1. “All for libraries”
A study of job satisfaction in Cape
Town’s public libraries
Genevieve Hart
Department of Library & Information Science
University of the Western Cape

2. Background to study
• Began as senior class project
– Experience of a real research project from
beginning to end
– Then extended to all 6 districts
• Job satisfaction of interest
– to students
– & to me as library educator
• And to wider SA LIS context

3. Pressures on SA public libraries
• Years of neglect
• Uneven distribution: the densely populated “black”
townships & former apartheid-era homelands
underserved

4. Rural?
4

5. Library in rural region of
Mpumalanga

6. Pressures on SA public libraries
• Years of neglect
• Uneven distribution: the densely populated “black”
townships & former apartheid-era homelands underserved
• Insecure status of public libraries in their local authorities
• Lack of appreciation of their value

7. New library in Mpumalanga closed – dispute over
staffing

8. Library burnings in
“service delivery protests”
8

9. Pressures on SA public libraries
• Years of neglect
• Uneven distribution: the densely populated “black”
townships & former apartheid-era homelands underserved
• Insecure status of public libraries in their local authorities
• Lack of appreciation of their value
• Huge increase in under-prepared school learners’ use of
public libraries < Hardly any school libraries

10. Public Library Weds afternoon

11. Pressures on SA public libraries
•
•
•
•
Years of neglect
Insecure status of public libraries in their local authorities
Lack of appreciation of their value
Uneven distribution: the densely populated “black”
townships & former apartheid-era homelands underserved
• Huge increase in under-prepared school learners’ use of
public libraries < Hardly any school libraries
• Inadequate human resources: numbers , qualifications,
competencies, professionalism.

12. Public library revival
2007+
• Government investigations
• Government grants: by 2013 (Mashatile2013):
– 44 new libraries
– 241 upgradings
– 1575 new staff contracts
• LIS Transformation Charter (6th draft 2009)

13. LIS Transformation Charter vision for
SA public libraries
• “forces for social cohesion and justice”
• “within reach of all”
• “places for everyone”
13

14. Research problem
Given the past turbulence & the promise of a
new vision for public libraries, how happy are
their staff?

15. Job satisfaction?
“Library work is full of emotion”
Matteson & Muller 2012

16. Study’s theoretical frame
Hackman & Oldham’s JCM

17. Research questions
• What is the level of job satisfaction among the library
staff? And, how do levels vary according to variables
such as staff grade or district?
• What are the chief satisfiers and dissatisfiers?
• How committed are respondents to COCTLIS?
• Given the links between job satisfaction and
motivation and performance, what pointers for
library leadership and library educators can be
found to increase motivation?

18. The two faces of Cape Town

19. COCTLIS
• 2000: Metro amalgamated 6 (?) library
systems (under different authorities)
• Now 104 “branches”
• 6 districts

20. City of Cape Town LIS (COCTLIS)
study
• 141 staff members
across all 6 library
districts
• Semi-structured
questionnaire/interview

22. Respondents
Type of library
Total
%
Historically advantaged /
City-wide
11
8%
Community
94
67%
communities?
Regional
36
26%
Advantaged communities
51
36%
Disadvantaged
90
64%
Grand Total
141
100%
disadvantaged
Grand Total
Total
%
141 100%

23. Job Title
Library aide
Total
%
5
4%
librarian
61
43%
Librarian
34
24%
Senior librarian
29
21%
Principal librarian
4
3%
Chief librarian
2
1%
(blank)
6
4%
Assistant
100
Grand Total
141
%

24. Overall levels of satisfaction with job
• 60% satisfied
• 21% strongly satisfied
• No significant differences
across variables found
Except
• District 2 has significantly
more respondents reporting
satisfaction & strong
satisfaction than District 4
where far more chose to be
“neutral”.

25. Rating aspects of job satisfaction

26. Organisational commitment
• “I am proud to say I work for COCTLIS”
% agree
83

27. BUT!
• 23% “might be” looking for another job
• 19% don’t see themselves working in COCTLIS
in 3 years
• 40% would accept a job outside COCTLIS with
same pay/benefits

28. Spearman Rank testing
• Correlation: job dis- satisfaction & workplace
“restlessness”
• People who are less satisfied are found to be:
– significantly less proud of their workplace
– more likely to be looking for another job
– more open to job offers!

29. What satisfies you?
Top 6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Pleasure in giving good service
Community building
Interacting with diverse range of people
Working with children & school pupils
Daily variety
Ongoing learning

30. • “This isn’t a job – it’s a passion!”
• “Making a difference – giving courage”
• “There’s always something new to learn”

31. What makes you dissatisfied?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Difficult customers
Restrictive & uneven allocation of resources
Rigid bureaucracy/red tape
Unfair pay structures
Lack of recognition from City
Delinquent staff

32. • “Gangsters loitering in the library”
• “We’re glorified administrators – we do everything
but library work”
• “Bureaucracy discourages me – I want to burn it!”
• “Children’s librarians are under stress. I find it painful
to defend myself – they say you just chat”

33. Conclusions
• Good news for public libraries in CT
– Weathered the turbulent years ?
• And for South African public librarianship?
• Mixed findings on organisational commitment
– Implications for quality of service?

34. To conclude
“What satisfies me? It’s my work! I’m all
for libraries!”

35. Thanks!
•
•
•
•
COCTLIS management
141 respondents
4th year BBibl students 2012
Team of fieldworkers