Relationship between Family Responsibilities and Performance of Staff at University Libraries in Meru County

Abstract

Library staff are obligated to run the day-to-day operations of university libraries by providing information materials to students and faculty to support learning and research as well as manage family needs like shopping, house management, and child care. For library staff to work effectively there is need for minimal interference of work from family responsibilities however, libraries operate throughout the year librarians are rooted within the university, leading to lack of work and family balance. Family responsibilities and work responsibilities require much attention of the university library staff leading to fatigue, burnout and poor job performance. This research aimed at examining the relationship between family responsibilities and work performance of university library staff. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of family responsibilities on the performance of university library staff. The research was anchored on spillover theory, and adopted a descriptive survey research design. Thirty eight (38) university library staff from (four) 4 universities in Meru County were selected as respondents using census method. Data was collected using questionnaires, and it was analyzed descriptively using inferential statistics. Results indicated that library employees perform well in the work place despite family responsibilities. The research concluded that family responsibilities affect university library staff work performance to a very small extent, thus they are able to carry out their work duties.  The research recommends that future studies be carried out to provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between family responsibilities and performance of university library staff in Kenya.