MENTORSHIP PRACTICES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF LIBRARIANS IN UNIVERSITIES IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study examined mentorship practices for professional development of librarians in selected universities in Anambra State. Six research questions guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised fifty-two librarians from five university libraries in Anambra State. The entire population of fifty-two librarians was studied as the number was manageable. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts from Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. The average internal consistency coefficient for the instrument was 0.80 which was considered high enough and reliable for the study. Data collected for the study was analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study showed that mentoring programmes practised in university libraries in Anambra State were traditional, individual, group, supervisory, situational, and e-mentoring. Furthermore, the findings showed that if mentoring is not in existence in these libraries or not properly executed, professional career development of librarians in university libraries will be greatly affected. It will also affect library services to the university community and users' needs will be poorly met. The study recommends that there should be adequate training for newly employed librarians to enable them gain confidence and skills that will help them succeed in their career development. It further recommends that mentors should engage all mentees to participate in the mentoring programmes in order to achieve the goals set for the mentoring programmes.