The career and mobility of librarians in Nigeria

In Nigeria library services are developing rapidly as part of a fast developing economy and social infra-structures. This rapid expansion calls for trained manpower to manage the services. It is assumed that a thorough knowledge of existing personnel is essential for adequate planning and implementation of an effective strategy to supply the professional personnel required, both now and in the future, to meet the growing demand. Consequently this study has been undertaken in order to discover the personal characteristics (sex, age, marital status, etc.), social origins, educational backgrounds, and career and mobility patterns of librarians in Nigeria. Factors associated with career advancement and mobility are examined. Why, in the first place, individuals choose librarianship as a career and the contributions they are making to the professional literature and the professional associations are also investigated. Running through this study of a sample of librarians in a developing country is an attempt to relate the findings to those of similar studies in developed countries. The sample consists of 267 librarians (179 men and 88 women) selected from various types of libraries and the library schools in the country. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire. Among other findings, the results show that, unlike in developed countries, male librarians in Nigeria outnumber the female by about two to one. The librarians are relatively young, half not above 35. There are few expatriate librarians. Most librarians come from ordinary working class families and their parents have little or no formal education. About 90% of the librarians are graduates while 99% have professional qualifications. They choose the profession mainly for reasons similar to those of librarians in developed countries; Many have previously tried their hands at other occupations or professions, especially teaching, and they tend to join the profession rather late in life. Most have yet had short professional careers, not exceeding ten years. About 60% are mobile. The majority are satisfied with their professional careers.