Jewel Journal of Librarianship

ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)

Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

Human Resource Management Practices in Academic Libraries:

Issues and Challenges
By

IKOKOH, Catherine Enatta.

National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Abuja.
[email protected];

OSINULU, Ifeakachuku.
Centre for Learning Resources: Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State

TONUKARI, Kesiena Paul.

Babcock. University PhD Student,
[email protected]
Abstract
Human resource is the most important asset of any organization, and the efficient
management of this resource is critical to meeting the goals of the organization.
Organizations have distinct human resource management policies, processes, and
procedures which are used in managing these human resources. The academic library, like
every other organization uses some sets of human resource management (HRM) practices to
manage its human resource functions to meet the goals for which it is established. This paper
discussed HRM practices in academic libraries, and outlined some of the issues and
challenges the management of academic libraries face in managing its human resource
practices in academic libraries in Nigeria, and finally it was concluded that the changes
taking place in the academic library is rapid and unprecedented because of new knowledge
creation and it is necessary for library staff to be abreast of these changes, and some
recommendations were made on how to mitigate against some of the challenges outlined in
the HRM practices in academic libraries in Nigeria. Such as heads of libraries liaising with
HR managers of institutions to put together guidelines and procedures that will address every
aspect of HRM practices.

Keywords: Human Resource, Human Resource Management, Human Resource

Management Practice, Academic Library.

Introduction

People are the main drivers of organizations. To a large extent, they are the determinants of
the success or failure of the organization. To remain committed and motivated, they must be
managed in a transparent, consistent, and fair manner. To achieve this, organizations develop
their human resource management practices to drive the management of its human resources.
These practices provide a structure and control that guide organizational decisions regarding
the acquisition and management of its human resources. The academic libraries in Nigeria are
no exceptions; its human resource is the core of the services it renders to the academic
community. The quality of any library service rest upon two foundations, the quality and
commitment of the staff and the support and resources provided by the parent body.

164

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

According to Insaidoo (2001) as cited by Adeniji, Babalola and Adeniji (2012), “human
resources are the key to sustainable library services in any organization. When the services of
any library are evaluated, the staff of that library is indirectly evaluated. There is therefore the
need to have efficient and dynamic personnel that can translate the objectives of the library
into reality.” New knowledge is constantly being created within and outside the academic
environment that may need to be managed by the academic library. Therefore, the library is
regularly in a state of flux with new knowledge and new ways of working. The personnel in
the library need to be properly managed to anticipate and cope with these changes. Hence the
human resource management practices in academic libraries should be up-to-date and capable
of nurturing the right personnel to meet the objectives of the library.

Like in other organizations there is a need for systematic development of human resources in
libraries. However, there are issues and challenges in implementing these practices. This
paper takes a look at these challenges with the aim of proffering some solutions. A library’s
HRM officer works with its staff, staff and understudy workers to facilitate all viewpoints of
their specific work related issues. Locked in both the scholastic and authoritative sides of the
institution, these individuals may moreover be included in budgeting and arranging and work
on the administration group that reports to the library executive Soe (2020).This is lacking in
most libraries, because HRM issues within most organizations usually sideline library and
their involvement even when it comes to recruiting library staff.

Concept of Human Resource Management (HRM)

Human Resource Management is responsible for how people are treated in

organizations. It is the management which deals with the human as a resource. It
brings people by helping them in performing their work, compensating them for their
labors, and solving problems that arise into the organization. There are seven
management functions of a human resources (HR) department, staffing,
performance appraisals, compensation and benefits, training and development,
employee and labor relations, safety and health, and human resource research.
HRM organize people toward the attainment of the organizational goal.

It is a planned process by that an organization can control their employees and use
them as a proper resource. HR is the system that an organization uses to know
about their employees and evaluate them. The most important point is that, under
HRM, employees can develop themselves by training so that they can do the job
properly. The core business of the HR manager is to develop employees, including
the selection and hiring of people, the training and developing of staff, evaluating
their performance, rewarding them, and creating a culture of learning and
development. HRM emphasizing the acquisition, organization and motivation of
human resources (Armstrong 2000), as it is the management of the organization’s
employees.

Understanding HRM depends highly on the various perspective taken. HRM could
be conceived as a resource-based employment relationship or as a part of strategic
management function (Beardwell and Holden, 2001), that reflect a shared
responsibility among managers, employees, customers and suppliers for HRM
(Gloet, 2006). Therefore, HRM can be defined as a specific combination of HR
practices, work structures and processes that maximizes employee knowledge, skill,
commitment, and flexibility. It composed of many interrelated parts that complement
one another to reach the goals of an organization, large or small. According to Arvey

165

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

et al., 1991; Gelfand et al., 2008 as cited by Tanhiala, Giluk, Kepes, Simon, Oh and
Kim (2014) given the knowledge gap as well as the cultural sensitivities in HR
professionals’ beliefs regarding the effectiveness of HR practices, two conclusions
are warranted. First, we need to better communicate the existing relevant cumulative
research to practitioners across countries. Second, we need more attention to gaps
in research from practitioners’ point of view, particularly research on the cross-
cultural applicability of the mainly US-based research in different contexts.

Human Resource Management Practices

Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices are the policies and practices an
organization uses to perform its human resource functions. There are six (6) major practices
in HRM, they are; job analysis and job design, recruitment and selection, performance
management, training and development, compensation and benefits, and labour relations. The
library HRM officer is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, and
monitoring all human resources management programs and processes for the academic
librarian, professional, and classified staff, and hourly assistant Soe (2020). While Dittmer
(2002) viewed HRM practices as an individual's perceptions of the extent of implementation
of the strategies, plans, and programs used to attract, motivate, develop, reward and retain the
best people to meet organizational goals.

According to Lisbdnetwork (2018) the quality of Library and Information Centers is largely
depending on the dynamic, motivated, skilled and competent staff and the infrastructure
facilities provided for their service and development. The Library and Information Science
(LIS) professionals are considered as one of the vital elements that can really make a library
the knowledge hub. All these scholars agreed that having the right human resource is crucial
to meeting an organization’s goals. The study of HRM practices in relation to organizational
performance has been ongoing for some time now, and Aziri, Veseli and Ibraimi (2013)
argued Human resources and Human resources management are generally considered to be
one of the most important issues in managing nowadays business organization.

HRM practices is usually a part of an organization’s strategy used to meet its goals.
Therefore, the HRM practice in one organization may be significantly different from that of
another due to both internal and external factors. It is often used as a source of competitive
advantage. According to Kulkarni & Dadas (2017), people have always been central to
organizations, but their strategic importance is growing in today’s knowledge based
industries. An organization’s success increasingly depends on knowledge, skills and abilities
(KSAs) of employees, particularly as they help establish a set of core competencies that
distinguish an organization from its competitors.

With appropriate HRM Practices an organization can hire, develop and utilize best brains in
the marketplace, realize its professed goals and deliver results better than others. HRM
practice is important because it provides a clear structure that enables employees to know
their responsibilities and the organization’s expectations. It promotes fairness and consistency
in the human resource management process, and ensure that the organization complies with
employment regulations. Hung, Ansari, and Aafaqi (2004) suggested that perceived fairness
in HRM practices such as employee relations and compensation, procedures, and training are
positively associated with affective and normative organizational commitment. This means
that, HRM practices that are not considered fair by employees may not be able to attract and
retain the best employees, and surely will not bring the bests out of employees as they will
not be commitment to the goals of the organization. The assumption is that the more

166

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

committed employees are to an organization, the more motivated they are to work for the
goals of that organization, and the less likely for them to leave the organization. This implies
that employees in the academic libraries need to be treated well in order to avoid the
challenges of leaving for another better organization.

Academic Libraries

The heartbeat of any institution is the library (Misban 2016, Akpoghome 2019). The library is
positioned to actualize the institutional goals. There are different types of libraries depending
on the institution in which it is found. Examples are public library, special library, national
library, school library and academic library among others. An academic library can be
described as a library that is attached to a higher education institution, and serves two
complementary purposes such as: (1) support the curriculum, and (2) to support the teaching,
leaning, research of the university faculties and students. (Abubakar 2011; Adesanya and
Idogwu 2015; Eze and Uzoiegwe 2013) In the past, the materials for class readings, which
are intended to supplement lectures as prescribed by the instructor, has been called reserves.

It could also be seen as a designated place, physical or digital, set aside to house scholarly
research materials and materials supporting the academic, university, or college community
and curriculum. Before the advent of information and communication technology, the
reserves were supplied as actual books or as photocopies of appropriate journal articles.
Modern academic libraries generally also provide access to electronic resources. Allen and
Taylor (2017) opine that Academic libraries are positioned around teaching and learning
institutions. According to Tabs (2003), an academic library is defined as an entity in a
postsecondary institution that provides all of the following: An organized collection of
printed or other materials, or a combination thereof; A staff trained to provide and interpret
such materials as required to meet the informational, cultural, recreational, or educational
needs of its clientele; An established schedule in which services of the staff are available to
clientele; The physical facilities necessary to support such a collection, staff, and schedule.

Academic libraries must determine a focus for collection development since comprehensive
collections are not feasible. Librarians do this by identifying the needs of the faculty and
student body, as well as the mission and academic programs of the college or university. The
contemporary academic library is seen in this deamination in services, collection of material
and space

There is a great deal of variation among academic libraries based on their size, resources,
collections, and services. Olajide and Adio (2017) says;

“…university education in Nigeria is facing a critical challenge in meeting

new demand of 21st Century with its ever increasing population growth,
inadequate library facilities and resources. Adequate library resources and
services at the appropriate level for degrees offered should be available to
support intellectual, cultural, and technical development of students enrolled
in Nigerian universities. The growth of research in all fields of human
endeavors is becoming increasingly detailed and sophisticated, faculty
members and students have realized that the library has great role to play in
the provision of information necessary for their day to day research and their
academic work”.

167

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

According to Abubakar (2011), academic libraries in Nigeria are at a crossroads. This is

because they are operating in an era of dwindling finances where resources (financial and
materials) are not forthcoming. He stated further that the situation in private universities also
tends to portray a gloomy picture as the story seems to be the same. Oyelude (2020) opines
that the situation in academic libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, one of the
African countries hit hardest by the disease –is a mixed one. Before the pandemic, activities
with different services were provided as usual. Most library now try to offer online services
and suspend their shifting periods.

Academic libraries have transformed in the 21st century to focus less on physical collection
development and more on information access and digital resources. Today's academic
libraries typically provide access to subscription-based online resources, including research
databases and e-book collections, in addition to physical books and journals. Academic
libraries also offer space for students to work and study, in groups or individually on "silent
floors," and reference and research help services, sometimes including virtual reference
services.

The COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries and had made it to device new ways of
providing services to its users in order to prevent its staff catching the disease. Cox (2020),
identified the following in the era of modern libraries. The diminishing value of print
collections, Mass digitization and access versus archives, E-everything, the end of big
deals, Distinctive collection digitization, Copyright/fair use challenges. In the area of library
services he identified the following: Self-service models and virtual alternatives, embedded
librarianship, the rise of open content and open educational resources, Support for online
teaching, Support for online research, the library website as a virtual front door,
Personalization and the promise of artificial intelligence.

Cox (2020) listed the following under operations: Employee safety, Continuous learning and
development, doing more with less, equity of access, librarian activisms. COVID 19 has
given a new face for the library to operate. Therefore, for any academic library to function
properly, it has to keep up with the new normal which COVID 19 has brought.

HRM Practices in Academic Libraries

In literature, there are very few studies that have shown a holistic view of HRM practices and
academic libraries (Adeniji, Babalola and Adeniji 2012, Defa 2008, Ukwoma and Akanwa
2008). Some scholars have tried to concentrate on either one or more of HRM indicators. For
instance, Warriach and Ameen (2015) in their study considered the status of four indicators
of HRM - staffing, training and development, performance appraisal and retention strategies
in university libraries of Punjab Province, noting that training and development is inevitable
in libraries due to rapid change on information landscape.

Organizations in emerging countries are becoming aware of HRM practices and their
importance. In Nigeria, a number of scholars have discussed the practical and theoretical
issues with the implementation of HRM practices in modern Nigerian organizations, which
includes higher institutions of learning (Adegboye 2013; George, Owoyemi,Onakala
2012;Oghojafor, George, Owyemi 2012). According to Mogaji (2019), there are currently
over 174 approved universities in Nigeria). Each of these institutions has academic libraries
that support these institutions. These libraries employ thousands of people as; professional,
semi-professional, and non-professional staffs that may need to have technical, human, and
conceptual skills to be able to perform their jobs. These staff needs to be well managed so

168

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

that they will continue to provide top quality services to meet the needs of these institutions.
(Owolabi and Azonwu 2016) in a study elaborated the need for planning human resources in
academic libraries.

The study concludes that it is essential to plan for the present and the future of human
resource in academic libraries in Nigeria in order to improve on their services to users.
Academic libraries in Nigeria use the following major human resource management practices
to manage its human resource. According to Issa, Idowo, Amusan, Ojokutu, Adedeji and
Oguntayo (2016) Human resources unarguably, constitute an integral part of organizations.
Without the input of human resources, the objectives of setting up organizations will be
defeated. Staff represents a way of getting the human resources required for the attainment of
organizational objectives.

Job analysis and Job Design

Job analysis is the process of gathering and analyzing information about the content and the
human requirements of jobs, as well as the context in which jobs are performed. Job design
on the other hand is the specification of contents, methods, relationships of jobs in order to
satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well as the social and personal
requirements of the holder of the job. In Librarianship, it a process of putting individuals in
the right department in which they can perform effectively such as automation section,
readers services etc. For example taking an extrovert to the reader’s services where he or she
can have access to users and explain issues to them in a better way and taking a critical
thinker to the technical section to help in cataloguing and classification of materials coming
into the library.

Recruitment and Selection

The ability to attract, recruit, and hire top candidates is the hallmark of a successful academic
library (Raschke, 2003). Recruitment is the preparation a pool of possible candidates for a
position. In this, potential applicants are searched for, and then encouraged to apply for an
actual or anticipated vacancy. Selection is the process of choosing and hiring an employee for
a job among the shortlisted candidates from the recruitment process. There are certain
guidelines and procedures to be followed in recruiting staff for academic libraries. Such
guidelines are such that could be seen as approved by the Association of College and
Research Libraries (ACRL) (2017) which is the higher education association for academic
libraries and library workers. These guidelines have been adapted by different countries and
may be affected by government policies and regulations.

Performance Management

Performance management is the process of ensuring that a set of activities and outputs meet
an organization's set goals in an effective and efficient manner. The process includes
clarifying expectations, setting objectives, identifying goals, providing feedback, and
reviewing results. Performance management is usually an ongoing communication process
between a manager and his/her subordinate. Most academic libraries in Nigeria use a set of
performance index to check performances of librarians (Okoye, Mbagwu, Abanum and
Nwohiri 2019; Nwokike and Unegbu 2019). This index usually constitutes input from the HR
department and the head of the library so as to create a balance in the KPIs since the
librarians’ task are uniquely defined.

169

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

Training and Development

Training and development refers to educational activities within an organization created to

enhance the knowledge and skills of employees while providing information and instruction
on how to better perform specific tasks. Training aimed to improve the knowledge of an
employee relating to a specific job, while development has to do with the general growth of
the employee (Defa 2008, Ramadevi 2018). Workshops and seminars are usually organized
for librarians in order to remain relevant in today’s dynamic world. Academic librarians also
benefit from trainings organized by parent institutions. Such trainings are usually geared
towards achieving the overall goal of the institution it is affiliated to.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits consist of the items below that an organization uses to
compensate and reward its employees for work done for the organization.

Compensation – base pay, overtime, sales commission, bonus pay, merit pay, etc.

Benefits – health insurance, life assurance, pensions, company car, etc. According to
Odunlade (2012) from library and information specialists point of view, monetary
compensation is an essential component in recruitment and retention process; but benefits are
equally important and can often be the deciding factor in whether an individual accepts an
offer or even stays.

Academic librarians are compensated just like other faculty members of same cadre. Most of
the time, compensation and benefits for academic librarians will depend on the annual
appraisal or job satisfaction based on criteria spell out in their organization's handbook
(Odunlade, 2012).

Labour Relations

This is the relationship between the management of an organization and its workforce. In
most organizations, the workforce is organized in the form of a union that negotiates the
working conditions of the employees with the management of the organization. Union
membership is strongly bound to faculty status. Latham and Ditzler (2010), Garcha and
Phillips (2001) cited by Mills and McCullough (2018) academic librarians have a generally
positive view of unions and collective bargaining agreements.

Issues and Challenges of HRM Practices in Academic Libraries in Nigeria

There are plethora of issues and challenges affecting the implementation of HRM practices in
academic libraries in Nigeria which have impact on the service delivery of these libraries.
(Note: for the purpose of this work, “issues” and “challenges” were taken as synonyms).
Some of these are;

Job Analysis and Job design

With the changing roles of academic libraries especially as it broadens to include digital
library services job analysis and job design has become a challenge for most academic
librarians. For example, what qualifications and skills are important for Digital Librarian
positions in academic libraries? This skills requirement should be specified. How can the
library gather information on this job that is detailed, objective, reliable, and valid? How will

170

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

the worth of this job in relation to other jobs be known? How will the level and amount of
training required be determined? What will be the standard of evaluating this job? How will
this job be designed to ensure that tasks contribute to a smooth workflow in the library?
These are real challenges for academic libraries in a landscape that is still evolving. Most
academic libraries do not have solution to this yet, instead they use old templates to recruit
new staff

Compensation and Benefits

There is disparity in compensation and benefits between academic staff and some librarians
of equivalent qualification. This leads to drop in motivation for the library employees, as they
see themselves as ‘second class citizens’ in the institution. Because of this, the academic
library is finding it difficult to attract the best. Even some who work in the library are
‘bidding’ their time until they find what they consider as ‘better alternative’.

Training and Career Advancement

New and emerging competencies which were not required five to ten years ago, such as data
visualization and communication skills, are now required for librarians to become effective at
what they do. In order to satisfy the needs and requirements of the very sophisticated and
knowledgeable users of the library, highly skilled personnel are required. Even though the
library is the heart of the academic institution, release of funds for training is subject to
management’s approval. One of the reasons for this is the poor perception of library services
by some stakeholders in the parent institution.

This has led to the provision of inadequate training for library staff, especially skills in the
areas of information and communication technology, and digitization to enable them
effectively use the rapidly growing and changing information resources. It is worthy to note
that government owned universities (federal and state) have a clearly defined policy of
funding, because they are allocated 10% of the recurrent annual budget of their parent
institutions. However, it is regrettable that such monies are not forthcoming as most
university administrators tend to flout that decision. For private universities, the
founders/stakeholders decide arbitrarily how much to be spent on the libraries which is
inadequate in most cases.

Performance Management

In academic libraries in Nigeria, especially those owned by the government, performance

management is mostly done as a yearly ritual but not as a strategic tool for improving
organizational performance. The culture of appraisal assessment is not ingrained in these
libraries. Performance appraisal for example is not used for identifying employee training and
educational needs, opportunities for promotion, as a basis for salary decisions, etc. There is
also shortage of skills and lack of appropriate tools to carry out performance management
exercise in the libraries. According to Waal (2007), there is a clear and strong relation
between organizational performance and the attention given to performance management and
employee appraisal.

Talent Management and Succession Planning

There should always be a plan in place to fill leadership positions as a result of resignation,
retirement, termination, or untimely death. Replacement should ordinarily be drawn from the

171

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

library’s talent pool. These talents should already be in one form of mentoring programme to
upgrade their skills and capabilities. Since performance management is not properly done,
this is not usually in place which sometimes lead to bringing external skills to fill positions
especially that of the university librarian. It is argued though that it is necessary to bring in
new “blood” to fill management positions to bring new views and perspectives to running the
libraries especially in this era of globalization. However, if talents within the organization
realize there is no opportunity of upward growth, it may lead to demotivation, less
commitment to the library, and eventually increase in turnover.

Lack of Skilled Manpower

In this era of globalization and digitalization, in order to maximize resources such as books,
journals, sound records, photographs, manuscripts etc., they must be transformed into digital
forms. Established standards, tools, and skilled manpower must be required for quality
reproduction. The new information era makes it necessary for library staff to have skills and
expertise in ICT, online publishing, and knowledge management. Most academic libraries in
Nigeria do not have the tools and skilled manpower to remain relevant in these changing era.
This has led to a capability divide between these academic libraries and those of other climes,
which in turn affects the quality of services being rendered in academic libraries in Nigeria,
which are not digitally compliant.

Change Management

Change management is the process of getting to a desired state from an existing one. The
changes taking place in the information society is very rapid and libraries need to be
proactive and move with that change. Unfortunately, in most academic libraries in Nigeria,
this management of change is very slow which is then often overtaken by new events. And
the cycle continues. Example, it is getting too long to get the process of transition from print
to digital media completed. In addition to this, the libraries are also participating in the
dialogue of transforming the physical space in the libraries to foster better collaboration and
accommodate other activities. These delays lead to mental fatigue, increase in cost, resistance
to change, and the unwillingness to start or participate in new change management
programmes.

Conclusion

The changes taking place in the academic library is rapid and unprecedented because of new
knowledge creation in this knowledge age, and it is necessary for library staff to be abreast of
these changes. HRM Practices in any organization directly affect the performance of its
employees. So, to continue to remain relevant, the academic library must put in place the
right human resource management practices, backed by its parent institution, with the intent
of maximizing employees’ outcome, which will enable it recruit the best, train and develop,
and have the appropriate compensation and benefits scheme that will motivate the employees,
to ensure their continued commitment to the goals of the organization.

The parent institutions of academic libraries should see the library as what it truly is – the
heart of the academic institution, and a key to national development. Thus, the management
of the parent organization should ensure that academic libraries have the necessary funds that
will enable these libraries to continue to upgrade the skills of its staff, invest in tools and
technology, so that they will be ready for the changes taking place in the information society
in order to have the capability to continue to provide quality services. Academic libraries

172

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

should also source for other means of generating funds in the form of Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR) instead of relying solely on the parent organization especially in this era of
dwindling finance in most academic institutions. Initiatives like consultancy services and
marketing of some information services could be considered.

Job analysis and job design should be an integral part of change management in academic
libraries in the changes taking place libraries. New jobs will need to be created while some
will have to be retired. Academic libraries should ensure that job analysis and job design are
well done especially for the new jobs coming in, because this have the power to determine
employee satisfaction and therefor the level of service delivery in the future.

Recommendations

Compensation and benefits of the professional staff in the academic libraries should align
with those of other academic staff. This will greatly motivate library staff, and will have the
potential of attracting the best brains to the library.

It is also necessary for HRM practices as it relates to an academic library to be documented.

Heads of libraries could liaise with HR managers of institutions to put together guidelines and
procedures that will address every aspect of HRM practices.

References

Abubakar, B.M. (2011) Academic Libraries in Nigeria in the 21st Century in Library
Philosophy and Practice Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277262052.

Adegboye, Mofope (2013). The Application of Management Theories in Nigeria: Exploring

the Cultural Challenges. International journal of Business and social Science. 4 (10).

Adeniji,M.A; Babalola, G. A and Adeniji, Sarah Eleojo (2012). Workers Training

Programmes in Two University Libraries in Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice.
http://umlib.unl.edu/LPP/.

Adesanya Olusegun Oyeleye and Idogwu, Kingsley Uche (2015). The Evolution of E-
Library in Nigerian Academic Libraries: Challenges and Way Forward. Asian Journal
of Education and e-Learning. Vol. 3 Issue 4, www.ajouronline.com.

Akpoghome (2019). Library remains the heartbeat of any academic institution. Retrieved
from https://www.biu.edu.ng/library-remains-heartbeat-academic-institution-dr-
akpoghome/

Allen, Lee E. and Taylor Deborah M. (2017). The role of the academic Library Information
Specialist (LIS) in teaching and learning in the 21st century. Information Discovery
and Delivery. Vol. 45 Issue: 1, pp.1-9.

Armstrong, M. (2000).The name has changed but has the game remained the same. Employee
Relations, Vol. 22 No. 6, pp. 576-93.

Association of College and Research Library (2017). Guidelines for Recruiting Academic
Librarians. Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors at the ALA Annual

173

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

Conference, June 2017. Retrieved from

https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/recruitingguide.

Aziri, Brikend; Veseli, Nexhbi and Ibraimi, Sadundin (2013). Human Resources and
Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management and Innovation and
Management, Knowledge and learning international conference 19-21 June 2013.
Zadar, Croatia.

Beardwell, I. and Holden, L. (2001), Human Resource Management: A Contemporary

Approach, Pearson Education, London. Cited in, Svetlik Ivan & Costea Eleni. 2007.
“Introduction Connecting human resources management and knowledge
management”, International Journal of Manpower. Vol. 28, No. 3/4, pp. 197-206.

Bhat, H. A. (2016). Human resources in Government Higher Secondary School libraries of

Kashmir: an evaluative study. IRJMSH Vol.7 Issue 5, Year 2016] ISSN 2277 –
9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print).

Cox, C. (2020) Changed, Changed Utterly. Retrieved from the internet 21/9/2020

Defa, Dannis R (2008). Human Resources Administration in Academic library. Library

Administration and Management Vol.22 (3).

Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource
management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance
predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), pp. 802–835

Dittmer, P. R. (2002). Dimensions of the Hospitality Industry. 3rd Ed. New York: John
Wiley & Sons.

Eze, Jacintha U and Uzoigwe, C.U. (2013). The place of academic libraries in Nigeria
University Education: contributing to the ‘Education for All’ initiative. International
Journal of Library and Information Science Vol. 5(10), pp. 432-438, DOI:
10.5897/IJLIS2013.0397. http://www.academicjournals.org/IJLIS.

George, O; Ogohjafor, B. and Owoyemi (2012). Cooperate Governance and National Culture
are Siamese Twins: A case of Cadbury (Nigeria) Plc. International Journal of
Business and Social Science.

Gloet, M. (2006), "Knowledge management and the links to HRM: Developing leadership
and management capabilities to support sustainability", Management Research
News, Vol. 29 No. 7, pp. 402-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170610690862.

Issa, A.O; Idowu. A.O; Amusan, B.B. Ojukutu. B. Y; Adedeji, F.A and Oguntayo, S. (2016).
Academic Setting and Implications for Librarianship practice in Kwara State, Nigeria.
Ilorin Journal of Sociology. Vol. 8 (1). P28-45.

Jackson, S.E. and Schuler, R.S. (1992). HRP Practices in Service-based organizations: A role
theory perspective. Advances in Services Marketing and Management, Volume 1,
pages 123-157

Kulkarni, A. and Dadas, A.B. (2017). Role of Human Resource Management (HRM)
Practices with Benefit on Employee Performance.

174

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

Kumar, D. and Sharm, S.B (2018). Issues and challenges of globalization and digital era of
library management in India: An overview. International Journal of Multidisciplinary
Research and Development. Volume 5; Issue 2; Page No. 90-9

Latham, Joyce M and Ditzler, Wyatt E (2010). Collective Effort: The American Union and
the American Public Library Joyce M. Library Trends, Vol. 59, Nos. 1-2.

Misbah (2016). A library- Heart of an academic institution. Retrieved from

http://hpssmartlibrary.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/a-library-heart-of-an-academic-
institution.

Mogaji, E., (2019). Types and Location of Nigerian Universities. Research Agenda Working
Papers. Vol 2019 No 7 pp 92-103.

Nwokike, Obinna A. and Unegbu, Vincent E. (2019). Evaluating the Job Performance of
Librarians in Universities in South-East, Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-
journal). 2536. 2536. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2536

Odunlade, R.O. (2012). Managing Employee Compensation and Benefits for Job Satisfaction
in Libraries and Information Centres in Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-
journal). 714. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/714.

Olajide, O. and Adio, G. (2017). "Effective Utilization of University Library Resources by

Undergraduate Students: a case study of Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria".
Library Philosophy and Practice. Retrieve from
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1503

Okoye, Ifeyinwa Blessing ; Mbagwu, Francisca and Nwaohiri, Ngozi Maria (2019).
Influence of Performance Appraisal on Job Performance of Librarians in Academic
Libraries in South East, Nigeria.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334963840.

Owolabi R. O. & Azonwu M. (2016). Application Of Human Resource Planning In

Academic Libraries In Ogun State: Prospects And Challenge. International Journal of
Innovation and Applied Studies ISSN 2028-9324 Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 244-251

Oyelude, A. A. (2020) Academic Libraries in Nigeria Riding the COVID-19 Storm! IFLA
Section Academic and Research Libraries. Retrieved from http://blogs.ifla.org/arl/
.Ramadevi, V. (2017). An Assessment of Human Resource Management in the
Academic Libraries - in the case of Amhara Region, Ethiopia . International Journal
of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 7, Issue 4, www.ijsrp.org

Raschke, Greg. (2003). Hiring and Recruitment Practices in Academic Libraries: Problems
and Solutions. portal: Libraries and the Academy. 3. 53-67. 10.1353/pla.2003.0017.

Schuler, R. S. and Jackson, S. E. (1987), “Linking competitive strategies with human

resource management practices”. Academy of Management Executive, Vol.1, No.3,
pp. 207-219

Soe, Thein Thein (2020). The Need of Human Resources management and Information
communication Technology in Libraries. World Voices Nexus: The WCCES

175

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter

 Jewel Journal of Librarianship
ISSN: 2141-3908 (Print); ISSN: 2736-0881 (Online)
Volume 16, Issue 3; Published: September, 2021
https://www.jeweljournals.com

Chronicle. Vol.4.No.1, Retrieved from http://www.worldcces.org/articles-3-by-

soe/febrary-08th/2020

Somasundaram, Usha Valli and Egan, Toby Marshall (2004). Training and Development: An
Examination of Definitions and Dependent Variables.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED492440.pdf.

Svetlik Ivan & Costea Eleni. (2007). Introduction Connecting human resources
management and knowledge management”, International Journal of
Manpower. Vol. 28, No. 3/4, pp. 197-206.

Tabs, E.D (2003). Academic Libraries: 2000. Washington, DC, National Center for
Education Statistics.

Tenhiälä, Aino; Giluk, Tamara L; Kepes, Sven; Simón, Cristina; Oh, In-Sue and Kim,
Seongsu. (2014).The Research-Practice Gap in Human Resource Management: A
Cross-Cultural Study. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published Online In Wiley Online
Library (Wileyonlinelibrary.Com). Doi:10.1002/Hrm.21656

Ukwoma, Scholastica C and Akanwa, Pearl C (2008). Human Resources Development

Programme in Nigeria Academic Libraries: A comparative study of universities in
Imo State. Samaru Journal of information Studies Vol 8 no 2.

Waal, A. A. de (2007). Strategic performance management: A managerial and behavioural

approach. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Warriach, N. & Ameen, Kanwal. (2015). Human Resource Management Practices in

University Libraries: A Case from Pakistan.

Weare, W.H. (2015), Succession Planning in Academic Libraries: A Reconsideration, in

Samantha Schmehl Hines , Marcy Simons (ed.) Library Staffing for the Future
(Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Volume 34) Emerald Group
Publishing, pp.313 – 361.

176

Nigerian Library Association, Gombe State Chapter