Female librarians' career progression and job performance in academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigates female librarians' career progression and job performance in academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria. Two objectives with corresponding research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study was 111 female librarians from academic libraries in Benue State. A sample size of 96 was used for the study, using purposive sampling technique. The instrument titled: “Female Librarians' Career Progression and Job Performance Questionnaire (FLCPJPQ)” was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by experts from Library and Information Science and Psychological Foundations of Education, all in University of Uyo. Also, 20 female librarians were used to test the reliability of the instrument from Nasarawa State University library, Keffi. The scores obtained using Cronbach alpha statistics yields the coefficient of 0.80. The instrument was administered with the help of two research assistants. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation statistics to answer research questions. While Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The results revealed that educational qualification and professional development are requirements for career progression of female librarians and has significant influence on their job performance in academic libraries in Benue State. The study recommended among others that management of academic libraries should put in strategies for training of female librarians and sponsorship for attendance of conferences and workshops to update their knowledge and skills relevant for library operations and best practice to enhance their job performance.