Jeanine Williamson

Personality, Career Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction: Test of a Directional Model

A conceptual model proposing paths from personality traits to career satisfaction and life satisfaction and from career satisfaction to life satisfaction was evaluated in a field study by structural equations modeling using LISREL 8. Participants were a convenience sample of 1,352 information science professionals. An exploratory maximum likelihood common factor analysis revealed two oblique personality factors, the first comprised of extraversion, optimism, assertiveness, openness, and emotional stability and the second consisting of conscientiousness and tough-mindedness. Results indicated a good fit for a two-factor personality model showing significant links between both personality factors and career satisfaction, between the second personality factor and life satisfaction, and between career and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed in terms of comparisons to previous research, limitations, and areas for further research, with emphasis on the importance of personality in relation to career satisfaction and the relationship between career and life satisfaction.

An Investigation of Career and Job Satisfaction in Relation to Personality Traits of Information Professionals

This study collected data on personality characteristics, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction from more than 1,300 information professionals. Respondents included academic reference librarians, archivists, catalogers, distance education librarians, public librarians, records managers, school media specialists, special librarians, systems librarians, and other information professionals who responded to listserv requests or picked up questionnaires at a national library conference. Significant correlations were obtained between personality variables and both career and job satisfaction. Stepwise regression analyses were performed, revealing that five variables (Optimism, Emotional Stability, Teamwork, Visionary Work Style, and Work Drive) accounted for 20 percent of the variance in job satisfaction. Four variables accounted for 19 percent of the variance in career satisfaction (Optimism, Work Drive, Emotional Resilience, and Assertiveness). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to test Lounsbury et al.’s general composite measure of Emotional Resilience, Work Drive, and Optimism as predictors of job and career satisfaction. These variables accounted for 18 percent of the variance in job satisfaction and 19 percent of the variance in career satisfaction. Recommendations for employers to help with hiring and managing information professionals were made.

Personality traits of individuals in different specialties of librarianship

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate whether academic reference librarians, archivists, catalogers, distance education librarians, public librarians, records managers, school librarians, special collections librarians, and systems librarians differ in personality traits measured by the Personal Style Inventory: i.e. adaptability, assertiveness, autonomy, conscientiousness, customer service orientation, emotional resilience, extraversion, openness, optimism, teamwork, tough‐mindedness, visionary/operational work style, and work drive. It also aims to investigate whether personality traits of those in person‐oriented library specialties differ from those in technique‐oriented (technical) library specialties.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 2,075 librarians/information professionals were surveyed in non‐random sample. The Personal Style Inventory is a normal personality inventory assessing important traits for the world of work. It was used in a two‐step cluster analysis for the data analysis.Fin...

Jungian/Myers-Briggs Personality Types of Librarians in Films

Summary The Myers-Briggs personality typology provides a useful tool for characterizing the probable personality types of librarians portrayed in films. In this study, the probable personality types of librarians in 28 films are determined. Then comparisons with the personality types reported in Scherdin (1994) are made. Sex roles and stereotyping are revealed by these comparisons and are discussed.

Distinctive 16 PF Personality Traits of Librarians

ABSTRACT While there is a fairly extensive literature on core competencies of librarians, there is a paucity of research on personality traits that distinguish them from those in other occupations. The present study compared the personality traits of 88 librarians with a general norm group using the 16 PF, a widely researched normal-personality inventory. We found that librarians are more apprehensive, cautious, flexible, focused, imaginative, open-minded, respectful, self-reliant, serious, tender-minded, and trusting as well as higher on general reasoning skills than those in the norm group. Findings are discussed in terms of consistency with core competences of librarians. Practical implications were noted, including recruitment and coaching of job incumbents.

Identifying factors of online news comments

Bawden and Robinson (2009) state: “[t]here is no single generally accepted definition of information overload. The term is usually taken to represent a state of affairs where an individuals efficiency in using information in their work is hampered by the amount of relevant, and potentially useful, information available to them.” (pp. 182-183) We concentrate on the subjective dimension of information overload, defining it as: distress associated with the perception that there is too much information. We utilize psychometric scale development procedures to measure information overload and correlate it with demographic and psychological variables. Our poster reports preliminary findings that information overload is correlated significantly with gender (being female); age and year in college (positively); and measures of life satisfaction (negatively).