Leadership Roles in Building Resilient University Libraries and a Sustainable Workforce for Enhanced Education in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/FT.2025.005キーワード
Higher education, Leadership, Organizational performance, Resilience, Workforce development, University libraries要旨
University libraries are pivotal in fostering dynamic and resilient academic environments by facilitating effective learning, teaching and research endeavours. However, the ability of these libraries to fulfil their mandate hinges significantly on visionary leadership. Drawing from the insights of Michael Gibbson and contemporary leadership theories, this article explores the critical role of leadership in enhancing the resilience and relevance of university libraries in Nigeria. It scrutinizes the challenges posed by ineffective leadership, which often stems from issues such as ethnic patronage and compromised selection processes. Moreover, it underscores the necessity for proactive leadership that can navigate the complex terrain of university politics and resource allocation to bolster library collections and services. By examining the relationship between leadership styles and organizational culture, the article emphasizes the importance of cultivating a supportive work environment that fosters innovation and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it advocates for continuous training and development initiatives to equip library leaders and their staff with the necessary skills to adapt to evolving demands and technologies. The article provides valuable insights for policymakers, administrators and practitioners seeking to strengthen the resilience and efficacy of academic libraries’ leadership in Nigeria and beyond.
References
Abbas, W., & Asghar, I. (2010). The role of leadership in organizational change: Relating the successful organizational change to visionary and innovative leadership [Master’s Thesis in Industrial Engineering and Management, submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gavle]. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:326289/FULLTEXT01.pdf>
Achebe, C., (1998). The trouble with Nigeria. Fourth Dimension Publishers.
Adekoya, C. O., & Guobiazor, I. R. (2023). Leadership styles, organisational rewards and employees’ commitment in academic libraries. IFLA Journal, 49(4), 664–677. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231202512
Agboola, T. O. (2019). Governance and leadership roles as the strategies for effective higher education in Nigeria: An examination. Global Journal of Management and Business Research:Administration and Management, 19(11), 1–12. https://journalofbusiness.org/index.php/GJMBR/article/view/2870
Ashiq, M., Rehman, S. U., Safdar, M., & Ali, H. (2021). Academic library leadership in the dawn of the new millennium: A systematic literature review. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(3), 102355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102355
Babarinde, K. (2016). Evolution, development, challenges and prospects of the Nigerian higher education system. In M. O. Faborode, & O. Edighejied (Eds.), The Future and relevance of Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions (pp. 9–29). Committee of Vice Chancellors and Trust Africa.
Bolden, R. (2010). Leadership, management, organizational development. In J. Gold, R. Thorpe, & A. Mumford, (Eds.), Handbook of Leadership Management Development (pp. 117–132). Gower.
Carlson, J., Haffenden, R., Bassett, G., Buehring, W., Collins III, M., Folga, S., Petit, F., Phillips, J.,Verner, D. & Whitfield, R. (2012). Resilience: Theory and application. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States), Tech. Rep.
Christopher, C. & Thor, V. P. (2011). Management in reality. 2nd edition. West Publishing Co.
Dawari, E. & Robert-Okah, I. (2021). Managerial impediments and quality of leadership in universities in Rivers State. Texas Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(2), 1–15. https://zienjournals.com/index.php/tjm/article/view/367
Eskor, T. (1998, October 19). The militarization of education takes two forms. The Guardian.
Fasola, O. S. (2024). Leadership style and library digital transformation of private university libraries in Southwest Nigeria. Journal Adabiya, 26(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.22373/adabiya.v26i2.23219
Gibbons, M. (1998). Higher education relevance in the 21st century. World Bank.
Hernon, P. (2010). The Next Managerial Leadership: Continuation of a Research Agenda. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814299701_0004
Herold, I. M. H. (2015). Introduction. In I. M. H. Herolh (Ed.). Creating leaders: An examination of academic and research library leadership institutes (pp. 1–8). ACRL Publications in Librarianship.
Ikolo, V. E. (2019). Transformational Leadership for Academic Libraries in Nigeria. In M. Khosrow-Pour, D. B. A. (Ed.), Advanced Methodologies and Technologies in Business Operations and Management (pp. 1429–1439). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7362-3.ch107
Malhotra, Y. (2001). From Information Management to Knowledge Management: Beyond the "Hi-Tech Hidebound" Systems. In Y. Malhotra (Ed.), Knowledge Management and Business Model Innovation (pp. 115–134). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-878289-98-8.ch007
Nnaji, E. S., & Unamba, C. P. (2024). Influence of transformational leadership on the sustainability of universities: Focus on universities in Cross River State, Nigeria. Kashere Journal of Education, 6(3), 47–59. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/kje/article/view/292665
Nwosu, C. C., & Udo-Ayanwu, A. J. (2019). Challenges and prospects of Nigeria university libraries. In C. O. Nnadozie, C. P. Uzuegbu, M. C. Nwosu, K. N. Igwe, & J. O. Akidi, University librarianship: Issues and perspectives in Nigeria (pp. 478–488). ZEH Communications.
Obinyan, O. O. (2013). Emerging trends in libraries services in the perspective of electronic resources. In A. K. Siwach, & S. Parmar (Eds.), Access, Management and usage of electronic resources (pp. 3–14). EssEss Publications.
Obinyan, O. O., Adetona, C. O., & Obinyan, G. A. (2019). Collection development in Nigerian university libraries. In C. O. Nnadozie, C. P. Uzuegbu, M. C. Nwosu, K. N. Igwe, & J. O. Akidi, University librarianship: Issues and perspectives in Nigeria (pp. 144–157). ZEH Communications.
Pór, G. (2015). Management education and knowledge ecology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278010164_Management_Education_ad_Knowledge_Ecology_Ecosystems_of_knowledge_generate_social_and_econmic_value_for_businesses
Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. & Vohra, N. (2013). Organisationalbehaviour (15th Edition). Harlow: Pearson Education. Indian Subcontinent Adaptation. Dorling Kindersley (Indian) Pvt.
Ryan, M., DeLong, K., & Garrison, J. (2015). Leadership and fellowship: the UCLA senior fellows program. In I. M. H. Herolh (Ed.). Creating leaders: An examination of academic and research library leadership institutes (pp. 141–151). ACRL Publications in Librarianship.
Sharief, E. (2024). Leadership styles and organizational resilience in times of crisis in Sudan. American Journal of Leadership and Governance, 9(2), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajlg.1859
Tran, Q. H. N. (2023). The role of leadership skills in organisational citizenship behaviour at Vietnamese libraries: Organisational culture as a mediator. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 74(1–2), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-10-2022-0249
Villanova University (2019). 5 Leadership skills found in managers. www.villanovau.com/resources/leadership/5-leadership-skills-found-in-managers/
Warren, B. & Burt, N. (2003). Leaders: Strategies for taking charge (2nd edition), Harpercollinspublishers, Inc.
Downloads
出版済
How to Cite
巻号
セクション
License
Copyright (c) 2025 the Provincial Public Library - the Copernicus Library in Torun

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors sign the license agreement, where authors have copyright but license exclusive rights in their article to the publisher. In this case authors have a range of rights, including:
- The right to share or reuse their article in the same ways permitted to third parties under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. Following it, the author can "copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms."
- Authors retain patent, trademark and other intellectual property rights (including research data).
- Authors receive proper attribution and credit for the published work.
![]()
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 93
Number of citations: 0