Search

This paper attempts to highlight the factors causing anxiety among non-native speakers of English when using academic library resources, services and facilities. This is crucial now that academic libraries worldwide are increasingly building up their collections of electronic journals and databases, which are predominantly in the English language. Findings from studies among non-native speakers of English reveal that they are susceptible to anxiety factors, which are rarely reported in studies in the native English-speaking countries. Some of these barriers include: insufficient resources, language, retrieval, lack of library skills, technology, network, environment and services, computer and physical comfort, and emotional barriers. A search was conducted to analyze the literature published in Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) from 1986 until 2014 using the keyword 'library anxiety'. The sample selected was limited to literature on non-native speakers of English. The distinct anxiety-causing factors typically reported in these studies are recommended to be included in the library anxiety measure for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 49-item modified version of Sharon L. Bostick's (1992) Library Anxiety Scale was tested among 367 undergraduate students drawn randomly from a population of 8,432 undergraduate students. The 49-item instrument was administered during classroom hours using a self-reported questionnaire. An 84% response rate was achieved resulting in 308 questionnaires that were returned and were found to be useful. The analysis of data was based on these 308 usable returns. Gender, nationality and bibliographic instruction were employed as independent variables to examine their effects on each of the five (5) library anxiety sub-scales: barriers with service providers, comfort with library services, affective barriers, cognitive barriers and comfort with library technology. The results of running independent sample t-tests on each of the five(5) sub-scales with gender as the independent variable was found to be statistically significant only on the "cognitive barriers " sub-scale, t (303) = 2.22, p < .05 between male students (M = 7.64, SD = 2.90) and female students (M = 8.42, SD = 2.79). The results of running independent sample t-tests on each of the five (5) library anxiety sub-scales with nationality as the independent variable was found to be statistically significant only on the "affective barriers" sub-scale, t (301) = 2.47, p <.05 between Malaysian students (M = 8.14, SD = 2.22) and non-Malaysians (M = 7.33, SD = 2.17). The results of running independent sample t-tests on each of the five (5) library anxiety sub-scales with bibliographic instruction as the independent variable were found to be not statistically significant on all of the five (5) library anxiety sub-scales, p > .05. A 2 X 2 factorial ANOVA was performed to test each of the main effects and interaction effects hypotheses. The results showed that there was a statistically significant interaction effect between gender and bibliographic instruction on the library anxiety sub-scales: (a) affective barriers, F (1, 295) = 5.21, p < .05; (b) comfort with library technology, F (1, 299) = 5.32, p < .05. Statistically significant interaction effects was also found between gender and nationality on the library anxiety sub-scales: (a) barriers with service providers, F (2, 294) = 3.85, p <.05; (b) affective barriers, F (2, 295) = 3.44, p < .05. No statistically significant interaction effects were found between nationality and bibliographic instruction on any of the five (5) library anxiety sub-scales, p > .05. Additionally, no statistically significant main effects were found for each of the independent variables (gender, nationality and bibliographic instruction) on any of the five library anxiety sub-scales, p > .05. Findings suggest that gender acted as a moderating variable for the independent variables nationality and bibliographic instruction. Hence, the variable gender moderates the relationship between the two independent variables (nationality and bibliographic instruction) with the library anxiety sub-scales: affective barriers, barriers with service providers and comfort with library technology. This study represents one of the first to have identified the variable gender as a moderator in explaining the variance in library anxiety among undergraduate library users in a Malaysian university library environment. More studies need to be carried out to identify not only moderators but mediators in the library anxiety phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a global measure for job satisfaction on the following ten work and worker related variables: affective commitment, continuance commitment, job involvement, job autonomy, job feedback, role clarity, role conflict, age, organizational tenure and job tenure. A survey was conducted to investigate how much of the variance in job satisfaction can collectively be explained by these variables in a Malaysian academic library setting. The survey was administered on 279 academic librarians from eight university libraries in West Malaysia. Findings were based on the responses from 139 usable questionnaires. The findings revealed that only six of the ten work and worker related variables were significantly correlated with job satisfaction: affective commitment, job autonomy, job performance feedback, role conflict, role clarity and organizational tenure. Findings also revealed that of these six correlates, only two have predictive relationship with job satisfaction: affective commitment and organizational tenure. Collectively these two predictors explain about 26% of the variance in job satisfaction. Although this study did not examine all the possible correlates and predictors of job satisfaction that have been identified in the organizational behavior/psychology and management literature, it nevertheless provides an empirical glimpse of the job satisfaction phenomenon among Malaysian academic librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meyer and Allen hold that organizational commitment is a multidimensional construct comprising three components: affective, continuance and normative. This study focuses on establishing construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity) and internal reliability by applying Allen and Meyer's organizational commitment scale among Malaysian academic librarians. Altogether 17 items comprising the measures for both affective and continuance commitment were incorporated in the questionnaire. The survey was administered on 222 academic librarians from all the nine university libraries in West Malaysia. Findings were based on the responses from 139 usable questionnaires. The findings revealed the two measures to be distinguishable from one another i.e. the measures exhibited convergent as well as discriminant validity. The findings demonstrate that Allen and Meyer's Organizational Commitment measures are applicable to librarians in general and to academic librarians specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]