The Effect of Individual Differences on Emotional Labor Among University Circulation Librarians in Taiwan

As part of the service industry, libraries commit to providing high-quality public services. Therefore, the circulation librarians should manage their emotions and maintain a pleasant manner when accommodating readers’ needs. Such regulation of one’s emotions is called “emotional labor.” Using questionnaires, this paper assesses the effects of circulation librarians’ backgrounds, including their gender, age, marital status, seniority in the library, seniority in responsible department, educational background, related professional training, and supervisorship, on their emotional labor. This study expects that university library directors or managers will endeavor to understand the emotional labor of circulation librarians and to formulate related strategies for emotional management, thus enhancing the overall quality of the library service.