Personality traits and computer-mediated communication competence of the librarians in the delivery of online library services

Abstract

This study, which aimed to determine the personality traits and computer-mediated communication competence of librarians in the delivery of online services, utilized the descriptive-comparative research design. The respondents were 81 licensed librarians from 34 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the City and Province of Iloilo and Guimaras who provide library services to patrons through computer-mediated communication. An adopted and modified three-part survey questionnaire was used in this study to gather quantitative data. Sampling method used was voluntary response sampling. Statistical tools used were frequency count, mean, Mann Whitney U-Test, and Spearman’s Rho at .05 level of significance. Results revealed that majority of the librarians from Higher Education Institution (HEIs) who cater to library clients through online services are aged 40 years old or below, bachelor’s degree holders with 10 years or more length of work experience, and have at least 10 or more than 10 training/seminars attended. The most distinguished personality traits that are highly exhibited by librarians as an entire group are extroversion, followed by openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness, while the lowest is emotional stability. Librarians are very highly competent in their perceived computer-mediated communication competence in terms of motivation, knowledge, and skills. There is a significant difference in the personality traits of the librarians when they are categorized according to age, length of work experience, and training/seminars attended while there is no significant difference in terms of highest educational attainment. There is no significant difference in the computer-mediated communication competence of the librarians when categorized according to age, educational attainment, length of work experience, and training/ seminars attended. Lastly, there is a significant relationship between the personality traits of the librarians and their computer-mediated competence.