Job performance of academic librarians in selected federal university libraries in North-West, Nigeria

Abstract

The research investigated the job performance on academic librarians working in federal university libraries in the North-West region of Nigeria. The study employed a survey research design and focused on a total population of 221 academic librarians across 3 federal university libraries in the North-West region of Nigeria. In order to ensure comprehensive coverage and eliminate potential bias, the researcher chose to use a total enumeration or census method without employing any sampling technique. This decision was based on the manageable size of the population and the researcher's intention to achieve generalizability of the findings. Data was collected using a questionnaire as the research instrument, with a total of 221 questionnaires distributed and 176 (88.8%) returned by the respondents and utilized for data analysis. The questionnaire's validity and reliability were ensured through validation and a reliability test, resulting in Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 0.95 for the constructs. The collected data underwent analysis using descriptive statistics. The findings indicated a high level of job performance among academic librarians in the selected federal university libraries in the North-West region of Nigeria, with an Average Weighted Mean of 3.30 on a 4-point scale. Job performance was assessed through three indicators: declarative knowledge, motivation, and procedural knowledge. Based on the results, the study concluded that job performance contributes to the functioning of academic librarians in federal universities situated in the North-West region of Nigeria. Consequently, it was recommended that library management in public university libraries in the North-West region of Nigeria should take proactive measures to sustain and support the high level of job performance exhibited by academic librarians.