In vogue: demand for scholarly publications among academic librarians
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-11-2017-0119 |
| Published date | 13 August 2018 |
| Pages | 449-461 |
| Date | 13 August 2018 |
| Author | Nana Tuhufo Quagraine,Baffour Ohene Agyekum |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
In vogue: demand for
scholarly publications among
academic librarians
Nana Tuhufo Quagraine
University Library, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College,
Accra, Ghana, and
Baffour Ohene Agyekum
University Library, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana
Abstract
Purpose –The lack of a country-wide data on the extent to which academic librarians in Ghana publish
combined with perceived publishing challenges as indicated by a number of scholars including Opoku (2012)
leaves much to be desired. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to seek the views of professional librarians
in Ghana on the subject.
Design/methodology/approach –Using a sample size of 45 out of 50 academic librarians who make up the
membership of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries, the study employed the descriptive
survey research strategy in identifying the prospects and challenges associated with academic publications
among librarians in Ghana.
Findings –Opportunities for growth, institutional encouragement, requirements for promotion, and
opportunities for research training are some of the factors that motivated academic librarians to publish in
scholarly journals notwithstanding the pressures to perform their professional duties. Challenges often
encountered included lack of research grants, high rejection rate of publishing agencies, lack of researchskills
and difficulty in getting access to research journals.
Practical implications –On the basis of the above, the establishment of research fund and an award
scheme for persons or units with the highest number of publications among others are recommended.
Originality/value –With the exception of cited works, all other forms of this research output are the
handiwork of the researchers and have neither been a reproduction of existing research nor ever published in
any other journal.
Keywords Publishing, Challenges, Scholarly communication, Prospects, Academic librarians,
Scholarly journals
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In today’s world, globalization is leading manyAfrican Universities to requireof their faculty
members to conduct research and publish both locallyand internationally. This hasbecome a
major criterion for assessment for the purposes of tenure, promotion, contract renewal and
faculty recruitment exercises. Accordingly, the rate of publication in reputed journals has
become a major criterion for faculty assessment (Kwan, 2009; Ocholla et al., 2013).
The situation reinforces an enduring belief in academia often referred to as the “publish
or perish”phenomenon (Caplow and McGee, 1958). Pressure to publish has long been
considered a fact of life within all academic disciplines (Lucas, 2006; Smith, 1990), including
that of librarianship and information management (Baruch and Hall, 2004).
As a result of the above position, academic librarians, just like their colleague faculty, in
public universities are equally expected to conduct and publish their research outcomes.
In most parts of Africa, of which Ghana is no exception, it is often surprising to most
academics, especially those in teaching, to learnof librarians engaging in research as a result
of the generalbelieve that librarians have oftenrestricted themselves tothe traditional library
duties of shelving, checking books in and out, and classifying and cataloguing books in the
library (Ocholla et al., 2013). Howev er, Verzosa (2007) and Bass et al. (2008) are of the opinion
Library Management
Vol. 39 No. 6/7, 2018
pp. 449-461
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-11-2017-0119
Received 1 November 2017
Revised 5 March 2018
Accepted 10 April 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
449
Demand for
scholarly
publications
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