The effect of Professional Ethics on Job Performance Mediated by the Ethical climate in Ahvaz University Libraries

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of professional ethics on job performance by the mediation of the ethical climate in university libraries in Ahvaz.

The present study was applied research in terms of purpose and a quantitative study in terms of method, which has been done by the descriptive-correlation method. The statistical population of the study was librarians of university libraries in Ahvaz, 87 of whom participated in the research by census method. In this study, questionnaires on ethical climate, job performance, and professional ethics have been used. Analyses of instrument reliability using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the ethical atmosphere questionnaire (0.86); the job performance questionnaire (0.80), and the professional ethics questionnaire (0.95) were calculated. To analyze the data, tests such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and structural equation modeling (SEM) using the partial least squares method have been used.

The results showed that professional ethics has a significant effect on the job performance of librarians of university libraries in Ahvaz and the ethical atmosphere of libraries. On the other hand, the moral atmosphere has a significant effect on the professional performance of librarians in university libraries in Ahvaz. The results also indicated that professional ethics through the ethical atmosphere has a significant indirect effect on the job performance of librarians in academic libraries. According to the results, all four research hypotheses have been confirmed.

The existence of ethical frameworks and guidelines in academic libraries can provide the basis for the emergence and consolidation of the ethical atmosphere in these libraries. A librarian can only perform well if he or she can demonstrate his or her moral and behavioral abilities in a favorable ethical environment and thus, can reach a wide range of clients tailored to their needs and characteristics.