Personality characteristics are the basic elements of a person’s self-image and are often considered to have a direct influence on one’s thoughts, behavior, and motivations. Heinström (2003) states that “personality forms an inclination towards certain characteristic reactions in any given situation” (para. 4). The influence that personality has on behavior means that it is a topic of interest to researchers in information science for two main reasons. Firstly, a library user’s personality often has an affect on their information-seeking behavior. As professionals, one of our responsibilities is to understand the nature of this relationship and provide assistance to individuals that is tailored to suit their personality. Secondly, a librarian’s personality characteristics has an influence on their job performance and job satisfaction. Therefore, personality traits are often used as a basis for hiring decisions and a means for identifying who might make a good librarian.
History of the Concept
Personality characteristics are a key focus of the discipline of psychology. Many theorists have developed systems of personality traits in an attempt to understand and predict the relationship between one’s innate sense of self and their behavior. One of the most widely-known of these systems is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which evaluates subjects along four oppositional dimensions:
- extroversion vs. introversion
- intuition vs. sensing
- thinking vs. feeling
- perceiving vs. judging
Personality Characteristics and Information Seeking Behavior
A large amount of LIS research has explored affective or emotional influences on information seeking behavior. Library users may feel anxiety and stress as they are confronted with their lack of knowledge about a subject; on the other hand, they may get a sense of pleasure or satisfaction from a successful search (Heinström 2003, para. 10-11). A user’s personality characteristics may be responsible for the magnitude of their emotional reaction within an information search.
Personality Characteristics in a Professional Context
Some researchers have explored how personality relates to a librarian’s employability. In a study exploring the various elements used to assess candidates for traditional library jobs, Bajjaly (2005) reports that 29% of his respondents, who were seeking to hire a librarian, rated “personality/demeanor” as “critical,” and 60% rated it “very important” (p. 56). To some extent, a disctinction can be made between skills or attributes and personality characteristics. Pemberton, et al. (2005) state that, “competencies may be learned and become part of one’s active behavior; personality can neither be learned nor changed” (p. 56, authors’ emphasis). They place attributes such as neatness and dependability in the first category, and characteristics such as assertiveness and extroversion in the second category.
Works Cited
Bajjaly, S. (2005). Contemporary Recruitment in Traditional Libraries. Journal for Education in Library and Information Science. 46(1), 53-58.
Heinström, J. (2003). Five Personality Dimensions and their Influence on Information Behavior. Information Research., 9(1). Retrieved Nov. 4, 2006, from CSA Library and Information Science Abstracts database.
Pemberton, A., Pemberton, J.M., Williamson, J. and J. Lounsbury. (2005). RIM Professionals: A Disctinct Personality?. The Information Management Journal, 39(5), 54-60.
Additional Links
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator
Personality Psychology on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_Psychology
Katherine M. Becvar