs were not adequate (60%). This suggests that li­ braries are not practicing what they preach regarding diversity and there may be no evident commitment to it. Forty- three percent (58) agreed that the stan­ dards of performance were the same for all librarians, 25 percent (34) felt that there was a little difference, and 23 percent (31) felt, moderately and to a high degree, that the standards of performance were dif­ ferent. More than 40 percent (55) of the respondents felt that they could seek po­ sitions at the top of their organizations and not fear constant attack, but 43 per­ cent (59) felt they could not. When asked if they felt left out of the decision-mak­ ing process, 36.8 percent (50) of the re­ spondents indicated moderately to a high degree, 25.7 percent (35) indicated a little, 33.8 percent (46) indicated not at all, and 3.7 percent (5) had no opinion. Although 63.3 percent (86) of the respondents felt little or no pressure to conduct and pub­ lish scholarly research, 33 percent (45) did. Fifty-three percent (72) of the 135 respon­ dents indicated that their colleagues were willing to assist them in research endeav­ ors, and 31 percent (42) responded little or not at all. The willingness to assist col­ leagues in research endeavors can be very significant to promotion and professional growth. The veteran colleague can pro­ vide assistance in helping with commit­ tee appointments, collaborative projects, and professional development activities, and can serve as a confidence booster. Directors wishing to retain more librar­ TABLE 3 Perceptional Questions Part II: To What Extent Do You Feel... No Opinion Not at All Little Moderately To a High Degree Total No. o� �e�pon�e� That you are involved in library- and/or university-related committees/meetings because you are of African descent? 11 That there is respect for your knowledge? 2 External pressure to overachieve? 10 Self-induced pressure to overachieve? 3 Isolated at your institution? 1 Isolated in your workplace? 2 Unsupported at work? 5 That isolation (if any) affects your work performance? 16 That you must try to fit into your work environment? 3 That your work environment is hostile toward you? 1 That you have experienced incidences of racial discrimination in the workplace? 9 That your library administration has a high degree of commitment to diversity? 5 That your library has an adequate librarywide diversity program? 16 That your library welcomes and values diversity? 6 That the standards of performance applied to you are far different from those applied to non-African American librarians? 12 That you can seek a position at the top of your organization and not fear constant attack? 22 That you feel left out of the decision-making process? 5 Pressured to conduct and publish scholarly research? 5 That your colleagues are willing to assist you in your research endeavors? 21 50 4 30 12 44 56 69 59 43 79 41 16 44 11 58 21 46 56 15 31 19 41 20 35 31 29 35 34 38 50 44 38 45 34 38 35 30 27 30 54 32 52 34 29 24 24 36 11 23 49 29 57 15 30 30 26 42 14 57 23 49 22 18 9 2 20 7 13 22 9 17 16 25 20 19 30 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 135 136 136 136 135 Job S atisfaction of L ib rarian s of A frican D escen t 225 TABLE 4 Job Satisfaction Indicate your satisfaction with each of the following aslects of your current losition by checking the most correct reslonse� Percent of Respondents % Very % Dissatisfied % Can't % Satisfied % Very No� of Dissatisfied Decide or Satisfied �es�onses Neutral Job duties 2.9 7.4 2.9 54.4 28.7 131 Working conditions 2.9 6.6 14.0 50.7 24.3 134 Autonomy on the ob 2.2 3.7 11.8 49.3 30.9 133 Challenges of the ob .7 8.1 8.8 46.3 32.4 131 Variety of occupational tasks 7.4 7.4 50.7 32.4 133 Work assignment and workload 4.4 14.7 11.8 52.9 15.4 135 Job security 2.2 6.6 17.6 47.1 25.0 134 Interaction with peers .7 11.0 18.4 51.5 16.9 134 Interaction with patrons .7 .7 11.0 52.2 30.1 129 Status of librarians at your institution 3.7 15.4 24.3 37.5 16.2 132 Salary 12.5 31.6 8.8 36.0 9.6 134 Fringe benefits 4.4 11.0 15.4 41.9 25.7 134 Opportunities for advancement 8.1 23.5 33.1 23.5 10.3 134 Opportunities for collegial interaction within your department 3.7 9.6 18.4 45.6 19.1 133 Opportunities for collegial interaction with faculty in other departments 3.7 14.0 29.4 36.8 12.5 133 Opportunities for professional development 2.9 9.6 11.0 43.4 30.1 132 Interest of department colleagues in your work 2.9 14.7 35.3 36.8 8.8 134 Opportunities to pursue research 1.5 13.2 25.7 33.8 19.1 130 Proportion of faculty of African descent at the university 35.3 40.4 16.2 5.1 .7 134 Proportion of faculty of African descent in the library 44.1 35.3 11.0 5.1 .7 132 Manner in which administration handles problems 7.4 14.0 51.5 16.2 3.7 128 Lines of communication 8.8 24.3 16.9 44.9 3.7 134 Serving as role model for students of African descent 1.5 7.4 35.5 35.3 18.4 133 226 C ollege & R esearch L ib raries M ay 2000 Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 227 ians may wish to encourage mentoring and coauthoring. Table 4 reveals that, overall, respon­ dents were most satisfied with job duties, variety of occupational tasks, interaction with patrons, autonomy, challenges of the job, working conditions, professional de­ velopment, and job security. More than 70 percent of the respondents indicated that they were satisfied and very satisfied with these aspects of the job. However, respon­ dents were dissatisfied to very dissatisfied with the proportion of faculty of African descent in the library (79.4%) and at the institution (75.7%). Forty-four percent were dissatisfied with salary, which was one of the traditional sources of dissatis­ faction identified by other studies. Thirty- three percent were dissatisfied with lines of communication and 31.6 percent with opportunities for advancement. Fifty per­ cent of the 128 respondents could not de­ cide or were neutral on the question re­ garding the manner in which the admin­ istration handles faculty problems. The author looked at four control fac­ tors (age, gender, years as a professional librarian, and years at present institution) in relation to six factors of concern to li­ brarians of African descent. The six fac­ tors were: (1) isolation in the workplace; (2) isolation at the institution; (3) isola­ tion as it affects performance; (4) inci­ dences of racial discrimination; (5) hos­ tile work environment; and (6) adequacy of the library’s diversity program. As indicated in table 5, twenty of the fifty-seven respondents in the 45–54 age group felt a moderate to high degree of isolation in the workplace, and twenty-five felt a moderate to high degree of isolation at the institution. In the 35–44 age group, eighteen of the forty-nine respondents felt a moderate to high degree of isolation in the workplace and twenty-one felt a mod­ erate to high degree of isolation at the in­ stitution. Eleven of the fifty-seven respon­ dents in the 45–54-age group and eight of the forty-nine respondents in the 35–44 age group responded that isolation affected their performance. Seventeen of the 45–54 group and thirteen of the 35–44 age group reported experiencing incidences of racial discrimination. Nine of the respondents in the 45–54 age group responded experienc­ ing a hostile work environment. Thirty- four respondents in the 45–54 age group and twenty-eight in the 35–44 age group TABLE 5 Number and Percent of Respondents in Each Age Group and the Six Factors of Concern (N = 134) Age 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Total No. of Respondents* 19 49 57 9 Question: To what extent do you feel. Isolated in your workplace? 5 (26%) 18 (37%) 20 (35%) 3 (33%) Isolated at the institution? 5 (26%) 21 (43%) 25 (38%) 4 (44%) That isolation (if any) affects your work performance? 4 (21%) 8 (16%) 11 (19%) 3 (33%) That you have experienced incidences of racial discrimination in the workplace? 3 (16%) 13 (26%) 17 (30%) 2 (22%0 That your work environment is hostile toward you? 2 (11%) 5 (10%) 9 (16%) 1 (11%) That your library has an adequate librarywide diversity program? 8 (42%) 21 (43%) 23 (40%) 1 (11%) *This table includes those respondents who reported moderate and to a high degree. Other choices included "no opinion," "little," and "not at all." 228 College & Research Libraries May 2000 of isolation in theTABLE 6 workplace. The sameNumber and Percent of Male and Female three groups felt more Respondents and the Six Factors of Concern (N = 129) isolation at the institu­ tion, with the group Gender Male Female having ten to fifteenTotal No. of Respondents* 30 99 years of experience ex-Isolation in workplace 7 (23%) 37 (37%) periencing a bit more Isolation in institution 9 (30%) 44 (44%) than the other twoIsolation affects performance 5 (16.6%) 20 (20%) groups. Isolation af-Incidences of racial discrimination 6 (20%) 28 (28%) fected the performanceHostile work environment 3 (10%) 13 (13%) of 24 percent of the Adequate diversity program 15 (50%) 37 (38%) group with 0–3.9 years of experience, 27 per­*This table includes those respondents who reported moderate and to cent of the 4–9.9 group, a high degree. Other choices included "no opinion," "little," and "not at all." felt that the library had no adequate di­ versity program. Table 6 shows gender and the six fac­ tors of concern. For all six factors, a higher percentage of women responding to each question indicated that the factor was sig­ nificant in their areas. For example, 37 percent of the females felt isolated in the workplace, compared to 23 percent of the males. Likewise, 44 percent of the females felt isolated at the institution, compared to 30 percent of the males. Table 7 shows correlates of years as a professional librarian with the six factors of concern. Librarians with 0–3.9, ten to fifteen, and more than fifteen years of ex­ perience felt a moderate to high degree 15 percent of the 10–15 group, and 15 percent of the group with more than fifteen years of experience. Incidences of racial dis­ crimination were felt more in the groups with ten to fifteen or more years of expe­ rience. Nine members of the group with fewer than four years of experience re­ ported incidences of racial discrimination. Seven of the thirty-four librarians with ten to fifteen years of experience reported a moderate to high degree of hostility in the work environment. Of the forty-seven re­ spondents with more than fifteen years of experience, thirty-one reported that the library’s diversity program was not ad­ equate. Table 8 shows years as a professional librarian at the present institution corre- TABLE 7 Number and Percent of Respondents for Years of Experience and the Six Factors of Concern (N = 132) Years of Experience 0-3.9 yrs 4-9.9 yrs 10-15 yrs. More than 15 yrs. No. of Respondents* 29 22 34 47 Isolation in workplace 14 (48%) 5 (23%) 14 (41%) 14 (30%) Isolation in institution 16 (55%) 5 (22%) 14 (41%) 19 (40%) Isolation affects performance 7 (24%) 6 (27%) 5 (15%) 7 (15%) Incidences of racial discrimination 9 (31%) 4 (18%) 11 (32%) 11 (23%) Hostile work environment 2 (6%) 4 (18%) 7 (20%) 5 (11%) Adequate diversity program 11 (38%) 11 (50%) 10 (29%) 16 (34%) *This table includes those respondents who reported moderate and to a high degree. Other choices included "no opinion," "little," and "not at all." Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 229 TABLE 8 Number and Percent of Years at Present Institution (N = 135) Years at Present Less than 1-3.9 yrs. 4-9.9 yrs. 10-15 yrs. More than Institution 1 year 15 yrs. No. of Respondents* 13 35 38 25 24 Isolation in workplace 9 (69%) 14 (40%) 11 (29%) 8 (32%) 5 (21%) Isolation in institution 9 (69%) 17 (48%) 13 (34%) 9 (36%) 7 (30%) Isolation affects performance 3 (23%) 10 (28%) 7 (18%) 4 (16%) 2 (8%) Incidences of racial discrimination 4 (31%) 6 (17%) 11 (29%) 7 (28%) 8 (33%) Hostile work environment 2 (15%) 2 (5%) 6 (16%) 5 (2%) 3 (12%) Adequate diversity program 6 (46%) 19 (54%) 16 (42%) 8 (32%) 5 (21%) *This table includes those respondents who reported moderate and to a high degree. Other choices included "no opinion," "little," and "not at all." lated with the six factors of concern. The groups with 0–3.9 and 4–9.9 years of ex­ perience felt more isolation in the work­ place and at the institution. Isolation af­ fected the performance of the group with 1–3.9 years of experience more than it did any other group. The group with more than fifteen years of experience experi­ enced more incidences of racial discrimi­ nation. The groups with ten to fifteen and more than fifteen years of experience felt that the library’s diversity program was not adequate. When asked, “Within the past two years, have you considered leaving your present position?” 54 of the 136 respon­ dents responded no and 79 responded yes. Three respondents provided no re­ sponses, with one indicating that she had been on the job less than a year and an­ other indicating that she had recently re­ ceived a promotion. The seventy-nine librarians who had considered leaving their jobs in the past two years were asked to rank the factors that would influence their decision to leave. The most frequently cited reasons for leaving included professional oppor­ tunities, with twenty-seven individuals ranking it first and fourteen individuals ranking it second. Twenty-two individu­ als ranked salary as the second reason for leaving and eleven ranked it third. Six­ teen librarians ranked work environment as the third reason for leaving, while eleven ranked it as the first reason. Job no longer challenging was ranked as the fourth reason for leaving by ten librarians, and first and second by eight librarians. Nine librarians cited the library not be­ ing committed to diversity as the fourth reason for considering leaving their po­ sition. Respondents were asked to list occur­ rences in their current job that contributed significantly to their feeling of satisfac­ tion. The top ten included: (1) supportive colleagues, (2) good supervisors, (3) pro­ fessional assignment participation, (4) availability of technology and resources, (5) work environment, (6) opportunity to advance, (7) variety of job assignments, (8) salary and benefits, (9) interaction with faculty and students, and (10) challeng­ ing tasks. When asked to list occurrences in their job that contributed significantly to their feeling of dissatisfaction, respondents identified these factors: (1) threatening, oppressive environment, (2) lack of re­ spect and acceptance by colleagues and library administration for contribution to 230 College & Research Libraries May 2000 the organization, (3) few African Ameri­ can librarians, (4) isolation, (5) racism, (6) being assigned many clerical duties, (7) turf wars, (8) daily, unthinking anti-black statements, (9) communication with li­ brary administration, and (10) patrons’ re­ luctance to seek assistance when super­ vising the reference desk. Comments were few. Most wanted to see the results of the survey. Some of the specific comments were: • “There are few Hispanic librarians.” • “Colleagues underestimate my qualifications.” • “Colleagues don’t accept my abili­ ties and contributions at par with their own.” • “My environment is almost exclu­ sively white and I find that whites are fre­ quently mean and hostile to one another, so it is often difficult to tell when an un­ pleasant or negative situation is due to simple human orneriness and when it is due to racism.” • “There are a few individuals who seem bigoted, but that isn’t uncommon, nothing I can’t deal with.” • “Isolated and undervalued.” • “Don’t feel comfortable in commu­ nicating with others in the organization.” • “Colleagues do not want to learn of black resources, but send patrons to me for assistance.” • “Good work environment.” • “Hierarchy is complex.” • “Researcher should have used the term African rather than ‘other ’ used in question 2.” • “No negative feeling as a person of color.” • “African American librarians are hesitant to leave familiar surrounding to seek new employment opportunities.” • “Need to get more African Ameri­ can students in library school.” • “Very pleased with support for re­ search endeavor equipment and liberal travel policy.” • “Need to do more in recruiting.” Conclusion T h i s s t u d y i d e n t i f i e s s o m e o f t h e sources of dissatisfaction and points out areas of satisfaction of librarians of African descent. By using the results of this study, library managers may ad­ dress the areas of dissatisfaction and capitalize on areas of satisfaction. Un­ derstanding the factors that influence job satisfaction generally, and for li­ brarians of African descent specifically, can contribute significantly to the re­ cruitment and retention of this group of librarians. It is imperative that more research be conducted in this area It also is clear from this study that Af­ rican American librarians in ARL univer­ sities are an aging group. It is time for li­ brary managers to aggressively recruit ad­ ditional librarians of African descent to the profession and to improve their op­ portunities for growth and advancement in the field. Library managers also need to work harder at retaining current mi­ nority librarians. As this survey shows, librarians of Af­ rican descent who are satisfied with their jobs will stay in them longer. Job satisfac­ tion studies of librarians of African de­ scent in other library consortia are needed. It is time to take the necessary steps to create a work environment that attracts and enhances the job satisfaction of not only librarians of African descent, but all librarians of color. NOTES 1. Carol Patitu and Martha Tack, “Job Satisfaction of African-American Faculty in Higher Education in the South” (paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Boston, 1991). ERIC ED 339 318. 2. William B. Harvey, “Where Are the Black Faculty Members?” Chronicle of Higher Educa­ tion 31, no. 19 (Jan. 22, 1986): 96. 3. Earl Smith and Stephanie Witt, “A Comparative Study of Occupational Stress among Job Satisfaction of Librarians of African Descent 231 African American and White University Faculty: A Research Note,” Research in Higher Education 34 (Apr. 1993): 229–41. 4. 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