Thinkers with a Heart: Emotional-Social Intelligence of Award-Winning Reference and Information Services Librarians in Academic Libraries

Abstract

Research indicates that emotional-social intelligence is essential in providing quality customer service. Library and information science (LIS) literature emphases the need to know more about the skill set librarians need to weave themselves into the personal workspace of users and to provide high quality customer service. The purpose of this mixed methods study, designed using Creswell’s (2014) recommendations for explanatory sequential mixed methods in two phases, was to investigate the phenomenon of emotional intelligence in academic RIS librarians. Nineteen participants, who are award-winning academic RIS librarians, completed the Bar-On EQ-I 2.0 by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (2011). Participants’ total, composite scale and sub-scale scores were analyzed to determine levels of emotional-social intelligence. Additionally, the study gathered age, gender, and years of experience demographic information from the participants. Eleven participants responded to semi-structured interview questions addressing foundational beliefs of RIS, views on essential competencies and traits for customer service, and perceptions of the need for continuous development of competencies and traits. Although findings indicate that not all participants scored in the high-range on the EQ-I 2.0, they had emotional-social intelligence levels comparable to other professionals. The highest scores of the participants were on the Interpersonal composite scale and the three sub-scales associated with it: social responsibility, empathy, and interpersonal relationships. Analysis of age, gender, and years of professional experience found some significant differences in the composite scales and sub-scale scores. This study demonstrates that the Bar-On mixed-model of emotional-social intelligence, as operationalized in the EQ-I 2.0, can be used to inform the creation of a new model comprised of the essential components of the emotional-social traits and competencies necessary for providing quality customer service in today’s academic libraries.