Navigating the Physical Work Environment of Libraries: Perspectives from Pakistani Female Librarians

This study investigates the congeniality of physical workspaces given to female librarians in the academic sector of Punjab, Pakistan. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed to explore the phenomenon. Female librarians working in Higher Education Commissions' (HEC) recognized universities of Punjab province participated in the study. For the quantitative phase, a census survey sampling technique was employed for collecting data by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 89 females, and 77 responded with a response rate of 86.5 percent. The quantitative results highlighted the satisfaction of female librarians with the physical work environment conditions. For the qualitative phase, twenty outlier cases were identified from the quantitative phase, however, only fourteen consented to participate. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants by using a pre-prepared interview guide. NVivo was used for qualitative data analysis while SPSS-23 was used for the quantitative data analysis. Results revealed a concern among female librarians regarding the open desk system in libraries: they shared that open desk offices not only lack esthetic appeal for users but also disrupt librarians during crucial tasks, thereby highlighting potential drawbacks of this workspace arrangement. This study is unique in its nature as it delves into assessing the physical work environment in Pakistani libraries, focusing specifically on the viewpoint of female librarians.