INFLUENCE OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS ON JOB BURNOUT AMONG LIBRARIANS IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of job characteristics on job burnout among librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. The study employed survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 624 librarians from 38 public universities in Southern Nigeria. Total enumeration was used. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients for the constructs ranged from 0.72 to 0.95. The response rate was 80.4%. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics. The findings revealed that Job characteristics significantly influenced job burnout of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria (β = .126, t(498) = 2.838, R 2 = .016, p < .05). There was a low level of job burnout among librarians (M = 2.20, SD = 1.33 on a scale of six). The librarians had much understanding of their job characteristics (M = 2.50, SD = 0.61 on a scale of three). The study concluded that job characteristics contribute to low level of job burnout among librarians in universities in Nigeria. The study recommended that library authorities should train librarians on job characteristics and on maintaining good work environment to prevent job burnout.