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Purpose: Mentorship is crucial to the success and accomplishment of librarianship in the contemporary era. This paper aims to investigate the need for mentorship and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship with specific focus on academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study was 1,214 librarians in 102 academic libraries in Southern Nigeria. Total enumeration sampling technique was adopted for the study. Findings: It was reflected that mentorship, though beset by a number of challenges, is a necessity in librarianship. The hypotheses tested revealed that there is significant relationship between the need for mentorship and the types of mentorship adopted in academic libraries, and that there is no significant difference between the need for mentorship by male and female librarians. Practical implications: This study affirmed that it is through mentorship that librarians can meet their job demands. Mentorship should therefore be stimulated to bolster the professional and intellectual development of the librarians. The mentees should be carried along in mentorship partnership selection process, and training should be organized for mentors and mentees on mentorship. Social implications: The interaction of librarians in the course of mentoring can facilitate work cohesion and enhanced job performance. Originality/value: The needs for and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship have been explored by collecting data directly from the librarians. The cloistered nature of librarianship, given the changing nature of the profession owing to massive deployment of Information and Communication Technology in the performance of library operations, means that mentorship should be encouraged in the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the value of the Master of Library and Information Science degree from the perspective of a recent graduate and practicing academic librarian.Design/methodology/approach The paper is a viewpoint supported by current literature and practical experience.Findings The author presents ideas for integrating theory into skills-based education and advocates for greater emphasis on technical skill development in Library and Information Science (LIS) education.Practical implications LIS educators may benefit from a recent graduate’s evaluation of LIS education because it relates to hireability and job performance.Originality/value The paper represents the author’s points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The success of socialization and orientation of new academic librarians has a considerable effect on outcomes critical to both the newcomer and institution, including job performance, job satisfaction, and staff turnover. These factors correspondingly impinge upon the institution's bottom line, due to the high costs associated with activities ranging from recruitment to retention. The paper asserts that if a new librarian leaves the institution within the first six to 18 months, the costs expended on hiring are practically wasted. To avoid this, and engage new professionals that stay long enough to justify the cost of hiring, and gain a return on its investment, the academic library needs to engage in rapid on-boarding. The article therefore aims to demonstrate how socialization and orientation can be effective. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is informed by opinion and draws on relevant literature to provide an understanding of the phenomenon. Findings – Rapid on-boarding is central to getting new hires up-to-speed quickly; yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that it is not as widespread as it should be in academic libraries. Practical implications – An on-boarding plan immanent in the strategic plan provides a unique channel of influence for familiarizing newcomers with the institution and advancing its policies and practices. Social implications – A formal on-boarding program can be a great source of support for all library staff and can increase the retention of professionals by inculcating the values and behaviors required to succeed. Originality/value – The article underscores how human resource development (HRD) activities, which subsume orientation, affect the library's bottom line. The author advances the significance of "chi" to the success of rapid on-boarding: communication, human interaction and individualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to spotlight the numerous ways librarians publish in the electronic environment. Design/methodology/approach - The paper surveys several web sites written by or about librarians or libraries. Findings - The study finds that while librarians still publish in traditional print formats, the narrow scope of many of their topics lend themselves to web-based publishing better. Originality/value - Even when an author's efforts may result in a book, the narrow focus of a topic, coupled with the stagnate nature of a printed work, are barriers to new or updated information. Web-based publications, both in tandem and independent of print, provide a dynamic environment to keep information up-to-date and current. The web also provides an opportunity to publish material that otherwise would not be published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine publication patterns of scholarly literature related to academic libraries and development (i.e. funding), including publication trends over a five-year period, core journals and authorship, so that library directors and library development officers will have a basic collection of relevant resources. Design/methodology/approach -- The methodology consisted of journal article searches in three databases relating to the field of library information science with 2006-2010 as the date limiter. The primary search terms came from the topic of this study and were joined to secondary-level search terms by using the Boolean operator: AND. Secondary-level keywords originated from the literature review and the search process. Results were stored in an Excel file based on pre-determined categories and were evaluated based on the research questions. Findings -- There were 106 articles published on the topic of academic libraries and development authored by 164 individuals, pairs, groups or associations during the five-year period of 2006-2010. In 2010, the greatest number of articles (35) was published on the topic, but in 2008, the least number (14) was published. Originality/value -- This study takes the bibliometric analysis approach, which has rarely been used on the topic of academic libraries and development work with the specific focus on library funding. It provides a foundation for further research on the topic, as well as resources to be used by library practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]