University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF GHANA STRESS MANAGEMENT IN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: A STUDY OF TAKORADI AND CAPE COAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES AMINU YAHAYA-JAAFAR University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF GHANA STRESS MANAGEMENT IN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: A STUDY OF TAKORADI AND CAPE COAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES BY AMINU YAHAYA-JAAFAR (10226151) THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MPHIL IN INFORMATION STUDIES DEGREE OCTOBER, 2020 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION Candidate's Declaration I hereby declare that except for the reference to other people’s works which have been duly acknowledged this thesis is the result of my own original work produced under the supervision of Prof. Harry Akussah and Dr Musah Adams and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this University or elsewhere. ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my entire family for their moral support including my wife, children and parents. iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Most importantly, I give my utmost gratitude and special thanks to God, who has been faithful to me through this stage of life. I wish to express my deepest appreciation to my supervisors and lecturers, Professor Harry Akussah and Doctor Musah Adams, for their tutorship and time spent reading through my scripts and also for the necessary commitments and suggestions they offered me. Their constructive criticisms and understanding are very much appreciated. I shall forever remain grateful to them for that. My gratitude also goes to the staff of the Department of Information Studies University of Ghana, especially, those who in one way or the other made effort in imparting knowledge in me. My deepest thanks goes to my parents and my brothers Abdul Razak Abdul Rashid and Inuusah Mahama and also to my colleagues Kwame Kodua-Ntim, Imoro Osman and Isaac Nyarku Adu whose support motivates me and kept me going in writing up this thesis. I acknowledge the invaluable assistance offered by my wife Mrs. Mariam Bashiru Jaafar, for her encouragement, motivation and advice whilst putting this piece together. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my friends and academic colleagues for their encouragement and support. iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page DECLARATION ii DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xii ABSTRACT xiii CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background to the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 7 1.3 Purpose of the Study 9 1.4 Objectives of the Study 9 1.5 Scope of the Study 9 1.6 Theoretical Framework 10 1.6.1 Person-Environment Fit Theory 10 1.6.2 Components of the Theory 14 1.6.2.1 Person–Organization fit 14 1.6.2.2 Person–Job fit 15 1.6.2.3 Person–Group fit 15 1.6.2.4 Person–Person fit 16 1.7 Limitations of the Study 16 v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.8 Significance of the Study 16 1.9 Organization of Chapters 17 CHAPTER TWO 18 LITERATURE REVIEW 18 2.1 Introduction 18 2.2 Concept of Stress 18 2.2.1 Types of Stress 21 2.3 Sources of Stress Confronting Library Staff 22 2.4 Effects of Stress on Library Staff 31 2.5 Managing Stress in Academic Libraries 35 2.6 Challenges Faced by Librarians in Managing Stress 41 2.7 Suggestions on Stress Management Strategies for Library Staff 45 CHAPTER THREE 50 METHODOLOGY 50 3.1 Introduction 50 3.2 Research Design 50 3.3 Research Approach 52 3.4 Research Settings 52 3.4.1 Selection of Case 52 3.4.2 Research Environment 53 3.5 Population 55 3.6 Sample Size and Sampling Technique 56 3.7 Instrumentation 57 3.8 Data Collection Procedures 58 3.9 Presentation of Data and Analysis 58 vi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.10 Ethical Considerations 59 CHAPTER FOUR 60 ANALYSES OF DATA AND FINDINGS 60 4.1 Introduction 60 4.2 Response rate 61 4.3 Demographic data of respondents 62 4.4 Sources of Stress 66 4.4.1 Ways staff commute to work 66 4.4.2 The number of hours staff work per week 69 4.4.3 Work environment 73 4.4.3.1 Humidity levels in the library 78 4.4.3.2 Noise in the work environment 79 4.4.3.3 Dust 80 4.4.3.4 Lack of office curtains 81 4.4.4 Moving away from employment 82 4.4.5 Condition of Service 82 4.4.5.1 Remuneration 83 4.4.5.2 Promotions 84 4.4.5.3 Career development 86 4.4.5.4 Medical bills 88 4.4.6 Main Sources of Stress 90 4.4.7 Other sources of stress in the library 93 4.4.8 Work-home interface 99 4.4.9 Number of clients served 101 4.4.10 Staff relationship with others 104 vii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4.10.1 Staff relationship with management 104 4.4.10.2 The relationship among the staff of the library 105 4.4.10.3 Staff client relationship 107 4.5 Effect of Stress 111 4.5.1 Effect of Stress on Productivity At The Workplace 111 4.5.2 Effect of stress on personal life 113 4.6 Management of Stress 116 4.6.1 Library Staff Management of Stress 116 4.6.2 Stress management programs in the library 119 4.6.3 Suggestions on stress management 121 CHAPTER FIVE 125 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS OF THE STUDY 125 5.1 Introduction 125 5.2 Sources of Stress among library staff of Technical Universities 125 5.3 Effect of Stress on Library Staff 127 5.4 Library Staff Management of Stress 128 5.5 Challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress 130 5.6 Suggestions on stress management 131 CHAPTER SIX 132 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 132 6.1 Introduction 132 6.2 Summary 132 6.3 Findings 132 6.4 Conclusion 134 viii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6.5 Recommendations 134 6.5.1 Provision of Logistics 135 6.5.2 Orientation for clients 135 6.5.3 Training of staff on human relation 135 6.5.4 Funding 136 6.5.5 Counseling 136 6.5.6 Stress Management Intervention 136 6.5.7 Favorable work environment 136 6.5.8 Good career development policies 136 6.5.9 Creation of welfare associations 137 6.5.10 Provision of staff lounge 137 6.6 Suggestions for Studies 137 REFERENCES 139 APPENDIX A 164 Interview Questions for Stress 164 APPENDIX B 166 INTRODUCTORY LETTER 166 ix University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 3.1: Study population 56 Table 4.1: Distribution of Respondents 61 Table 4.2: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Gender (n=15) 62 Table 4.3: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Age (n=15) 62 Table 4.4: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Qualification (n=15) 63 Table 4.5: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Job (n=15) 64 Table 4.6: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Experience (n=15) 65 Table 4.7: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Sections (n=15) 65 x University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1.1: Theoretical Framework is based on diagram by Lewin’s Theory 12 xi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCTU - Cape Coast Technical University TTU - Takoradi Technical University PARA - Paraprofessional Librarian PROF - Professional Librarian UL - University Librarian SAL - Senior Assistant Librarian AL - Assistant Librarian PLA - Principal Library Assistant SLA - Senior Library Assistant LA - Library Assistant xii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine stress management activities among professional and para professional staff of Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical University Libraries. The aim was to identify the sources, effects and the coping strategies of stress adopted by staff. The study adopted the descriptive survey design with a qualitative approach. Samples of fifteen (15) participants were used for the study. Interview was the main data collection method and the qualitative data gathered was analysed thematically. The study revealed that inadequate resources, unruly user behavior, and attitude of colleagues and lack of funding among others were the main sources of stress. The study further revealed that stress had effects on the staff’s personal lives and performance. Again, the study revealed that staff used various personal methods such as taking a walk, sharing their problem with others, sporting activities, relaxation and prayers in coping with stress. It was recommended that authorities provide these resources needed to enable them work effectively and efficiently to satisfy the information needs of their client and also reduce their stress levels. The establishment of counselling centers that will guide staff in managing their problems that caused stress, was also recommended. xiii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study The rapid and hectic pace of contemporary lifestyles and the evolving nature of the world of work with its associated performance demands the need for a critical evaluation of work-related stress in organizations and institutions. Educational managers, particularly those of higher learning institutions, have made attempts to address work related stress and its’ associated psychological and emotional challenges. Greenberg (2002) holds that in achieving organizational and institutional objectives, excellent mental health and emotional stability are essential. According to Nekoranec and Kmosena (2015), 21st century employees are constantly situated within time and demands of work. In a particular situation, employees may need to stay out of work because of time and they may in some other times try to meet job demands proposed by employers. This brings about stress among employees. Stress can have an important impact on employees’ performance, functioning and efficiency. No person is free from stress and no profession is stress-free in today’s fast- changing globe (Sharma & Bagga, 2016). The American Psychological Association (2014) defined stress as a pattern of specific and nonspecific responses an organism makes to stimulus events that disturb its equilibrium and tax or exceed its ability to cope. Therefore, stress is a situation which occurs when there is a stimulus (stressor) that generates a physiological, mental and/or cognitive (stress response) reaction that requires an effort from people by spending resources (coping). 1 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Akinade (2007) equally defined stress as a pattern of cognitive appraisal, physiological responses and behavioural tendencies that occur in response to a perceived imbalance between situational demands and the resources needed to cope with the situational demands. Stress is something that occurs when people are faced with events they perceive as endangering their physical or psychological wellbeing. Petek (2018) state that stress is a person’s psychological and physiological response to the perception of a demand or challenge. The nature and intensity of this response depends on the meaning one gives to the demand or challenge and on one’s assessment of the resources that are available for meeting the demand. The requests perceived as damaging and awkward are reacted to in order to prevent or decrease them. Factors that cause stress are usually termed as stressors and may be in the form of workload, job speed, hazardous or toxic working circumstances, badly constructed environment, interpersonal disagreement with managers, peers, and discrimination based on age, gender, and workplace frustration (Aldwin, 2007). According to Adjei (2009), stress is usual and can be good for a person (therapeutic). Ivancevich and Matteson (1980) note that stress is normal only when it allows people to finish a report on time or produces a good, quick problem-solving procedure. To Rollinson (2005), most often, people may need a slight stimulating pressure, which appears to make them to become alert, concentrating and thinking clearly so that they can function better. Responding to such stressors is about managing it. Stress management is a wide range of procedures and psychotherapies intended to control an individual's level of stress, particularly chronic stress, usually for the purpose of and for the motive of improving everyday functioning (Somaz & Tulgan, 2003). To be able 2 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh to cope with stress and manage it, it is important to know how stress impacts one’s performance, being self-aware and recognize the symptoms of stress as it helps people to use it constructively and avoid its unhelpful characteristic (Nahavandi, Denhardt, Denhardt, & Aristigueta, 2013). According to Miedziun and Jan (2015), several investigations have been intended to classify and consequently make a universally used taxonomy of the approaches for stress management. Despite the various classifications, none of them is assumed to be the best fit for managing stress, hence no single strategy works best for all stresses (Miedziun & Jan, 2015). Academic institutions are educational institutions that are dedicated to teaching and research, and they grant academic degrees. The ‘ideal’ academic environment may be defined as one that best prepares students for their future professional life and contributes towards their personal development and social well-being. Advanced educational institutions, also known as tertiary institutions, are the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school. Higher education is defined to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, vocational education and training beyond secondary education. A number of diverse factors significantly influence the way members of tertiary institutions perceive and experience stress. These range from ‘class size’, ‘leisure time’ and ‘assessment procedures’ to ‘relations with peers and faculty’, ‘ethical climate’, ‘extra-curricular opportunities’ and availability and accessibility to library resources. Research has revealed that stress symptoms, including psychological and psychosomatic manifestations, are prevalent among members within the academic environment (Morgan, 2003). 3 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Libraries form part of academic environment and serve an important fulcrum for every educational institution because the information they hold are essential tools with which to foster the learning process. As a core function of tertiary education libraries, they offer patrons congenial atmospheres for the transfer of knowledge. They equally provide atmospheres that help patrons to keep very good concentration on their studies. Libraries are the only places where patrons are supposed to be free from all conventions or interruptions because reading is absolutely a matter of personal choice. Alemna (2001) described a library as a building or a series of rooms containing collections of records of human culture in diverse formats and languages, preserved, organized and interpreted to meet broad and varying needs of individuals for information, knowledge, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment. However, modern libraries have been redefined as places to get wider access to information in many formats and from many sources. The technological development in libraries has affected both information space and information practice. Today we talk about libraries without walls being logical extensions to libraries (Fox & Urs, 2002). Wallis (2007) also states that the idea of the library room changed when much of the visibility of the library environment was on the screen. The basic task of libraries, however, is to promote and provide access to information and knowledge, but the procedures, instruments, and methods have undergone considerable growth. With the numerous library types available, this study would focus on academic libraries. Academic libraries are noted to be the backbone of institutions of higher learning. This is because their core mandate is to support the school’s curriculum and to support the research of the university faculty and students 4 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (Curson & Quinonez-Skinner, 2009). Olurotimi (2014) defines academic libraries as libraries attached to tertiary institutions such as universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, college of agriculture, college of technology and research institutes. Academic libraries play a pivotal role in ensuring effective teaching, learning and research. In order to fulfil this mandate, academic libraries acquire a variety of resources that include not only printed materials such as books, periodicals, newspapers, and magazines, but also art reproductions, films, sound and video recordings, maps, photographs, microfiches, microfilms, CD-ROMs, computer software, online databases, and other media. According to Akakandelwa and Jain (2013), there has been increase in higher education in terms of technological advancement, large number of students and expansion of academic programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. According to Jayanath (2008), academic libraries play a very important role in promoting the progress of knowledge and the preservation of institutional heritage. To achieve this, librarians go through a lot of occupational stresses. Library staff are stressed for the fact that the incessant call for information and communication technologies in libraries has a toll on them. The situation has made the work of the 21st century librarians more challenging than past librarians. These fascinating occurrences in the tertiary institutions are endlessly reforming library strategies, restructuring the hierarchy, re-engineering library processes, and changing managerial practices, thereby forcing libraries to adopt advanced approaches with their exclusive balance of know-hows (Akakandelwa & Jain, 2013). 5 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Stress in academic libraries might be caused by insufficient motivation, sickness and performance at work (Shaughnessy, 2006; Naess, 2007). Several researches have established that stress could be damaging to the health and wellbeing of employees, and could bring about low productivity and services and products. According to Broady-Preston (2010), it is perceived that stress may influence the individual, the library service, and the broader institution. According to Pantry (2007), library staffs continuously deal with fluctuating technology, reduction in budgets, subcontracting, disproportionate workload and exhaustion, which can cause inner stress and conflict. The stresses from libraries are not only internal but could come from the outside world due to the free exposure. Farler and Broady-Preston (2012) in their study revealed that the librarians’ interacting with students, lecturers and other patrons can be stressful or appreciable, based on the context. In the lives of academic librarians, stress cannot be eliminated. Ilo (2016) indicates that librarians can surmount stress only if they know that handling it is more important than feeling its consequences. Roy (2005) maintains that awareness of all the stress aspects, knowledge of the stress situation are all important steps in the stress management process. When librarians recognise the importance of human lives and effects of stress on them, they will either treat their source positively or alter their opinion about it as librarians (Routray & Satpathy, 2007). Technical Universities are tertiary institutions established to train people in technical and professional areas, usually specializing in science, engineering, technology and other technical subjects. Technical universities in Ghana were previously Polytechnic institutions that were converted into Technical 6 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh universities by an act of parliament in 2016. The upgrading of these institutions means increase in workload and expectations for library facilities and services. This invariably will contribute to the level of stress among staff within these new university libraries. Stress affects people including Technical Universities and is known to be a cause for physical and mental wellbeing (Ortqvist & Wincent, 2008). Stress affects people in various ways in terms of unusual and disfunctional working behaviour, and poor physical and mental health. This can lead in the short term to a variety of disorders and conditions ranging from chronic fatigue to depression (Kivimäki, Leino-Arjas, Luukksen, & Riihimaki, 2002). Extremely long-term stress or depression may contribute to psychological issues, lead to a lack of work in order to keep the worker from re-employment (McFarlane, 2010) or psychiatrical disorders. Stressed individuals may participate in unhealthy behavior, such as smoking, drinking excessively, poor diet and little exercise (Ortqvist & Wincent, 2008). They may get distressed, irritated, feel less involved in their job, have trouble thinking and making decisions logically (Kivimäki, Leino-Arjas, Luukksen, & Riihimaki, 2002; Marine & Serra 2006). Librarians in technical universities are likely to be impacted negatively by these stressors as result of their status if their stress levels are not well managed. 1.2 Statement of the Problem The problem of stress and stress management is one of the main elements of organizational functioning that can be enhanced by focusing on a psychologically healthy workplace. Tytherleigh, Webb, Cooper and Rickets (2005) reported that stress at work in tertiary educational organisations have 7 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh multiplied in the past decade making it difficult for workers such as lecturers and librarians to cooperate. According to Topper (2007), there are many complaints from librarians concerning their difficulty to exert control over the work and inability to put their skills to use. These problems bring stress onto them as they feel no satisfaction for the work they do, thereby becoming frustrated. Many studies have been conducted on stress among librarians all over the world. For instance, Ajala (2011), Ikonne (2015), Chinyere and Ezinwanyi (2016) did extensive work on library-related stress in different countries across Sub- Saharan Africa. With respect to Ghana, Agyei, Aryeetey, and Obuezie (2019) and Akussah, Dzandu and Osei-Adu (2012) in their studies established the pervasiveness of work-related psychosocial stress among librarians and other information workers. All these studies dwelled on causal and effectual factors of stress among library staff. However, the researcher has not come across any research on stress management among Librarians in Technical Universities in Ghana. Preliminary investigation conducted by the researcher at Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical University libraries revealed that there is the issue of stress among library staff. However, the researcher has not come across studies indicating how library staff could manage the stress they experience every now and then, hence a gap in literature. The current study seeks to explore the management strategies employed by library staff in managing the eminent stress using Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical Universities. 8 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.3 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to examine stress management activities among library staff of Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical Universities. 1.4 Objectives of the Study The main research objectives were to: 1. Find out the sources of stress confronting library staff in the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. 2. Find out the effect of stress on library staff of Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. 3. Find out how library staff manage their stress with the available resources in the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. 4. Find out challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress in the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. 5. Solicit suggestions on how stress among library staff can be effectively managed 1.5 Scope of the Study The study was conducted at Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical University libraries. The study was limited to only professional and paraprofessional staff. This is because they play both managerial and supervisory roles in the libraries. 9 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.6 Theoretical Framework Theories are developed to explain and predict phenomena and to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limitations of critical assumptions (Abend, 2008). According to Abend (2008), the structure which supports and supports a research theory is a theoretical framework. The theoretical background introduces and outlines the theory that explains why the study question exists. The theoretical framework consists of existing theories that are used for a particular study along with their definitions and the references to the relevant academic literature. A theoretical framework needs to show an understanding of theories and concepts that are pertinent to a research topic and relate to broader fields of knowledge. Sometimes, in the literature, a theoretical structure is not readily identified. One must review the notes and relevant research studies on theories and analytical models relevant to one’s research problem (Abend, 2008). Many theories are proposed to explain stress and stress management. The likes of Transactional theories of work-related stress by Lazarus (1986) and Lazarus and Folkman (1987), Interactional theories of stress by Lazarus and Launier (1978), The Person-Environment Fit theory by Kurt Lewin, Allostatic Load Model of the Stress Process by Seyle (1983), Cooper and Marshall’s model of work-related stress by Cooper and Marshall (1976) and The Conservation of Resources (COR) Model (Hobfoll 1989) existed. However, the current study used The Person-Environment Fit Theory at the expense of the others. 1.6.1 Person-Environment Fit Theory One of the late twentieth century research interests in stress was Person- environment fit theory (PE). Which became widely accepted as a research 10 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh model (Brewer & Macmahan, 2004). This theory explores the relationship between the environment and an individual's characteristics. Here, there is a counter action between individual and the environment where the individual does not only have an influence on the environment but the environment equally has an influence on the individual. A person’s motivation, behavior as well as the general health, both physical and mental can be affected by the adequacy of this fit. The concept of Person-Environment fit is based on the maxillary of Kurt Lewin, the way people and the world behave. Person-fitness (hereafter fit) is usually defined as the conformance of people and their environment. Fit theory suggests that people have an inherent desire to suit their environments and search for environments that conform to their own features. According to Yu (2013), people strive for fitness as they generally prefer coherence, need to control life, reduce uncertainty, have to be part of it and want happiness and satisfaction with life. Fit allows people to better understand others' behaviors and facilitates interpersonal interactions (Edwards & Cable, 2009). Finally, there is a basic need of belonging (Deci & Ryan, 2000), and they are competing with those in the social world because of this need. A feeling of belonging is most likely when people perform with other people (Hogg & Terry, 2000). In the assertions of Edward and Cooper (1990), there are two dimensions to the person-environment fit approach to stress. The first relates to the resources supplied by the environment and the person’s motives, goals and values, while the second focuses on the ‘fit’ between the demands of the workplace and the personal skills and knowledge of the person. Where the fit is optimal, the functioning abilities of the individual may be enhanced. Where the fit is deemed 11 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh unsuitable, there is an expectation that the individual may likely experience maladaptation. The central theme of this theory is the idea that stress is most likely to occur when there is mismatch between the two dimensions of the theory as seen by the individual (Edwards &Cooper, 1990). To simplify this construct, Kristof-Brown and Jansen (2007) stated that the person-environment fit theory is a multidimensional construct which composes an individual’s fit within the various relationships in the workplace. PERSONAL Motives Goals Knowledge OCCUPATION ENVIRONMENT Tasks, Functions, Structures & Systems, Roles Culture & Climate BEST-FIT (EFFICIENT) PERFORMANCE Figure 1.1: Theoretical Framework is based on diagram by Lewin’s Theory 12 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The concept assumes that every human being lives not in isolation but intertwined with the environment. Within the environment, people could be engaged in occupations (roles/functions/tasks) that require them to adjust to situations. With the individual (person), he/she possess some motives, goals, and knowledge that are used to make amends in their environment. Ideally, these three things (person, environment and occupation) need to exist in harmony with the individual yearning for stability. However, when an individual’s (person) motives, goals and knowledge become threatened by the environment, he/she become overwhelmed with the situation, hence stress sets in, leaving the person to his own fate if immediate solutions are not provided. Person-Environment Fit Theory Diagram The degree of individual and environmental fitness is characterized by personal- environment fitness (Dawis, 1992; French, Caplan, & Harrison, 1982; Kristof- Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005; Muchinsky & Monahan, 1987). Personal characteristics may include the biological or psychological needs, interest and intentions, ability or temperament of individuals, while the environmental characteristics of other individuals and collectives in the social environment of the person may include intrinsic, extrinsic incentives, work requirements and responsibilities, cultural values and/or characteristics (French et al., 1982). As a result of its important workplace implications, personal- environment fitness has maintained a prominent place in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and related areas of activity (Edwards, 2008). The fitness of a person to the environment can be understood as a particular relationship between the individual and the environment in question (Ostroff & Schulte, 2007). 13 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Although interactions between person and environment fitness have been discussed in the science literature for decades, consensus remains to be reached on how person – environment fit can be conceptualised and operationalised. It is because the person-environment fit includes a variety of subsets, including occupational health and personal health, which are conceptually distinct from each other (Edwards & Shipp, 2007). The relative importance of the individual to human actions has been the topic of a lengthy debate. One group of researchers concluded that it is mainly the condition of the actions (Mischel, 1968; Davis-Blake & Pfeffer, 1989), while another group claimed that actions was predominantly due to personal features (House, Shane, & Hernold, 1996). Nonetheless, the general consensus is, person-fitness contributes to positive outcomes such as happiness, success and well-being as a whole (Ostroff & Schulte, 2007). 1.6.2 Components of the Theory 1.6.2.1 Person–Organization fit The most widely studied field of person-environment fit is personal- organizational fitness (P-O fit), as defined by Kristof in 1996, compatibility between individuals and organisations, if (a) at least one entity provides what other needs have, (b) they have a similar fundamental characteristic, or (c) both" (Kristof, 1996). A significant element of personal health is high-value congruence, which means an outstanding community and values shared by colleagues. This can lead to increased trust and a shared sense of company culture (Boon & Hartog, 2011). 14 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh This congruence in value would in effect favor the company itself, which would include lower turnover, improved participation and organizational engagement (Andrews et al., 2011). The theory of attraction – selection – attrition suggests that people are drawn to organisations where they are considered to be highly personally suited and tend to work (Gregory. Albritton & Osmonbekov, 2010). Fitness for a strong individual and organization can also lead to decreased turnover and increased citizenry (Andrews, Baker & Hunt, 2011). 1.6.2.2 Person–Job fit The consistency between the characteristic of an individual and the characteristics of a particular work is referred to as personal-job match (Kristof- Brown & Guay, 2011). The complementary view became the basis for personal health. It includes the conventional selection viewpoint, which stresses the association of employee KSAs and other characteristics with work criteria (Ployhart, 2006). Specific models of satisfaction at the job and priority that are based on the needs and desires of workers through their resources (Locke, 1976). 1.6.2.3 Person–Group fit Person-group fitness or P – G fitness, in relation to person-environment health, is a relatively new topic. Since fitness of the individual is so new, limited research has been carried out to show how psychological compatibility among colleagues influences the outcomes of individual groups in situations of group. A research by Boone and Hartog (2011) showed, however, that health for people is most closely linked to group-led outcomes such as happiness of the workplace and unity feelings. 15 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.6.2.4 Person–Person fit Person fitness is defined as the fitness between the interests of a person and that of others. It is in line with the theory of attraction to the resemblance of others, according to their beliefs, behaviors and views (Van Vianen, 2000). Mentors and mentees, bosses or other workers, or even recruiters are the most studied types. Research has found that the aptitude of the supervisor person is most closely associated with supervisory results such as satisfaction of the supervisor (Boone & Hartog, 2011). This theory is suitable to the current study because all workers in academic libraries interact and engage with both staff and students. Again, there are demands of the job required by library staff. Furthermore, these workers come from diverse backgrounds to meet diverse individuals in line of their duties day- in-day-out. With this, they are exposed varied behaviours and situations that may compel them to react emotionally or physically. With this, when situations become over burdening to them, they feel pressured and at the end of the day, they may feel stressed. 1.7 Limitations of the Study Like any other study, the researcher anticipated methodological errors such as respondents’ unwillingness to present factual information in as much as the use of interviews are concerned. However, efforts were made to control such errors in order to increase the study generalizability. 1.8 Significance of the Study It is hoped that the study brings to the fore information about what is available to the university and library management in terms of managing stress among 16 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh librarians in the various universities. It is hoped the findings of the study will help inform policy as to how to handle stress related problems among library staff so that they can equally benefit like other institutions and units. Moreover, this work would be of help not only to the libraries but also influence management policy and decision making. The findings will serve as a valuable reference to educationists and stakeholders in the academic and research institutions and also help address some of the challenges faced in managing stress in the country. The result of the study would also be beneficiaries to researcher, regulatory agencies, and the ministry of education. 1.9 Organization of Chapters The study was organized into six chapters as follows. Chapter one was about introduction dealing with the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, theoretical framework, and significance of the study, limitation, and organization of the study. Chapter two focused on the review of relevant literature. Chapter three focused on the methodology and covered research design, selection of cases, target population, sampling technique, sampling size, instrument for data collection, procedures for data collection and ethical consideration. Chapter four dealt with the analyses of data and findings. Chapter five discussed the findings of the study. Chapter six was on the summary of major findings, conclusion and recommendations. 17 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter focuses on review of relevant literature. A literature review is a revision of a particular subject by academic sources (for instance books, journal articles, and theses). It provides an overview of the key findings, concepts and developments regarding a research issue (McCombe, 2019). A strong literature review not only summarizes sources, but also analyzes, interprets and objectively analyses sources, synthesizing literature to illustrate trends, themes, disagreements and gaps. Literature review is important in order to avoid the tendency of plagiarism. The literature review for this study was organized under the following sub headings:  Concept of stress,  Sources of stress confronting library staff,  Effects of stress on library staff,  Managing stress in academic libraries,  Challenges faced by librarians in stress managing stress  Effective stress management strategies for academic library staff 2.2 Concept of Stress Every human being encounter problems and obstacles in life. Sometimes, these problems and obstacles become so intense that the affected find it difficult to handle. In this sense, those affected become stressed. Stress is a mental and bodily reactions to situations that overwhelm homeostasis of people. An unwelcome reaction is tension. People face extreme pressure or other kinds of demands. In assessing the stressful nature of work and its impact on the physical 18 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and mental health of workers, broad and multi-field literature highlights several main factors, such as the work climate, managerial support, workload, etc. (Logan, & Ganster, 2005). Family conflict is also a forerunner, according to Anderson (2003), which causes tension among the organization's employees.ur Rehman, Irum, Tahir, Ijaz, Noor and Salma (2012) state that job stress is one of the most significant health risks to workers in the workplace in developed and developing countries. Due to its possible risks to family functioning and individual results, job-related stress can mostly be immobilizing. According to Bhargava and Trivedi (2018), stress is a state of psychological burden for an individual facing difficulties in terms of environmental and social well-being that could lead to numerous sicknesses. Stress is a situation that is experienced, as people observe that expectations of life far outweigh the abilities and mobilisation powers of the affected. Selye (1956) defined stress as an exterior episode or interior energy that intimidate the equilibrium process of an organism. Over the years, stress has been interpreted in many ways. It was initially considered to be an environmental strain, and then later as a tension within the individual. Akinade (2005) identified stress as a cognitive evaluation pattern, physiological responses, and behavioral patterns that occur in response to a perceived disparity between situational requirements and the resources required to address situational requirements. The usually description of stress is the interaction between a condition and a person and the misfit that comes out of the interaction. It is the psychosomatic state that emerges when an individual's resources are inadequate to cope with a condition's demands and pressures. Therefore, in some cases, stress is more likely than others and in some 19 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh individuals than others. The achievement of targets, both for individuals and for organisations, can be compromised by stress (Michie, 2002). Bamuhair, Al- Farhan, Agha, Ur-Rahman, and Ibrahim (2015) note that stress has become part of people’s lives and the situation is alarming. Job-related stress may create a disparity between family demands and families' willingness to provide them with material support (Figley, 1983). While there is a significant body of work and family research, there is relatively little research that directly discusses perceived job insecurity (job loss issues or fears) and marital and family life (Buss &. Redburn, 1983). Stress occurs in every organisation, either large or small. Worked place stress has significant impact on workers job performance. In terms of time, employees are vulnerable to a high degree of stress, according to Rose (2003). Working more hours leads to tension, which in consequence raises the pressure on workers to perform better. Occupational stress is a severe and costly concern and the aim for enterprises is to mitigate it in order to reduce the cost of health care and maximize efficiency (Lawrence, 1995). This can contribute to increased health issues, higher absenteeism and turnover rates, more accidents and poor work outcomes (Ratnatwat & Jha, 2014). Employees in developed nations are becoming more familiar with what work- related stress is and how to cope with it (WHO, 2004), but in developing countries this may not yet be the case. As it results in low productivity, increased absenteeism and the accumulation of other workplace issues such as obesity, substance addiction, hypertension and a host of cardiovascular problems, occupational stress has become a concern for organizations (Meneze, 20 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2005). Seibt et al. (2008) concluded that tension among employees is still present, but can be reduced by improving working conditions and the quality of benefits in businesses. 2.2.1 Types of Stress Many laypersons see stress as something negative but that might not be the case. In some situations, it can be positive. As systematic, physiological reactions to challenges in life, stress can be grouped into four main types namely baseline stress, acute stress, cumulative stress and critical incidence stress as indicated by the Staff Counsellor’s Office (OHRM/MSD) (2017). Baseline Stress: Baseline stress is about everyday stressful situations people experience. Dealing with repetitive matters at home and on the job bring about continuing, but usually controllable level of “baseline” or fundamental stress. At intimate, expressive, family or social levels, baseline stress occurs. Variations in the everyday situation may be compounded, such as being absent from the family without acceptable contact, interacting with new people from various backgrounds, job confusion, and incorporating new knowledge. Acute Stress: This type of stress is about how the human biological system responds to threats to successful living in the environment whether mental or physical. Acute stress organizes the body to defend itself, and characterizes a survival function. Cumulative Stress: This stress is about piled up events that provoke psychological and physiological reaction from a person. Cumulative stress can build up unnoticed over a period of time and can become unbearable physically and mentally. It is necessary to remember that for one person, what is stressful 21 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh might not necessarily be stressful for another. The degree of danger one feels and the amount of influence that the individual may have over the circumstances may affect the degree of discomfort experienced by the individual. Critical Incidence Stress: This stress is about sudden occurrence of situations that make the affected unable to control immediately. Typical of this type of stress is as a result of natural disasters, accidents, sexual assault, death, kidnapping, suicide, and war-related deaths of citizens. 2.3 Sources of Stress Confronting Library Staff Mitchie (2002) states that two significant processes, such as alarm reaction and adaptation, are the cause of stress. With the alarm reaction, it occurs once an individual is faced with a threat to his or her health. The first reaction is physiological excitement where muscles become more rigid, breathing and heart rate beat faster. This process serves the individual well when the threat is the unprovoked attack on the individual (Mitchie 2002). As if a superior at work has a motiveless verbal assault on subordinates, existing attacks appear to be more psychological. In general, battle or flight activity is not socially tolerated, and a different means of transmitting the resulting emotional and physical energy, which falls within the field of assertive communication, is required. Adaptive mechanism permits us to end responding whilst the individual analyze that stimuli within the surroundings are now not a danger to his or her safety (Mitchie, 2002). Stress has long been recorded among staff in tertiary institutions, and some researchers have described stressors as too many tasks, rivalry with various individuals, failures and lack of financial resources (Fairbrother & Warn, 2003). 22 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Stressors at the university level are overcrowded lecture halls, (Ongori, 2007; Awino & Agolla, 2008), a semester structure, and insufficient resources to perform the tasks needed. For instance, Erkutlu and Chafra (2006) believe that a person becomes unsystematic, disoriented and therefore less able to cope once these events occur, leading to stress-related health problems. The pressure to perform well within the timeframe or to look at the allotted time makes the job climate extremely troubling (Erkutlu & Chafra, 2006; Polychronopoulou & Divaris, 2005; Misra & McKean, 2000). Studies such as Malach Pines and Keinan (2007), Ongori (2007), Ongori and Agolla (2008) and Agolla (2009) have long recognized symptoms of stress such as loss of energy, counter drug usage, high pressure level, depression, restlessness, stress and anxiety among others. An individual experiencing one of these variables is probably going to be a stress victim. Though this might be accurate, however, the individual judgment of the situation, and the way he or she withstand the situation is the most critical issue to contend with. Jaramillo et al. (2005) propose that the individual's interpretation dictates whether the agent involves a prejudicial effect; that is, whether it induces physical or psychological stress symptoms within the person. Study conducted at the college of distance learning, university of cape coast established that work demands, work overload and work-life conflicts were the factors that emerged to greatly contribute to job stress at the College. While other factors such as unsafe working conditions, verbal abuse by clients, long hours of work and role ambiguity have also been identified to contribute to job stress at college, their contributions have not been very strong (Ofosuhene, 2018). According to Dapaah (2014), the most common cause of stress among Ghanaian health 23 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh workers is their long hours of work, their financial difficulties and the death of patient. Also, Ruggiero (2003), observe that the shift work system among nurses could be related to the stressful nature of the profession, which he described as mentally and physically demanding. Many factors in libraries have been found to be the causes of work stress. Any of them arise because of library career growth, intrinsic quality of library work, organizational culture and environment, one's library position, workplace relationship, personality characteristics of staff, interface of home-work, and new technology. One of the factors that serve as a source of stress in the library is the desire for library staff to develop their career. One also comes across staff in libraries whose reasons for working are not taken care of. They are thwarted and dulled by their urge to get a job in the library. In such a scenario, without appropriate explanations, their career growth has been stunted and stagnated for so many years. A lack of job protection and in-service preparation, over and under promotions, etc. are other stressors here. Employees begin to mete out conduct disorder where these occur. Ivanceivich and Matterson (1980) therefore found that high work dissatisfaction, burnout, etc. was expressed by people suffering from career development stress. The very nature of the library environment, library staff are predisposed to stress. On a regular work day, library workers go through an ongoing round of interruptions. For example, when requests for their services, such as reference questions and advisory position for readers, they re-focus themselves to find the answers and set aside whatever they do. Such frequent breaks disturb the flow 24 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of focus and make it difficult to complete their duties. Inadequate materials to serve library users, inequity in the allocation of rewards, unruly patrons, and repetitive operations generate boredom that Tim and Baird (2005) described as very stressful for library staff. There are some elements of the organization of libraries that can be particularly challenging for staff. These include low job control, autocratic leadership, lack of decision-making involvement, etc. Their presence in libraries makes employees very vulnerable to stress (Shane, 2010). The degree of interaction and relationship that occurs within the library, especially among the manager, colleagues, and subordinates, is one of the causes of stress, according to Misra and McKean, (2000). Bad interpersonal relationships are reflected in such ways as low confidence, low support and low interest in personal and organizational matters. While they spark tension and build bad relationships, they improve the ill-health of individuals and organizations (Woods, 2004). The personality traits of employees are another significant cause of work stress. For example, in all types of environments, a more nervous worker may be more tensed, which may lead to psychological and/or physical problems. Therefore, personality has a significant contributing effect on how people view and react to stressors (Arnold, et al. 2005; Griffin, et. al. 2010). Outside the work world, people have lives. A married worker has two roles to play. As well as office positions, he / she has family roles. At times, these dual functions interfere with each other and produce stress. This is because it can be difficult to give adequate time to roles in the other domain because of the amount of time needed by roles in one domain (office or home). Work-home interferences cause stress, particularly when the amount of energy needed to perform the roles in one 25 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh domain can mean that there is insufficient energy left for the other domain's roles. Overload and discomfort can be induced by efforts to be stringent on both (Griffin, et. al. 2010). In another vein, the stress of the library workforce is triggered, according to Bopp and Smith, (2001), by four stressors: technology, customer, workplace and workers. New technology, such as many electronic instruments and services, digitised materials etc. that may lead to stress called techno-stress, must be understood by library personnel. Technology is regarded by Placzek (2001) as the biggest shift affecting reference work. Although technological progress allows for new ways of recovering information, it also places more demands on reference staff. Griffin et al. (2010) postulated that staff working with users of a library, often find it difficult, because they have questions of all sorts and can quickly ask for information and library content. Sadly, it is difficult to predict all the questions and circumstances. Users often may not know what kind of details they need, may be irritated or strange or may not behave appropriately, but workers must always be polite and professional. For a reference worker to work with troublesome customers, it is one of the most challenging circumstances. A communication problem could be frustrating and annoying for both the librarian and the user (Placzek, 2001). There are certain limitations to library collections since no library is capable of obtaining all the needs of users. There may be adverse effects on reference transactions due to the confounding variety of reference sets, poorly built desks for using special sources and malfunctioning equipment. In addition, stressors 26 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh associated with employment include tasks, such as position uncertainty, role excesses and disputes in the roles (Nawe, 1995; Shupe & Pung, 2011). Ambiguous functions happen when the roles of librarians are not specified clearly. Task overload can occur when librarians have to work very hard, long hours, quickly or because of their overwhelming work. Stress can be caused by poor scheduling, resulting either in the reference workers' frustration during slow periods or in anxiety during busy hours. There can also be issues with the lack of technical assistance at nights and weekends. The fear and lack of technological know-how among staff is also a stressor in the library profession. Technostress is the direct or indirect negative effect on human actions, perception, attitude and psychology of using technology (Mahalakshmi & Sornam, 2011). Often, reference resources are expanded without the use of new library staff. Bunge (1989) talks about workloads, underworks and interpersonal relationships in library workplace stressors. Clauson (2013) and Nawe (1995) discusses dual positions and conflicts between the professional and paraprofessional library staff. Many library staff are more vulnerable to fatigue and burnout than others. Their easy access to unpredictable applications and their popularity in most libraries presents a particular threat to burnouts (Caputo, 1991). Stressors can be linked to the social organization of the workplace in the form of workload, the speed of work, unhealthy or hazardous working conditions, a poorly built atmosphere, interpersonal discord with supervisors, co-workers, and age discrimination, sex and dissatisfaction, according to Aldwin (2007). Librarians are not excluded from tensions in academic libraries. They are responsible for the accessibility of staff, students and scholars to procure, 27 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh process and conserve library materials. Citing Ogunsola (2004), the International Labour Organization (2009) established university libraries as the center of institutions supposed to preserve standard books, journals and audio- visual collections. Therefore, librarians must ensure that resources and effective programs are available that, in essence, provide customer satisfaction. To date, the introduction of ICT in university libraries has led to a transition in the manual practices of librarians. The librarian also performs other professional duties, such as indexing and abstracting, selective dissemination of information, current knowledge resources, and user education, in addition to the use of various ICT facilities for the collection and processing of materials. There is no denying that these activities place high demands on librarians, contributing to stress. Bamber (2011) points out that excessive criteria for jobs will result in excessive stress. In Scheneider (1991) on stress and job efficiency, a comparison was made of the workforce of public librarians with technical services staff in the large public library system. The study revealed that job fatigue, inadequate resource availability and poor working climate were the major sources of stress for the workers surveyed. Interference from the home front and the requirements of the workplace sometimes puts librarians under stress, especially when the staff concerned cannot effectively handle them both. Stress in the library leads to poor health, low work efficiency, heart rate, anxiety, and poor services that create dissatisfaction for users. Aldwin (2001) warned that stress leads to responses such as accelerated heart rates, heightened alertness, and efficiency of energy depletion. Librarians can only conquer stress when they know that handling it is better than having its consequences. Roy (2005) believes that all 28 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh essential steps in stress management are the recognition of all stress factors and the knowledge of stress-generating situations. We should be able to handle it or change our view of it as librarians if the life and effects of stress are understood (Routray & Satpathy, 2007). There is a need for steps to be placed in place to manage the negative effects of stress on librarians, consumers and related organizations. A survey on university teaching and non-teaching personnel was performed in Australia by Sharpley, Reynolds, Acosta and Dua (1996). They found that "time and working stress for the specialists created the most stress for the specialists". 3.1% of library workers were included in the survey, but no distinction was made between bibliographers and para-professionals. The research also established that the frequency of self-perceived fear and everyday trouble seems to be decreased by age (in terms of old age/experience in the job). In South Carolina, Merwin (2003) carried out a study of 35 college librarians. Librarians and stress was the title of the survey. Seventy-seven percent (77.0%) of them answered yes, when asked if they ever had stress at work. Four forms of 'non-human causes of job-related stress' were measured; too much job, not enough time (57%); constant knowledge of emerging technology (29%); constant learning of new processes (20%) and; work assigned below authority (9%).. Studies in the field of technology have shown that training decreases machine anxiety by Mikkelsen, Ogaard, Lindoe and Olsen (2002), Beckers and Schmidt (2001). Bunge carried out seminars and reflected on tension among librarians. Support workers reported that 9.2% of the workload was inadequate training, 5.3% of the workplace were frustrated (including the fear of error) (3.8%). In 1988 and 1998, Jones investigated the library workers of three 29 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh university libraries for workplace innovations. Just 7.1 percent of employees mention job challenges as a source of stress in terms of whether technology has made work more challenging, but 12.7 percent suggest insufficient planning is a source of stress. In their studies at the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) headquarters in Ghana, Akussah, Dzandu and Osei-Adu (2012) revealed that sources of stress among employees are lack of a performance- based reward system and prevailing working conditions such as budgeting constraints affecting the analysis of work functions and activities to enhance successful record delivery, heavy workload due to insufficient personnel, lack of equipment and logistics, breakdown of repository air conditioners affecting humidity and temperature levels and poor infrastructure. The respondents to the study were 59, using a scale range between 1-5, the entire workforce ranked above the average of 3 were stressed. Those with a lower background in education experience high stress than those with a higher background in education. 30 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.4 Effects of Stress on Library Staff The effect of stress seems to span over multiple components of the human system. Researchers have for a long time urged that hormones actually have receptors in the peripheral tissues and do not obtain access to the central nervous system (CNS) (Lupien & Lepage, 2001). However, observations have incontestable the result of medicinal components (which are thought-about artificial hormones) on activity and psychological feature disorders and therefore, the development referred to as steroid psychosis (Clark et al., 1952). Some studies have shown that stress has many effects on the human system and that many components of the brain can cause structural changes (Lupien et al., 2009). Chronic stress can contribute to brain mass atrophy and weight loss (Sarahian et al., 2014). These structural changes achieve variations within the response to worry, psychological feature and memory (Lupien et al., 2009). Of course, according to the strain degree and thus the time of stress, the quantity and severity of the changes are entirely different (Lupien et al., 2009). It is currently evident, however, that stress can induce structural changes with long- run effects on the system inside the brain (Reznikov et al., 2007). Thus, the impact of stress on entirely different facets of the system are particularly important to analyze. Cognition is another vital feature that the brain operates. Cognition means the reception and perception of perceived stimuli and its interpretation, which has learning, decision creating, attention, and judgment (Sandi, 2011). Stress has several effects on noesis that depend upon its intensity, duration, origin, and magnitude (Sandi, 2013). The least result of stress on cognition may be a reduction in cognition and so, it is aforesaid that any activity steps undertaken 31 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh to scale back stress results increase in intelligence (Scholey et al., 2014). In fact, stress activates affect some physiological systems (Sandi, 2013). Activation of stress results within the production and release of glucocorticosteroids. It seems that being exposed to worry will cause pathophysiologic changes within the brain, and these changes are often manifested as behavioral, cognitive, and mood disorders (Li et al., 2008). Cognitive disorders following exposure to worry are rumored in past studies (Lupien & McEwen, 2009). In chronic stress, these steroids will destroy neurons with different stimulatory neurotransmitters (Sandi, 2013). Exposure to worry also can cause disorders in hippocampus-related cognition; specifically, abstraction memory (Borcel et al., 2008). Additionally, stress will halt or decrease the genesis of neurons within the rough body structure space of the hippocampus (Kohler et al., 2010). Different studies have shown that stress (or the injection of adrenal steroids) ends up in varied effects on cognition. For example, injection of corticosteroid at the time of its most plasma concentration results in a decrease in time interval and improves cognition and memory (Lupien et al., 2002). In summary, the adverse effects of stress on cognition are numerous and depend upon the kind, timing, intensity, and length (Sandi, 2013). Generally, it is believed that gentle stress facilitates an improvement in psychological functions, particularly within the case of virtual or verbal memory. However, if the intensity of stress passes on the far side a preset threshold, it causes psychological function disorders, particularly in memory and judgment. The disruption to memory and judgment is because of the consequences of stress on the hippocampus and anterior cortex (Sandi, 2013). Of course, it should be realized that factors like age and gender can also play a factor in some 32 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh psychological function disorders (Sandi, 2013). Significantly, it ought to be emphasized that totally different individuals might exhibit varied responses in cognition once exposed to the exact same disagreeable stimulation (Hatef et al., 2015). Most organizations with the aim of attaining higher productivity end up saddling employees with overload of work in order to meet deadline, and this might have psychological and physical effects on the employees. In fact, the American Institute of Stress estimates that workplace stress costs companies $300 billion annually. This cost is a result of increased absenteeism, employee turnover, and higher medical and insurance costs due to stress related illness and worker productivity. This may result in something contrary to what these organizations want to achieve (Mark, 2012). Performance of a worker at the place of work may be a point of concern for all organizations, regardless of all the factors and conditions. Consequently, workers are thought-about to be important assets for organizations (Marwa, Qureshi & Ramay, 2006). Griffin and Clarke (2011) suggested that stress has direct consequences for companies, although it is individuals that experience stress. Stress may turn into poor work quality and lower productivity for him. An honest performance of the staff of an organisation leads to a good structure performance, therefore, ultimately creating an organization with a lot of progress and effectiveness in work activites (Armstrong & Baron, 1998). Stress is an inescapable consequence of contemporary living. It is a condition of strain that incorporates a direct touching on emotions, thought method, and physical conditions of an individual (Jayashree, 2010). 33 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Stress is also thought-about as an uncomfortable emotional scenario that people tend to experience once needs cannot be counter-balanced with their ability to resolve them. As a reaction to the current threat, this leads to emotional changes. It results from the interaction between an individual and their environment, and it tends to be subjective as a result of equal stress and may have an impact on one person, but it may not be the same for another person. Once the stresses of the job are handled by a worker and so the risk of completing a task becomes important, stress can act as a noteworthy problem (Halkos & Dimitrios, 2008). Stress are often positive (Eustress) or negative (Distress). Results from Eustress are also relaxing, thereby improving job efficiency and fully motivating workers to make efforts. Distress contributes to detrimental impacts on the health and efficiency of staff. With occupational stress, job output is adversely affected. This successively decreases the productivity of the workforce and business (Jimmieson et al., 2004). Such job tension typically leads to injuries in the workplace (Hawe et al, 2000). Empirically, the connection between stress and worker productivity have not been resolved. Alam, Gouhar and Shafiqur (2015) and Usman and Muhammad’s (2010) studies revealed that there is vital negative relationship between job stress and worker performance within the banking sector. Sun and Chiou (2011), Ayodele (2014), Naqvi, Khan, Kant and Khan (2013), Indhu and Thirumakkal (2015), Menze (2005) and Laiba, Anum, Muhammad and Kashif (2011) found that stress affects worker productivity negatively. A study conducted by Bewell, Yakubu, Owotunse and Ojih (2014) found that the thought of work-induced stress and workers’ effectiveness and productivity are indivisible, whereas Aasia, Hadia and Sabita (2014) findings revealed that job 34 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh stress does not influence worker job performance. Additionally, Musyoka, Ogutu and Awino (2012) empirical results found that stress had positive influence on company performance. Qadoos, Ayesha, Tayyab, Toqeer and Hafiz’s (2015) study found that there is positive moderate relationship between job stress and worker performance. In a study examining the effect of stress on employee productivity at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Takoradi, Dwamena (2012) found that the adverse factors affecting employees had a negative impact on productivity. The stress factors identified and analyzed include the ages of respondents’ cross-tabulated with gender, the measurement of the stress levels of respondents, and the influence of stress on productivity. Similarly, Yeboah- Kordee, Amponsah-Tawiah, Adu, and Ashie in their study titled. The impact of job stress on the quality of bank workers was negative, (2018) said High levels of job stress lead to decreased output by bank staff. For employees to perform to the best of their ability, the banking industry needs to maintain optimum levels of workplace stress. People are facing different forms of stress from the working environment as well as the circumstances under which they work (Yeboah-Kordee, Amponsah-Tawiah, Adu, & Ashie, 2018). 2.5 Managing Stress in Academic Libraries Managers may recognize stress in the workplace by finding work-related stress problems, often monitoring employee health and job performance. Managers will also alleviate stress by ensuring that when faced with such issues, employees know where to turn and by overseeing their recovery if health problems arise. Job stress affects organisations, according to the study carried out by Leka et al. (2004), by having trouble retaining employees who are unable 35 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh to manage stress consciously, reducing morale and productivity. Employee recruitment would be adversely affected, according to Nekzada and Tekeste (2013), and greater responsibility would emerge for the duty to react to the legal rights and charges of the workers under stress. The management of many businesses carries out various activities and programs as a motivational and encouraging element of their institutions. This will help workers reduce their tension to a degree (2003, Fairbrother & Warn). Human resources management may also restructure the work provided to employees by focusing on employees' interests, know-how, processes, and skills, and by making arrangements and good control structures. This could be done by improving the working environment and properly allocating the role to all employees. In order to be able to carry out their work properly and to monitor their progress, management should ensure that staff are up-to - date and have the necessary training. It should also ensure that flexible working hours are placed in place that allow workers to work and allow employees to get the correct feedback where and when necessary; this will be helpful in reducing stress. In addition to this, teamwork and collaboration between employees could be used as a stress-reduction mechanism (Tekeste & Nekzada, 2013). Another organizational approach to stress management may be to have a horizontal line of authority rather than a vertical one, which would help employees to feel comfortable and convenient in interacting with management. It is also important to establish a friendly and respectful relationship between managers and employees. When all stress preventive measures have proven ineffective and stress has actually occurred and caused health damage to the employee, this action should be taken to provide both organizational and 36 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh individual intervention, such as medical advice and work restructuring, etc. Such operations will be carried out through such acts (Leka et al., 2004). Nevertheless, relationship between both the employee and the employer (management) should be discussed and agreed upon. At the tertiary management level, management should be able to recognize and provide support to employees who have problems and find it difficult to solve their problems on their own. Management may understand that workers have job problems when they make mistakes than normal, when they have a low level of achievement, when they increase their alcohol consumption or have a higher level of customer criticism. These may be taken into account when attempting to consider work-related stress among employees (Leka et al., 2004). Decreasing intrusions to workers at the workplace could be one of the approaches to be offered by human resource managers. Consequently, eliminating the distractions at work as much as possible will make it possible for workers to have more time to focus on work and not to have to spend more job hours on weekends. It is not unusual to find disruptions at work that make people stay at work after work or work on weekends due to failure to do the work due to intrusions. Intrusions at work are a sudden brief pause at work, triggered by another job request. Forms of intrusions include unrecognized office visits, e-mails, phone calls, and so on. Human resource management can reduce, if not eliminate, the stress caused by intrusions at work by laying down strict rules that allow workers to focus on the task at hand (Lin et al., 2013). People make several attempts to reduce stress- related discomfort. Frend (as cited in Aldwin, 2007) indicated that a tool to deal with the self and regulate impulsive behaviour, disagreements and instincts. In 37 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh view of the impact of pressure, both on workers and on the employer, its reduction to the lowest possible level is important. Onwushi and Meggison (2001) found that healthy social relationships allow people to promote open contact and interaction between librarians and other allies. Ajalla (2011) proposed that shifting our view of the job and its stress region is the best approach to handling stress at work in the library. Library workers can also spend time relaxing while experiencing stressful situations. It is helpful to engage workers in meetings and to clarify changes to staff's roles and to communicate strategies to cope with changes (Bamber 2011). The tradition of working as a group and collaborating with one another also needs to grow instead of participating in competitive competitions. Akakandelwa and Jain (2013) have investigated the stress levels of library employees in Botswana and Zambia University academic libraries. The results showed that the library staff had less stress than others did. The major stressors are low wages and job fatigue. Spencer (2013) has proposed research on minimizing community college libraries ' job-related stress. The writer suggested that they go out for fresh air, chat with their neighbours, call a friend, visit interesting sites, stretch legs, or eat fruits, candy, etc. Coffee should be removed and instead water should be drunk. It should not be done to eat in a hurry at the worktable. The librarians can walk with friends and/or animals in their spare times, eat at restaurants, go on vacation, go shopping, enjoy massage, etc. It is also recommended that workers meditate yoga and swim. 38 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh International Labour Organization (2016) has researched tension through questionnaires and interviews at Nigerian university libraries. She pointed out that bibliographers were stressed at federal, state and private universities but that bibliographers were stressed at the highest levels at private universities. According to this study, human, economic, organizational, and cultural and management factors induced stress. In this study, 75.6% of respondents were married; there was more strain on younger women with younger children than on women without children and those over 40 years of age. Positive work attitude, Ergonomics, self-development, formation and sustaining a stress-free environment is suggested as effective techniques for coping with stress. Dina (2016) examined economic instability, technological changes, knowledge overloads and changing roles of librarians, and tension in the Nigerian university libraries. One of the biggest problems among skilled library staff was job stress. Results revealed that stress impaired the work performance of librarians and that quality of service and satisfaction at work. However, 64 percent felt that they are more prone to stress than others, since in addition to their primary tasks they have been engaged in additional tasks; 86 percent of the respondents were exhausted when they came home. Often dual duties, including working in the library and caring for children or parents, make women more often suffering from stress than men. Besides poor performance at work, stress may affect the health and wellbeing of librarians. The author proposed that the work environment and the health of librarians be promoted. Placzek (2001) pointed out that their responsibilities have changed due to progress in technology, changes in law, company and publication and demanding user expectations and increased workloads to deal with stress among 39 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the members of the reference library staff in the legal library. The author defined non-reference roles of three reference librarians; they attended meetings of librarians, lectured in legal research, conducted lectures, etc., all without a job description specification, and yet all of them did have duties. Checking time and scheduling as strategies for tackling stress is suggested. Goals should be set every day and goals identified so as to carry out the most important tasks first; setting office hours will encourage staff to work constantly on non-reference tasks. One way to reduce tension was to create a database that addresses a few reference questions. The office was coordinated by the association. Besides, the author indicated that entertainment behaviors should be retained to guarantee personal and professional satisfaction (Placzek, 2001). The results of a study case that examined stress in college bibliographers in Britain were presented by Farler and Broady-Preston (2012). It has been found that experiences with students can be both stressful and entertaining through semi-structured interviews. The key stressors were regulating the library noise level as well as adjusting the actions of students and meeting the needs of individual user groups. The authors indicated that they displayed humor and self-awareness in their work, and employed several techniques to deal with stress. The library workers could be inspired by the constructive motivation and improve job satisfaction (Farler & Broady-Preston, 2012). A study conducted by Kodua-Ntim (2017) among public university libraries in Ghana revealed that library staff experienced a lot of stressful tasks and situations. Among the issues revealed were the lack of recognition for good efforts, students being difficult to handle in library, insufficient time to prepare for work, financial difficulties, among others, that need the university 40 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh authorities ' attention. The following guidelines were suggested; counseling, social assistance, taking advantage of technology, engaging in activities that will make one ‘self-happy, fair remuneration, appreciation of work done and personal development. 2.6 Challenges Faced by Librarians in Managing Stress The role and responsibilities of librarians have changed completely in new information technology tools Trushina (2004). There have been several studies to investigate the problems confronting librarians. This section discusses studies done in general and in developing countries at the international level to discuss the problems faced by the librarians. A research by Ademodi and Adepoju (2009) on academic libraries in Ondo and Ekiti State, Nigeria (2009) revealed that library staff lacked adequate computers and skills to operate the little in their possession. They recommend the organization and delivery of computer programs for librarians and the provision of adequate computers. Trushina (2004) addressed internet-related issues as well as the association and application of technical codes in library practice. He said that more than any other organisation, libraries rely on ethical principles because they are fundamentally human-orientated. He stressed that librarians must uphold the value of freedom of intellect and have a moral responsibility towards employers. The role of the professional librarian in digital information systems management was discussed by Sreenivasulu (2000). He emphasis that the technical complexity of the next century's digital libraries means that digital librarians (DL) would ultimately be a group of librarians specializing in mass digitalization, storage, entry, digital information mining, digital tools, online services and search coordination, who manage and coordinate the digital library. 41 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The scripting, cataloging, metadata, digital indexing & database systems, user interface development, application and network technologies should be well understood by librarians. Johnson (2007) published a paper on library education and the science of information in developing countries. He argued that government support for LIS initiatives is still inadequate in developed countries. It was noticed by Wallis (2005) that literacy of information is an essential skill for information society citizens. The researcher suggested that the librarian would encourage all stages of learning. It is required to provide people at all levels of society with the opportunity to educate themselves in a variety of technical and media literatures. The educational library in Bangladesh was studied by Rahman, Khatun and Islam (2008). The study showed that in many Bangladeshi universities, computer laboratories and enough computers have not been well-equipped for students. There have not been ample resources for the classification and cataloging. Most institutions neither have a library nor an insufficient selection of textbooks, which bring about stress among academic librarians. Wijayaratne (2006) in Sri Lanka, the difficulties faced by librarians from the developed world in providing library services to facilitate open and distance learning were evaluated. It was noted that the role of Sri Lanka in bookstores has changed in recent years and that the government has taken different approaches to the development of bookstores, particularly university libraries. It was considered very necessary that the OUSL strengthen its development process, in order to improve efficiency and sustain distance learning standards in Sri Lanka (Wijayaratne, 2006). 42 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Siwakoti (2008) found no government agency in Nepal to track, monitor and assess the activities of school libraries. Lacks of worship services, budget restrictions, limited capacity, and lack of library resources, lack of skilled workforce and adequate government policy and inadequate computer literacy were observed to be impeding the management of stress. Lee, Brown, Mekis and Singh (2003) in Malaysia investigated the absence of a full-time teacher- librarian and demanded that chosen teachers fulfill one of their administrative duties as a school resource center. The instruction of teacher librarians was not included in the current curriculum. The major problems found were that professional isolation is experienced by teacher librarians in Malaysia (Shane, 2010). Shokraneh and Shiramin (2011) found in Iran that librarians lack standard skills and knowledge to tackle their customers ' changing needs, hence the experience of stress and difficulty in managing it. Before empowering your employers, you have to have new skills and information. There must, therefore, be no difference between professional/technological knowledge of the librarian and the information culture to which librarians have to react. There was also a need to change the curricula of the medical library and education in information science in Iran. The challenges facing library practitioners in the new millennium were discussed in India by Jestin and Parameswari (2002). They found that qualified librarians are facing different challenges in India. Computers and new technology have been implemented as an obstacle for all librarians. The result was that librarians should be prepared to engage in the process of creating and 43 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh offering quality of life and data to everyone. To resist revolutions which take place in the fields of information and communication librarians must unite. Similarly, Dasgupta (2009) has indicated that standards for librarian education in India do not exist. Indian library staff have discovered that new LIS schools have been established; inadequate faculty power, insufficient accreditation bodies; insufficient physical facilities for librarians, insufficient treatment for selection requirements and inadequate services for apprenticeships. The study suggested that India's government should play a leading role in promoting LIS education in India by providing more job opportunities for LIS practitioners and reducing wage disparities among LIS professionals. Okai (2015) conducted a study at the Universities of Professional Studies (UPS) and Wisconsin international University college-Ghana, with the title Stress in University libraries. The study identified key stressors as the absence of uninterrupted power systems that rendered book processing stressful, the absence of trolleys to carry books that cause pain in their necks, poor internet connectivity and insufficient computers that made it difficult for them to provide good services to employers, insufficient staff that made the employees work extra and the unpleasant actions of clients who did not obey library rules and regulations. It was found that the majority of their stress-inducing factors were the cause of the inability of their management to provide the required equipment and resources and to hire additional staff. It was thought that stress was a difficult problem to handle because it relies not on objective calculation, but on subjective individual experiences. Woods (2004) thinks that it really depends on their position in the job and their personal 44 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh circumstances, as well as their level of tolerance. What is stressful to one individual is not stressful to another individual and that's why stress is such a difficult subject, what's stressful to me may not be stressful to you at all. In a wide range of cases, the subjective essence of stress has generated difficulties. These included changes in the way a person traveled to work that caused them distress, a person with a mild stutter who found it very hard to interact with clients, and a person who had reading problems that made it difficult to deal with changes to routine work patterns. There was empathy with people who had experienced suffering as a result of stress along with some concerns that it was being used as an excuse rather than a reason for absence in the belief that it would lead to favourable work adjustments (Nawe 1995). As clear causes for concern, regular single-day absences, absence during the long school summer holidays and an increased willingness to return to work around the transition from full to half sick pay were reported. This level of concern about stress violence is perhaps best seen as healthy skepticism based on several years of practice, rather than a cynical attitude of human resources professionals towards stress and related health concerns (Shane, 2010). 2.7 Suggestions on Stress Management Strategies for Library Staff Patil (2014) outlined these series of activities that could be used to prevent stress, styles in managing stress and coping strategies for library professionals. Focusing on our emotions, feelings, actions and body posture helps workers to relax physically, emotionally and mentally. A poor diet can lead to mental and physical drainage. It can tear our emotional level and thus make our lives difficult. However, if library staff eat well and get adequate nutrition, our energetic body can handle many additional stressors and we are more alert to 45 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh deal with them. Stimulants such as caffeine, tobacco and alcohol can intensify stress response, so it is certainly possible, though we may be tempted to resort to these substances in order to deal with tension. Stress is often accompanied by pessimistic feelings and emotions. Stress also fuels these emotions when we have feelings of fear, depression, anxiety, or anger. Training will assist us in promoting this and giving us the ability to handle our daily tasks. I propose making one for myself, even if it is just a few times each day when we do not have a daily exercise regime. Workers of the library can do simple things like a couple of yoga positions, sit-ups or even push-ups to raise endorphins by exercise that can allow us to feel happy and refreshed (Nawe, 1995; Shupe & Pung, 2011). When staff of library know that in their lives there is a stressful event, plan and brace for it. If a coworker and family member or a friend are experiencing a stressful situation, take a deep breath, relax and begin anew. Relaxation, breathing and a soft and relaxing tone, rather than a scream or a lifting voice. Effective planning for stressful events will allow you to cope better over the long term (Nawe, 1995; Shupe & Pung, 2011). Stressful things in our life often feel like catastrophes. Instead of considering these things as challenges and learning experiences, see them as obstacles and not allow them to bring you down. Take a deep breath, relax, concentrate your mind and be optimistic. You return to what you are giving to the world. Send out positive energy vibration when stressful situations take place in your life, and the same will come back to you. Learn to accept stress the situation, instead 46 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of worrying. Facing the difficult situation, we will find the answers that we are looking for in an easy manner (Lee, Brown, Mekis & Singh, 2003). Taking part in sports calms our minds and allows us to ignore our problems. It might be a fun 20-minute game to play with our family, watch a movie, walk, cycle or even take a relaxing bath. Finding balance in our life makes yourself stress-free. Stress is often compounded if workers don't have a way to discuss our issues. Take the time to talk to your family and friends and stay in touch. Speak to someone you can trust should you feel overwhelmed. Simply talking about your emotions can sometimes give you the strength to achieve your objectives. Hiring a housekeeper / cooking is a good home front work option. Schedule some free time every day for yourself, even just a couple of minutes. This will give library workers more time to finish what is needed by concentrating and relaxing in between the works. Occasionally cook is not welcomed by the family at home, but it can be a better solution to at least employ a cooking assistant. One other way of coping with stress in the library environment is physical stress management which involves a good lifestyle and proper sleep. As a technique for stress management, we must go to bed at the beginning of time, and when we are awake, we feel fresh if we fully relaxed. A safe, balanced diet and supplementation with vitamins if available. Workers can also incorporate rest, sleep, a warm bath, sweet aromas, or acupuncture to deal with our physical stress techniques. Emotionally, building of self-esteem, trust and self-love is going to affect workers own emotional well-being, and we are more relaxed and easier to go 47 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh with others if we are positive about ourselves. The maintenance of positive relationships requires coping skills. If we develop good, healthy relationships with friends, family, neighbors and colleagues, the support we get from them will help us relax easily during our stressful events. It covers rest, renovation, and newspaper work found that journaling is a very good technique. After marriage, the writer used to write a journal. She found that her immune system was improved. She also believes that when we think right, her issues could have solutions and optimistic consequences. Therefore, we think it is a great habitude to manage stress while we are journalistic (Shane, 2010). Spirituality is also a very good coping strategy for stress. That is to say, “Have total faith in the force we would call “GOD “and being entirely positive about the fact this” I manage my life situations and everything else that happens in my life, can only better myself, and all challenges are learning experiences and nothing bad can happen in my life because my loving GOD has strong support. Spirituality, reflection, meditation, thus, contribute a lot to the undesired tension of workers everyday lives (Beheshtifar & Nazarian, 2013). The bottom of our heart is supposed to give thanks, while the whole cell of our bodies is supposed to pray to God. This is a very powerful technique. The author's observations are different. For the average person, entering into the spiritual transition is not straightforward (Nawe, 1995; Shupe & Pung, 2011). Most librarians make numerous attempts to minimize stress-related uneasiness. Coping was described as how the ego wards off anxiety and exercises control over impulsive actions, conflicts and instincts by Aldwin (2007). Given the impact of stress on both the worker and the employer, there is a need to minimize it to the cheapest minimum. Onwushi and Meggison (2001) noted that 48 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh healthy social relationships allow people to encourage open contact between librarians and other allied workers and participatory management. Ajalla (2011) concluded that improving one’s view of the profession and its area of stress is the best approach to handling work-place stress in the library. Librarians, when they notice stressful situations, can also take time to relax. The time set aside for leisure is not a wasted time, Nawe (1995) observed Involving workers in the consultation process and discussing changes in the jobs of workers and communicating methods placed in place to handle change are beneficial (Bamber, 2011). The practice of working together as a collective and cooperating with each other instead of participating in unhealthy contests must also be cultivated. (Beheshtifar & Nazarian, 2013). 49 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter gives a detail description of the steps and procedures that were used by the researcher to collect and analyze data obtained from the study. These steps and procedures included the target population, sampling and sampling procedure, instrumentation, data collection procedure, data analysis. It focused on the research design and the philosophical underpinnings that will be adopted for the study. 3.2 Research Design Research designs are types of inquiry within a research approach that provide specific direction for procedures in a research study (Creswell, 2014). According to him, it gives directions and systematizes research. The design chosen for a specific research can affect the study outcome and conclusion. The aim of each study is to obtain accurate observations that can help the researcher understand the phenomenon stress among librarians in Technical Universities. Different research design styles have different advantages and disadvantages. According to Creswell (2014), a study design is a collection of procedures and processes used to calculate and analyze the variables collection out in problem investigation. The design of a research study defines the type and subtype such as descriptive, correlational, descriptive-longitudinal case study, semi- experimental, experimental, review, and meta-analytic (Creswell, 2014). A research design is a process created to find answers to questions relevant to science. The design of a study defines the study type and sub-type. Despite 50 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh these numerous designs, the current chosen design is descriptive survey because the researcher described events as they occurred naturally without manipulating any variable. Importantly, Descriptive survey analyzes presents concerns by means of data collection processes that allow them to explain the situation as thoroughly as possible without using this technique (Fox & Bayat, 2007). Descriptive survey is essentially employed to describe different aspects of a phenomenon. Descriptive work in its popular format is used to define features and/or behaviour. However, the primary drawback of descriptive survey is confidentiality. Themes are also not accurate because they feel the need to tell the researcher what the researcher may like to learn. In personal interviews, this can be particularly difficult. Participants can often refuse to answer questions which they find too personal. Moreover, the belief that someone is watching may transform an observation into an occurrence in which people behave as they see or speak (Murphy, 2018). The researcher chose this design at the expense of other designs because the objective was to closely inquire from respondents how they manage stress in their work settings. With the choice of this design, respondents were free to opt out of the study and could say what they thought suited their opinions. As a descriptive survey, it sought to assess the extent to which library staff of technical universities managed stress. Bowling (2014) defines descriptive survey as the analysis of existing conditions, dominant views, behaviors, ongoing processes and patterns to obtain information that can be evaluated and interpreted in order to produce a report on the current status of the topic or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive survey aims to accurately and 51 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon (McCombes, 2019). 3.3 Research Approach Research approaches are plans and the procedures for research that span the decisions from broad assumptions to detailed methods of data collection and analysis. It involves the intersection of philosophical assumptions, designs, and specific methods. According to Cresewell (2014), there are three research approaches and these are; qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. The approach adopted for this study was qualitative. Srivastava and Thompson (2009) defined qualitative research as an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct and methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or a human problem. According to Crossman (2019) qualitative research is characterized as a study of social science that gathers and works with non- numerical data and tries to interpret meaning from these data by observing targeted communities or places to help understand social life. Some qualitative research approaches include observation and immersion, interviewing, open- ended surveys, focus groups, visual and textual information content analysis, and oral history. The researcher adopted this qualitative research approach because of its ability to allow researchers to investigate the meanings people attribute to their behavior, actions, and interactions with others. 3.4 Research Settings 3.4.1 Selection of Case There are eight Technical University libraries in Ghana, out of this, the Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical University libraries were used as the study area. The researcher undertook this study at these two libraries because these were among 52 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the first polytechnics to be converted into Technical universities. This meant the librarians in these universities had to go through a lot in other to meet the national accreditation standards. This could have effects on their stress levels. Also, the researcher’s proximity to Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical University libraries is also considered. 3.4.2 Research Environment The Takoradi Technical University was established in September, 2016, as a result of government’s policy to convert Takoradi Polytechnic, among five other Polytechnics, to the status of Technical University. Takoradi Technical University (formerly Takoradi Polytechnic) has existed since 1954 as a Government Technical Institute under the Ghana Education Service of the ministry of Education. Takoradi Technical University has three (3) campuses. These are:  Effia Kuma (Takoradi),  Butumagyebu (Sekondi)  Akatakyi (Agona-Nkwanta). Takoradi Technical University Library is currently made up of the Main Central Library, Library annex and three other Faculty libraries. The library works in consultation with the faculties in the selection of its literary resources (print and electronic) to ensure needs of users are met. Among the specific services provided are; Inter-library loan (ILL) with some technical universities, Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), Current Awareness Services, photocopying, scanning and electronic searches for users on request. With the 53 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh introduction of the electronic library, students and staff can access a wide range of electronic resources for various academic purposes. The Takoradi Technical University Library is designed to seat at a time more than three hundred and forty-eight (348) users. It is a hybrid library with over twenty-three thousand, nine hundred and eight-two materials including electronic and hard copies. The library also supports the faculty, school, departmental and hall libraries of the university. The staff strength of the library is 20, comprising professionals, para-professionals and nonprofessionals. Cape Coast Technical University formerly known as Cape Coast Polytechnic was converted into a Technical University in 2016. Cape Coast Technical University came into existence in 1984 as a second cycle institution. It began operating under the Ghana Education Service in 1986. Currently, the institution has twelve academic departments and three schools with more than three thousand students pursuing various programmes. The Cape Coast Technical university library is known as John Kofi Borsah Library. It is a four-storey building complex (including a basement). The basement houses the ICT Centre and Book-Bindery. On the ground floor are the General Reference, Research and Digital Libraries. The Business Library is on the second floor while the third floor houses the Engineering, Applied Sciences and Arts Library. The Conference, Presentation Hall and Distance Learning Centre are located on the fourth floor. It has a collection of over twenty-three thousand, nine hundred and eighty-two materials. The library also supports faculty, school, departmental and hall libraries of the university. The library has 54 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh a staff strength of 19, comprising professionals, para-professionals and non- professionals. 3.5 Population A population is usually defined as all the members of any well-defined class of people, events or objects. It represents a census or complete enumeration method in which all the units are reached. The merit of such a concept is that results obtained are representative, accurate and reliable and hence question of error becomes almost insignificant (Creswell& Poth, 2005). According to Best and Khan (2007), a population is any group of individuals who have one or more characteristics in common that are of interest to the researcher. The population may be all the individuals of a particular type or a more restricted part of that group. According to Mohamed (2017), a research population is generally a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. It is for the benefit of the population that researches are done. However, due to the large sizes of populations, researchers often cannot test every individual in the population because it is too expensive and time-consuming. This is the reason why researchers rely on sampling techniques. A research population is also known as a well-defined collection of individuals or objects known to have similar characteristics. All individuals or objects within a certain population usually have a common, binding characteristic or trait. The target population for this study comprises all professional and para- professional library staff of Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University totaling 16. The distribution of the population is indicated in Table 3.1 55 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Table 3.1: Study population Name of Professional Para- Total Percentage University professional Cape Coast 2 7 9 56 Technical University Takoradi Technical 3 4 7 44 University Total 5 11 16 100 3.6 Sample Size and Sampling Technique The sample for the study was 16 respondents through census, which comprised all professional and paraprofessional librarians of Cape Coast Technical and Takoradi Technical universities. The sample was a replication of the population as the researcher had the ability and resources to cover all members. Besides, using all members of the population was within the minimum sample for qualitative studies. According to Salaria (2012), group chosen from a larger population with the aim of yielding information about this population as a whole is termed as sample. It is a miniature picture of the entire group or aggregate from which it has been taken. It is a smaller representation of a larger whole. A good sample not only needs to be representative, it needs also to be adequate or of sufficient size to allow confidence in the stability of its characteristics. Sampling is the process by which a relatively small number of individuals or measures of individuals, objects or events is chosen and analysed in order to find out something about the entire population from which it was chosen. 56 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.7 Instrumentation A variety of data collection instruments exist but upon careful evaluation of the research questions and the depth of information the researcher hoped to obtained, interview guide was adopted as the data collection tool. An interview guide is a mechanism to help the interviewer conduct an effective semi structured interview. This is because the primary focus of an interview guide is to assist the interviewer to ask questions relevant to the research focus, in ways relevant to the interviewee, and at appropriate points in the developing social interaction of the interview (Lewis-Beck, Bryman, & Futing-Liao, 2004). Interviews are mostly conducted in qualitative research and occur when researchers ask one or more respondents general, open-ended questions and record their answers. Often, audio recorders are utilized to allow for more consistent transcription (Creswell, 2012). Interviews are very useful in qualitative studies because they offer the researcher the opportunity to capture verbal and non-verbal cues such as body language, which can indicate a level of discomfort with the questions. Interview guide, like many evaluation methods have some disadvantages. Cost is a major disadvantage with interviews. They require the booking of interview appointments and schedules which can be time consuming. Also, the data obtained would have to be transcribed which can be costly and time consuming (Milne, 1999). However, despite the above stated disadvantages, the interview was adopted to collect data on stress and its management among professionals and paraprofessional librarians of Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical Universities. 57 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.8 Data Collection Procedures Before embarking on data collection at the two university libraries (CCTU and TTU), the researcher first presented to the heads of the two libraries a copy of a letter obtained from the Department of Information Studies introducing the researcher as a student from the University of Ghana who is conducting the research as part of his academic work. This helped establish a good rapport with all the selected respondents and also ensure that all the targeted respondents are reached. All the respondents were informed of the objectives and the design of the study. On that very day the researcher booked interview appointment dates with library staff dependent on their time of availability. The researcher come back on the scheduled dates and times and conducted the interviews. The interview was a face to face, one-on-one and online via phone, in some cases the questions asked were based the interview outline. The researcher personally interviewed the respondents. Interviews were audio recorded with a digital recorder and phone. The researcher also took notes of responses such as hand gestures, facial expressions, body language, and tone of voices of the interviewees. For each participant, the interview lasted between twenty (25) and thirty-five (35) minutes. The researcher used two (2) weeks at each university to interview the respondents, that is, one week at each library. 3.9 Presentation of Data and Analysis Analysis of the data is a process used by researchers to reduce data to a story and interpret it for insight (Schensul & LeCompte, 2013). The process of data analysis helps to reduce a large chunk of data into smaller fragments which makes sense. Chapman (2018), also described data analysis as the process of 58 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh data inspection, rearrangement, alteration, and transformation to extract useful information. It is also important to ensure that data analysis is carried out in a responsible manner. The data collected from the interview was transcribed after listening to the audio recordings. Both the questions asked by the researcher and the responses of participants were transcribed and coded. The data gathered was qualitative and therefore, manual thematic approach was used to sort, store and analyze the interview transcripts by themes. The interview transcripts were analyzed using a thematic approach, which allows key concepts, themes and theories to emerge through the systematic collection, analysis, comparison and interpretation of data. Categories and themes were extracted from participants’ interviews, based on the research questions. All the questions were grouped according to the issues raised in the research question. The data presentation was done using themes. 3.10 Ethical Considerations Before data collection, ethical protocols were observed by making sure identities of respondents were concealed (anonymity) and the information provided was protected from third party usage (confidentiality). Also, approval was sought from the Directorate of Human Resource and Library Heads of the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University for permission to include their library staff in the study. The researcher also ensured that all respondents were informed of the purpose of the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the University of Ghana code of conduct for conducting the research. 59 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOUR ANALYSES OF DATA AND FINDINGS 4.1 Introduction This chapter presents the findings from the analysis of stress management activities of the Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical Universities. Thematic analysis was used for the analysis. The findings in the chapter have been divided into themes and sub-themes. The analysis was done based on the following research questions: 1. What are the sources of stress confronting library staff at the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University? 2. What is the effect of stress on library staff of Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University? 3. How do library staff manage their stress with the available resources at the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University? 4. What are the challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress at the Cape Coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University? 5. What are the suggestions on how stress among library staff can be effectively managed? In doing the analysis, respondents were assigned pseudonyms (specialized codes) based on the schools they were sampled from. Respondents from the Cape Coast Technical University were given codes starting with CCTU while respondents from the Takoradi Technical University were give codes starting with TTU. These codes or pseudonyms served as identification codes for those 60 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh involved in the study. Respondents from codes ranging CCTUR1 to CCTUR9 and TTUR1 to TTUR6 for both Cape coast Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. These codes were assigned to the respondents to provide anonymity in their identities and as well, to protect their privacy of information. 4.2 Response rate Both professional and paraprofessional librarians were interviewed at CCTU and TTU. There were two (2) professional and seven (7) paraprofessionals in CCTU whiles TTU has three (3) professional and three (3) paraprofessional librarians. The total number of professional librarians was five (5) and eleven (11) paraprofessionals. All the five professionals were interviewed and ten (10) out of the eleven (11) paraprofessionals were also interviewed. A paraprofessional Librarian at TTU could not be contacted via phone during the interview. A total of fifteen (15) respondents were interviewed, making 94.0% of the sample. Table 4.1: Distribution of Respondents Cape Coast Technical University Takoradi Technical University Rank Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Para 7 43.75 3 18.75 Prof. 2 12.5 3 18.75 Source: Field Data, 2020 61 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.3 Demographic data of respondents The following are the analysis of the demographic information collected from respondents in the universities. This enabled the researcher to relate it with their data provided on stress. The demographic data provided in the section include gender, age, educational level, job designation, work experience and sections or departments. Table 4.2: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Gender (n=15) Gender Frequency Percentage Male 14 93.33 Female 1 6.66 Source: Field Data, 2020 In all, fifteen respondents were interviewed and this comprised fourteen males and one female. In effect it could be concluded there were more male professional and paraprofessional librarians in the two universities than females. Table 4.3: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Age (n=15) Age Frequency Percentage 31-40 7 46.66 41-50 5 33.33 51-60 3 20.0 Source: Field Data, 2020 62 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The age distribution of respondents ranged from thirty-one to fifty-seven. Seven of the respondents were aged between thirty-one and forty years. Another group of five also had their ages from forty-one to fifty and the last three respondents had an age range from fifty-one to sixty. Many of the respondents were aged between thirty-one and forty years. The interviewees were asked about their educational backgrounds to know the distribution of their highest educational qualifications. The paraprofessional respondents were made up of four (4) diploma holders and six (6) first-degree holders. There were four (4) master’s degree and one (1) PhD holders in the professional librarian’s category. Table 4.4: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Qualification (n=15) Qualification Frequency Percentage PhD 1 6.66 Masters 4 26.66 Bachelor 6 40.0 Diploma 4 26.66 Source: Field Data, 2020 Job designations identify the position and role of an individual in an organization or corporation. The distribution of job designations of respondents ranged from one (1) university librarian, one (1) Senior Assistant Librarian and three (3) assistant Librarians. The rest were Principal Library Assistant three (3), Senior Library Assistant four (4) and Junior Library Assistant three (3). It 63 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh is clear from the distribution that the paraprofessional librarians were more than professional. Table 4.5: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Job (n=15) Job Frequency Percentage UL 1 6.66 SAL 1 46.66 AL 3 20.0 PLA 3 20.00 SLA 4 26.66 LA 3 20.00 Source: Field Data, 2020 Work experience refers to a period or the number of years an individual has worked in an organization. The work experience of respondents ranged from less than one year to twenty years. The majority of interviewees worked between eleven to fifteen years (7 respondents) and this is followed by three (3) respondents who had worked for less than one to five years. Three (3) of them had sixteen (16) to twenty (20) years’ work experience whiles six to ten years was the least with only two (2) respondents. 64 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Table 4.6: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Experience (n=15) Experience Frequency Percentage 1-5 3 20.00 6-10 2 13.33 11-15 7 46.66 16-20 3 20.00 Source: Field Data, 2020 Every organization is made of departments or sections and it emerged from the studies that both university libraries were organized into sections and not departments. The Referencing and Circulation and the Electronic Resource sections were prominent in the two libraries. These two sections had six respondents each. The others were the Cataloguing section, which some respondents also referred to as processing and this section had two respondents. Technical University Librarian’s office had one (1) respondent. Table 4.7: Respondents Demographic Information Based on Sections (n=15) Sections Frequency Percentage Reference 6 39.96 E-Resources 6 39.96 Cataloguing 2 13.66 Librarian’s office 1 6.66 Source: Field Data, 2020 65 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4 Sources of Stress This question sought to find out from respondents their sources of stress. In soliciting responses from the respondents, ten (10) sub-questions were asked by the researcher. 4.4.1 Ways staff commute to work This was the first sub-question under the sources of stress and it was about how respondents become stressed in their job in terms of ways they commute to work. Respondents were asked about how they commuted to work. It was established from the analysis that workers used various ways to get to the workplace. Staff indicated that they got to work by using public transport, some of them used their cars while others walked. Also, there were those who used the combination of any of the three. However, the majority of respondents used public transport when going to work and those who used their private cars were in the minority. Staff also gave reasons for their mode of transportation and these included distance and conformability. The following are some of the responses: TTUR3 “I use my car because I stay far from campus”. CCTU R8 “I stay close to the school as a result I always walk”. CCTU R7 “I always take public transport because I stay far and don’t have car”. 66 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Half of the respondents said they use public transport when going to work. Respondent made these remarks: TTUR2 “I always use Trotro (public transport) to work”. CCTR2 “Master, it is not easy, I have to take two different cars before getting to the office every day”. Some of the respondents said they walked to work because they stayed closer to the workplace. The respondents had these to say: TTUR4 “At times, I do walk because I stay close to campus”. CCTU R9 “It’s not far, it is only 900 meters to the workplace”. Respondents were asked whether using their cars, public transport or walking to the workplace was a source of stress. Almost half of the respondents said their means of commuting to the workplace gave them stress. Some complained about the financial stress they faced as a result of commuting to work. Others also talked about how uncomfortable using public transport was and the traffic situation as their difficulties. The respondents had the following to say: 67 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1 “They give some small money as fuel allowance but the amount is not enough, because actually, the whole expenses can’t be taken care of and it stresses me financial”. CCTUR1: “When I send my children to school before coming to work, I take a car and this put a lot of financial pressure on me. This is because I have to send them in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon”. CCTUR2: “Sometimes, especially when you face financial difficulties in a month. It’s difficult to get money for transport on some particular days. Unlike before, we used to have a school bus and, that was less stressful”. CCTU R7: “Yes, in fact, some significant amount of my salary goes into that my brother and if you don’t wake up early, you will face a lot of traffic on the way. Which is also a source of stress”. TTUR2: “Not that much, getting the front seat of taxis is very comfortable but the back is not good at all. When you take trotro, you are rest assured that you will get to the office late because it stops anyhow. One problem here too is, trotros are not well maintained and can easily tear or make your dress dirty.” 68 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh More than half of the respondents indicated that the mode of commuting to the workplace did not give them any form of stress. These were some of the comments made by the respondents: TTUR3: “Financially, I am okay with the transport fare. I stay close to the job place”. CCTUR9: “No, there is fuel allowance to cater for that, am okay”. TTUR5: ” I use walking as an exercise because my house is not all that far from campus”. 4.4.2 The number of hours staff work per week This was the second sub-question under the sources of stress and it was about number of hours respondents worked per week. Respondents were asked the number of hours they worked per week. All of them said they worked for forty (40) hours in a week except a staff from TTU who said he worked 65 hours a week. They also explained that these forty hours did not include weekend duties. The following are some of the responses: TTUR2: “I work forty hours per week that is the normal eight hours a day”. 69 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR2: “Normally, it is eight hours per day unless there is some special arrangement”. TTUR6: “Sir, I work from 9 am-10 pm, 13 hours a day. But we are seriously understaffed, the workload is stressful because I do not have anybody to release me.” Respondents were asked whether they worked on weekends and in the evening. Majority of the paraprofessional librarians said they worked on weekends and performed evening duties. The respondent had these to say: TTUR2 “During the examination, I think on the normal, we work on Saturday but, during examinations, Sundays are added to it”. CCTUR8: “We do that when we are on shifts. If you come on Saturday, you are given a day off within the week so, it is not stressful.” All the professional librarians indicated they did not work on weekends but only performed evening duties. They said they did not work weekends because staff who worked during the weekend were paid overtime allowances which senior members were not entitled to receive. The following are some of the explanations: 70 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR3: “I used to work on weekends but since I become a senior member I have stopped. It was quite stressful because you would have to go for a funeral or wedding or maybe rest, but you just have to sacrifice and go for weekend duties. During the examination period, it is quite stressful” TTUR4 “Sometime back, we used to do weekend duties but now they are saying we don’t qualify so we don’t do overtime”. The respondents were further asked if the number of hours they worked per week gave them stress. Many of them said it was stressful. They stated that it took them away from social and family activities and did not give them the opportunity to rest. Some respondents had these to say: TTUR1: “Really yes, because at that time you may have something to do at home, to prepare for the following week but you are supposed to go to work. It requires a lot but the students have to prepare for the exam so you have to open the library”. CCTUR6: “Yes, it does, maybe you want to rest but you are supposed to be at post. It is the weekends we use to do house chores such as washing and other things. But you have to wake up early in the morning to work on all these before going to work. At times too you do it late in the night. All these put a lot of stress on me”. 71 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR7: “Oh yes, sometimes you may be engaged in a serious program somewhere but will have to leave and rush to the office to release a colleague. It is very tiring when you find yourself in such a situation”. CCTUR9: “It depends on your responsibilities, especially for me, I have other responsibilities apart from the library work. I am on a number of boards and sometimes you go for meetings. These meetings can give you lots of stress because it is about thinking and making decisions, which are energy-consuming”. A Couple of the respondents said they did not experience any kind of stress as a result of the number of hours they worked in a week. Some said extra hours they worked gave them enough time to complete the works which they could not finished during the week and it also gave them time to rest. These are some of the views shared by the respondents: TTUR5: “No sir, it does not stress me. Except that when honorarium is applied and it’s not being paid. Aside from that, it gives me sufficient time to complete works I couldn’t complete during the week”. CCTUR2: “We do that when we are on shifts. If you come on Saturday, you are given a day off within the week so, it isn’t stressful. On the extra hours during weekdays, that one too, we embark on shift system. We rather 72 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh have lesser hours. Some come from 8 am to 3 pm and, others from 3 pm to 8 pm so, comparing it to the normal working hours, it’s not stressful”. 4.4.3 Work environment This was the third sub-question under the sources of stress and it was about respondents’ work environment. Respondents were asked if they ever felt stressed during their work as a result of the work environment ((Ergonomics, lighting, humidity etc.) All the respondents indicated that their office space was good. The respondents had these to say: TTUR1: “I have a nice office and the table and chair are okay”. TTUR4: “As for my office space and arrangement, am okay. I have my own office just that I need certain things”. CCTUR5: “I am comfortable with this office. I will say it is of a standard”. Some of the respondents said they were not comfortable with the chairs and desk in their offices. The following are some of the responses: TTUR6: “Yes, even the seat I sit on is uncomfortable”. 73 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR6: “Yes, the chairs in my office are not good at all. There was a time I even went to my boss and told him that if he did not provide me with a comfortable chair, I would not sit at my duty post again. When you sit on it, it gives you waist and back pains. I don’t know whether they have shown you the chairs there, is not good. Some of the chairs, one leg is broken. So, when you sit on it you have to adjust yourself”. CCTUR9: “I have difficulty in the siting, especially the chairs sometimes are not comfortable, so you realize that after sitting for while you feel stressed up. For instance, you have to bend if you are using the computer and this results in a stiff neck and bodily pains. The nature of the work also keeps you sitting at one place for a long time, before you release you have stress at the back and waist”. Some of the staff indicated that they lacked computers and its peripheral devices to work and this were a source of stress for them. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR1: “But the only problem is the computers we have here in the office got broken down and will never be replaced or repaired and this makes our work very difficult”. 74 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR2: “Even the computers that we use at the E-Library, they are supposed to be fixed with screen shade but we do not have it. Constantly using it from morning to evening you begin to develop eye pains. Personally, I will be using and tears will be coming from my eyes. These things make work uncomfortable and stressful. Even with computers per each client at the exams period is not enough. Most students become irritated and put pressure on us. This is also stressful”. CCTUR6: “The computers too most of them are not working and the few that work are very slow and old. Because of this, some things that are supposed to be done with a computer are done manually and it takes time” Respondents were asked about the availability of internet connectivity in their various sections of the library. A few of the staff from TTU said there was internet connectivity in their offices but went ahead to indicate that it was not constant. Some of the respondents had these to say: TTUR1: “But the only problem is, sometimes internet connection becomes problematic. Sometimes, two to three weeks, there will not be internet connectivity. But I go to work and the place is so boring because there is no internet for me to work”. 75 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR2: “No, it is not regular. As I am speaking to you, though the students are not around the internet is down for almost 3 weeks. It is not constant. When clients need services and the internet is not working, I feel bad. It makes the work stressful”. TTUR3: “Yes! But as I only work at the Electronics department, the stress only comes in when there is no internet”. TTUR4 went on to state that “For the next four weeks, we are not even going to access the internet because they are working on the speed of the internet”. All the respondents from CCTU indicated that there was no internet connectivity in the library. These were some of the remarks made by the respondents: CCTUR1: “We use to have the internet some time ago but now, no. Yes, it does. You have to move from your office to someone’s office at times causing inconvenience to them. You want to catalogue a book but because the internet is not working it is always difficult getting the call mark and cutter number. For some time, we were not having a librarian so it was a challenge”. 76 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR5: “Yes, we don’t have internet and I need it to work. You know, boredom also brings stress”. CCTUR6: “Very bad, as I am speaking to you now, there is no internet connectivity in the library. We use to have a boss here, who left so many years ago, when he was around everything was going on well. Now almost every activity that needs the internet is at a standstill, definitely, it will bring stress”. CCTUR8: “I am cool with the office environment, with the exception of the absence of the internet. This is a major issue for me because of my background in IT and without the internet I virtually do nothing”. Respondents were asked if they had difficulties with the lighting system in the library. Only a few of the respondents said they had problems with the lighting system. Some of the responses are as follows: TTUR5: “When the bulbs expire, it takes a long time for procurement to replace them. Which is always a problem”. TTUR6: “The lighting system is very poor”. 77 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR5: “It is too bright. I don’t like bright things”. CCTUR9: “Well, it is not good. Under the normal circumstance you need to have full light, I compare here to my former office and the visibility here is not all that good but we take it like that”. The majority of respondents said they had no problem with the lighting system. The following are some of the responses: TTUR1: “The lightening is okay”. CCTUR4: “As for the lighting system here I will say is good”. TTUR3: “It is okay but sometimes when the bulbs expire, it takes longer time for procurement to replace them”. 4.4.3.1 Humidity levels in the library Respondents were asked if the humidity levels in their offices stressed them. More than half of the respondents said the humidity levels stressed them. They indicated that there were no air conditioning machines in their offices and where there were too, either it had broken down or not functioning well. This made the library not conducive for work. Some also mentioned poor circulation of air in the library as a result of few windows. The respondents had these to say: 78 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR3: “We have four air conditioning machines here but when the library is full to capacity, some of the sections will still be warm. Students complain. Stress comes in when the place becomes sweaty and begins to smell”. TTUR4: “Sometimes the place is hot, I need an air conditioning machine. I have a fan though but it is not enough. I need curtains to block the direction of the sun in the morning. It makes me uncomfortable “. TTUR6: “The air conditioner too has broken down for over a year now and it had not been repaired or replaced. This makes the place warm and unbearable “. CCTUR9: “I wouldn’t say is okay because of poor air circulation. Where I am, there is only one window that comes into the office, so the circulation is not good. If there were other windows the air wouldn’t stay at one place”. 4.4.3.2 Noise in the work environment Respondents were asked if there were noise in their work environment. Only two of the respondents said there were noise in their offices but most of them said they had not experienced it before. The noise levels are high due to 79 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh vehicular movement and human activities. The noise disturbed both the users and staff. The following are some of the responses: TTUR1: “The library is situated close to the road and passing vehicles make a lot of noise, which distracts both users and staff”. TTUR5: “The library is in the same building with the office of vice-chancellor and this makes the area very busy. People climbing to the office of the chancellor make too much noise and we have to keep on alerting them that there is a library around. Yes, it very disturbing and stressful “. 4.4.3.3 Dust Few of the respondents mentioned that dust collects in their offices in the library as a difficulty. They complained, the dust made the office uncomfortable, gave them health problems. It made their dress dirty and also causes destruction to information materials. Some of respondents made the following complains: TTUR5: “There are specks of dust always in the office since there is no air conditioning machines at the reference (terrazzo) section and it is closer to the road. This makes the environment uncomfortable and as an information professional you know the damage dust can cause to our information materials”. 80 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR1: “There is a lot of dust in my office because of the ongoing construction works and most of the time gives me cold”. CCTUR4: ” I have an air conditioner in my office but because of broken louvers dust comes in”. CCTUR9: “Most of the time dust, collects there unless they do some cleaning. I remember having dust stains on my white shirt some time ago”. 4.4.3.4 Lack of office curtains Two of the respondents complained that they lacked curtains in their offices to block the direction of the sun. The sunrays interfered with their work as it dropped directly on their seat and rendered the office unusable within that period. The respondents had these to say: TTUR4: “Sometimes the place is hot, I have a fan though. I need curtains to block the direction of the sun in the morning”. CCTUR2: “The sun rays drop in the office. The problem is because it is directed to my seat, I can’t sit there at all, once the sun appears. I’ll have to be hanging around. I have requested for curtains to fix in there but is taking a long time”. 81 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4.4 Moving away from employment This was the fourth sub-question under the sources of stress and it was about whether respondents had ever moved away from employment due to stress. Respondents were asked if they had ever moved away from employment because of difficulties or stress. The majority of the respondents answered no. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR3: “No, I love my work, so I have never thought of leaving”. CCTUR6: “Well, I haven’t thought of that yet”. Only one of respondent said he had ever moved away from employment in the library because of difficulties. This was the response: CCTUR9: “Why not, because some of the things that made me move from my former institution were stress? I felt the environment was not too conducive for me. When you are having problems with your boss it’s better to leave than stay and end up having blood pressure and all sort of sicknesses”. 4.4.5 Condition of Service This sub-question under the sources of stress and it was about respondents’ satisfaction of conditions of service. This question sought to find out from the respondents if they were satisfied with their conditions of service and if not, whether it caused them any stress. 82 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4.5.1 Remuneration Respondents were asked if they were satisfied with their conditions of service in relation to remuneration. A couple of the respondents said they were satisfied with their remunerations. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR1: “Yes, I am okay with the salary but the problem is the allowance they give us during weekend duties. It is not encouraging at all”. CCTUR6: “Yes, it is good but as you know Oliver Twist always asks for more”. A lot of them stated, they were not satisfied with their remuneration. Their dissatisfaction is related to low remuneration for extra working hours, delays in the payment of honorarium and the national council of tertiary education staff audit and its resultant degrading. Some of the respondents had the following responses: TTUR2: “No, not at all. We do overtime. However, we are not given the right extra allowances. My rank as senior staff limits me from overtime work. Thus, instead of remunerating us equally for the extra work done during exams, they give us honorarium. The honorarium is scanty which causes agitation. This makes working at examination time stressful and brings financial stress”. 83 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR6: “I am not satisfied with remuneration, because of the national council for tertiary education degrading. That step-down thing which also affects other allowances that comes to us negatively". CCTUR2: “For allowances and overtime, I am not satisfied. We’ve even worked overtime and as at now, still haven’t been paid. Most of the senior members living in the school’s flats and, driving the school’s cars are on top given rent and fuel allowances while we that actually need them are excluded. So, due to this, I’m not satisfied at all”. CCTUR7: “Not at all, in the sense that when I look at what I do in a day compared to what I receive at the end of the month, is nothing to write home about. Just that some of us love what we do and have the zeal to help our client”. CCTUR9: “Oh in Ghana who gets satisfied with remuneration. I do not rely on my salary and I have never relied on it. I trust the good lord to look for opportunities to make up for whatever I need. Currently, am not satisfied with what I take because we have been stepped down”. 4.4.5.2 Promotions Respondents were asked if they were satisfied with their conditions of service in relation to promotions. Majority of the respondents reported they were 84 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh satisfied with promotions. They indicated that when you are due for promotion and you apply; you will be promoted, unlike previously when it used to delay. The respondents had these to say: TTUR1: “I have no problem with promotions. When you are due for it, you will be promoted”. TTUR3: “Before, it wasn’t the best but now, it's okay” TTUR6: “That I am cool with promotions. It doesn’t cause me much stress because, though it delays, I know it will surely come”. CCTUR6: “I am okay with promotions and my position is also the highest so I cannot be promoted”. CCTUR7: “Previously promotions were not the best but now I think it is good. My only problem now is the lack of communication between the human resource department and the other departments. They will not prompt you when you are due for promotion which I think is not good enough” Less than half of the respondents said they were not satisfied with promotions. Delays and frustrations were mentioned as to why they were not satisfied with promotions. Some respondents had these to say: 85 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1: “There are a lot of frustrations here when it has to do with promotions. When you apply for promotion, it takes a long time and this brings pressure and stress”. CCTUR6: “That one is a big issue. The last promotion I had after completing school, it took me three or more years to be promoted. Even that one, it takes the intervention of God that an Interim Management Committee came and promoted us. With this kind of delay, one must definitely be stressed”. CCTUR9: “I wouldn’t say am satisfied because currently am still having challenges with my promotion”. 4.4.5.3 Career development Respondents were asked about their satisfaction with career development. All respondents said they were satisfied with career development policies except two of them. Staff indicated that any time they wanted to upgrade themselves, approval was given by management and this is done in two categories. Either you were awarded a full scholarship or asked to go on study leave with pay. Though in-service training was not regular, they were satisfied with it. The following are some of the responses: 86 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR3: “I have not had any difficulties with respect to my first degree. And, also, for my second degree (MPhil) when I asked for study leave it was granted. When it comes to seminar and workshops too, I have no problem, though these seminars and workshops are not regular”. CCTUR1: “I am cool with that but there can be an improvement”. CCTUR3: “Oh yes, in service training is not that regular but with the schooling, you will be granted study leave by management. That is when they are informed in time”. CCTUR4: “Career development is flexible here for us. I am currently schooling”. CCTUR7: “It is not easy getting a full scholarship but what management does is to offer you study leave with pay, with the understanding that you bear the school fees and the other expenses. I think it is better since half a loaf is better than none. For seminars and workshops, it is not regular” Two of the respondents said they were not satisfied with the career development policies in the library. Most of the time management did not give the financial support needed and this is seen as an impediment to their progression. The respondents had the following to say: 87 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1: “Most of the time, they tell you, they cannot help financially but if you can support yourself, you can go on. But this is an impediment. With no financial support from the university, the staff who would want to develop themselves are not able to do so”. TTUR2: “For career development, management allows you go to school with the condition that you bear the cost yourself and the university will only pay your salary. This is frustrating because after completing your studies, you will have to serve bound not less than the years you spend in school”. 4.4.5.4 Medical bills Respondents were asked if they were satisfied with their condition of service in relation to their medical care. All respondents said they were not satisfied with the way their medical bills were paid. Staff complained that the amount of money allocated to them for medical care for a year was insufficient and they also stated that the payment of medical refund took a long time. These are some of the responses: TTUR1: “Yes, they do to a certain limit. They do not spend more than Ghc400 in a year. When there is an extra cost, they will not pay and refund sometimes delay. This is more stressful because the amount allocated for our medical bills is not much, yet the refund also delays” 88 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR2: “They do to a limit. They pay something scanty. When you undergo surgery, you have to pay your own bills. It is also stressful” TTUR6: “Management pays just up to four hundred Ghana cedis and it delays unnecessarily. You can just imagine four hundred Ghana cedis for you and your family and where the stress comes is when the medication is not covered NHIA, you are supposed to get it on cash and carry”. CCTUR3: “Yes, our medical bills are taking care of, but the amount is too small. Just one hundred Ghana cedis and that puts pressure on me”. CCTUR6: “They give us one hundred Ghana cedis for the whole year. When you go to the hospital and your bill is more than the one hundred Ghana cedis, they will only pay for that hundred Ghana cedis. However, there is one eye clinic I know when you visit that place any cost you incur is fully paid. Yes, a lot of pressure, as I am speaking to you now, I went to the hospital this morning and paid monies way above the Hundred Ghana Cedis. Just look at today’s date and the amount of money I spend at the hospital, in fact how will cope till the end of the month. I think management should have put in place a policy, when you go to the hospital the university will pay and it will be repaid through monthly deductions from your salary”. 89 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4.6 Main Sources of Stress This sub-question under the sources of stress was about respondents’ main source of stress. Respondents were asked of their main sources of difficulties or stress in the library. The main sources of stress that emerged out of this were; lack of resources to work, user behavior, and the attitude of colleagues and lack of funding. The rest were; lack of requisite knowledge in information communication and technology and not being able to retrieve materials. More than half of the respondents said their main source of stress in the library was the lack of resources to work. The following are some of the responses: TTUR1: “It is evident that the management of the university does not pay attention to the library. Sometimes we ask for resources/materials such as air conditioning machines, computer etc. Which are being provided for other units but we do not get them. Management attention is discouraging. There is no attention or limited management support for the library”. TTUR3: “My main source of stress is with materials (scanners, printers, etc.) for the job. When they are in bad shape, fixing them becomes a problem. Management will tell you that there is no money; thus, you have to wait”. CCTUR2: “Sometimes we have to do general cleaning and we lack the various equipment to facilitate the work”. 90 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTRR9: “Generally, in the library, we are understaffed and the equipment we use do not come regularly”. CCTUR4: “For my office, it is just the internet connectivity and some computers not functioning”. CCTUR6 “My main source of stress is the chairs we sit on. The items that we need to work we are not getting them, especially the chairs and computers”. User behavior was the main source of stress for two respondents. Staff indicated specifically the attitude of some students as a source of worry. Some respondents had these to say: TTUR4: “When it’s getting to end of semester examinations, students come to the library to discuss, instead of engaging in private studies and thus making the place noisy”. CCTUR1: “The stress is more when students are on campus and more during the exam period. The students tend to misbehave when they realize there is no staff to monitor them”. A few of the respondents said the attitude of colleagues and management were their main source of stress. The respondents had these to say: 91 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR5: “My colleagues and management are the main problems. As a union executive, we try to operate on a scheme rate for overtime. But they make it look like I am rather creating problems. Some are even against orders you give to certain cleaners to come and dust books on weekends”. CCTUR9: “When subordinates are really not doing what is expected of them. People absent themselves from work by giving flimsy excuses. Staff is supposed to do their work and they will not, but rather engage in other things. It is a bit frustrating” A respondent’s main source of stress was not being able to retrieve information materials in the library. The respondent had this to say: TTUR6: “When a client asks for a material that I know we have in stock but cannot be found.” A respondent stated lack of funding for the library as the main source of stress. The respondent had this to say: CCTUR5: “Not getting funding to do what you want to do, you want to do a, b, c, and d but the funding is not there. Funding in the university system is terrible. A lot of bureaucracy and procurement issues”. 92 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Lack of knowledge in the use of information communication and technology in the library was the main source of stress for a respondent. The respondent lamented: CCTUR7: “When users come and you don’t have what it takes to satisfy their information needs. I mean the emerging ICT tools in the library profession. At times users come and you don’t even know where to start from and this is very stressful”. 4.4.7 Other sources of stress in the library This sub-question under the sources of stress was about other sources of stress that respondents could identify in their job. Respondents were asked what makes them stressed apart from the main source. The other sources of stress indicated ranged from inadequate allowances for weekend’s duties and the delays in its payment, attitude of client and communication challenges. The others included lack of logistics, negative attitude of colleagues and lack of requisite knowledge in ICT. Some respondents mentioned inadequate allowance for weekend duties and the delays in its payment as what makes them feel stressed. These are some of the responses: TTUR1: “This has to do with the weekend duties remuneration. It is not enough and it delays before we are paid. In some instances, it took management three to four months before it is paid”. 93 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR2: “The money paid to us for doing extra hours is too small compared to the time and energy spend”. Others also said the attitude of the client, especially student behavior as other sources of stress for them. They talked about students not obeying instructions and thereby misbehaving, particularly during the examination period. The following are some of the responses: TTUR5 “During examination period students who do use the library, come there and engage in activities that are not allowed. You have to keep on correcting them and is very stressful”. CCTUR2: “We have new students, most of them don’t come for library orientation, so they don’t know the dos and don’ts of the library. They take books from shelves and try to put them back after reading them. And, they do a lot of misfiling and wrong shelving. And, it’s very stressful because it’s a whole lot of work to redo”. CCTUR3: “The students are very stubborn and troublesome. They don’t obey simple rules and regulations and they intentionally engage in wrongdoings”. Few of the respondents indicated that poor communication channels in the library made them feel stressed. The respondents had these to say: 94 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR2: “Getting information is also stressful. The channels of communication in the library or to some extent the entire university is not working. It is a big barrier because you apply for something and you are not getting any feedback. Let me just say the response time is not good. This request could be your personal information or in some cases materials to work with”. TTUR3: “It has to do with the channel of communication. Reporting issues to the boss frequently makes it seem like a nuisance.” Lack of resources was the other source of stress for some respondents. Staff mentioned the library not subscribing to some major electronic online databases as a source of difficulty especially CARLIGH. Some respondents also indicated nonfunctioning air conditioning machines, computers and not acquiring books as their worry. Some of the respondents had these to say: TTUR3: “I am stressed when internet connectivity breaks down. I am at the e- library. We are now in the process of subscribing to the CARLIGH database. Management is yet to pay for the subscription and this limits our information delivery at the E-resource section. We are currently subscribed to AIDBA (an electronic book platform)”. 95 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR1: “Requesting for items and they are not provided, I cannot even recollect the last time this air conditioning machine worked and also heat in the library too makes the work stressful. The library has not acquired even a single book on its own for almost three years now, except what the faculties brought to us.” CCTUR6: “For years, computers breakdown you are not getting them repaired or replaced. This is another source of stress for me.” The negative attitude of colleagues in the library was the other source of stress for a few of the respondents. They indicated that colleagues who were not ready to learn about new ideas in the profession and subordinates who did not obey instructions constituted a challenge. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR3: “When other colleagues are not ready to succumb to new ideas. You know everything about the library is evolving and the 21st century librarians are expected to learn the new tools or technologies in the system to be able to meet the information needs of users. However, some colleagues are reluctant to do this. This can be quite stressful. Also, when junior staff goes wrong, correcting them without backing from the boss is very stressful. I am saying this with the sense that the person knows what he is supposed to do as a subordinate but will do 96 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh what pleases him. Now we have a whole lot of junior staff who are very difficult working with”. TTUR4: “Supervising a subordinate who doesn’t obey instructions. This is always a very big headache for me because they are expected to know their responsibilities. At the end of the month, nobody directs them to go the bank for salary. But when it comes work it is the other way round”. CCTUR5: “You know we belong to or work with people and people say things. I mean Jaafar has done this, backbiting you know, unproductive venture. All these put me off, because the one to contact to get the right information is always with them but they go around spreading the untruth. It is just not a good habit my brother”. CCTUR8: “Not getting the opportunity to exhibit your potential. For example, I am a librarian with IT background and there is no internet connectivity at the library for some time now. It is quite worrying. So, I think I have not been able to work as expected and this also brings a lot of boredom”. The lack of requisite knowledge in the application of information and communication technology in the library was a source of stress for two respondents. The respondents had these to say: 97 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR6: “When we realize we are inadequate to provide simple services. Inadequacy in terms of technical know-how, especially when it comes to using ICT in the library”. CCTUR7: “Another serious problem I face in the library is the use of information communication technology. Though management has been organizing in-service training on ICT for us, my difficulty is that all the staff are taught the same thing at the same time. This serves as a disincentive for me because most of my colleagues are ahead of me in terms of ICT and in learning I always lagged behind”. Missing and tearing of book pages in the library was another source of stress for a respondent. The respondent had this to say: CCTUR6: “In fact, one other source of stress for me is the way and manner books are getting missing in the library. Most of the time you are sure that you have this material in stock, but will check through all your shelves and records and it will not be found. At times you don’t even know who to blame whether the client or fellow workers. The problem is more troubling because for over three years the library has not purchase a single book on its own and the little we have too are being stolen or pages are torn off”. 98 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.4.8 Work-home interface This sub-question under the sources of stress was about other personal issues that could cause stress. Respondents were asked if they experienced difficulties or stress as a result of a job or other personal issues or the combination of the two. Many of the respondents said combining jobs and other personal issues gave them stress. Staff mentioned that combining family, personal, social and religious activities put them under pressure. The following are some of responses: TTUR1: “Yes, in some situations, I really feel stressed. Also, once in a while, you may have to travel or attend to personal program but due to work, you may not be able to attend. A real example, Saturday and Sunday services take you away from your social responsibilities. It may destroy family and friends ties and, in some instances, your stress level goes up when you try combining job and family responsibilities”. TTUR6: “I am so much stressed because I go to work at 9 in the morning and close at 10pm, and as well as doing other things after work. I mean my private business and that stress me very much”. CCTUR4: “Yes, taking my children to school in and out is very stressful. This is because you have to drop the kids at school by 7:30 am and rush back to the workplace latest 8:00am. The most stressful part is picking them back home in the afternoon around 3:00pm and by which time you are 99 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh supposed to be at post. So, there is always pressure when it gets to the time, especially when no reliable person to stand in for you”. CCTUR5: “Yes, you have family issues to settle especially for me, I don’t have a lot of siblings so I am the man at the top working on all family issues”. CCTUR6: “As I said, sometimes you have to combine official work with that of your private work. For example, during the weekend duties, one will have to wake up very early or stay late in the night to do the washing and other home activities before going to the office and on top of this, you will go to church on Sunday. The effect of this is that you will be restless throughout the week and this is stressful”. TTUR3: “Yes, my role as a pastor also gives me stress. For instance, combining office work with that of the ministry” Some of the respondents indicated that their source of stress had to do with the workplace and not personal issues. Some respondents had these to say: CCTUR1: “Yes, when allowances are not being paid. You’ll be expecting and it’s not coming, as you know expectation is the worst form punishment”. 100 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR2: “Sometimes, the people you work with, their attitudes can even make you stressed. The arrangement in the library is that you work as a team particularly when it has to with shelving and this is to be done before 9am. But it will surprise you to know that some of our colleagues will report to work after 9am.The implication is that work is left for few people to do”. Respondents were asked a follow-up question, as to whether they were stressed during the period of converting their institutions into universities. All the respondents said they were not stressed because it was an annual routine. These are some of the responses: TTUR1 stated that, “No, it was just normal work. Accreditation board came to assess our collections but it was an annual thing we have been doing and there was nothing like stress”. CCTUR2: “I did not experience anything of that nature, most of their engagement were with management”. 4.4.9 Number of clients served This sub-question under the sources of stress was about number of clients served in a day by the respondents. Respondents were asked about the number of clients they served in a day. Half of the respondents indicated they could not give the number of clients served in a day. The following are some of the responses: 101 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1: “Not many students use our library but during end of semester examinations and mid-semester examinations, the place becomes full. These periods become stressful. I cannot give a figure”. CCTUR2: “It differs. Sometimes few people come in, other times they come in bulky, in their numbers. The number of users is not a problem but their behavior”. TTUR5: “I cannot give a number but when students are around and particularly during the examination period the workload is too much. Also, when students are given an assignment or research to do in the library, that one also stresses us”. CCTUR7: “Oh, I really cannot give you a figure but they always come. I say during mid and end of semester examination, the library is always full. There is also pressure when the students are given an assignment. However, the library is always full to capacity during end of semester examination. We experience a lot of stress around this time because you must be vigilant.” Half of the respondents mentioned the number of clients served in a day. They said the users served in a day ranged from fifty (50) to three hundred (300). Some of the respondents had these to say: 102 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR2: “I serve about three hundred clients in a day that is when school is in session. It does not stress me” TTUR3: “When there is the internet, the place is full to capacity; 90 clients a day. I manage this situation with rules. When the place is full, you have to stay outside till a seat is vacant. I will say is somehow stressful”. TTUR4: “It depends on the capacity of the library, like my place I will say fifty to three hundred a day. Am okay with that”. CCTUR3: “At my place when the internet was available, 50 students but now, less. Am okay” Respondents were asked a follow-up question, as to whether the number of clients served in a day was a source of stress. Some of them indicated it was a source of stress for them. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR1: “The examination periods become more stressful because of pressure from students”. 103 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR3: “I will say it is somehow stressful. The huge numbers that visit the Electronic support section compared to the capacity of the place makes it more difficult at times”. Most of the respondents said the number of users they served in a day were not a source of stress. The respondents had these to say: TTUR2: “No, no, it does not stress me. It is a source of joy for me to serve my client”. CCTUR5: “No, I feel happy serving my clients and no stress”. 4.4.10 Staff relationship with others This sub-question under the sources of stress was about how respondents related with others in the job in terms of management, colleagues and clients. 4.4.10.1 Staff relationship with management Respondents were asked how they related to management. All the respondents said they had cordial relationships with management and management also appreciated their efforts. However, some of the staff indicated their displeasure about management inability to provide them with logistics. Some of the respondents said the following: 104 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1: “Yes, my relationship with management is friendly and cordial and they also appreciate work done and efforts” CCTUR4: “Yes, we relate well, especially if you do very good job. They do appreciate us a lot. But my problem is the library is not getting necessary funding”. CCTUR5: “Yes, yes we are cool but you must expect some differences. That is official differences. I want this thing to be done this way and you want it that way. I think it is normal and am also part of management” CCTUR6: “I think it’s good but the only problem I have with them is their inability to get materials us to work”. CCTUR7: “These are sensitive issues but let’s say my relationship with them is good. My challenge with management is when we request for logistics, we don’t get them at the right at all”. 4.4.10.2 The relationship among the staff of the library Respondents were asked about how they related to their colleagues in the library. Majority of the respondents said they related well with their colleagues 105 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh but they went ahead to say that as a human institution there could be some petty problems. Some of the respondents had these to say: CCTU4: “We are like a family and they are very cooperative”. TTUR3: “Some of them are difficult. But generally, everyone is nice. Any time you share an idea with them that will help improve our service delivery, you are seen as a too known person. This brings stress”. CCTUR5: “It depends on who the colleague is. There could be differences. I could be cool with some and others it would just be official. Maybe you set your goals to achieve this and your colleagues are not helping you or cooperating. It is cool. I can say I have 90-95% acceptance here, but you don’t expect me to have 100% acceptance”. CCTUR6: “I will say is good and that some are cooperative and some are not. At times you see us quarreling because some will intentionally refuse to work. For instance, when we come in the morning, we have to fill records of the books borrowed the previous day between 8-9am. We have divided ourselves into three groups. So, if we are in the same group and I always come early to work and you report late to work and on top of it, refuse to shelve. This will increase my workload and at the end give stress” 106 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR5: “I am okay with them but in any human setup the more you try to be nice to people, the more others to engage in their own ways of doing things. Yes, teamwork is another challenge but here, about 80 percent of my colleagues are hard working. Another source of stress is from subordinates who do not obey instructions. Some of them are just stubborn and will not do what is expected of them. This means you have to report him or her to management, which also brings a whole lot of troubles”. CCTUR9: “I don’t have any problem with my colleagues. It is also friendly and cordial. However, the issue is that some people may be having individual challenges and trying to find a solution for it. This may hinder the progress of work. For example, a staff complains that the amount of money he or she earns at the end of the month is not sufficient for him and needs to engage in other business transactions. So, while doing this he is also neglecting his responsibility at the office. As a head, I cannot tolerate this and he must strike a balance between the two”. 4.4.10.3 Staff client relationship Respondents were asked about their relationship with the clients (students). Many of them said they had good relationship with them but all of them also indicated that the majority of users did not obey rules and regulations. Students engaged in hiding and tearing of pages of books, bringing food and water, making phone calls, etc in the library. The following are some of the responses: 107 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR5: “When I’m not around, a lot of students come to look for me and I help them get what they want. They even gave me an award on that, their SRC. It’s very cordial and friendly. I take whatever mistake they make in good faith because that is my work” CCTUR1: “I’m guided by this principle “the customer is always right”. Sometimes you try to accommodate them and as well, device ways to talk to them. At times students’ disobedience gives me a headache, seeing the same pattern of behavior repeating itself can be quite stressful”. TTUR1: “I am fine with them. Some of the students may not be law abiding. Especially those who use the library but are not students of this institution. If we are passive, students may bring food and phone inside. Though it’s not common, I sometimes confiscate phones. Some of these situations are stressful. Few students also hide books after using them”. TTUR2: “I am very nice to them. Most of them do not obey instructions. They do not even read notices. This brings stress as you have to stop working to confront them and make sure the right thing is done”. 108 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR3: “I relate well with them. I once had a survey with them and the results were revealing. There are stubborn clients. These clients make work quite stressful but these are inevitable occupational hazards”. TTUR4: “The relation is good. What some do is tear some portions of books thereby making the document incomplete. Look at how expensive books are now. Some of them do not follow the dos and don’ts of the library and this is very frustrating, especially tearing of pages”. CCTUR2: “Most students borrow books and refuse to return them and, they claim they have bought them. Some violate the library rules and regulations too; making calls in the library. It is not easy”. CCTUR7: “I am a friend of students but you know some of them are recalcitrant, we are nice to them but at the same time extra careful. If not they will even get you into trouble. Their attitude makes the work stressful because you would have to be correcting them continuously”. Two of the respondents indicated that they did not deal directly with the students but the academic staff. The respondents had these to say: CCTUR5: “You know I don’t deal with students directly but the academic staff”. 109 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR9: “Mostly I deal with only the lectures”. Respondent were also asked about their relationship with the lecturer clients. All the respondents said they related well with the academic staff but had difficulty in the way and manner of some of them behave towards library staff. The following are some of the responses: TTUR1: “When the lecturers come around, they are very nice and they give us the maximum respect. They do appreciate the library”. TTUR4: “Yes, I have good rapport with them. The only difficulty is that most of them borrow library materials and will not return them on the due date. You have to issue numerous reminder letters before they return them”. CCTUR1: ”The lecturers feel they are big men and, refuse to put their bags outside the library. Those who are allowed to bring them in refuse to let us search their bags and it’s stressful because that is breaking the rules and regulations of the library. But our relationship is good”. CCTUR4: “I am fine with most of them but some are very troublesome and they even do underrate us, making some of us emotionally troubled”. 110 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR7: “My brother I am cool with them. However, the problem with the academic staff is that they always want preferential treatment, in the sense that when they come to the library, you should stop whatever you are doing and attend to them. Another issue is when they borrow books from the library, they return them at their will and because of this we always alert them by writing or going to their offices”. CCTUR9: “I relate very well with them. I always assist faculty members with their research materials especially electronic resources. My only problem with faculty is that any time you send them a catalog of books to select for acquisition purposes it delays or is not responded to at all”. 4.5 Effect of Stress This question sought to find out from the respondents the effects of stress on them. In soliciting responses from the respondents, two (2) sub-questions were asked. 4.5.1 Effect of Stress on Productivity at the Workplace This sub-question sought to find out from the respondents the effects of stress on their job productivity. The respondents were asked whether work-related stress affected their productivity in the library. All respondents said work- related stress had a negative impact on productivity or reduced it. The respondents had the following to say: 111 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR1: “Yes, you need logistics to work and it is not provided. You will be bored and boredom brings stress. Productivity will suffer or go down” TTUR5: “Yes of course because you need materials to work and you are not getting it, you will be stressed and productivity will decrease” CCTUR6: “Definitely, it will affect it. Let’s say if you are supposed to complete an assignment in a day and you are stressed definitely you may not be able to complete it”. CCTUR7: “Yes sometimes, because the way you should get attention for what you are doing is not even there, I mean no concentration. I think it reduces productivity”. CCTUR9: “Yes definitely, I mean every stress has a negative effect because when you are stressed up it affects your thinking and creativity. I have so many projects I had wanted to execute but could not. For instance, I had wanted to set up a video conferencing facility but without the internet you cannot do it. Sometimes little, little things they need to provide are not there. Definitely, it gives you stress and decreases productivity”. 112 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.5.2 Effect of stress on personal life This question sought to find out from the respondents the effects of stress on their personal lives. Respondents were asked whether work-related stress affected their private life and if yes indicate in what ways. All the respondents indicated that work stress affected their private life and these effects were tiredness, anger, moodiness, loss of appetite, loss of concentration and dizziness. The others were lack of peace of mind, being quiet, abnormal sleeping, watery discharge from the eyes and bodily pains. Some of the respondents stated tiredness as the effect of stress on their private life. The following are some responses: TTUR1: “Yes, to an extent. Specifically, at a time you need to perform other social responsibilities but you cannot because you are stressed and tired”. TTUR3: “Yes. Sometimes, I carry work trouble to the house. At times tired and not willing to talk. Another problem is most of time you see watery substance coming out of my eyes because the computers in my section does not have any device to protect the eyes from the computer rays. I use these machines not less than nine hours daily”. 113 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR5: “Yes of course, yes you go home and you are moody, angry, tired and those kinds of things and cannot even have any interaction with your family”. CCTUR6: “Sometimes it may affect you in the sense that you are scheduled to be at a program, you will not be able to make it because you are stressed. You may even forget as a result of fatigue”. CCTUR9: “Oh yes, because you come home tired and stressed up, that can even affect your mood and other things you have to do. It is a natural phenomenon that when you are affected at the workplace, it affects whatever you come home to do. I remember I have ever collapsed during orientation for students because of stress”. Two of the respondents said workplace stress made them feel angry. Some of the respondent had these to say: TTUR2: “Yes, sometimes, I go home and am angry with my family because of work stress. Other times, I do not even eat”. CCTUR2: “It does, sometimes you go home angry and you take your anger to innocent people because of what you might have gone through at work”. 114 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Some respondents said they lost concentration when stressed. They had the following to say: TTUR3: “The impact of stress on me is so high that I don’t even understand. For instance, any problem I face in the office follow me out of the office. Being unable to satisfy the information needs of users, will make me lose concentration. In fact, at times I even become confused and just don’t even know what to do”. CCTUR9: “Yes, stress takes away my concentration. I can tell you that when am stressed, I become dull, weak, and in some cases suffer from headaches. At times I even feel pains in my neck because of the position of the computer and chair I use. I have to always stretch my neck to enable me to use the machine”. Only one respondent mentioned lack of peace at home as the personal effect of stress. The respondent had this say: CCTUR4 “Yes, because if you do not have peace at the workplace, how would you get peace at home”. One respondent had a uniquely personal effects of stress. The respondent had this response: 115 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR7: “Yes, in my case you see me so quiet and my family does not understand why. Sometimes I doze off whiles chatting and it does not make me happy at all”. I sometimes feel waist and back pains as a result of the chair I sit on I think I have told you much about these chairs. 4.6 Management of Stress The first question was about how stress could be managed among respondents for a better job satisfaction. In soliciting responses from the respondents, three (3) sub-questions were asked. 4.6.1 Library Staff Management of Stress This question was about the how stress could be managed among respondents themselves. The respondents were asked about how they managed their stress. It emerged from the responses that staff used different strategies in managing their stress. Some respondents said they managed their stress by taking a walk, allowing the difficulty to go by itself and sharing their problems with others. The rest were relaxation, the use of social media, sporting activities, taking the problem out of mind, keeping oneself busy and prayers. A few of the respondents said they take a walk to cope with stress. The following are some of the responses: TTUR2: “When the pressure is too much, I move around the room”. TTUR4: “I step out for a walk and also for fresh air if the place is warm”. 116 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR1: “For sitting for a long period of time, I try to walk around for a while”. Some of the respondents said the stress goes by itself. The respondents had these to say: TTUR1: “I endure it hoping it will go”. TTUR2: “I do not even know how I cope”. CCTUR1: “Normally, I just let it go”. Other respondents also said they discussed their problems with people they trusted to cope with stress. Some of the responses are as follows: TTUR3 went on to explain “I talk to other colleagues about it.” TTUR5: “I try to speak to people who can help solve those problems for me”. CCTUR2: “Sometimes you have to voice out how you feel too”. CCTUR5: “I call friends, talk over the phone and laugh to reduce pressure”. 117 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh A couple of the staff said they relaxed when stressed up. The respondents had these to say: CCTUR3: “I relax to reduce stress”. CCTUR6: “I get a place to sleep and rest”. Some of the respondents mentioned social media as the tool they used in managing their stress. The following are some of the responses: TTUR6: “I enjoy funny videos from YouTube when I’m stressed”. CCTUR5: “At times I use social media to decrease my stress levels”. A couple of the staff said they used prayers to distress. Some of the respondents had these to say: TTUR3 indicated that, “I pray and also read religious books to bring down the stress”. CCTUR8: “As a pastor I pray when stressed” Few of the respondents indicated that they used sporting activities as ways of coping with stress. The following are some of the responses: 118 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TTUR5: “I am a taekwondo trainer and that helps me to a great extend in managing stress”. CCTUR5: “I am a sportsman, I play tennis. From here, I am going to play tennis”. Two of the respondents said they tried taking the problem out of mind. The respondents had these to say: “I do these things to keep my mind off the stressful situation”. CCTUR7: “I just do not allow the stressful situation to remain in my mind for a long time”. A respondent said keeping himself busy was the technique he used to manage stress. The respondent had this to say: CCTUR4: “I keep myself busy to do away with boredom which is my source of stress”. 4.6.2 Stress management programs in the library This question was about how stress could be managed among respondents through stress management programmes. The respondents were asked whether management conducted some programs or activities to reduce their stress levels and whether they were helpful. All the respondents said management did not conduct any program on how to cope with stress. However, some of them 119 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh indicated that the welfare association organized such programs occasionally and was helpful. A follow up question was also asked to know if management inability to organize such activities was a challenge to them in managing their stress. The majority of respondents indicated that it served as a challenge because they did not have the required knowledge about stress and thereby making its management difficult. Some the staff said they had guidance and counseling centers for only students. The following are some of the responses: TTUR3: “No, but the welfare association occasionally organize games and picnics which are very helpful”. Yes, but management organizing it would have given a lot of knowledge about its signs and management. TTUR5: “No, they don’t. However, there is guidance and counseling Centre for Students but not staff. Yes, the union organizes games at the beginning of the semester and it is not regular. I mean once a year. Better than nothing”. CCTUR2: “Management does not. We sometimes do it ourselves and we have to even write letters to management for approval and if they don’t accept, then we can’t go ahead. Yes, it is, it would have been better if they open counselling centers or bring experts on stress to talk to us, so that we understand it. It is very helpful”. 120 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR4: “No, but our boss mostly tries to find out if anyone has a problem and recommends a solution for those people. They are very helpful. We usually go for excursions twice a year and I think that is also helpful and reduces stress in a way but for some time now, the union has not been able to organize it. But my challenge is management not organizing stress management intervention activities”. CCTUR6: “I have not seen anything like that from management but they rather give us stress. It is a challenge”. CCTUR7: “No, they don’t even know we go through such things (stress)”.Of course yes, such programs would have provided us with a lot of information about stress and it associated problems”. 4.6.3 Suggestions on stress management This question was about suggestions that respondents could offer for managing stress. In soliciting responses from the respondents, two (2) sub-questions were asked. The respondents were asked to offer their views on how stress could be managed in the library. The suggestions that were common to many of the respondents were the provision of logistics, better remuneration, fun games, pleasure trips and teamwork among colleagues. There were other suggestions that were unique to the various respondents and these included free flow of information, deliberate break for staff, financial support for the library, and the introduction of stress management programs for staff, job rotation, ignoring 121 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh abusive colleagues, creation of welfare association, the provision of snack and counseling services for staff. Majority of the respondents suggested that management should provide them with the logistics needed for the work. The respondents had the following to say: TTUR2: “Due to digitization, students prefer to use e-resources to hard copy books. Thus, management should provide all materials we need for the e-library”. TTUR4: “Management should be proactive when solving problems. Problems such as materials to work with shouldn’t persist over two weeks”. CCTUR8: “Resources for work should be made available in order to reduce our burden”. Other respondents stated better remunerations to motivate staff. Some respondent had these to say: TTUR1: “There should be proper incentives and remuneration, especially for weekend and other extra duties. This will go a long way to reduce the stress levels of staff”. Some of the staff said fun games and pleasure trips would help staff to distress. 122 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR2: “They have to organize activities like fun games and counselling”. CCTUR9: “If the library management could organize pleasure trips outside the office, it will take staff away from the routine duties. This could be in the form of games and excursions. I think it will help”. Two of respondents mentioned that cooperation between colleagues in the library could help manage stress. CCTUR3 “The cooperation among colleagues is also very important when it comes to stress management. At times the uncooperative nature of some staff makes it boring and difficult to work”. Suggestions that were unique to various respondent were as follows: TTUR3: “Free flow of information. Reports and complaints should be acted on promptly. There should be regular meetings with the management to enable all staff to voice their concerns.” TTUR6: “We must have a deliberate break, especially when students are also on break”. 123 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CCTUR1: “Management should understand the work and, allow us to walk around or be rotated around for some time. When you work for a while in a particular section, they should transfer you to another area to experience a new environment and responsibilities”. CCTUR5: “I think the finances in the library must be boosted. Get people to attend courses, and make people busy. You know this will not let the stress go but it will decrease it”. CCTUR7: “I think management should be aware of it (stress), so that from time to time invite expert on stress management to talk to us about its symptoms and management. As individual people will like to abuse you, ignore them. Try not to think too much about things you have not been able to achieve”. CCTUR9: “Having welfare associations in the library will also help, because it brings a pool of people together during weddings, funerals and other social activities. Staff gets the opportunity to meet informally. The provision of snacks and other basic things for staff at work, so that they can enjoy and distress. I think if staff can have some recreation”. 124 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS OF THE STUDY 5.1 Introduction The study was to examine the stress management activities of the Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical Universities. The discussion is done in relation to the findings in chapter four and the related literature especially in chapter two. The discussions are organized under the following sub-headings:  Sources of Stress among library staff of Technical Universities  Effect of Stress on Library Staff  Library Staff Management of Stress  Challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress  Suggestions on stress management 5.2 Sources of Stress among library staff of Technical Universities This discussion is about sources of stress experienced by the respondents. The study revealed among others that stress sources among library staff were inadequate resources to work, user behavior, attitude of colleagues, and lack of funding. In addition, lack of requisite knowledge in information communication and technology and inability to retrieve materials also contributes to stress. The findings may not be surprising as most Ghanaian University Libraries are now appreciating the value of library staff as compared to earlier years, where no efforts were made to provide conducive working systems for libraries. The findings support that of Tim and Baird (2005), who indicated sources that bring about stress among library staff as inadequate materials with which to serve library users, inequity in incentive distribution, unruly patrons, and repetitive operations which create boredom. The findings further corroborate those of 125 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Shane (2010), and Misra and McKean (2000), which indicate that, poor interpersonal relationships, low job control, autocratic leadership, non- participation in decision making and the extent of interaction and relationship that occur within the library especially among the boss, colleagues, and subordinates are prominent sources of stress for many library workers. Furthermore, the study revealed that stress among library staff is partly due to the unruly attitude of some users of library facilities. This finding confirmed the views of Griffin et al. (2010) and Bopp and Smith (2001) that staff working with users of a library often found it difficult, because they have questions of all sorts and can quickly ask for information and library content. More so, the study revealed that library staff are stressed through unfavorable working systems, difficulty in commuting to work, poor working environments, job dissatisfaction and work overload. These stressors are not surprising because a study by Mahalakshmi and Sornam (2011) equally confirmed that inadequate scheduling resulting either in dissatisfaction of the library workers, lack of technical assistance at nights and weekends, fear and lack of technological know-how among staff were major sources of stress in contemporary library occupation. The finding of this study also confirms those of Johnson (2007) who argued that library and information science programs are still deficient in government funding in developing countries. No organization can work efficiently without the required resources but this has become a normal routine in the library. Libraries lack the funds to procure both material and human resource. This brings about a lot of pressure on staff, trying to use the limited resources to satisfy the information needs of clients. In every human institution, conflict is 126 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh inevitable. So is the library where both patrons and staff colleagues sometimes show attitudes that make workers feel emotionally uncomfortable. 5.3 Effect of Stress on Library Staff This discussion is about effects of stress on respondents’ productivity and personal lives. In terms of the effect of stress the study revealed that work stress affected library staff’s private lives. These effects were tiredness, anger, moodiness, loss of appetite, loss of concentration and dizziness, lack of peace of mind, being quiet, abnormal sleeping, watery discharge from the eyes and bodily pains. The findings are noteworthy as these effects could go against the general well-being of the affected. Indicating or acknowledging the severity of stress on library staff, the studies of Sarahian et al. (2014) and Lupien et al. (2009) revealed that the effects of stress on library staff can result in structural changes in numerous components of the brain, which may distort human thinking and reasoning actions, etc., and this is confirmed by the current study’s revelation. The findings are further supported by those of Hatef et al. (2015) and Sandi's (2013), which found strong relationships between stress on individual lives and psychological malfunctioning (memory and judgment). In terms the effects of stress on productivity, the study revealed that stress could reduce productivity in most cases. It was evident that equipment to work with in terms of logistics and other working gadgets were not available to library staff, hence their experiencing stress. These could bring stress and reduce thinking as well as creativity, which in turn could reduce productivity. Unsurprisingly, stress indeed has effects on every job productivity as established by the current study because a stressed person may not be in the right frame of mind to work wholeheartedly towards improved output, hence 127 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh low productivity. The findings support those of Mark (2012), Griffin and Clarke (2011), and Marwa, Qureshi and Ramay (2006), which found that performance of workers reduced and exhibited poor work quality as a result of job stress, which in turn reduced productivity. The findings were further supported by several studies such as Ayodele (2014), Indhu and Thirumakkal (2015) and Laiba, Anum, Muhammad and Kashif (2011) which found that stress affects worker productivity negatively. On the contrary, the findings of the current study on job stress and job performance is at variance with those of Aasia, Hadia and Sabita (2014) who found that there is an insignificant relationship between job stress and worker job performance, which means that job stress does not influence workers performance. Stress has an impact on both the institutional image and the employee's personal life. Negative stress is inversely related to work performance because a stressed staff who is tired or angry will not have the needed concentration to attend to users of the library and this results in poor performance. Workers who suffer from prolonged stress may end up having health problems which eventually affect their private life and contribution to the institution and the society at large. 5.4 Library Staff Management of Stress This discussion is about how stress experienced by the respondents could be managed. It came to light from the findings that staff manage their stress by indulging in the following activities; taking walks, allowing the difficulty to go by itself, sharing their problems with others, relaxing and through the use social media tools. Sporting activities, taking the problem out of mind, keeping oneself busy and prayers were also mentioned as strategies the staff used in coping stress. It came to light from the study that management's inability to organize 128 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh stress management programmes, led library staff to adopt different coping strategies in order to bring their stress levels down. The finding is supported by those of Ajalla (2011) who posited that the best approach to manage work-place stress in the library is changing one’s perception of the profession and its stress area. Librarians should take time out to relax when they notice stressful conditions. The finding is also in line with the findings of Nawe, (1995); Shupe and Pung, (2011) which reveal that staff of the library can do simple things like a couple of yoga positions, sit-ups, or even push-ups to raise endorphins or by exercises that can allow them to feel happy and refreshed. The finding of this study is further supported by the work of Lee, Brown, Mekis and Singh (2003) which says that workers should learn to accept the stress situation, instead of worrying. Facing a difficult situation, we will find the answers that we are looking for in an easy manner. Furthermore, the current study also collaborate the findings of the research conducted by Beheshtifar and Nazarian (2013), which reveals that spirituality, reflection and meditation, contribute a lot to reducing undesired tension of workers in their everyday lives. Stressful situations differ from one individual to the other and also people’s ability to cope with stress. Each and every one has his or her own understanding of stress and there are certain categories of stress that are unique to certain professions. This will, therefore, inform workers of the library, as to which type of stress coping strategies to adopt. The nature of work in a library involves sitting for many hours and also engaging in repetitive work and there needs to be management techniques that involve physical movement of the body and activities that will take library workers attention off the repeated work. 129 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.5 Challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress This discussion is about challenges faced by respondents in managing stress. It was clear from the findings that management does not organize stress management activities for their staff. However, staff welfare association organize stress management programs, but such programs are not done on regular basis. Stress is very complex and needs an expert to educate workers on its symptoms and management. As a result of not having a better understanding of stress, staff relied on their understanding of the difficulties they are confronted with in managing their stress, which may not be helpful. These findings are confirmed by those of Nahavandi, Denhardt, Denhardt and Aristigueta (2013) who stated that, to be able to cope with stress and manage it, it is important to know how stress impacts one’s performance, being self-aware and recognize the symptoms of stress as it helps people to use it constructively and avoid its unhelpful characteristic. These findings were also consistent with those of Nawe, (1995); Shape and Pung, (2011), which revealed that when people know that in their lives there are stressful events, they plan and brace for them. Effective planning for stressful events will allow one to cope better over a long term. The best way to manage stress is to be able to identify what it is, the sources and effects of it. Staff who do not have knowledge about all these may have challenges in managing their stress levels because they do know the root cause of what is happening to them. Such workers will engage in treating the symptoms to the neglect of the source, which will make the effects to be recurring. The absence of facilities and programmes to manage stress will not offer staff the opportunity to identify stressful situations and plan for them. 130 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.6 Suggestions on stress management This discussion is about suggestions that respondents could offer in managing stress. The suggestions prominent in the findings were provision of logistics, better remuneration, fun games, pleasure trips and teamwork among colleagues. The other suggestions that were unique to the various respondent included free flow of information, deliberate break for staff, financial support for the library and the introduction of stress management programs for staff. Job rotation, and staff training, ignore abusive colleagues, creation of welfare association, the provision of snack and counselling services for staff were also suggested. Nature and conditions that are prevalent in the library are potential stressors. These current findings are supported by Kodua-Ntim (2017), who indicated that counseling, social assistance, taking advantage of technology, engaging in activities that makes one happy, fair remuneration, appreciation of work done and personal development could be adopted in managing stress. The study further revealed that the staff of the library must be trained to be abreast with the rudiment of the work, and work as a team to distress. These findings are supported by Beheshtifar and Nazarian (2013); Nekzada and Tekeste (2013), who indicated in their studies that management of libraries should ensure that workers are up-to-date and have the appropriate training to be able to carry out their work properly and to track their progress. They should also ensure that flexible working hours are put in place to allow employees to work and enable them get the right guidance where and when it is needed. This would be helpful in reducing stress. In addition to this, teamwork and collaboration between employees could be used as a stress-reduction mechanism. 131 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER SIX SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 Introduction Chapter six presents the summary of major findings, conclusion drawn from the study, and recommendations made for consideration. This chapter also made suggestions on areas for further research. The study was conducted to examine the stress management activities among the Technical University library staff. 6.2 Summary The research was conducted to examine the stress management activities among the staff of Technical University libraries. This work sought to identify the factors responsible for stress, symptoms, the management strategies used in coping with stress, challenges faced in managing and suggestions on how to manage stress among library staff. 6.3 Findings 6.3.1 Sources of Stress among library staff of Technical Universities The findings from the study indicated that staff of the library are not exempted from stress, hence are confronted with various sources of stress. From the findings, the main causes of stress among library staff of Technical universities are inadequate resources to work, unruly user behavior, and bad attitude of colleagues, lack of funding, lack of requisite knowledge in information communication and technology, inability to retrieve materials. 132 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6.3.2 Effect of Stress on Library Staff The study also revealed negative effects of stress on both the library staff and the library itself. The effects identified concerning the individual include tiredness, anger, moody, loss of appetite, loss of concentration and dizziness, lack of peace of mind, being quiet, abnormal sleeping, watery substance coming off the eyes and bodily pains. In terms of organization, it was clear from the finding that it affects performance. 6.3.3 Library Staff Management of Stress The findings showed that staff adopted various stress coping strategies in managing their stress and these include activities such as taking a walk, allowing the difficulty to go by itself, sharing their problems with others, relaxing and through the use social media tools. Sporting activities, taking the problem out of mind, keeping yourself busy and prayers. These activities help them to manage and reduce their stress levels. 6.3.4 Challenges faced by library staff in managing their stress It is also came to light from the study findings that management's inability to organize stress management programs for staff serves as a difficulty in managing their stress levels. This made them not to have the required knowledge about stress, its causes, effects and management. 6.3.5 Suggestions on stress management The finding also revealed numerous suggestions made by library staff, on how to prevent or reduce stress in Technical university libraries. The suggested 133 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh strategies are the provision of logistics, better remuneration, fun games, pleasure trips, teamwork among colleagues, free flow of information, deliberate break for staff, financial support for the library, the introduction of stress management programs for staff, job rotation, staff training, ignore abusive colleagues, creation of welfare association, the provision of snack and counseling services for staff. These suggestions they believe when put in place will help reduce stress in the library. 6.4 Conclusion The role played by libraries in contemporary education cannot be downplayed. With an increasing demand of library resources, the work of library staff has become dynamic, giving room for library staff to adjust to ever increasing demand situations. Efforts by library staff to meet requirements or demands does not happen without experiencing challenges in terms of stress. Stress is inevitable in every human setup and therefore it sources and symptoms need to be identified and the required management strategies adopted. It is important, therefore, that management and librarians put in place measures that will help staff reduce their stress levels so that they could work effectively and efficiently in their information delivery. 6.5 Recommendations Based on the conclusions of the study, the following recommendations were proposed to help manage stress levels among staff of Cape Coast and Takoradi technical university libraries. 134 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6.5.1 Provision of Logistics Management should make sure all the necessary resources and tools needed for the smooth running of the libraries are provided in the right quantities and at the right time. The staff of the library lacks basic materials such as computers and its peripheral devices, internet connectivity among others. It is therefore, recommended that authorities provide these resources to enable them work effectively and efficiently to satisfy the information needs of their client and also reduce their stress levels. 6.5.2 Orientation for clients Most of the staff complain about the unruly behavior of some patrons of the library. It is imperative that management organizes programs on how to use the library for all categories of users and this should be done at least ones a semester. This will provide them with basic knowledge of the library and the important role the library plays in their studies. 6.5.3 Training of staff on human relation It was found in the study that there was no cordial relationship among the staff of the libraries, as many of them complain of abusive and uncooperative colleagues. This brings conflict and a lack of teamwork, which eventually results in low productivity at the workplace. It is recommended that management organizes seminars on human relations, where staff could be taught about good human relations and conflict management. This would help them manage the difficulties they encounter with colleagues and patrons of the library. 135 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6.5.4 Funding Funding should be made available for the libraries to undertake its developmental projects, in order to meet the needs of its clients. 6.5.5 Counseling Counseling services were not provided for the employees of the library and the counseling center only cater for students. Management, therefore, is entreated to establish a counselling center that will serve the needs of the staff since counselling is a major tool in stress management. 6.5.6 Stress Management Intervention The library management needs to introduce stress reduction interventions as the study showed that such measures were nonexistent. These interventions should include excursions, spotting activities and seminars on stress management. 6.5.7 Favorable work environment The work environment was not conducive as it was found in the study that lack of air conditioning machines in the library makes it very warm. There was also dust, noise and a lack of comfortable furniture in the library. It is recommended that management make the environment worker-friendly by installing conditioning machines, fixing broken louvers, reducing the noise levels and provide staff with chairs and desks that are fit for purpose. 6.5.8 Good career development policies Management should put in place good career development programs to facilitate the progress of staff. There should be regular in-service training for staff to make them abreast with current events and technologies that the profession demands. 136 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Those who want to upgrade themselves academically should be awarded full scholarships. It was shown in the study that management rarely organizes in- service staff training and also staff with the intent of continuing their education were not giving full sponsorship and this serves as a disincentive for staff, thereby putting pressure on them. 6.5.9 Creation of welfare associations It is recommended that management should encourage and support activities of staff welfare associations. These associations bring a pool of people together and give social and financial support in times of a wedding, funerals. hospitalization and other social activities. It is evident in the studies that the welfare associations of libraries organize pleasure trips and fun games to help staff socialize and reduce stress. 6.5.10 Provision of staff lounge The study showed that there were no well-organized staff lounge in the libraries and as a result, workers who need to rest do not have a better place to do so. This eventually increase their stress levels. A well-furnished lounge should be provided to staff, with indoor games, internet facilities to access social media and refreshment. 6.6 Suggestions for Studies 1. This study is limited to the library staff of Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical Universities. Further studies can be done in other technical universities. 137 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2. The study sample is limited to professional and paraprofessional staff of the library. Further studies can be done to include the other categories of library staff. 138 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh REFERENCES Aasia, M., Hadia, A. & Sabita, M. (2014). Investigating the Impact of Work Stress on Job Performance: A Study on Textile Sector of Faisalabad. Asian Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 2(1), 20 - 28. Abend, G. (2008). The meaning of ‘theory’. Sociological theory, 26(2), 173- 199. Ademodi, D. T., & Adepoju, E. O. (2009). 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Chichester, UK: Wiley- Blackwell. 163 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX A An interview schedule for professional and para-professional librarians on stress management activities in Cape Coast and Takoradi Technical Universities Interview Questions for Stress Demographic questions 1) Gender (Are you male or female?) 2) Age (How old are you?) 3) What is your educational level? 4) What is your job designation in the library? 5) How long have you been working here in the Library? 6) In which department do you work in the Library? Questions related Sources of Stress 7) How do you commute to work? 8) How many hours per week do you work? 9) Have you ever felt stress or difficulties during your work? (Ergonomics, lighting, humidity etc.) 10) Have you ever moved away from employment in the library because of difficulties? 11) Are you satisfied with your condition of service? (remuneration, promotions and carrier development etc.) 12) What is the main source of your stress or difficulties in the library? 13) What makes you feel stress? 14) Do you feel difficulties or stress as a result of job or other personal 164 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh issues? If yes, what are they? 15) How many clients do you serve in a day in the library? 16) How do you relate with others in the library? a Management b Colleagues c Clients Effect of Stress 17) Does work-related stress affect your productivity at the workplace? 18) Does work-related stress affect your private life? If it does, please indicate in what ways. Questions related to Management of Stress 19) How do you cope up with difficulties or stress? 20) Does management conduct some programs/activities in order to decrease your difficulties or stress? 21) If yes, what do you think? Is it helpful or not? Questions related to Suggestions to Stress Management 22) How do you think difficulties or stress in the library can be managed? 23) What are your recommendations for the people in the library not to feel stress? 165 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX B INTRODUCTORY LETTER 166