Ah, you must be a librarian. How did you guess, doctor? It’s the boredom, you see; same old books, same old date-stamping, same old fines for late returners, same old shushing of noisy readers. I need to get out more, maybe save a life or two or pass a signal at red.

Delegates at a conference of the British Psychological Society in Glasgow today will hear the results of a research project which suggests that being a librarian induces more stress than working for the emergency services, driving a 125mph express, or teaching a class of ill-behaved children.

Saqib Saddiq, a consultant with SHL, a recruitment company, interviewed 300 people in five occupations, and was surprised to find that the most stressful work environment was the supposed calm of a library, with many of his respondents saying that they were dull and uninspiring places in which to pursue a career.

Librarians complained that there was not enough variety in their work, that they did not have enough control over their careers, and they were not allowed to put their skills to full use.

The lack of job satisfaction meant they were more likely than other professions to be absent from work, or to vent their frustration on their families when they got home.

By comparison, members of the emergency services were happier and more relaxed at work despite often finding themselves embroiled in dangerous or emotional situations. But Mr Saddiq also found that a third of all the workers he interviewed across a range of occupations suffered poor mental health because of work-related stress.

Mr Saddiq, who will present his findings to today’s conference, said last night that those employed in traditionally high-pressure jobs were given training to help them cope with stress. He urged all employers to tackle the problem of stress to improve productivity and cut absenteeism.

“I had no idea being a librarian was so stressful until I carried out this research,” Mr Saddiq said. “I also studied train drivers, teachers and the police and fire services, as these are all occupations which have been in the media recently, complaining about working conditions. I was amazed to discover just how much more stressed librarians were than anyone else in a number of key areas. They were definitely the most stressed overall.”

Librarians, he found, were more significantly unhappy with their workplace than anyone else. “It seems they are sick of being stuck between the same shelves of books all day. They also found their work repetitive and unchallenging, and overall had very little job satisfaction.

“Although police officers and firefighters find themselves in stressful situations, they are at least able to get out and about, and there is much more variety in their work.”

So you see, doctor, the next time you bring back your library book late, I may throw a complete wobbly, just to maintain my sanity.

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