UPDATE 7/29/21: This study has been published Open Access in Alki.
UPDATE 1/20/18: This invitation is now closed. Thank you for your interest. Be sure to monitor this blog for study updates.
Recent studies reveals that low morale is the result of repeated and protracted exposure to emotional, verbal/written, and systemic abuse or neglect in the workplace (Kendrick 2017; Kendrick and Damasco 2019). These studies have focused on the causes, development, and outcomes of low morale on library employees – now, inquiry on this phenomenon expands to transitional career impacts and outcomes.
If you are:
- a credentialed librarian who has worked in a North American library of any type (e.g., academic, public, special),
- who has faced low morale as defined above, and
- who has resolved or ended a low-morale experience while working in a North American library –
you are invited to participate in a study exploring:
- the decision-making development of librarians who have decided to end a low-morale experience;
- how these causes/impacts, systems, or practices and emotional and physiological changes are identified, mitigated or resolved through myriad cognitive, physical, verbal, or other processes and actions;
- how these causes/impacts, systems, or practices and emotional and physiological changes are identified, mitigated or resolved through myriad cognitive, physical, verbal, or other processes and action, and
- how low-morale experiences impact job hunting and/or work efforts in subsequent places of employment.
This study is being investigated by Kaetrena Davis Kendrick (Associate Professor, Associate Librarian, University of South Carolina Lancaster).
If you choose to participate, I will conduct a telephone interview with you that will last 45-60 minutes, and you will also be asked to complete a brief survey which should only take 5-6 minutes to complete. Survey responses will be anonymous and kept separately from interview responses. Interviews will be confidential and participants will not be identified personally.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you are interested in participating, please contact me directly by phone or email to set up a telephone appointment. If you know of anyone else who might be eligible and who is interested in participating, please feel free to forward this invitation to them.
Principal Investigator contact information:
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick: 803-313-7061; kaetrena@mailbox.sc.edu
If you have questions about this study, you may contact the researcher at the contact points listed above. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a participant in this research study, you may contact the University of South Carolina’s Office of Research Compliance at 803-777-7095.
Thanks for your interest in and support of this study.
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S.
Works Cited
Kendrick, K.D. (2017). The low-morale experience of academic librarians: A phenomenological study. Journal of Library Administration, 57(8): 846-878.
Kendrick, K.D. & Damasco, I.T. (2019). Low morale in ethnic and racial minority academic librarians: An experiential study. Library Trends, 68(2): 174-212.