Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the current status of staff in school libraries and to provide suggestions for the development of these facilities through the job satisfaction of itinerant librarians, who act as support for schools which lack permanent staff. For employees in the South Korean provinces of South Jeolla, North Gyeongsan and South Gyeonsan, regions which currently operate using systems of itinerant librarians, the general status, work characteristics and systems were identified, and job satisfaction was surveyed. As a result of the survey, librarians may be in charge of anywhere from ten to two hundred schools, with approximately 30% of them being affiliated with public libraries in various municipalities. The overall job satisfaction averaged out to a score of 3.45 out of 5, with the categories of duties (4.15), a feeling of accomplishment (3.89) and communication (3.70) showing above average results, while opportunities for promotion (2.08) and job training (1.96) were on the lower end of the scale. For better job satisfaction, this study suggests an increase in the number of itinerant librarians, more job training, and having these professionals be affiliated with school boards rather than public libraries.