Job Satisfaction among Support Staff in MIchigan Academic Libraries

In a partial replication of a 1989 study conducted by Coleen Parmer and Dennis East in Ohio, a job satisfaction questionnaire was distributed in 1994 to support staff in thirteen state-supported academic libraries in Michigan. Results indicate that while support staff are satisfied with supervision, the nature of their work, coworkers, and benefits, they are dissatisfied with opportunities for promotion, pay, and contingent rewards. The means of several dimensions of job satisfaction varied significantly by the staff variables of experience, education, position title, union representation, full-or part-time work, and working directly with users. There are some notable differences in the results of this study as compared to the resul~s reported by Parmer and East. Based on the results, some. ways to improve support staff job satisfaction are suggested.