INFLUENCE OF INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT ON RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

J. Iwu-James, Y. L. Haliso, O. D. Soyemi, E. Madukoma

Abstract


Institutions that want to maximize the research effectiveness of academic staff in terms of research output must provide the necessary support and enabling environment in which research can flourish. Academic librarians need institutional support in order to succeed in their research. Therefore, the paper examined the influence of institutional support on research productivity of academic librarians in south-west, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design using a self-designed questionnaire to collect data from three hundred and twenty-six academic librarians. The study found that academic librarians were not satisfied with the institutional support provided by their institutions. Majority of the librarians studied were responsible for funding their research expenses. The study also revealed that bureaucratic bottlenecks were considered a major hindrance to the librarians’ access to institutional support. Also, the study found that the top three forms of support librarians consider likely to influence their research productivity were payment of article publication fees followed by sponsorship to attend conference either within or outside the country and stipend to conduct research. The study concluded that University management should place stronger emphasis on supporting academic librarian research. The study recommended that governments and policymakers should prioritize research funding in universities.


Keywords


Institutional support, academic librarians, research productivity and academic libraries

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References


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