rECRUITMENT VARIABLES IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS
1. RECRUITMENT VARIABLES IN
THE EMPLOYMENT OF LIBRARY
AND INFORMATION
PROFESSIONALS IN
ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH
LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA
Chimezie P. Uzuegbu (CLN, ACIA, MNIM)
&
Uche Arua
Maiden conference of the Nigerian Library Association, Abia State Chapter @ National Root Crops
Research Institute, Umudike. Dec.11-13, 2012
2. INTRODUCTION
It is common knowledge that staff
is the very important element of
every organisation.
The success of any kind of library
in her provision of maximum
satisfaction to its clientele is
indisputably dependent on
competent and trained personnel.
3. Consequent to this, internal and
external job recruitment
advertisements for librarians
positions in academic and research
institutions in Nigeria lay emphasis on
certain variables as requirements for
employment of applicants.
Some of the requirements include
qualification, experience, age, et
cetera.
But, there is a problem -
4. PROBLEM
The problem is that:
No one knows the extent to which the
recruitment variables are employed to weigh
the suitability of librarian applicants in
academic and research libraries.
Besides, the view of practicing library and
information professionals in the context of
what or to what extent some of these variables
should be considered in recruitment exercise
for librarians in Nigeria is scarcely available in
the literature.
Thus, these necessitated the study -
5. As a PURPOSE therefore,
the researchers sought:
To find out from practicing librarians
what employers should consider as
requirements for the employment of
librarians
To find out the level of importance to
be attached to each recruitment variable
To make suggestions that will aid the
consideration and recruitment of library
and information professionals in Nigeria.
6. To get answers to the purpose of
the study, the researchers
employed – METHODOLOGY:
A survey research design
Librarians (professionals) working in
academic and research institutions libraries
in Abia State consisted the population.
By a purposive sampling, 27 librarians
from 5 libraries were surveyed.
24 librarians completed the four-point-
scale (modified Likert) instrument and the
24 copies was found valid for analysis.
7. FINDINGS
Based on the purpose of the study,
the list below shows the recruitment
variables as given by respondents,
exactly in the order of their priority:
1. Educational qualifications:
respondents say that librarian
applicants must possess degrees in
librarianship.
8. 2. Nationality/locality:
Employment of applicants must
essential be after an equal
opportunity test for applicants
regardless of nationality/locality
3. Referee report: references
must definitely be in favor of
the applicant
9. 4. Work experience: only to be
considered in the recruitment of
applicants to higher grades.
5. Age: mandatory for all grades
of applicants
6. ICT skills: a practical knowledge
of it must be demonstrated by
applicants.
10. 7. Membership to LIS professional
bodies: applicants must belong to
professional bodies in the LIS
profession.
8. Evidence of research and
publications: applicants, more for the
higher grades, should be published in
reputable Journals more than in
other scholarly publications
11. 9. Sex of applicant: it should not
matter.
10. Marital status: not
necessarily important for
applicants.
12. RECOMMENDATIONS
Librarians have swept the need for
research and publication as a
crucial requirement for their
employment under the carpet. It
should not be so. After all, they
are academics. (See Conference
book pg 46 for more
recommendations).
13. CONCLUSION
Manpower is the most vital and powerful of all
the resources of any organization. A library
can have an excellent collection of documents,
plenty of online resources and a beautiful and
comfortable building, but if it does not have a
well-trained, competent staff, it will lose its
value, given the fact that the users using the
library will not be served properly. This
research has identified ten recruitment
variables which are recurrently listed in
Nigerian job advertisements for librarians as
key areas of consideration for employment.
