The roles of libraries and librarians in integrating national development in South-Eastern Nigeria
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| Pages | 215-227 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-08-2017-0076 |
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Author | Ngozi Perpetua Osuchukwu,Philips Oluwaseun Ayeni |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
The roles of libraries and
librarians in integrating national
development in
South-Eastern Nigeria
Ngozi Perpetua Osuchukwu
Department of Library and Information Science,
Madonna University, Okija, Nigeria, and
Philips Oluwaseun Ayeni
Department of Library, Fidelis Oditah & Co., Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –The services of the libraries are to disseminate information and create awareness on issues of
importancein the society. Oftentimes, it is not very clear onwhat and how the entire communitycan be reached,
thus denyingsome groups opportunities to be integrated toward actualization and contributionto the national
development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the information activities provided by libraries and
librarians in promoting development and social integration through identification of community members,
harnessingthe output indicators of what,where, when, why and how in engagingthe people, investigating the
constraints andthe implications of the findings to community contributiontoward national development.
Design/methodology/approach –The study was designed using Spidergram to incorporate 5Ws and H
(who, what,when, where, why and how) in informationengagement for socialinclusion. There was no sampling
as all the 88 participants have enriching discussion on sustainable development,filling the questionnaire that
were structuredon a four-point scale of stronglyagree (SA), agree (A), disagree(D) and strongly disagree (SD).
There was also the use of interview which the participants actively interfaced on. Data were collated and
analyzed using frequency tables and mean scores with2.5 benchmark set for acceptable or rejected item.
Findings –Result revealedthat many people are unaware of nationalsustainable developmentbut are willing
to create spaces to be integrated in nation building. There is the need for libraries and librarians to provide
information that goes beyond a simple consultation or support process but to expand into meaningful and
inclusive collaborations, buildingstronger relationships and partnerships within the community. Participants
expresseddispleasure on late information,low literacy, lack ofengagement from libraries andlibrarians, among
others, and indicated that their meetingvenues are excellent spaces for information activities.
Practical implications –If the community members are excluded from inclusive information participation,
they will be denied of their fundamental rights to access to information. With that, they will not take their
rightful place in sustainable national development. On the other hand, the libraries and librarians will
continue to be relegated to the background. Since it has been established that many people need information
and are willing to create spaces to get it, it is necessary that the best practices are adopted in adding values to
national development.
Social implications –Disseminating information to wide groups of audience enhances free discussion
which can lead to understanding of needs, mutual respect, problem solving and increase in knowledge of
national development.
Originality/value –This research employs spidergram with the adoption of who, what, where, when, why
and how (5Ws and H) in tracing the engagements of libraries/librarians in service provision for active national
development. it provides a unique approach toward investigating the relevance of libraries and librarians in
ensuring national development.
Keywords Libraries, Integration, Information, Community, Librarian, National development
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Librarians are in the information business which entails that they must have ongoing
activities to ensure their services are felt with strong indication of affecting changes in the
society. This is not about a particular library, it is about acknowledging the real concept of
Library Management
Vol. 40 No. 3/4, 2019
pp. 215-227
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-08-2017-0076
Received 15 August 2017
Revised 30 November 2017
Accepted 18 January 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
215
National
development in
South-Eastern
Nigeria
To continue reading
Request your trial