Job stress and job involvement of professionals and paraprofessionals in academic libraries: A case study of University of Ibadan, Nigeria and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife , Nigeria

Abstract

This research tends to reveal the dreadful phenomena of job stress among librarians and library officers, its implication on their job involvement. For adequate understanding however, th e nature of stress both in its general and topical nature was discussed, while causes and effects of stress were identified, classified and discussed. Two hundred respondents were randomly selected from two academic libraries in South -West Nigeria, where a structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Using descriptive design of correlational type, the study raised two research questions and developed two hypotheses which were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The researc h questions were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages while the two hypotheses were analysed using Pearson product moment correlation and t -test statistics. The result revealed that the most common cause of job stress a mong respondents were lack of job motivation and rewards as well as emotional instability while job stress results in less job involvement, there was a significant relationship between job stress and job involvement of library professionals and Para profe ssionals, no significant difference in job involvement of professionals and Para professionals in library system. Arising from the outcome of the study, recommendations were made that library management should provide enabling atmosphere and incentives to library personnel and that the librarians and paraprofessionals be  adequately educated on the causes of job stress and its resultant effect on job involvement.

Key Words: Job, Stress, Library, Professionals, Para -professionals, Academic, Library