Level of Awareness of Mentoring Practices for Professional Development by Librarians in University Libraries in North Central Nigeria

This study examined level of awareness adoption of mentoring practices for professional development by librarians in university libraries in North Central Nigeria. The study utilized seven research questions and three hypotheses. It adopted the descriptive research design. The area of study was North-Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The entire population of 257 librarians was studied because they were accessible and manageable, made up of both federal, state and private universities. The number of respondents was determined as follows; federal universities = 81 librarians, state universities = 64 and private universities = 55. A self-developed structured questionnaire titled “Awareness and Adoption of Mentoring Practices for Professional Development of Librarians in University Libraries in North Central Nigeria (AAMPPDL)” and interview schedule were used to collect the required information from the respondents. The responses were coded in a 4-point rating scale. The result of the trial test for internal consistency of the instrument gave a Cronbach Alpha Coefficient of 0.89. The Findings revealed that areas of professional development of librarians that require mentoring are in areas like appraising of librarians, library management making available all the needful as it relates to mentoring. It was revealed that level of awareness of mentoring practices are for professional development of librarians in areas like evaluation, publications and it creates unity within the workforce, as well as create a friendly relationship between the mentor and the mentee. The study recommended areas such as appraising of librarians, librarians attending professional Association meetings such as workshops, conferences and seminars., making e-mentoring facilities available for librarians by library managements and guidelines and procedures given to participate to guide their conduct