Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Research Productivity of Librarians in Public University Libraries in South-South Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and research productivity of librarians in public university libraries in South-South Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance, guided the study. The study adopted correlation research design. 203 librarians in the twelve public university libraries in South-South Nigeria comprised the population of the study. There was no sampling as the population was manageable. The instrument for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire titled “Job Satisfaction and Research Productivity Questionnaire (JSRPQ). A total of 203 copies of the questionnaire were distributed, out of which 181 copies of the questionnaire were returned, yielding a response rate of 89.2 percent. The instrument was validated by three experts in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. It was administered to 36 librarians on pilot testing. Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and it yielded an alpha value of 0.772. Data collected were analyzed using Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient and Z-Test. The result of data analysis revealed that there was a direct (positive) relationship between job satisfaction and research productivity of librarians in federal university libraries and an inverse (negative) relationship between job satisfaction and research productivity of librarians in state university libraries in South-South Nigeria. It also indicated a significant relationship between job satisfaction and research productivity of librarians in both federal and state university libraries. Based on the findings, it was recommended that federal university management and their university librarians should improve on job satisfaction of their librarians, with emphasis on maintaining their intrinsic job satisfaction. On the other hand, it was recommended that librarians in state university libraries should cultivate the habit of regularly attending and participating in conferences, seminars and workshops and engaging in collaborative authorship while their management and their university librarians should provide them with research grants and constant free internet services to boost their research output.