The relationship between social responsibility and public libraries accountability: The mediating role of professional ethics and conscientiousness

Abstract

Public libraries are powerful social institutions whose services have a positive contribution to civil society. As one of the most important and most visited social institutions, such libraries are responsible to the community. Promoting social responsibility in public libraries requires addressing issues such as librarians’ accountability, professional ethics, and conscientiousness. Accordingly, this study strives to address this research gap by examining the relationship between organizational social responsibility and accountability perceived by staff in public libraries. Based on theoretical foundations, librarians’ professional ethics and conscientiousness were considered as mediating variables. Quantitative research method was used for this study and six hypothesized relationships were formulated to develop a conceptual model. Study data were collected through a questionnaire. Data obtained from 362 librarians of Iranian public libraries were analyzed running SPSS software and Smart PLS 3.0. The results revealed that perceived social responsibility of public libraries directly contributes to their perceived responsiveness. Furthermore, the implementation of social responsibility by public libraries reinforces the professional ethics and conscientiousness of librarians. As a result, the professional ethics and conscientiousness will lead to improving the accountability of public libraries. Accordingly, this study can help public library administrators, policymakers, and librarians to develop more comprehensive strategies for providing services to citizens by focusing on their social responsibilities, thereby establishing their place in society.