COMPETENCIES OF LIBRARIANS: A PIVOTAL FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGER STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the competences of librarians in effective service delivery in university libraries in Niger State. The study was guided by the following research questions: What is the level of competencies of librarians in delivery information services to users in university libraries in Niger State,what is the level of application of competencies in information service delivery to users by librarians in university libraries in Niger State, what are the sources of acquisition of competencies of librarians for information service delivery to users in university libraries in Niger state and what are the challenges hindering librarians from enhancing their competencies towards delivery of information services to users in university libraries in Niger State. The population of the study constituted all academic librarians in the Universities in Niger State. Data were collected through the use of questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics. The major findings of the study showed that the level of competence of librarians was high in providing traditional library services than electronic library services. The study further revealed that librarians often applied their competencies in conducting user education programmes, conducting search interviews through manual medium, communicating effectively orally and in writing and developing innovative services and marketing the library. However, they did not apply their competencies in preserving and managing research data and they rarely conducted search interviews online. Librarians acquired their competencies majorly from library schools and on-the-job experience. The major challenges hindering librarians from improving their competencies were lack of funds and motivation. The study therefore recommends that efforts should be made by librarians to apply their competencies in innovative and electronic information services.