Issues in career advancement prospects among librarians in Nigerian universities
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129910251539 |
| Date | 01 March 1999 |
| Published date | 01 March 1999 |
| Pages | 76-83 |
| Author | U. Selong Edem |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Issues in career
advancement prospects
among librarians in
Nigerian universities
U. Selong Edem
Introduction
Career advancement prospects rank high in
the order of importance to every enthusiastic
person when they enter a profession. This is
so because the new entrant may be looking for
upward mobility in his/her chosen profession
or career. Opportunities for career advance-
ment must be sought for and be known, or
explained to, such new staff. To some
personnel, the future prospects available for
job mobility must be seriously examined at
the beginning. To some scholars, career
advancement is tied or related to merit,
whereas to some it is related to seniority.
The literature of personnel psychology and
management science indicates that a lack of
career advancement prospects is frequently
indicated as a strong reason for some per-
sonnel to dislike their job. Furthermore, it has
been stressed that if career advancements are
mentioned and the criteria stressed to newly
employed staff, this could act as a major
contributor to job satisfaction. In some
developed countries such as the UK and the
USA, college and university graduates are
quickly exposed to the promotional opportu-
nities available in some careers.
Consequently, many young bright and ambi-
tious graduates select their jobs largely
because they think that they will have a good
opportunity for career advancement.
Career development means the knowledge
of understanding choices and decisions made
at the employee's entry into a profession.
Career information is significant and contri-
butes to the understanding of individual
differences among employees, their motiva-
tions and the influence of numerous variables
on job satisfaction and productivity. Further-
more, career information enhances career
advancement prospects in that it furnishes
human resources personnel with knowledge
about employee's skills, aptitudes and abil-
ities, which are essential components of job
selection and training decisions.
Career advancement prospects, if made
known to newly employed librarians, would
assist them in meeting their developmental
needs and aspirations, as well as realising their
optimal potential. In the Nigerian university
setting, young entrants into the library pro-
fession with a good first degree in any
discipline or library science are encouraged to
rise in the profession through in-service
programmes or courses available.
The author
U. Selong Edem is Head of the Research Library Division
at the University of Calabar, Nigeria.
Keywords
Career development, Human resource management,
Nigeria, University libraries
Abstract
Survey data were used to examine some issues, obstacles
and the structure of career advancement prospects in
Nigerian universities which was found to be slow and
frustrating to reach the peak by practising librarians. The
survey results indicate that 147 respondents (73 per cent)
identified and rated the combination of professional
duties with the academic work of publishing as their
greatest obstacle to career advancement, whereas 25
librarians (12 per cent) indicate inadequate opportunities
to reach the rank of university librarian as their second
greatest obstacle. Furthermore, empirical results show
that 12 respondents (6 per cent) indicated a lack of higher
educational qualifications in librarianship as their third
obstacle and ten respondents (5 per cent) indicated the
lack of a generally accepted laid down policy on
promotion criteria as their fourth problem, whereas eight
respondents (4 per cent) indicated being uncomfortable
with the unnecessary emphasis on publication output at
the expense of performance of professional duties as their
fifth obstacle. Issues such as the appointment of
professors in university libraries, higher educational
qualifications for librarians, retirement benefits and
uniformity in designations were identified and solutions
proffered. The author recommends the creation of new
positions at the top to reduce frustration and stagnation.
Electronic access
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76
Library Management
Volume 20 .Number 2 .1999 .pp. 76±83
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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