EQUAL GENDER PARTICIPATION OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN PROVISION OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

study investigated equal gender participation of academic librarians in provision of library and information services in Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Library of Federal University of Technology, Minna and Abubakar Gimba Library of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai. These universities were chosen based on their status (i.e. Federal and State owned institutions). Objectives of the study were to: identify the types of library and information services provided in the university libraries and find out if there was equal gender participation of academic librarians in the provision of library and information services in the university libraries in Niger State. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The entire forty-two (42) academic librarians in the two (2) university libraries were used as the respondents in the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the collection of data. The data collected were tabulated and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation. The findings revealed that exhibition, display and counselling services were not provided and there is no equal gender participation of academic librarians in the provision of library and information services in the two university libraries under study. The study recommended that management of the two university libraries should also provide exhibition, display and counselling services and should be gender conscious in the subsequent employment of librarians in order to balance the gender equality of academic librarians in the two (2) university libraries under study.