Women Librarians in Nigeria:  Status, Characteristics and Contribution to Development

^1.Dr.(Mrs) Emem P. Udofia and^2.*Abimbola Labake Agboke

1. Department of Education Technonology And Library Science, Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria

2 Faculty of Social Science Resource Centre, University of Uyo  Library, Uyo, Nigeria.

Corresponding Author’s Email: bimbo.agboke@yahoo.com;

Tel: +2347038422276

Accepted 01 April, 2014

Abstract

Objective – This review of literature provides a framework for understanding the profession of   Librarianship. It also focuses on status and characteristics of women librarians in Nigeria and their contribution to national development.Methods – Databases from the disciplines of Library Science and Business and Management, including the larger Social Sciences, were searched for. References to sources that dealt with the status and characteristics of female librarians in Nigeria and worldwide were consulted. Databases were also searched for sources relating to Librarianship and gender practices. Sources were also culled from major bibliographies on women in libraries. Articles and monographs were selected for inclusion in the review if they reported research findings related to these broad topics. Sources from professional literature were included if they offered a unique perspective on live experiences of women librarians.Results – Findings show the number of women in senior leadership roles has increased over the years. Nigeria has many Library and Information Science Schools. They have Bachelor of Library and information Science and degrees at postgraduate levels. Many women librarians have acquired postgraduate degrees in Librarianship. This has made their employment into high positions possible and easy regardless of their female gender. Conclusions: A review of the literature regarding status, characteristics and contribution of women librarians in Nigeria revealed that women have contributed to national development in various ways. It also revealed that gender inequality between women Librarian have drastically reduced because of education of women, because both male and female librarians are being taught with the same academic curriculum.

Keywords: Librarianship, Women, Librarians, Characteristics, Leadership, Positions, Status.