In-House Communication Patterns on Job Satisfaction of Library Staff: A Case Study of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri Nigeria

The study focused on influence of in-house communication patterns on job satisfaction of library staff. The descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The study covered the entire population of 73 library staff. The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The finding shows that memo has no influence on job satisfaction of library staff. That newsletter and intercom have influence on job satisfaction of library staff. The study recommends that memo as an in-house communication pattern need to be reengineered for job satisfaction of library staff while further study is necessary to establish the reason/s behind low performance of memo as an in-house communication pattern.


Introduction
Communication can take various forms but all forms involve the transfer of information from one party to another. In order for the transfer of information to qualify as communication, the recipient must understand the meaning of the information transferred to him. If the recipient does not understand the meaning of the information conveyed to him, communication has not taken place. Communication is the life source of any organization because organization involves people. People cannot interact with each other without communication. In the absence of communication in an organization everything will be grinded to a halt.
According to Adair (2010), without communication in an organization, workers in an organization would not know the organization's objectives, so they would not strive to achieve the objectives. The author maintained that the workers in an organization would not know what the roles and responsibilities are, so they would not be able to carry out their daily task and duties. Managers will not be able to train their workers, which means the workers will not possess the skills needed to carry out their jobs. Furthermore, Organizations may engage in upward or downward communication. Downward communications are communication created by directors and managers and passed down the hierarchy of the organization. In traditional organizations, this is the preferred method of communication, i.e. manager decides the systems, rules and procedure and then pass these down to the employees they manage and supervise. Downward communication can increase efficiency by synchronizing procedures and can ensure that everybody is working towards the same aims and objectives. Types of downward communication include, job descriptions appraisal/evaluation, organization policy, and organizational system. Although there are advantages to downward communication, organizations are beginning to encourage upward communication which may increase motivation and make employees feel valued and respected whilst enabling managers to understand how employees are feeling. Upward communications include suggestions scheme, feedback forums/surveys, grievance procedures and employee manager discussions (Agarwal, 2014). Hornby (2006) defines satisfaction as the rate at which a worker, a company or a country enjoys the turnover of goods and services at the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money needed to produce them. This definition implies that satisfaction is measurable or quantifiable. We may therefore have relative cases such as low, improved, increased or decreased satisfaction. Hornby (2006) further describes a job as a work for which one receives regular payment and the word 'satisfactory' as the good feeling that you have when something that you wanted to happen does happen.
Job satisfaction therefore implies the pleasant emotional state of fulfillment derived by workers in an employment, when the conditions within their organization suits their personal expectations. The extent to which library staff are influenced by inhouse communication patterns towards job satisfaction motivated this research.

Literature Review
According to Thomas (2012), in-house communication is a process of transmitting information between different parts of an organization. It is one of the basic functions of management in any organization. For communication with the outside world, organizations use advertising materials, news releases and audio visual aids. However, for communication within organization and with employees, different forms of communications are used such as in-house magazine, memo, intercom, newsletter, query and workshop to transmit ideas, thoughts and information.
Memo writing is something of an art form, as a letter is not a memo, nor is a memo a letter. A memo is a short, to the point communication conveying your thoughts, reactions or opinions on something. According to Newman (2013), memo can call people to action or broadcast a bit of timely news, as with all writing, memo writing needs a structure because they are short, if not, it will destroy the memo's effectiveness and become a waste of productive time to those that read it and to the person who wrote it. If you have something longer than a page, it is better to send it as an attachment or a document that follows the memo used as a cover letter. Never make a memo too long. If someone takes a glance at a memo that appears to be too long, there's a good chance it will be set aside for a time when they are not busy. This can defeat your memo's purpose which is timely communication. A memorandum which is abbreviated as memo can have only a certain number of formats.
According to Pearsall and Cook (2009), a memo may have a format specific to an office or institution. In law specifically, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, or memorandum of association. Alternative formats include memos, briefing notes, reports, letters or binders. They could be one page long or many. They may be considered as grey literature, if the user is a cabinet minister or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. If the user is a colleague, the format is usually more flexible. At its most basic level, a memorandum can be a handwritten note to one's supervisor. In business, a memo is typically used by firms for internal communication, as opposed to letters which are typically for external communications. Hence, we can consider memoranda as an upward communication process through which complaints; issues, opinions, views and suggestions are put forward to the authorized level.
Newsletter is a brief report, especially an official statement on a matter of public interest issued for immediate publication or broadcast. It is a brief update or summary of current news, as on television or radio or in a newspaper. It could be periodical, especially one published by an organization or society and could also be a printed programme, (Bear, 2017). According to Archard (2014), newsletter is a pamphlet-type regular or irregular periodical issued by an institution or other organization usually for announcements or news. A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication that is generally about one main topic of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. For example, newsletters are distributed at schools to inform parents about things that happen in that school. In the words of Anderson (2014), newsletters are published by clubs, churches, societies, associations, and libraries to provide information of interest to members, customers, users or employees. A newsletter may be considered as grey literature.
Intercom is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings, functioning independently of the public telephone network. Intercoms are generally mounted permanently in buildings and vehicles. Intercoms can incorporate connections to public address loudspeaker systems, Walkie-talkie, telephones, and to other intercom systems. Some intercom systems incorporate control of devices such as signal lights and door latches (Bolinder, 2011).
Wilson (2013) opines that an office intercom is useful for any business owner, whether they have regular visitors or they are a closed site as one can choose from a variety of options, including buzzer, swipe card or with a PIN code, or opt for an ultramodern biometric lock with an intercom built in. Whatever the size of the company or the purpose of the office, there are a number of benefits to having the intercom professionally installed. Anderson (2014) views intercom as a security apparatus, according to the author, security is important wherever you work, from top security government sites through to small branch offices. An intercom system means entry can always be monitored, and is especially important if there is no formal reception area. If you only have one person on your reception desk, an intercom is a vital gateway that prevents malicious visitors or out of hours calls to the company office. Angel (2013) opines that a secure building is an attractive proposition to potential owners if it has a comprehensive intercom system in place. They can take ownership, move staff in and not have to worry about the safety of their employees. If the building is to be used as a facility for other purposes other than just staff -as a storage unit business for example -the cost savings are huge, and the efficiency gains considerably.

Statement of the Problem and Objectives of Study
Scholars in various past studies have linked satisfaction with workers' state of mind with their jobs. Whichever of the communication pattern an organization chooses, possesses the likelihood of affecting the satisfaction of its staff on their job and invariably the attainment of their organizational goals. It is against this backdrop that this study intends to investigate the influence of in-houses communication patterns on job satisfaction of library staff using Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri Imo State Nigeria as a case study.
The key objectives of the study are subsumed in the following research questions investigated: 1) What is the influence of memo on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria? 2) What is the influence of Newsletter on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri Imo State, Nigeria? 3) What are the influences of intercom on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria?

Methodology
The describe survey design was adopted for the study, using the questionnaire as the instrument for data collection in other to find out the influence of inhouse communication patterns on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri, Nigeria. The population of the study is 73 (seventy three) library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri, Nigeria.
The questionnaire is titled In-House Communication Patterns on Job Satisfaction of Library Questionnaire (ICPJSLSQ). The face and content validity of the instrument was determined by experts in the Departments of Library and Information Science and Measurement and Evaluation.
No sample size was drawn from the population. This is because the population of the study is small and accessible. The census method was used to ensure that opinions of all the staff in the library at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Nigeria were captured for the study.

Data Analysis
Seventy three copies of the questionnaire were given to library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Library Owerri, Nigeria. All were returned, giving a response rate of 100%. SPSS version 21 was used for analysis. The inclusion criteria was set at 2.50.

Research Question 1
What is the influence of memo on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria?      (2013)), also agreed with the above assertion by positing that an organisation with comprehensive intercom system makes for positive job satisfaction.

Conclusion and Recommendation
On the bases of findings and discussion therefrom the study concludes that intercoms and Newsletters are the in-house communication patterns that have greater positive influence on job satisfaction of library staff at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. This could be true for other library establishments both nationally and in diaspora. The following are therefore recommended:  Feedback of key stakeholders like management and staff members should regularly be taken on in-house communications methods to discover their influence on job satisfaction of staff members.  The memo as an in-house communication pattern need to be reengineered for job satisfaction of library staff generally and specifically at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria that works in the interests of both the employees as well as the management.  A further study is needed to establish the reason/s behind low performance of memo as an in-house communication pattern both internationally and in Nigeria.  An international comparative study is recommended with a view to corroborating/refuting the findings of this study.

Competing Interests
None of the authors received any external financial and or other subvention/assistances from individuals or parties in the course of this study that could be considered to amount to conflict of interest.