Gateway Information Journal

Organisational Commitment as a Determinant of Librarians’ Turnover Intention in University Libraries in South-West, Nigeria

2025-02-17T21:13:46+00:00

Turnover intention is a core index that predicts probable loss or retention of staffs in any organization, university library inclusive. High turnover intention is a serious managerial challenge; as it impacts greatly on the cost of personal recruitment and development. Literatures have identified high turnover intention as a major concern to organization worldwide about the job mobility of their employees. Previous studies in Nigeria have established high turnover intention among librarians. This development may be attributable to poor organizational commitment of the librarians. This study investigated organizational commitment as a determinant of librarians’ turnover intention in universities in South-West, Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of 204 librarians working in 11selected university libraries in South-West, Nigeria. The study used a survey research design and data were gathered through a structured questionnaire. The study found that turnover intention of librarians in universities in South-West, Nigeria was low indicating that they are not really keen about job changes. It also reveals that librarians’ organizational commitment is high, and that organizational commitment is a significant determinant of librarians’ turnover intention F(1,143) = 19.602, p < .05) with R² = 0.121. The study concludes that organizational commitment is a key factor influencing librarians’ turnover intention. It was thus recommended that the management of libraries should make effort to sustain the librarians’ low turnover intentions and high level of commitment.

Demographic Variables and Lecturers’ Use of Electronic Information Resources in Selected Federal University Libraries in South-East, Nigeria

2025-02-17T21:26:55+00:00

Electronic information resources (EIRs) provide ready access to authoritative, reliable and accurate information for teaching, research and scholarly communication; yet, some lecturers underutilize the resources. This study investigated lecturers’ use of EIRs exploring the influence of age and professorial rank. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 4,265 lecturers from which a sample of 428 lecturers were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data obtained from 372 usable questionnaires were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation and z-test was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that lecturers’ use of EIRs was low. The respondents were asked to rate their use of EIRs; there was no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers below 41years and those who are 41 years and above. There was also no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers below professorial rank and those on professorial rank. The paper recommended that the libraries should promote maximum utilization of EIRs through provision of adequate ICT infrastructure and awareness programmes. The libraries should not discriminate EIR services for lecturers based on age and professorial rank. Young and elderly lecturers should be offered equal opportunities in terms of access to, and training on the use of electronic information resources.

Predictors of Students’ Use of School Library in Private Secondary Schools in Afijio Local Government Area, Oyo State

2025-02-17T21:44:57+00:00

This study explored the predictors of the use of library by private secondary school students in Afijio Local Government Area, Oyo State, focusing on purposes of library use, information needs, and library anxiety. A survey design was employed, selecting 11 private secondary schools in Afijio Local Government Area, Oyo State, with a total of 520 SS2 students through purposive sampling. The Probability Proportionate to Size (PPS) was applied to select 224 participants, representing 43% of the population. The study used questionnaire for data collection. Data was analyzed using frequency counts, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance. The findings reveal that library usage among private secondary school students in Afijio Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria, was low, with most students using the library only once a week, primarily for academic purposes. Notably, library anxiety exhibited a significant negative relationship with library use, indicating that it serves as a key determinant of library utilisation. However, while information needs alone did not significantly related with library use, the combined effect of information needs and library anxiety played a role in determining students' usage of library resources. Based on these findings, the study recommends that librarians create a supportive and student-friendly library environment, implement orientation and training programmes, improve resource availability and accessibility, and address library anxiety through awareness campaigns.

Awareness and Use of Serial Publications by Undergraduates of Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

2025-02-17T21:53:01+00:00

Serial publications contain current, expert-reviewed information essential for students and researchers. This study was carried out to examine awareness as a determinant of use of serial publication by undergraduates of Federal University, Lokojo. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The population consisted of 3,500 undergraduates. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the participants. A sample of 346 undergraduates was determined using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) Table of sample size determination. The participants were drawn from three departments from each of the five faculties at the Federal University, Lokoja. Data was collected with an adapted questionnaire. The validated questionnaire had Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.861. A total of 301 valid copies of the questionnaire were retrieved from 346 copies administered to the respondents representing an 86.9% response rate. Descriptive statistics and simple regression were used to analyse the quantitative data. The findings revealed that "personal findings" were the most agreed-upon source of awareness. Students at Federal University, Lokoja, demonstrated a high level of knowledge about serial publications. Furthermore, awareness positively influenced the use of serials. The study recommends establishing departmental libraries to improve access to library resources, enhance engagement with serials, and promote a stronger research capacity and learning culture among students.

Work Life Balance, Reward System, Organisational Justice and Turnover Intention of Librarians in South-West, Nigeria

2025-02-17T21:58:09+00:00

Turnover intention among librarians is on the high side and poses significant challenges such as loss of experienced staff, disruptions in library services and increased costs of recruitment and training. The study investigated the influence of work-life balance, reward systems and organizational justice on turnover intention. Survey research design was adopted in this study. Population for the study comprised 412 librarians from universities across South-West, Nigeria. A sample size of 205 was determined using Yamane’s formula. Proportionate sampling technique was used to select the librarians. A structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection with 97% response rate. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the study revealed that work-life balance (R²= 0.451; β = 0.593, t = 3.500, p < 0.05), reward system (R²= 0.388; β = 0.377, t = 4.442, p < 0.05) and organizational justice (R²= 0.510; β = 0.314, t = 4.058, p < 0.05) had a significant and joint influence on turnover intentions of librarians in universities in South-West, Nigeria (Adj.R²= 0.427, F(2, 195) = 166.541, p 0.05). The study concluded that work-life balance, reward system and organisational justice contributed to turnover intention of librarians in universities in South-West, Nigeria. It recommended that library and university administrators should formulate and implement policies to improve work-life balance, reward system and sustain organizational justice, in order to minimize turnover intention.